Buyer beware!!!

[frannyb]

delete

[rcschnoor]

Yes, this shows that you should learn about your phone and check what an app's purpose is before you just start using it. This app is something that iPhone users have been asking for so that they could send messages back and forth without having to pay for a texting plan. iPhone users asked for it and APPLE supplied the app which comes pre-loaded on the phone without the permission of Verizon. This is part of the APPLE experience that people have been asking for.

Still, it seems like 7GB is a lot of data to be used by this app. I would check some of your other settings. Do you have your iPhone set up to back up to the cloud or your computer? If it is to the cloud, THIS is where the majority of your data usage will come from. Updates can also be a major hog of data allowances. I would check other likely suspects before you start blaming ALL of your data usage on iMessage.

[Tidbits]

The rep is wrong... If you only get charged text when someone is NOT registered to imessages servers or if you are not connected to it. You will use data when both are connected. The data usage is minimal for it. There is something else that is using the data.

[rcschnoor]

frannyb wrote:

Thanks for the smart wonderful answer!  Glad you seem to know more than me, my husband, everyone I know with the Iphone AND the people at the Verizon store where I left it for a whole day!!! I'm sorry, I thought you were looking for help. If you, your husband, and everyone you know already knew how iMessage worked, why were you surprised that it was using your data. The way you showed surprise when you were told iMessage was using your data, you did NOT know that it would POSSIBLY be using your data!

I suggest you know the facts before putting your foot in your mouth.  Maybe you should work for Verizon and teach them a few of your brilliant ideas!  Again, sorry for trying to help. If you want people to TRY to help you WITHOUT knowing the facts, maybe you should include more facts in your post. I pointed out some possible ways in which your data usage could be higher than you thought, but you seem to have ignored them. For example, you can backup your iPhone to the cloud now instead of to your computer. Transferring data between your iPhone and the cloud WILL increase your data usage. That the Verizon rep did not find an issue with THIS doesn't mean anything. THIS isn't an issue, but just a setting in your phone which will increase your data usage, not that there is something using data that shouldn't be using data. Having your iPhone backed up to the cloud is not an issue of an app using data when it shouldn't be using data, but just a preference on how you want your iPhone backed up.
 

Another voice message came to cell phone today telling me to come in and UP MY DATA PLAN!!!!  Dont you think that is a wonderful idea considering I haven't used data and it is currently on OFF!!!!

Looking at some of your other replies to suggestions, you seem to also be mad at them for trying to help. Again, if you didn't want anyone responding to you except for you to then belittle them, why did you make your original post.

Finally, if you consider your daughter to be quite intelligent, why do you make it sound as if you think it is an insult when someone suggests asking her if she can shed some light on the subject?

[kaebfly]

FYI -  your following statement is actually wrong:

THIS A MARKETING SET UP FROM APPLE AND VERIZON KNOWS IT WILL USE DATA WITH NO DOCUMENTATION OR INFORMATION TO THE CONTRARY.  PERIOD.

If you look at the info available on the Apple website  you will see it does state the following:

*Normal carrier data rates may apply. Messages may be sent as SMS when iMessage is unavailable; carrier messaging fees apply.

That would be written acknowledgement that data rates may apply. Also, on page 66 of the user manual the following statement is clearly shown:

Cellular data charges or additional fees may apply.

You stated that a person that reads all documents "just gets nailed". If that person read ALL documents, including one of the most important, the user manual that discusses in some manner each feature available for use on the device, then they would see that data charges may apply. They would then have to verify with their provider in what ways they can possibly incur data charges. The iMessage feature...the ability to send text messages to others using iMessage without using their text messaging plan OR without being charged for text messages is what iMessage states you get. It does not say that you won't use data to do this. If you aren't using a wifi connection to do things then you are using the VZW data connection you pay for. This is something you needed to understand. This is something you seem to refuse to admit that you did NOT understand. The fact that you refuse to stop and realize that what you thought you knew was not correct is beyond me. Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone misunderstands something in their lifetime. Despite how brilliant you seem to think you are, you are not above this human fact. Your own written words and pure display of ignorance shows that. If you want VZW to truly see your rants then you need to contact them directly. Write the Corporate offices. You can find this info I'm sure. After all, you have repeatedly gone out of your way to proclaim your entire families utter intelligence level.

