How are we going to fight mandatory Data Plans

[TonioMiguel]

I just talked with a rep from Verizon and it sounds as if it is a problem created by both Verizon and Apple.  I clearly am in the fascinity of Wifi at both work and home so for me the data plan even though it is unlimited is not a necessary evil for me.  I am not the type who would use social media unless I was at a hot spot. 

So who do I need to be taliking to end this foolishness and have a saner bill if I want to have an iPhone.  I will say I may not ever get one if this foolishness of a required data plan is so necessary.  I do love Verzons coverage and overall customer service but I feel itr is a diservice to requre something I have no use for.  I am smart enough to avoid the need to play with apps on the go and honestly wait until I get to work or home to play with my toys which is really what the data plan for an educator serves to be.

Am I the only one who wants to have an iPhone without a data plan?

[davemanfl64]

Sounds like you should just stick with a normal non feature phone. And buy an Ipod touch. Problem solved.

[TBhouston]

For that device you need the unlimited data.. The phone needs to run updates from time to time, pushs email etc etc.

There is just no way around data packages with smart phones, its the industry standard.

If you aren't using the features on your phone maybe a feature phone might be better for you..

[#4]

If you don't need a data plan, you don't need a smartphone.

[AZSALUKI]

keep your phone and get an ipod touch

[Squallfyr]

Ditto to all of the above

[gerio]

AT&T did this over 2 years ago with their iPhone plans, then with all smartphone plans. You have your best suggestions above. Geri o

[Tidbits]

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TonioMiguel wrote:

I just talked with a rep from Verizon and it sounds as if it is a problem created by both Verizon and Apple.  I clearly am in the fascinity of Wifi at both work and home so for me the data plan even though it is unlimited is not a necessary evil for me.  I am not the type who would use social media unless I was at a hot spot. 

So who do I need to be taliking to end this foolishness and have a saner bill if I want to have an iPhone.  I will say I may not ever get one if this foolishness of a required data plan is so necessary.  I do love Verzons coverage and overall customer service but I feel itr is a diservice to requre something I have no use for.  I am smart enough to avoid the need to play with apps on the go and honestly wait until I get to work or home to play with my toys which is really what the data plan for an educator serves to be.

Am I the only one who wants to have an iPhone without a data plan?

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Don't get a phone that requires a data plan, and convince other people to do the same.  Eventually they'll have to drop the data plans or drop the data network.

If you can find wifi everytime you need it I can see your point.  I have wifi at home, and I also have wifi at work...  I also have a computer at both locations...  It would make having a "smart" phone a moot point and a basic phone would be enough, but the places I often travel not in those locations it's hard to find wifi unless I have to pay for it out of pocket.  It's cheaper for me to spend the $30 a month than it is to pay for wifi in various locations.

[elaines]

I can see the OP's want of no data plan. Have an iphone but do not want the data plan. Maybe wifi is enough for him.Verizon does sell the ipad only wifi. It would just be one more choice for people. What is wrong with choice?

I personally know someone that wanted the new iphone4 but there was nothing wrong with her original iphone. She wanted to get a new iphone and give her old iphone to her hubby. But he did not want to pay the extra money for another data plan.

[TonioMiguel]

Yeah, I began thinking about it too but I still think people like myself who live with wifi do not need a data plan to even update our phones.  Don't show your lack of understanding about data and wifi both are similar ways to accomplish the same thing being connected to the web. 

In my case, I am planning on buying an iPad 2 wifi only which is sold by Apple not Verizon.  Verizon has no need to sell a device without their services.  Seriously! 

Although as a consumer who works in a school no teacher or administrator needs daya plans if the majority of their use is in a wifi hotspot.  Which that is my situation.  Data plans are for people consistantly on the go.   In all sincerity, my phone I have now should have wifi by now but Verzon and their constituents want the money they can get from data plans.  If I had wifi my phone might have a few games or tools by now but it is not possible.  Only Smartphones have wifi which is a scam just like a rose is a rose by any other name.

I am not your idiot consumer but a concerned citizen that sees a loop hole that that been made that is truly unnecessary the same idea of faulty buttons on a phone which specifically have told Verizon to shut off the internet options on my texting phone for web access.  All that needs to be done is simple programming which both Verizon and any other company does not want to do because they like to nickel and dime consumers rather than offering what we really want.

My solution is not a stupid Ipod touch but an iPad 2 much more powerful and a better deal.  It just makes sense.

I still am going to see how we can break this ludicrous scam that all companies except the Mom and Pops that are actually making worth having a small data plan.

[budone]

Remember you are playing in Verizon's sandbox, they own the network, they own the infrastucture, they had the device developed to work on their network, they can dictate how people access data. I would suspect nearly 95+% of smartphone users use them as they were intended. There is no need to build a special niche for a small minority. Either agree to the requirements or go elsewhere or get an iPad along with a feature phone if you feel you must be with VZW.

It has been this way since November 14th 2008. If the government was concerned, they would have already addressed it.

[Cndykthy]

I am in the 5 % that does not want a data plan and feel I shouldn't have to be made to pay for one . I now have the LG Voyager and love it ... Which I had before you had to buy a data plan . Now if my Voyager quits working , I am forced to down grade my phone . I am so sad that Verizon has done this to me . I will no longer praise Verizon as I have done in the past . Will not renew my contract with them !!!! I have been a long time loyal customer ... Well no more !!!!!! 

