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Data Usage overage problems

We have been struggling with data overage for the past 2 years. We have checked our acctivities and (some, but not most) can be attributated to this. However our data usage is constantly extremly high. We have switched devices several times. Our original device, the first year was fine, since then it has been terrible. I have spent numerous hours and $ attempting to fix this problem, no one has an answer. Has anyone else run into this? Have you found a solution?

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Verizon_Support

Let's look further into this esanborn! Which device did you have the first year and which device do you have now? Which data plan are you currently on and how many GBs do you average? Have you had a chance to review the data sessions online in your My Verizon site here http://bit.ly/xB4iTc You can view the dates, times and amount of data that was used by each line. Thank you.

TominqueBo_VZW

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pstager101

So is receiving email now counting as using data? I looked at the data sessions online and they seem to show exact times of emails are arriving. I don't remember this being charged as data previously.

LRVassar

Yes, any service that uses data, outside of sending and receiving pictures to and from another phone, is considered billable data. This also includes all email.

esanborn

The first device I purchased in 2011 was a Verizon Mifi 4GLTE, SSID: Verizon MIF450L 959A. The device worked great for the first year, never went over our data usage. Then after a year and a few months the data usage started going up. At that time, nothing changed on our end. The signal was never great, 1 to 3 bars, but work for our two computers, then three. At one point, we set it at 3G only, thinking the changing back and forth was part of the reason. Called tech support numerous times, no one had an answer. In April 2014, when our contract was up, we purchased a new device. The Ellipsis. thinking new technology would help. Nothing but problems with this device, went down and had to be replaced several times. With the new device and antenna, it is still not working great. Found a few things that would cause high data usage, such as refreshing pages. With this new device, our data is still high. We will be trying a few

things on our end, but i'm sure that is not all. The connection is "ok", after working with a tech the other day, we tried different settings. made things worse, set it back to factory defaults. today, it is frequently going back to 3G (which is very slow using one computer. If I shut it down and start it back up, it goes to 4G, but mostly 1 bar... ocassionally will go to 2 bars, but not for long. Though not as it should be, we can function on 1 bar 4G. However, need answers to data usage. When the original device started going up on usage, We had made no changes, I was seldom on, seldom refreshed, due to the limited sites I was on. No explination.

In addition, with the new device... there is a setting to automatically shut down. it will not shut down, the tech suggested I set it at 20 min. still won't shut down. we can go to plane mode at night, but I can't get my husband to remember. Also, I can physically shut it down at night, but my daughter will turn it back on when she gets home from work, late at night. I need it to automatically shut down. How do I get this feature to work? Even though we never shut down the original device, have been told it might help.

Please help or we will have no choice but to go to a dish. really don't want to do that, if we can get the service and data usage we had the first year.

Thank You, E. Sanborn

LRVassar

I don't have a fix, but I can assure you that going to Dish Network is not the answer. Have you looked into Verizon HomeFusion? We recently started using it, and it's a dream. I had Dish Network for about a year, an it was absolutely terrible.

llynn00

I had an unlimited plan, which had a device, jet pack, that was unable to handle the new graphics and videos on virtually every website. That started our data usage nightmare. We share 100GB with 4 phones and 4 people and use jet pack and 4G modem for our laptops. We started with 30GB, upped the contract to 100GB and we are still going over. I have discussed VW sneaky reporting of GB usage with several representatives in several different months, Each time it is us that are being negligent in our data usage. the 100GB plan costs us $750 a month. Add that to our phones and overage charges and our bill is $1100.00 this month. (That is with a discount because I am a school district employee). The latest rep told me that streaming too many movies is our problem, and that even when not streaming HD, netflix streaming of one movie is 3-4 GB. That means that for $750.00 for 100GB, we can only stream 20 movies a month. It is less expensive to take the family of four to the movies. On top of that not seeming right, our bigger problem is that we dont stream 20 movies a month. The majority of our GB goes to music and accessory GB usage through videos on my news sites. Even with my browser and computer set to not auto play, most of my main news sites will still play video ads automatically. I have no control over it. I spent hours researching this issue and figured it out myself. It did help some, but what it really showed, was that I have no control of my GB usage besides limiting my video streaming, which was the reason I wanted the 4G in the first place. Apparently, per the reps, if we watch only 5 movies a month, I should be able to read more news articles. But it always came back to me not monitoring properly, never the fact that $750 a month for data should allow us more entertainment and web freedom. I love verizon, we have been with them for over a decade, from the beginning, I love their products, I love their website....but they have priced themselves way out of my league. I am having a hard time figuring out who CAN afford them. I am posting my recent chat with a rep, it explains details of my problems and my attempt to see if I had any options before finding a new company. As you can see......VW had no solutions for us, besides turning off our devices at night and watching less videos, even when letting them know I would be finding a new carrier, there was not solution. I live in a rural area, and do not have FIOS or bundling options for ethernet connections. (I am sure I said that wrong, its broadband vs an aircard...mifi, jetpack). My biggest beef is the lack of recognition that data usage is largely outside of my control, lack of customer retention concern, sneaky reporting of overages and inability to prove value while dumping it back on me for not monitoring our data usage more vigilantly. Here is my conversation from today....I am Tamara and the VW rep is Holli...(I changed the other names) as you will see Holli is very pleasant, I have always had stellar customer service with verizon also.

>> Chat transcript removed to comply with the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service <<

Edited by: Verizon Moderator

danestor

Data counting by Verizon may be questionable but the lack of data allowance is worse. Our plans should have larger basic allowances. Mine is 10gig for $60.00 that is extremely high. By the time I get all of the so called updates for everything there is pleasure data time left. It sucks. I think a 50 gig basic for $60.00 is more fair to the consumer. Comcast and the other cable companies allow about 350 -400 gig in their allowance before they slow them down.

Beachboy65

You must work for verizon

Beachboy65

I have had the same problem. I have even started turning off the modem and I still have data being used. At thanksgiving I was out of town with my laptop and the data was still used. All of the money for the extra data from Verizon and the only answer was to buy more data.

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