I Phone 5 BOGUS DATA OVERAGES

[sunshinegirlie]

Although Apple and Verizon issued a JOINT PRESS RELEASE *weeks* ago regarding the bogus data overage charges that Verizon I Phone 5 owners are accruing, when you call customer service in *both* companies, you are told that employees are UNAWARE of the issue and have not heard anything about it. My typical "Share Everything" usage is the following: July 2012=2.4 GB August 2012=2.8 GB September 2012=2.5 GB. Here comes the purchase of the I Phone 5. October= 6GB's used with TWO WEEKS LEFT in the cycle. I just had to increase my GB for this cycle to a whopping 8 GB's. The press release states that Verizon customers will not be charged for the overage-yet customer service cannot say how Verizon will know which customers were effected. Apple has issued a so called FIX on there support website, yet the Fix DOESN'T WORK. Since the fix-4 days ago, we have blown through *3* GB's. I finally got a tech support person on the line from Verizon this morning who acknowledged this is a problem. (Ya think? it's on the front page of the New York Times and Huffington Post). The tech support person told me "there is no fix". but that she would be happy to send me a text message with my reference number to keep checking back to see if and when a true fix comes out. The problem is: I Phone 5 AND older versions that have had the IOS6 update, are being charged for WiFi usage. These are bogus charges to customers. I have zero confidence that when I call in for my credits at the end of the billing cycle, that it will be a smooth process. And because there is "No fix"-per Verizon...I have to look forward to the same thing next month. I have an idea Verizon: LIsten up!! THE FIX SHOULD BE TO PUT *ALL* I PHONE 5 OWNERS ON *UNLIMITED DATA* UNTIL YOU FIND A FIX. This way, your customers are not being charged bogus data charges and wasting countless hours of their time on the phone with your reps, wasting their time (which you are paying for) to tell us there is no fix!!

[twistedadrian]

There was supposed to be a Carrier fix for this issue already, you had to go into general settings, and then carrier & there should be a prompt to update, click ok & it should tell you to turn off then on your phone.Check to make sure your carrier software is 13.1.....

[sunshinegirlie]

Perhaps you didn't read the initial post completely. I spent 2.5 hours on the phone with a representative from *Apple 3 nights ago. Together, we DID the carrier update that you are speaking of. She also sent a link to my phone to perform a diagnostics test. THE UPDATE DOES NOT WORK. Which, both Verizon and Apple customer service/tech reps are telling customers. Since the carrier update, the I Phone 5 has burned through 2 GB in 2.5 days. IT DOESN'T WORK. This is the fix that you are referring to which DOES NOT WORK.

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5526

[twistedadrian]

Yeah, sorry...I just kind of skimmed through it because it was all together instead of separated into different paragraphs, it hurt my eyes sorry again...

[kaebfly]

Honestly, I must have missed where in your initial post on this thread you stated that you did the carrier update...or any mention of being on the phone with Apple for 2.5 hrs...all I saw was that you mentioned the press release and Apple's website reference to the so called fix...I don't think anyone that has suggested you make sure the carrier update was installed meant it as a failure on your part. It was just one of those check list things to try and help figure out if there was anything that might help...and on my part when I mentioned it I did so because it never hurts to double check. If you were on the phone with Apple for 2.5 hours I'm pretty sure they had you try a reset and possibly a restore...other than that I really can't think of what else to suggest other than perhaps ask for a replacement device to see if it helps. I know I'm only one person, but I do represent at least one iPhone 5/iOS 6 user that is not having the issue...not sure if it's because of the carrier update or not. I ordered my device from Apple...not sure if that would have anything to do with it either. Oh...I guess it wouldn't hurt to check all of your settings and your apps to make sure you don't have anything that is being a data hog...I believe some people mentioned that the passport app seemed to be an issue. I don't use it so I really don't know.