[SydneyK]

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Cndykthy wrote:

I am in the 5 % that does not want a data plan and feel I shouldn't have to be made to pay for one . I now have the LG Voyager and love it ... Which I had before you had to buy a data plan . Now if my Voyager quits working , I am forced to down grade my phone . I am so sad that Verizon has done this to me . I will no longer praise Verizon as I have done in the past . Will not renew my contract with them !!!! I have been a long time loyal customer ... Well no more !!!!!! 

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You will not be forced to downgrade your phone. Most feature phones no longer require the $10 data package. Or you can buy another new Voyager off eBay (new ones are still being sold).

[lou61166]

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Cndykthy wrote:

I am in the 5 % that does not want a data plan and feel I shouldn't have to be made to pay for one . I now have the LG Voyager and love it ... Which I had before you had to buy a data plan . Now if my Voyager quits working , I am forced to down grade my phone . I am so sad that Verizon has done this to me . I will no longer praise Verizon as I have done in the past . Will not renew my contract with them !!!! I have been a long time loyal customer ... Well no more !!!!!! 

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Get ready to be bashed making a statment like this,the loyalists will be here to defend the Gods.but then again their is not a wireless povider out there that will activate a smartphone without a data plan,where i agree their is a lot of features of a smartphone other then browsing the web or streaming,like GPS or using it to move files,or even an MP3 player, that non Smartphones just cannot do well,but t Apple does offer an alternative the ipod touch.

[SydneyK]

Loyalists defending the gods ... I enjoyed that.

Pay a little visit to the Kin forum. There's someone on there who thought she was using Wi-Fi all month and got a $7,000 Verizon bill. (In her defense, the Kin does not have a good system for showing if a Wi-Fi connection is dropped and 3G is being used.) Next to impossible to use 3.5 GB on a Kin? Imagine what you could do with an iPhone or Android device.

[AlJordan]

I do not think that there should be any distinction between smartphones and feature phones. Each one cell phone should have a price. The cell phone services should also have prices. Each customer should be able to choose any phone with any service that the phone can support.

Compare it to cable TV. You can choose the kind of set top box and also the programs.

There is no justification to tie hardware to MANDATORY services.

[mdram4x4]

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AlJordan wrote:

I do not think that there should be any distinction between smartphones and feature phones. Each one cell phone should have a price. The cell phone services should also have prices. Each customer should be able to choose any phone with any service that the phone can support.

Compare it to cable TV. You can choose the kind of set top box and also the programs.

There is no justification to tie hardware to MANDATORY services.

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and like cable you are required to buy channels you dont want.  you get cable you get home shopping hcannel.  you may not want it but you pay for it

your analogy holds no water

[AlJordan]

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mdram4x4 wrote:

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AlJordan wrote:

I do not think that there should be any distinction between smartphones and feature phones. Each one cell phone should have a price. The cell phone services should also have prices. Each customer should be able to choose any phone with any service that the phone can support.

Compare it to cable TV. You can choose the kind of set top box and also the programs.

There is no justification to tie hardware to MANDATORY services.

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and like cable you are required to buy channels you dont want.  you get cable you get home shopping hcannel.  you may not want it but you pay for it

your analogy holds no water

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This is incorrect. I have already chose specific channels and also specific bundles.

[mdram4x4]

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AlJordan wrote:

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mdram4x4 wrote:

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AlJordan wrote:

I do not think that there should be any distinction between smartphones and feature phones. Each one cell phone should have a price. The cell phone services should also have prices. Each customer should be able to choose any phone with any service that the phone can support.

Compare it to cable TV. You can choose the kind of set top box and also the programs.

There is no justification to tie hardware to MANDATORY services.

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and like cable you are required to buy channels you dont want.  you get cable you get home shopping hcannel.  you may not want it but you pay for it

your analogy holds no water

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This is incorrect. I have already chose specific channels and also specific bundles.

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so you chose every individual channel you wanted and it happend to be the bundle they had with no extra channels?

verizon bundles thiers too, you want a smartphone you pay for data

you want cable plan x you pay for all cahnnels in it, dont want em doent watch em

[budone]

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AlJordan wrote:

I do not think that there should be any distinction between smartphones and feature phones. Each one cell phone should have a price. The cell phone services should also have prices. Each customer should be able to choose any phone with any service that the phone can support.

Compare it to cable TV. You can choose the kind of set top box and also the programs.

There is no justification to tie hardware to MANDATORY services.

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But you cant with cable. You can get a box and get a ton o channels. I dont want 20 shopping channels and 10 religious channels and a bunch of others to get the 10 channels I want. But I HAVE to take and pay for all those channels to get what I want,.Plus now I have to pay for a box to get those channels. Prior to this year I did not have to have a box.

You want a smartphone, you pay for a data plan to get what You want....a smartphone.

[Tidbits]

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budone wrote:

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AlJordan wrote:

I do not think that there should be any distinction between smartphones and feature phones. Each one cell phone should have a price. The cell phone services should also have prices. Each customer should be able to choose any phone with any service that the phone can support.

Compare it to cable TV. You can choose the kind of set top box and also the programs.

There is no justification to tie hardware to MANDATORY services.

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But you cant with cable. You can get a box and get a ton o channels. I dont want 20 shopping channels and 10 religious channels and a bunch of others to get the 10 channels I want. But I HAVE to take and pay for all those channels to get what I want,.Plus now I have to pay for a box to get those channels. Prior to this year I did not have to have a box.

You want a smartphone, you pay for a data plan to get what You want....a smartphone.

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If people think about it...  I know of millions of people who do not like watching commercials...  It's everywhere, but we pay for us to watch TV, but not pay to watch commercials.  Same principle if you want to watch TV you have to pay for something even if you don't want it.

This could be applied to a lot of industries just not cell phones.