I feel for you and any others that have experienced unexplained data overage charges with Verizon. I am packing my bag of wireless accounts and saying goodbye to Verizon and their business tactics. I have been fighting these guys for years without any successful answers or solutions.
I am trying to bring attention to a serious problem that seems to arise without a true explanation by Verizon regarding data usage and overage charges. Let me please ask all of you listening customers a simple question. Did your data usage spike come immediately before or after some sort of transition with your service plan or device? The reason I ask this is because Verizon has failed to give me any explanation that makes sense of the sudden overage charges.
I was persuaded to upgrade to a 4G Plan before my area even had 4G. Verizon claimed it would save me money on my monthly service plan and everything would work fine. Of course they wanted me to purchase a 4G USB modem with the upgrade (even though I would only get 3G service in my area). This led to problems midway thru my 2yr. service agreement contract.
First, my 4G data usage skyrocketed during the first couple of months after my area went on the 4G grid. Faster is better, better means more data, so better is going to cost you. Who knows how data is actually calculated, I don't think most of people associated with Verizon even know. One constant I do know is that the only time I have overage charges is when I had device change, upgrade or a soon to expire service contract.
For example, my data usage tripled when I was finally able to use my 4G USB modem in a 4G grid area. Verizon suggested upgrading my plan that allowed for high data usage. The following month my data usage returned to the stable usage I had previous to the spiked months. In case you are wondering, I was averaging around 3.7G data with a 5G plan and a $10.00 per 1G overage charge.
The second half of this problem started when my 4G modem failed to work two weeks after the warranty expired. I was in the middle of my contract and explained to Verizon that I didn't want to be stuck paying the full price to purchase a new 4G modem. I expressed to Verizon that I should have stayed with my 3G modem and plan. I experienced fewer headaches with 3G. The Verizon representative remarked that she could reactivate my old 3G USB modem with my existing 4G plan. I also requested that I be reinstated back the 5G data plan because I had been using less than 5G of data during the past six months.
So I used my 3G modem and stayed under my allowed data usage up to the remaining two months of my existing 2yr. contract. It was then when I noticed this outrageous data overage charge on my statement bill. I called Verizon and they could not explain the overage or why I was being charge a different fee that was agreed on my 5G plan ($10.00 per 1G overage charge). I was informed that my overage fees change when I had my 3G device reactivated. So instead of paying $10.00 for 1G of overage charges, I would be paying $51.20 for the same data overage. First of all, I would never agree to such a change to my contract. This would be especially true given Verizon’s past history of data overage charges.
This is when I went ballistic on Verizon. I wasn’t informed by the live Verizon representative of any change to my existing plan overage charge rate. I never experienced different rates when 3G service was only available to me when upgraded to a 4G plan. Was the data overage rate change because I would not be racking up the data usage with a slower device? Or was it a way of pitching me to upgrade back to a 4G modem with a new 2yr. contract since my existing contract was ending?
Whatever Verizon’s reason for the hidden cost and overage charges have left me questioning doing business in the future. I’ve wasted many hours on the phone trying to resolve complaints. All I can say is that I will be leaving Verizon and taking my multiple wireless accounts elsewhere.