[sunshinegirlie]

Thanks. I didn't mean to be rude! This has sucked up so much of my time that I am enraged!! Apple tried everything. Had me turn off all notification alerts. Had me erase every ap (which I only had 5). Sent me a link to my phone that I clicked on and it gave them "robot ability" to go into my phone and see what I was seeing and make changes. When I say 2.5 hours, I wasn't kidding and they were stumped, too. It seems to only be affecting customers that are not on an unlimited data plan. Which is either extremely bizarre or an extreme conspiracy, imo. At this point in time~there is not a fix. There is nothing that you can do-this is according to Verizon-2 hours ago. All you can do is call in daily to increase GB in your plan and call back after your bill comes out to request credits. (Which is going to be like pulling teeth and consume even more hours of my time). I have 3 non smart phones in the junk drawer that I am about to hook up and put my I Phone 5 in the junk drawer in their place.

As far as the passport ap-that is an ap that comes with the phone and I can't delete it.

[#7]

sunshinegirlie wrote:

There is nothing that you can do-this is according to Verizon-

I don't have an iphone so I don't know if you can shut off IPv6 but if you can do it.

[ubm0158]

The problem is on the verizon they are doing what they always do: [removal required by the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service] their customers!!

[#9]

You do realize this is APPLE's mess up not Verizon's.

[LuvMyLabs]

Not so sure it is Apple's mess up. My best friend has an iphone 5 on AT&T.  She uses it alot on the cell network to mess around on the web while at work. I asked her to check her data usage after seeing all the issues on this forum. She is halfway through her bill bycle and has used a half a gig so far. So it is either a verizon issue or Apple put some bad phones out. But it is definitely not an iphone 5 issue for all phones. 

[davidgibas]

my iPhone 5 says 238mb in usage area on my phone , but account online says 897.3mb and domestic 197mb

???

what should i do ,, any answers ?

[kaebfly]

Even though I am on an unlimited data plan I have been checking my data usage every since threads started popping up about this issue. Maybe I am just extremely lucky, but my usage has not gone up and my wifi use was never charged from what I can tell. My billing cycle ended on 10/09/2012 and the new bill that was generated shows my data usage as .25864GB. Prior to receiving my iPhone 5 I had downloaded iOS 6 to my iPhone 4s so I did have some iOS 6 use before activating my iPhone 5. My current data use shows as 0.052GB as of today. When I look at the breakdown of my data usage I do see small usage during hours that I  know I was at home and using wifi, but this has always been the case long before iOS 6...and my understanding was that it was normal (0.00001 GB). Again, it never mattered to me because I have unlimited data but I understand why those without unlimited would be concerned about any data usage being charged when they are using wifi. Not sure if my numbers are the exception and I'm just really lucky...or if I have a skewed view of what is too much data being charged in a short time frame. Perhaps 0.052 GB is a lot to have used between 10/10 - 10/13?

At any rate, like twistedadrian mentioned, a Carrier update was issued maybe 2 weeks ago...if you haven't done it already maybe that has something to do with your usage still being high? Not sure if you have another iPhone on your account that you share data with but if so make sure the update has been done on that one also. Check your detailed usage on My Verizon and try to match it against the times you know you are on wifi...and continue to monitor it just in case VZW asks for it (not saying that they will). I'm pretty sure that since they are on record as stating that customers wouldn't be charged for data that occurred prior to to fix (but it's possible that if you haven't done the carrier update despite it being the issued fix then they may charge you for those days of continued high usage since the fix existed and was announced but for whatever reason it wasn't done. Again, not saying that this WILL happen to anyone in that situation...it's just something that I imagine could become an issue). Hopefully whatever the issue is for you will be taken care of soon...and if it continues to exist they may need to check your device to make sure there isn't some other issue going on.

