Dave,
Sounds like you may have contracted a Virus or something. I suggest you contact Verizon wireless, I think your Bill may look horrible.
Please let us know if you are able to work it out with them. If not I am going to pull the plug on my service. I don't want or need a 2nd mortgage.
s2marks
I just recently registered a complaint with (www.ftc.gov) federal trade commission consumer protection branch. Here is my complaint.
My complaint is about the horrendous cost of Mobile Broadband Access with so little in return. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon have 5GB of bandwidth caps for around 60 dollars a month. The primary subscriber base of mobile broad band access use is rural people like myself. We don't have access to cable, fiber broadband like city people do. We make up a huge part of the population. We finally can access the internet at high speed thanks to mobile wireless broad band.The problem is that 5GB of data is nothing in today's modern web experience. Why are we being penalized because of abusive users who make up only a very small percent of internet users. I actually don't have a problem with broadband caps per say as long as they are realistic.Mobile broadband users are not allowed to experience all the web has to offer. We have to watch our useage like a hawk or go over our cap and be charged ungodly overage fee's. Verizon for example charges 50 dollars per gigabyte of data over the 5GB cap. (.05 cents per megabyte over)
Their business mentality is that mobile internet is for casual mobile use. Who is going to pay 60 bucks a month just to be able to check email? Who is gonna surf the web on a 3 inch phone screen. Most Wifi is free at hotels and hotspots so you can see my point. People can drive up the road and use McDonalds wifi hotspot anytime they want for free. Bottom line is us rural users are being gouged unfairly compared to hard line internet users.You can't even get an up to date usage report from Verizon, so you really don't know accurately where you stand when it comes to usage ever. It's not like our house where we can actually go out and check the meter if we so desire. How do we know they are not rounding up usage or reporting it to us accurately. We are at their mercy when it comes down to it.I would like to see unlimited mobile internet access from Verizon for 60 bucks a month but i don't expect it. I do expect a reasonable amount of data maybe 25GB per month for that price. The cell phone companies are really gouging the consumer base in so many ways it's unimaginable.Hopefully this will get the ball rolling not just with Verizon but with all mobile broadband providers. For me its just me and my wife that use it. I can't imagine if we had a family of 3 as well.. Good luck
Writing to the FTC is a waste of time. They will send you a form letter back stating "its not in their jurisdiction".
Been there, done it (With HughesNet). They're still screwing their customers over just like Verizon.
Bottom Line. Keep the service, use it, watch your usage limits.....Cancel if you dont like the terms . . .
Actually filing complaints with the FTC does invite inquiries so to say it does nothing is not really accurate. It's people that simply accept and do nothing that get nowhere. Congress already put the hammer on the cost that telcoms were charging per text messages. I'm not exactly sure where the bill on that stands presently. Doing any part is better then sitting around doing nothing. Just have to catch the right ear is all.
Regardless wireless is cheaper then hard wired simply do to reduced maintenance and upkeep, less employee's to maintain etc, etc. I'm totally satisfied with the service i do recieve with Verizon but i can't take advantage of it like i would like. I had centennial wireless unlimited data for under 50 bucks a month but i wanted 3G and all they offered was 250kbps with no sign of upgrading to EVDO.
The whole idea with higher speed internet to include mobile broadband is to be able to do MORE not less. People don't need 1.5mbps to check email or surf. 256kbps is perfectly fine for that. People desire high speed so they can watch streaming this and that, upload movies, photo's for their familes. Verizon is achieving a position that is going to put in where AT&T was a few years ago. Remember when the U.S. government stepped in and tore that house down?
There is a huge problem when in general the second highest bill above our mortgage is high speed internet. I remember the coming and going of limited dial up when the internet first game out. That didn't last very long when unlimited hit the market. So if they say that 90-95 percent of mobile broadband users use less then 5GB per month that 5% that uses more isn't going to drag down the network that much now is it? The first company to offer unlimited mobile broadband to others will capture the market. If one jumps the others will follow. I'll dump my current company and gladly pay the ETF when this comes to par if V doesnt follow suit.
