Deprioritization and Throttling - The Legal Way to Limit Unlimited Data Plans

[151413121110987654321]

Disclaimer: This is not about slow data speeds. I can handle slow internet. I grew up with dial tone. What I can't handle is constantly seeing "No Data Connection" on a phone and service plan that has a decent signal and that I am paying hundreds of dollars for.  Also, this post is in no way directed at Verizon employees specifically, but is directed entirely at the Verizon corporation.

To my fellow Verizon customers (condolences to you as well), for background information and additional information regarding the subject of this discussion, please see the original thread in the community (that no longer allows replies) here:  Verizon Community --> Services --> 4G LTE - LTE Advanced --> Data Throttling All Day Every Day (though I am in no way affiliated with any posts or people on that thread).

The above mentioned thread specifically features a post from a former corporate Verizon employee detailing out the problems with Verizon's unlimited data plans that is worth reading, along with several others. Although, please be aware that Verizon doesn't have any solutions listed anywhere for this problem other than to charge you more money (ie: suggesting you switch to a higher costing plan that these problems still happen to, buying a signal booster though it's not the signal that's causing all the problems, switching to another carrier which incurs even more fees (love this suggestion), etc.).

To Verizon, regarding my problems with Verizon's unlimited data plan (I can personally attest that it doesn't matter what tier unlimited data plan you are on, this happens to them all), the deprioritization and throttling down of data speeds is highly questionable.

Did I agree in a contract with Verizon that Verizon can deprioritize and/or throttle down my line/data during times of network congestion and/or when I reach a certain data limit (...I mean certain data usage not limit because it's an unlimited plan right)? 100% Yes. Did I agree that Verizon can slow down my data to the point that my $800 smartphone only functions as a dumb phone (call/non-image text only)? 100% No.

For reference, my smartphone is a dumb phone 90% of the time. I have hours of recorded data/video of my phone to substantiate this claim. It remains this way even though I continued to faithfully pay 100% of my bill while only getting 10% usage out of it (statistically speaking, my smartphone works as a smartphone for roughly only 2.5 hours in a 24 hour period so for about 21.5 hours, minus sleep, I can only call and text on my $800 smartphone on top of plan costs). It remains this way even though I have been on the phone with Verizon over 100 recorded hours, troubleshooting, etc. Every single trouble shooting measure has been done on my phone at least 30 times (that is a low estimate as I did not record every time I did troubleshooting in the beginning, unfortunately). A new phone was also tried to see if it was the phone causing the problem that troubleshooting couldn't fix (spoiler, it wasn't the phone nor has it ever been the phone).

When I say my smartphone performs as a dumb phone 90% of the time, I mean that 90% of the time when I try to use any browser on any site or try to use any app, instead of working properly, I get errors that state "No Data Connection" or "No Internet Connection." This is despite the fact that I have spent over 100 hours with Verizon tech support, have on average 3 bars of 4G LTE service at any given time, and my service where I am consistently worked just fine with very few interruptions until I changed to the unlimited plan. So I have to ask, when all possible troubleshooting has been done multiple times and even new phones have been tested, and my service area has been verified as having no problems, yet the result is the same "No Data Connection" over and over again, when will Verizon admit that it's the way Verizon is limiting unlimited data plans that is at the root of these problems? And that it is, in fact, NOT the customers problem to fix? Why do I have to work so hard and spend so much time to try to get a service I am already paying hundreds of dollars for?

This brings me to some of my last problems with Verizon's "unlimited" plans, as well as their customer service. Starting from a long time ago when I first called Verizon about this problem to now, I have come in contact with many Verizon employees. Each and every one of these Verizon employees has told me something different was wrong with my phone/service every time to explain why my service wasn't working (instead of fixing the problem). One explanation from Verizon was that I had used so much data on my unlimited data plan that I had been scaled back by Verizon (because I signed a contract agreeing to this with Verizon, remember?). Yes, I remember, I did agree to that. I agreed that my data speeds would be slowed down to accommodate the congestion on the network. Now, I know the English language is convoluted and has many nuances, but in no way, shape, or form, can any reiteration of "slowed down" (nor can any word in Verizon's contract) be translated to mean unusable. I did NOT agree to the fact that my $800 smartphone and $$$ data plan would become unusable as a result. Let me rephrase this for the Verizon legal department: My contract with Verizon does not state anywhere that my phone and/or phone plan may become unusable due to this agreed upon deprioritization and throttling. If un-usability was, in fact, a legitimate side effect of these unlimited data plans, then why does Verizon's contract not state this is a possibility? I mean, I know why. Because most people wouldn't sign up for these plans if they knew that was a possibility, which is why Verizon's unlimited plans, contract, wording, etc. are purposefully misleading. If Verizon's response to this is that the deprioritization and throttling down don't, in fact, make smartphones unusable, then why, after all the trouble shooting, new phones, service checks, etc., do I still get "No Data Connection" 90% of the day?