I can site several other places that reference that data charges may apply...one of which actually is available on your iPhone under the iPhone User Guide that I am sure you have already discovered via the Safari bookmarks that are pre-loaded on your phone. Again, someone as intelligent and smarter than anyone that has TRIED to help you figure out just what may have happened as you proclaim to be would have already known about this goldmine of info available at your fingertips...because you did read ALL documentation related to your iPhone and the iMessage feature...the one you claim fails to notify someone that would read ALL documentation.

[kaebfly]

That seems to contradict a lot of what you said. You stated that you have a data plan and you somehow went over that data plan and was told it was because of iMessaging. If you did not have a data plan turned on (I assume you mean you turned it off in settings because you can't have an iPhone or any other smartphone on VZW without having a data plan) and you weren't on wifi then how is it possible that you were able to do anything that would use data? These are the questions you need to ask yourself AND the reps if you are positive that you had turned your data off and you did not have access to wifi.

And no, you aren't being told to read the entire manual...although over time it does help if you actually read through it to actually understand how your device works. You seem to imply reading the manual is something that you shouldn't be expected to do...yet you expect that every minute detail be expressed to you (do you think a rep should verbally read the manual to you so that you can be aware of all possible things related to the phone? Would that be a realistic way to do things considering the millions of customers besides you and your family?). What you and ANYONE should do is research info about something they are interested in before purchasing. That would be part of the responsible decision making process. It would also be a great idea to research and ask detailed questions about any new feature you com across prior to using to make sure you know what to expect and what you are getting in to when using that feature. Since iMessage is a new feature, all of us that started using it were new to it. We all had to learn what it was and how it works. Some of us choose to make sure we clearly understand before proceeding to make sure it is something we want to opt in to.You can NOT base any of your past devices and their functions on how things will and should work with a completely different device and different features. That is an error on YOUR part of you do so.

[frannyb]

Yes big error on my part to listen to an intelligent forturne 500 executive who has brain damage.  We got the phone and went on a trip so his mother could see him while he is still fuctioning so no, I did not have time to read the manual.  I thought by calling Verizon and even leaving it at the Verizon store in Allen, Tx it would have been resolved; but it wasn't.

Tonight, leaving my sick husband in bed, I went to the Verizon here in Denver.  I will handle this as I do everything else.

Thank you.

[kaebfly]

Not to sound cruel or anything, but you're saying that you listened to someone that had brain damage (are you implying that he told you there would be no other charges and you went with that...yet you are angry with VZW because you listened to someone that may be a CEO of a company but is not the CEO or an employee of VZW...that happens to have brain damage...which would imply that thought processing may be affected due to their unfortunate circumstances? And this makes it ok for you to attack and belittle ever single person on this message board that ATTEMPTED to try and help you figure out what may have happened? Mind you, you had time and continue to have time to continue being this type of ridiculously rude person on this message board but you do not have time to actually listen or really read anything anyone was saying to you without being the way you have been...and you didn't have the time to read any of the info provided...but you had plenty of time to continuosly reply with sarcasm and rudeness)? Sorry for whatever your husband may be going through but that does not make anything you have said or any part of how you have behaved on a user forum justified. I truly hope you have the right of mind to NOT be this type of individual when you speak with people face to face...because if you are you're probably wasting your time and making your family look bad by the way you represent them. No one would want to help someone that talks down to others and acts as if they are smarter than anyone....while clearly not having a true understanding of what they are dealing with in the first place. Good luck to you.

[soupcannon]

I'm on my data constantly and rarely use more than a gig or two

[kaebfly]

I think it would be pretty hard to send 7GB worth of iMessage data...even if you were sending a lot of iMessages with video. Yes, using iMessage will use data. In some cases an iMessage can be converted to SMS text message, in which case you will either be charged the number of text messages that message used (a long iMessage can be several SMS text messages in length). If you don't have a texting plan or you use more than your text plan allows then you will be charged per SMS text sent/received. But if it is truly sent as an iMessage then you wll not have any other fees other than whatever amount of data you use. If you really sent 7GB worth of iMessages then you can see how you did this just by looking at your iMessages on your device(s) unless you deleted them all.

A little more info about iMessage:

http://www.apple.com/ios/features.html#imessage

Also, this was taken from the Apple Support site:

iMessage

iMessage allows you to send unlimited text, photos, videos, locations, and contacts using Wi-Fi or 3G^* from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to other iOS 5 users. For more information on how to use iMessage, see the user guide for your iOS device.