@ Dave1812- I'm not a fan of government controlling everything but i am in favor of a government that protects its population from price gouging and stealing from the American public. Corporate greed is what put not just America but the entire world as a whole where it is right now financially because of the lack of government controls. The health care industry is out of control because of our free market and little to no regulation on that industry. Again lack of government controls. When the government broke up AT&T competition exploded and the prices for services dropped substantially. Guess what AT&T is in the top 3 still, Microsoft is still raking in the dollars as well.
@ Tech_ Addition- The people that are using mobile broadband primarily aren't phone users, they are rural Americans who use it as there only broadband access point...You simply got taken advantage of is all. I find it quite funny that Sprint, AT&T as well as VZW have set 5GB bandwidth caps...
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/the-cost-to-offer-the-worlds-fastest-broadband-20-per-home/
After you read that you will see how we are as a whole nation being ripped off by the monopoly telecom's have created once again. I wonder how long 5GB of bandwidth would last with 100Mbps download that those accross the pond enjoy for half the price?
Oh I agree with you, I was just saying that the penalties for data usage are not the same across the board with VZW. I think that it's appauling that they feel a need to abuse rual customers for the greediness of a hand few. There are plenty of ways to monitor the rule breakers. Just downloading a copy of Win7 Beta for a rual customer would almost kill there allotment for the month. That's sad.
Sorry about the horrible sentence structure in the above post. I had to reload my touch pad driver so I could turn it off. My thumb kept hitting it redirecting the cursor.
Here is a link Dave21 about the very recent FCC probe into Verizon and AT&T business practices. Market dominance ie monopoly is when a businesses can jack up the charges because there is little to no competition. This link will save me alot of typing. It will be interesting to see in the next several months how mobile broadband prices change. I think you will see broadband useage caps go away in the near future. When i don't know. I do know this rural America is not loading down the cell towers to justify any sort of broadband cap on mobile data only. Rural America where i live is less then 4 houses per square mile.Verizons tower is only 2 miles away from my house lol ..They are pushing netbooks really hard now. I wonder if they come with a disclaimer stating to not use it very often or pay a high price?
If anyone is interested, there are 2 things that you can do right now;
1) You can pay $120 per month for a 10Gb cap.....Verizon will allow you to do that. Ugly I know, $120 is a ridiculous amount of money for internet access.
2) Check your contract! My plan per Mb over cap was $0.25. I called Verizon last week and they changed that down to $0.05 per Mb over cap. Still very expensive but now remortgage you house time if a virus goes wild on your computer whilst you are out.
Let's look at the original poster in this thread 26Gb ...let's see..assuming he has a 5Gb cap;If he were on the 0.05 per Mb over cap plan his bill would be 21 X 1024 x 0.05 = $1,075.20 (ouch.. is my math's correct?)...so he is being punished to the tune of 20 times his already expensive internet access for a wild overage which happened probably through no fault of his own. Of course perhaps he's on the 0.25 per Mb over cap plan......so his bill will be 5 times that. a whopping $5,376.
That is what I find so ugly about Verizon. That is dishonest, it is simply taking advantage. Overage should be pro-rated to the 5Gb = $60 rate or $60.00 / (5 X 1024) = $0.01172 ...that's about 1 cent per Mb, not 5 ...and certainly not 25.
Verizon time to respond.
Whilst I'm at it..one more thing.
Verizon have no facility to prevent you going over the cap. So if you are snagged by a virus or some other event outside of your control (someone hacks into your home wireless network and decides to download a dozen movies), then you may have run up several Gb over the cap before you have the opportunity to respond and do something about it.
I could handle my sevice being rendered inoperable after I went over say 5.5Gb each month, but the fact that there is no facility for this makes using this service a gamble with zero upside and major downside.
How about some Carry-over Gb?
One thing that is really irritating about it is that Verizon has DSL and FIOS service just 10 miles from here but they don't seem to want to run it out that 10 miles to service a community. Why would they? They get $60/month for 5GB from us while they only get something like $39/mo for unlimited usage with DSL! The only other option is satellite internet which also has caps and if you use more than they think you should in a period of time, they slow your service down a lot.
some good points in those last 2 posts..