[sunshinegirlie]

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm not sure if my above posts are blackened out that talk about the fact that the carrier update was done on my phone-and that Apple was on the line with me to talk me through the carrier update to ensure there were ZERO MISTAKES in the update. The carrier update does NOT WORK!! That is the point of this thread! Overage charges are accruing by 1 GB PER DAY when I have never even reached 3 GB in ONE MONTH! EVER! (Measuring 3 years of bills that I went back and viewed).

VERIZON is TELLING CUSTOMERS *TODAY* that the carrier update "DOES NOT WORK" and "THERE IS NOT FIX AT THE MOMENT". There may be 2 seperate data issues going on here. 1 with the IOS6 and 1 with the I Phone 5. I also have an I Phone 4S on my plan and have had no issues with that (that I am aware of). The issues are ALL with the I Phone 5, CHARGING DATA for WiFi usage at the rate of 1 GB PER DAY. This is not just my issues. As I previously stated...it is on the front page of the New York Times, Huffington Post, both Verizon and Apple issued a joint press release regarding this. The problem is the "carrier update fix" that they put out there does NOT work. As I stated, Verizon needs to give ALL I PHONE 5 owners UNLIMITED DATA until they figure out how to fix this. Can't wait to see the class action lawsuits pouring in over this. I already have a message in with my attorney.

[kaebfly]

I can assure you that the chances of being given unlimited data is slim to none. Forgiving the overages during the issue, sure...IF those with the issue don't use it as an excuse to take on usage. Like streaming in volumes that they know their plan would never have covered anyway and then blaming it on the issue. Trust me, there will be some that will attempt it. Since VZW clearly stated that customers wouldn't be charged for the increased data due to this issue I can't imagine how anyone would have a class action lawsuit to file...unless they are actually told they must pay the overages. Were you told this?

Have you tried physically going in to a VZW or Apple store about the issue so your device can be checked? I know what's online about the issues...but I also know my own personal experience so something out there has to be working...if it's not the carrier update then maybe the issue is with some devices. All I know for a fact that I didn't read somewhere or see online is that my iPhone 5 with iOS 6 and my mother's iPhone 4 with iOS 6....and even my best friend's 2 iPhone 4s devices on her account also using iOS 6 are not having the issue. I originally only mentioned  mine because this thread and this post was specifically about the iPhone 5...but if the fix isn't working it would seem that the exact cause may be unknown.

[sunshinegirlie]

I was told by Verizon Tech Support that physically going into a Verizon store would not help "because there is NO fix right now". A class action lawsuit can and will be filed the moment that I receive my bill and I am charged for 16 GB of data for one month when I have never even used 3 GB of data in one month. If it is not systematically credited, as their press release states and I have to spend one second of my time chasing down my money/credits-you can bet that is a class action lawsuit. My suggestion to provide unlimited data is based soley on the fact that I AM WASTING COUNTLESS HOURS OF MY TIME on the phone with reps trying to resolve this. I am not looking for "extra free data"..I am looking for this problem to have a FIX that WORKS and NOT BE CHARGED for 16 GB's of data in one month!

[kaebfly]

I never stated that YOU were looking for extra data. I clearly stated that there are some individuals that will try it. And, the only way it can be a class action lawsuit is if it actually qualifies and VZW refuses to credit the charges back to the accounts of those that are having issues. Right now, you are already in battle mode but as you just clearly pointed out, you have yet to have a reason to threaten legal action or to be defensive. You have not been charged and told you must pay the fees...and VZW has clearly stated that customers would not have to pay these fees. IF that changes and you are told you must pay then THAT would be the time to go in to attack mode. Otherwise, you know the following to be true:

• VZW and Apple are aware of the data issue
• VZW has stated that customers will NOT have to pay these fees
• You have NOT received a bill that states you MUST pay the fees
• You have NOT been denied credit to your account for the fees because NO FEES HAVE BEEN CHARGED TO DATE
• Your continued data drain issue has been documented based on your contact with VZW (I assume you were given a reference number or trouble ticket number if one was generated...or at the very least, you have kept record of the date/times you have spoken with VZW on this issue)