Which leads me to the second explanation I have received from Verizon employees as to why my service doesn't work. After first being told my non-working service was due to high usage on an unlimited data plan (still makes perfect sense), I was then told that the reason my service wasn't working was because of poor reception in my area (not caused by any outages or weather, etc). I know I've already been repeatedly banging my head against a wall on this entire subject, but my service consistently worked with few interruptions (I also have data to provide to back this claim up) before I switched to any of Verizon's unlimited plans. So, according to Verizon, my service doesn't work both because I use huge loads of my unlimited data AND because I am in such a poor service area that I get no data...interesting it can be both ways.

I also get told by Verizon that I couldn't possibly be having any issues with my service because of the amount of data I use. When a 2.5 hour video lecture takes 11 hours to play the entire way through because of buffering and "no data connection" due to deprioritization and/or throttling down data speeds, you bet that is going to wrack up data. I know this is stating the obvious because I never assume Verizon is aware of anything based on my experience with them, but using data for 11 hours buffering puts more strain on your network than 2.5 hours playing straight through would, or am I thinking of that in the wrong way?

Apart from the data issues, I have to state that EVERY SINGLE TIME I have called in to Verizon for help on this problem, after having my account verified, I had to explain in detail EVERY SINGLE TIME the issues I faced before with the phone, what troubleshooting had already been done, and what the problem was now (even though it was the same, continuous problem). EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. It got to the point that I specifically asked every single Verizon employee I spoke with to please please please (ok, I begged sometimes which seems to have done more harm than good) to record in my account the information we were going over so I did not have to go over the same problem 100 times with 100 other Verizon employees (have I mentioned that I've spend hundreds of hours trying to get my service to work or is it obvious?). When I called back after having done so or after I was transferred to a higher tier tech because the lower tier wasn't able to help, did I have to repeat myself for the 100th time and supply Verizon with information that I had already supplied them dozens upon dozens of times before and sometimes only minutes before? Of course I did, EVERY SINGLE TIME, because why would Verizon listen to what the customer has to say?

Last and definitely not least, Verizon verifies people's accounts who call into customer service by sending them a link to verify themselves. As you can read above over and over and over and over again, my Verizon service does not work. How am I supposed to click on a link to verify myself when my data doesn't work (literally says no data connection when I have perfect signal) and I can only call out? It's very privileged (yep, had to use it) of Verizon to assume that everyone has access to wifi. I was told by dozens of Verizon employees that I couldn't be helped because Verizon's data wouldn't let me open their verification link. Point blank that's it.  I called in specifically because my data didn't work and, after telling Verizon this, the first thing Verizon does upon hearing it is to send me a link.  Common sense seems to be lacking.  Verizon didn't even try to help beyond stating that I had to click the link to get help and only stated there was zero way around the link verification and didn't try anything else. Nowhere in my contract with Verizon does it state that I must have access to an external internet source in order to use Verizon's services. So why, Verizon, are you making it so that your customers have to have access to external internet when Verizon's service doesn't work and is unusable? Is this another way that you cater largely to your affluent clientele because, in my opinion, that would be very close to class discrimination.

Verizon, please be dignified and respond with more than your copy and paste insincere apology about the difficulties I have experienced with your service and that you, of course, want to do the best for your customers. Up until this point I have 100% fulfilled my part of our contract. Up until this point, Verizon has not fulfilled their part of our contract. I do not want money back. I do not want to pay less money going forward. I just want the service that I am paying for to work, even if it is slow. Slow data is better than nonexistent data - Verizon's suggested new slogan free of charge.

[Piscestg]

Is there a "Reader's Digest" (shortened and to the point) version available? I stopped reading at about 30% into it. 

[151413121110987654321]

No, that’s on you, not me. After months and months and months and months of being treated like less than a human being by Verizon. No. I deserve to say every single word of what I wrote.

[Piscestg]

Actually it's not on me. You're the one seeking help. I wasn't trying to be ignorant but with 130+ views to your post I was the only one to say anything.

If Verizon responds to you it will be with their canned responses......thanks for reaching out to us, I would feel the same if it was me, let's get to the bottom of this, and so on. You would go back and forth with them and nothing would change for you in the end.

I ported one of my two lines to another carrier a month ago after 28 years with Verizon. Their service has gotten bad in the last few years. I was paying a lot for 1 to 8MB/s on 4G. I had 5G in the spring but it disappeared for good, never to be found again. I spent nearly an hour on the phone with their IT support looking at my phone settings, Verizon's settings on their end and checking my area's cell sites. They said they couldn't help my any further.

My new carrier has great coverage everywhere I go besides at home. 80 to 170MB/s on both 4G and 5G. Apps update and load almost instantly, texts with pictures go out in a few seconds rather than hanging, struggling and dragging. My cellular watches receive everywhere, even in my basement. With Verizon they would only get cellular on a hill in my backyard. And my cost now is 40% less than it was with Verizon. I was paying them so much for poor, slow service. 

My expensive monthly payments and 28 years of loyalty to Verizon provided nothing for me. I surely didn't get the service I was paying for. 

For other reasons I will keep my other line with a low data plan with Verizon for now, but that will change later also.

I wish you luck.

[Ann154]

Is there a reason why you couldn't have linked the other thread to allow readers to also read that thread to better understand the context of what you are writing about? 

[run2it2]

stopped reading a 3rd the way through it? Send that dudes name to personnel, he doesn't need any training