Until I started casually surfing throuh various blogs and forums looking for help with my Verizon MiFi, I thought that I was pretty much alone in using the MiFi for my home Internet service because I live in a rural community. The local telecom company has a monopoly because this is a rural area, which means they provide minimum service for maximum price. When the MiFi appeared, I jumped for it and cut off our landline company, entirely. I have been happy with it, except for the constant worry about the 5gb cap. I have to agree that, at the very least, Verizon (et al) should have to charge for overages at the rate of the first 5 gb. Ideally, competition will bring about unlimited usage. Truly, if they want to capture a market, they need to come after us rural dwellers. Every one that I know is unhappy with the local telecoms, and the satellite services are very expensive and, I've been told, a bit unreliable. We are ripe for the picking, with the right price and terms.
After being hit last month with 150.00 in overages, needless to say I was slightly ***** !
Have had this card for 5 years and average about 2000 mb.
Suddenly I am seeing a usage of almost 4 times that amount.
I called Verizon. They dropped it so only have to pay 75.00... Still really ****** !
They told me to set my computer so that Windows could no longer do auto updates suggesting that each update can suck up a tremendious amount of usage.
I did.... Now checking about a week into this billing cycle and nothing has changed. !!
I ran virus checks... Nothing came up...
Do I need to change to Sprint or someone else ?
Something else you can all do is right political leaders ie congressmen and senators and voice your concerns. Regretfully we consumers have no control over companies that monopolize or charge outlandish rates for broadband useage. The only way we can bring about change is to influence our governments to adopt laws that provide us a fair product for our money. 60 bucks plus surcharges is not competitive let alone fair for mobile broadband data use. In todays modern age of the internet 5GB of bandwidth is not alot. It's a measly amount of useable bandwidth to be honest. For 60+ dollars a month Verizon needs to jack the cap to at least 25GB per month imo. I might pay 80+ a month for an unlimited mobile broadband plan and thats really to much if you ask me when you look at other options.
Take my post with a light heart and open mind. You will need it as I can see that you feel the victim of an atrocious crime.
You had 26GB of use somehow, don't know how but it was there.
You were projected to have thousands of dollars in overages
How much was your overage?
Verizon Wireless allows users a hard cap on overage dollars as an educational piece. So lets take what you should have paid for and minus it from what you did pay. Yes, your bill was high but it could have been higher.
Yet Verizon Wireless is still the enemy...does anyone else read up on what they do to improve the way the wireless industry works? I guarantee you that if anything does come up and MBB prices need to be lowered Verizon Wireless will the the first major telecom company to do so. They are giving smaller companies rights to their towers so that the little guys can build their own networks. Does sprint, us cellular or AT&T do this? No. Do the other companies offer a variable ETF? No. Do other companies agree to never again have sole sellership of a single device for longer than 6 months? No.
With that being said....
Mobile broadband was designed to reach rural areas and help them stay connected with the rest of the world, to help business men and women work while they were away from home. It's not designed to offer you unlimited web surfing whenever you want. If you wanted internet speeds like Verizon Wireless offers but unlimited and a cheaper rate...well honestly, I have no idea what you would be able to find.
And for the guy that lives 10 miles away from fios, thats too bad, someday they will run cable out to your house. It has nothing to do with the fact that you are paying for mobile broadband.
And to the Original poster - If your PC is still running high data usage take it into a computer repair shop and get it fixed. Make sure you aren't running peer to peer sharing files. Make sure you aren't watching movies online. Companies that generate monthly revenue based on consistant business have no intention of running up just your bill to make it look like you had severe amounts of overage.
And if you want to switch to Sprint...
The grass isn't greener on the other side - I've been there.
So, EXPLAIN the HARD CAP on our devices if we're using them ad educational devices???
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Verizon Wireless allows users a hard cap on overage dollars as an educational piece
>>>You were projected to have thousands of dollars in overages
I did the Math's in my earlier post, according to the original posters contract, he could have either $1K in overages or $5K (dependant on his contract), he'll have to respond as to what he was actually billed. If it were me I'd feel sick if I received a bill for either amount for a service I was expecting to pay $60 for.
