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!!

[quadrupled]

I agree it's not just an iphone problem as there is a thread about excessive jetpack data useage and it's not an apple product.  I just upgraded 2 iphones that barely exceeded 1GB on the unlimited plan for the past 2 years.  Now they are using 1GB per week and I had to double the plan to 4GB's.  Now with 4 days to go to prevent an overage, I have shut off the cellular to prevent the "overnite leakage" occurring while we sleep in a WI-FI house.  I wish I had looked at these discussions before I upgraded, but I was happy and not having any problems then. Like driving a Corvette with a 4 cylinder engine.   

[Dani7]

TOTALLY agree!!!  I wish I could bill both companies for the numerous hours I've spent on the phone with their "customer service"  reps (using that term rather loosely here), having to track my own data for proof, and the research I've had to do just to prove this problem isn't just me and that I'm not crazy.

I know their 'fixes' don't work - upgraded my phone and the software on both of the iPhones in our household in October.  We were told we'd only used more than 4gb's once (have had the account for 15 years), but to be safe we went with the 6gb plan.  16 days later, the dreaded text messages started that we were at 50% of our data ... 3 gb's in 2 weeks when we'd only exceeded that once in the past???  Rep after Rep after Rep couldn't provide ANY info at that time - we were using our phones too much, we needed to turn cellular data off, we needed to not stream video, pictures, etc - you know all the things we paid for our our smartphones to be able to do!  Obviously I'm highly irritated and could go on and on about this forever, but I'll spare everyone.  All of that to say, I feel your pain, I empathize with everyone going thru this crap and that I thought your class action lawsuit comment really hit home - I actually said that to the Apple Rep today and posted it in a comment on their Feedback page.  class actions against both companies I can definitely see in the future!

[sunshinegirlie]

Hi Michelle,

Although it seems that there is indeed an official rep in the forum, that person has not claimed responsibility for actually working for Verizon.

I actually called Verizon today, to learn that we are now over 6 GB's with 5 days left in the cycle and I am not increasing my data from the 4 GB (which is my plan) because I have repeatedly been told by Verizon reps that my bill will "automatically credit" at the end of the cycle for the overages. I do not trust this, so I have called in a few times to document that I am aware that I am over, and the reason that I am not increasing GB's.

My fear is that when my bill cuts, the "AUTOMATIC CREDIT" will not be so automatic and I will be charged $15 per GB as oppossed to $10 per GB and I will have to spend yet another 2 hours explaining what is happening and getting my $30 statement credit for the 3rd straight month. I am so disgusted, at this point I am ready to pay my out of contract fees and leave. I was also told by the rep today that he knew nothing of what I was speaking of. I had to inform him that Verizon has set up an entire Tech Support Team specifically to deal with the I Phone 5 data problem. I offered to give him the special telephone number to this team, if he was interested. ***sigh***

[tikibar1]

sunshinegirlie wrote:

Although it seems that there is indeed an official rep in the forum, that person has not claimed responsibility for actually working for Verizon.

This is a customer-to-customer forum.  Verizon reps occasionally do pop in from time to time, but usually after giving customers a chance to respond.  Verizon reps are clearly identified by their rank and avatar, and usually have a signature at the end of their posts stating that they are Verizon employees (most Verizon employees have _VZW at the end of their username).

[jondal]

Verizon won't do that because if they did they would lose money that's what Vzw is All about.. For example the time zone issue went on for me for like 2 months and all Vzw offered was a 30.00 credit so ya all Vzw cares about is money after money after money sorry for your problem tho

[keelingme]

dealing with Verizon over this issue has been so frustrating! I'm thankful I found this forum though because I thought I was alone. the worst part is calling Verizon (which I've done 6 times this past month!) and being made to feel that I'm lying to them.  I'm really close to changing networks.

[KEV815PAN]

GOOD BYE VERIZON! HELLO SPRINT!