In no way am I trying to make it seem like you don't have an issue going on. But you have already pre-plotted out your attack despite having no real reason to. It would be different if VZW were denying an issue exists (NOT the phone reps that...unfortunately aren't always the best informed individuals...browse through this forum and you'll see the complaints about that lol). So all I'm saying is...I really hope you are venting your frustration on the internet like this but you haven't been in attack mode like that with the reps that have tried to help...even if they weren't able to fix the issue. Besides, if the fees are going to be credited back to customers with the issue...then you can call it unlimited data if you like. If you use your device like you normally would then it would mean the term "unlimited" shouldn't affect you at all...since you didn't have an unlimited plan to begin with. As long as you don't have to pay more and you are able to use your device as you normally would have with your limited data plan then you have not lost anything as far as the actual data or money.

As far as what a rep on the phone has already told you...it would seem like you might be a bit cautious with what the phone reps have told you since you mentioned that they initially acted like they had no clue what issue you were referring to. Also, if you have been keeping up with the articles that you cited since this issue first was announced then you should have already been aware that there was nothing that phone support had been able to do to address the issue in the first place...so I'm not sure what fix you were looking for them to do if you had already been doing your research on the issue via the news outlets you mentioned. With that being said, as I pointed out, if you go in to a VZW or Apple store (Apple preferably, but if there isn't one near you then VZW will suffice) you can have them look at your device to check it in person...and if they can't figure out the issue they may replace your device under warranty. Of course, this could only be possible if they have replacement devices in stock. There seems to have been success stories regarding replacement devices for those that go to Apple stores...not sure about VZW. If they swap the device then the issue may or may not still exist. I have to assume that obviously, this issue doesn't exist on every device...not because I think the problem is small or only affecting a few people...I say this because I know I have a device that does NOT have the issue so unless I somehow have the only one out of the millions sold that managed to not have the issue there must be some that are working fine. If you don't want to physically go in to a store that is your prerogative, but it is an option that is available to you that may help.

[davidgibas]

i got the iphone 5 on 10-13-2012

at 1:22pmish

on my iphone it says 1 hour and 28 mins of  data used and 122.3mb

but my account online said 588mb and got a text saying at 7:29pm on 10-13-2012 that im at 51% of my data used

and then i checked by calling and get a free text it said on the 16th 164mb used

did they set it at a different number

right now its at 493.3mb and ive had the wifi on only since the 15th at 9pm

so i have no idea where they are getting the data from

WTF

im new to verizon

but had att on iphone 4 and at 1gb monthly and i had data on all the time during the month and only used 738.2mb a month

im not happy with verizon

my bill says $143

when i talked to the rep when i got the iphone they said

$93 plus tax

[Ann154]

If you are new to Verizon, you might be working with a partial month for you data plan before your first billing cycle ends.

[davidgibas]

verizon said its apple fault and if theres any data over I'm not accountable on it ,

on my iphone 5 cellular useage it says 129mb

but my online account says 589.7mb

why WTF

answer that

[Nyobie_B]

The data indicator on your phone isn't updated continuously.  There's a 'refresh' rate which basically means you see a snapshot of what your data usage is and then if you keep using data, that snapshot doesn't reflect the 'new' usage.  Once the data indicator is updated again, you see the next snapshot.  So, if you want to know your actual usage, there's a number you can dial on your phone to access the latest data usage - it would be the most accurate, second to calling VZ to find out your actual usage as shown in their system.  Here's a link from Verizon's site for more info:

http://support.verizonwireless.com/clc/features/calling_features/number_features.html

Good luck!

[KEV815PAN]

The issue with you getting billed for WIFI Data Traffic was fixed with Verizon Apple IPhone 5 Carrier Update 13.1. Go to Settings, General, About and make sure under the area where it says Verizon XX.X (that it says 13.1 and NOT 13.0).