>>>How much was your overage?
Let's hope the original poster responds and lets us know. Regardless though, even if Verizon decided to take it easy on him and quarter his bill, there is no guarantee they would do that for you I or anyone else if the same anomaly in usage occurred.
>>>>Verizon Wireless allows users a hard cap on overage dollars as an educational piece. So let's take what you should have paid for and minus it from what you did pay. Yes, your bill was high but it could have been higher.
That's part of the problem, it's not a hard cap, if they offered a hard cap that I COULD NOT exceed (before they disabled my service until the end of the month) I could accept that. But, the way things stand, if something happens that is either unnoticed or out of the control of the wireless user it can have a disastrous effect on their finances. I don't want to risk that.
In order for me to continue my service I need both the following from Verizon with the 5Gb plan.
I am seriously considering going back to dialup. I have no other alternative. Verizon, please respond.
Thanks s2marks
A "Hard cap" refers to someone limiting your bill, that's what I meant. So in this case if he was supposed to have 1k in overages he would have only been charged $250 maximum before taxes. I couldn't find any information on how many times they allow this cap but the point is that they allow you stop a wildfire from spreading in regards to your bill and this allows you to learn how to use your mobile broadband.
s2marks - you may feel sick about having a larger bill than expected, everyone would. It sucks. Regardless of how sick you feel about your bill, it comes down to the point that the usage was made. We can't get credits from out electric company for leaving lights on accidentally or going on vacation, leaving a window open during the summer and leaving your thermostat at 75 degrees causing your AC to run constantly.
So, the original poster is an unfortunate case but also fortunate. His bill was limited but his usage was not. He also received credits towards his balance. If you read around these boards more, you will see verizon wireless take's it easy on a lot of people - not just a few.
Verizon Wireless won't change the way it bills their calling plans because someone doesn't like the way it's billed or how much they can use. I have no idea how many mobile broadband customers they actually have but most of them seem to be pretty content with the service they pay for. Sure, lower prices would be sweet.
In regards to "fair" overage charges, that's why verizon wireless changed from .25 cents per mb to .05 per mb right? Or did they lower the overage minute to keep gouging us with unfair prices?
And if you go to dial-up...then I really don't know what to say.
Hope this helps clear up some information
Protege, thanks for your thoughtful reply.
>>>A "Hard cap" refers to someone limiting your bill, that's what I meant. So in this case if he was supposed to have 1k in overages he would have only been charged $250 maximum before taxes. I couldn't find any information on how many times they allow this cap but the point is that they allow you stop a wildfire from spreading in regards to your bill and this allows you to learn how to use your mobile broadband.
I agree this is very cool and not something that I was aware of.
>>>it comes down to the point that the usage was made.
I hear and understand exactly what you are saying. The difference between my electric usage and my internet usage is that one is very much more controllable than the other imho. As I said in my earlier post it sounds like the original poster got a virus or was snagged with some other bit of nasty ware. If Verizon are going to be cool with him about it regarding the bill then agree that's good customer service. I hope I receive the same should it ever happen to me.
>>> If you read around these boards more, you will see Verizon wireless take's it easy on a lot of people - not just a few.
Fair comment, but I'd respond that Verizon then realizes the extent of this problem so even more reason to support my idea that we should be allowed to police ourselves. I'd like to set my hard cap at 5Gb. I don't want ANY risk of even a $250 bill. In the case of internet usage I don't think that is too much to ask for.
>>>Verizon Wireless won't change the way it bills their calling plans because someone doesn't like the way it's billed or how much they can use.
I hope you're not right, I hope they read message boards like this one they provide and see the problems some of its users are having with some of its contracts.
>>>In regards to "fair" overage charges, that's why Verizon wireless changed from .25 cents per mb to .05 per mb right? Or did they lower the overage minute to keep gouging us with unfair prices?
No, I had to call them to get the change in my contract (was as a direct result of this thread) if I had still been on the $0.25 overage plan I wonder if they would have hard capped me at $250. I don't know, I was delighted to get the change, but I'd still like to be cut off hard and fast each month when I hit that 5Gb limit. I understand the limit (think it's too small but I DO understand it's there), I just can't monitor it closely enough and pull the plug myself.