A valid Apple ID is required to use iMessage on iPad and iPod touch. A valid phone number or Apple ID is required to use iMessage on iPhone.

Note: On iPhone, if iMessage is unavailable, the message may be sent as SMS or MMS, depending on content. Carrier messaging rates may apply. You can turn this on or off in iPhone at Settings > Messages > Send As SMS. Messages sent using iMessage will appear in a light blue bubble, while messages sent using SMS or MMS will appear in a green bubble.

[kaebfly]

Why would I call you to discuss this? We aren't friends, I don't know you, I'm not an employee of VZW (most of us that post on this USER forum are not)...so why in the world would I call you? As far as being able to find that info on page 66  of the manual...there is this nifty feature called a search box that allows you to type in a topic/feature (such as...for fun let's say "iMessage") and it takes you to the page(s) that reference the topic/feature you are looking for. It's the digital version of using the index to find what you're looking for in a manual or book full of info. Don't get upset because I took the initiative to actually look it up so you could see that the documentation you claim doesn't exist actually does. Remember, you claimed that anyone that real ALL of documentation would be screwed because this info does not exist. I was able to show you it does. BTW...I also sited other locations where this info exists. On your phone and on the Apple website on one of the iOS 5 features pages for the iMessage feature. THAT doesn't require looking at the manual at all.

As far as the info for you to reach someone higher on the "food chain"...you are a resourceful individual. You can find this info on your own. Call VZW, search their website...the internet is a wonderful tool. You see, when you go out of your way to be an extremely rude and sarcastic individual that belittles those that attempt to help you, you make it much less likely that anyone will want to continue to assist you. If you are this way on a message board with fellow users I can only imagine how you were when you called in to CS to discuss this matter.

[rcschnoor]

frannyb wrote:

...I'll be sure to tell all the other excutives I live with...

frannyb wrote:

You want to help....well I will be happy to go up the food chain.  What page has the CEO's email and phone number?

I just figured you would discuss it over breakfast with him, along with all of the "other executives" you live with.

[frannyb]

well, I will do it when my husband with Malignant MS can talk, speak and walk.  So continue to laugh on.

Have a great life.  Thanks for you kind help.

This is a small issue compared to what I have to deal with on a daily basic.

[tdogg1313]

Yeah verizon sucks ass i was lied to by a sales rep just so i would renew my contract and but a new phone.. now they keep asking me to pay 300 a month to pay off all the phone and air time all at once.. i have had 3 other cell providers and they were all much better.. i am stuck with them 4 the next year and 1/2 after that they will loose me 4ever i want every1 i know and dont know NOT TO BUY THERE CRAP.... I wont buy from a company that cares so little about there people.. Boo verizon...

[acraftylady]

Do tell, how did verizon dupe you into renewing your contract to get a new phone?  Mary

[budone]

tommy mcdonald wrote:

Yeah verizon sucks *** i was lied to by a sales rep just so i would renew my contract and but a new phone.. now they keep asking me to pay 300 a month to pay off all the phone and air time all at once.. i have had 3 other cell providers and they were all much better.. i am stuck with them 4 the next year and 1/2 after that they will loose me 4ever i want every1 i know and dont know NOT TO BUY THERE CRAP.... I wont buy from a company that cares so little about there people.. Boo verizon...

Care to give us some DETAILS on how this occurred?

[rcschnoor]

tommy mcdonald wrote:

Yeah verizon sucks *** i was lied to by a sales rep just so i would renew my contract and but a new phone.. now they keep asking me to pay 300 a month to pay off all the phone and air time all at once.. i have had 3 other cell providers and they were all much better.. i am stuck with them 4 the next year and 1/2 after that they will loose me 4ever i want every1 i know and dont know NOT TO BUY THERE CRAP.... I wont buy from a company that cares so little about there people.. Boo verizon...

Not sure what you mean by "pay off all the phone and air time all at once...". If you mean that you charged your phone to your account, yes you will have to pay for the entire phone on you next bill. As to air time, you have to pay for all of your air time EVERY MONTH.

You say that you have had 3 other cell providers that were all much better than Verizon. I guess they may have been better than Verizon, but they were not good enough to stick with, though, since you hav since left all 3.

[frannyb]

alot of mean hateful people out there. 

sad its there "job"!