>>>And if you go to dial-up...then I really don't know what to say.
'Good Luck' would be nice ;-)
Don't get me wrong I'm cool with your responses, it's just that I don't think what I am looking for is unreasonable. If 5Gb of usage cost about 1c per Gb, then why not everything above 5Gb costing the same? My Electric bill actually gets cheaper per watt hour the more I use. Also, why not the auto-cap? This is 2009 computer stuff, I can't believe it's that hard to implement.
>>>Hope this helps clear up some information
Yes the 'forgiveness' bill from Verizon IS a big deal. Thanks for clarifying.
You know what s2marks
I have something to say to you
You are absolutely...
cool. I was unsure how you would take my response to be honest
Good luck if you do go to dial-up as well =D
And in regards to Verizon hard capping it's not totally out of the question. They currently offer usage controls to set hard limits on calls and messages, so, with that said it may very well be possible. I hadn't actually thought about usage controls and using it for mobile broadband. That is a very very very good thought...
I must go back to my lair and dwell on this.
I don't have a problem with the cap, but I WOULD like to see them do the "rollover" thing like one of the carriers does with monthly minutes. That would be a good PR move and I wouldn't think it would severely impact the network traffic.
Affordable health care for everyone in this country should be a right, but not wireless broadband. Government intervention is not the answer. Supply and demand, competition, and free enterprise market forces will fix the problem.
jimfitzgerald wrote: Affordable health care for everyone in this country should be a right, but not wireless broadband. Government intervention is not the answer. Supply and demand, competition, and free enterprise market forces will fix the problem.
I also had outrageous usage this month. They capped my bill at $250.00. I went back through the usage data and there was usage reported when I wasn't connected, the laptop was turned off and the device was not plugged in. So far this month I've been watching my usage increase like wildfire. I don't download music, watch videos, etc. I've been playing the same couple of games since I started using verizon 7 months ago. I average 3500 per month.
When I called in they told me I was over my limit on the 5th my month starts on the 2nd. One thing I've also found is that you can not trust the VZ manage, last night it went from 1064. to 17.,
After someone at verizon called me a lair I was put on hold for 30 minutes when they came back on line they credited my account and are sending me a new device. Something and I still don't know what happened to cause the increase. What ever this problem is it is on Verizons end and they need to fix it.
I also told them I'd go back to dial up if I had that kind of bill again and they had better be ready to let me out my contract. I can not pay that kind of bill and live in a rural area and can not get anything else. Dail up may be slow but at least it's unlimited.
Personally, I wouldn't use this service for playing games, watching videos, downloading music, etc. I only use it for email, paying bills, buying and selling stock, etc., and non-data intensive internet activities. If you're into those other data intensive activities, you probably should go with cable or DSL. If that's not available where you live, you've got problems that Verizon wireless is not going to satisfy.
no vius it happen to me too my bill went from 60 a month to 300 a month cliaming i used almost 6 gig a month which is inposible. does anybody know what is going on.
Well yes I would, number one is dishonest, and 2 Its a lie it is impossible to use that much internet in a month unless you run downloads 24 hrs a day, 2 it wasn't in my contract, or on any menu. Its a flat out lie to rip people off, and people like you are feeding the problem, maybe you have 300 a month for internet ,but I don't and even if I did I would pay that much Its ridiculous.
Everybody these days wants to be a victim. The service is $60 for 5 GB per month. It's that simple. The $.05 per MB overage charge is designed to encourage you not to exceed your contract amount. Download Netmeter and manage your usage. If there is somthing about Verizon you can't live with, switch to another carrier. Better yet, start your own internet provider company and run it the way you want.
We had the same experience this month. Last month was our first month of WiFi and we did not go over our usage and I even downloaded 2 TV shows! Now this month, with no downloading videos or music, we are 1GB over and this in about 10 days into the billing cycle!?!? We are rural users too...
I signed on to verizon on 9/8/2009 and am really surprised and disappointed with daily usage amounts. Each morning I check previous day's usage and the report/system/accounting for accumulated Mg usage produced for me to monitor my usage is extremely erratic. And more importantly,I do not believe it is correct. For instance,
begin new billing period:10/13----64mb..... ok, now that's great I thought, but then
10/14----260mb........not so good but ony 130mb avg per day, but the morning of 10/16 the report said
10/14(again)----611mb......yikes, what's going on ?????, but then in morning of 10/17 system said
10/16----827mb.....Holy cow! I had disconnected from verizon early that day of 10/16 and gone
back to dial-up but usage report showed I'd used 216mb?! What's going on?
I'm calling verizon today. Maybe there's some thing wrong!? With my somewhat curtailed usage, the system nevertheless shows me accumulating greater amounts.........827mb and 4 days, that's 260+mb per day.
This is not the pleasurable experience I expected from high speed connection.
Thanks,
Jim
OOPS!......206mb per day.
Wow, something is obviously going on. I would try unplugging your Verizon device (card or USB) except when actually connecting to the internet. Are you using a router? If you are, maybe someone has hacked into your router.
I'm using a Belkin G Wireless USB Network Adapter on my 2004 Dell Dimension 4600 desktop that supplies wireless connection for my 2008 Lenovo Y710 laptop.
This morning's usage report showed 828mb after keeping mifi 2200 off all day yesterday except to check usage while it was directly connected to USB of Lenovo.
I did not call Verizon yet.........want another day or two fo experience.
Glad I stumbled on this ..I have been having a time with overages on my broadband. Talked to customer service 3 times in 2 days and still no resolution. I have a bill charging me for PAST months overages. Over $100.00 worth...How can they charge u overages that were over 2 months old?...I never knew I went over. I check my usage daily...Rolls over on the 10th of each month...On the 10th I check my usage and have been under each month.. One person told me it takes sometimes 2 days to catch up?..That's **bleep**...How can u know our useage is accurate like that..?..I'm thinking if it says 4000 or so MG used as of the 10th then there is no way I could go over...What are u supposed to do...stop using it 2 days before it rolls over to give it time to catch up? ...One bill was $17.00 over ..ok dealt with that..current bill $167.00, and then was told the other day my next bill is $40.00 overage charges?...I dont know whats going on here, but something is not right. I knew I couldnt be the only one this was happening to. I asked for a supervisor the other day after talking to a rep. that just wanted to sell me more GB, and not address the problem... She talked to me for about 20 min. with being put on hold numerous times...I finally had to go because I had to go to work...She told me she would investigate more, and call me within an hour....This was Wednesday........I am STILL waiting for that callback.. Something needs to be done about this issue so many of us are having..We are obviously not getting anywhere with customer service . Anyone have any ideas?....BBB or maybe an investigation from a news channel?...I dont know about u, but I cant pay $170.00 a month for internet service...It's crazy..
What I've found out so far about my high overage last month and still going on this month, is the tower was hit multipule times by lighting. Damage to the tower and now they are waiting for AT&T to do something about the phone line. As of the 27th there is still a problem with the tower. They are suppose to call me when they get this issue resolved. Also I'm only dealing with one person now instead of who ever answers the phone.
It took awhile but I feel I'm finally gettting some help.
Some interesting posts here.
For Dave - Yes, the government does need to regulate the rates the telecoms charge for wireless/wired access. The airwaves belong to the PEOPLE, and telecoms bid for spectrum allocation, with very stringent requirements on usage, etc. This is currently a huge deal as the battle for the now vacant TV blocks are up. The telecoms have mounted an incredibly intense campaign to keep the open bandwidth AWAY from public access initiatives across the country. There are token efforts to provide limited public access to non-profit organizations, but as has been pointed out, rural areas of the country are still virtually in the dark (literally when it comes to FIOS) while they accept tens of millions of dollars in TARP funds for rural telecom projects. In several communities, the telecoms have installed FIOS (or its equivalent) in high-dollar subdivisions just outside the city limits while ignoring true rural America.
Two issues need to be addressed by the internet community:
Piracy and spam. The advent of peer-to-peer file sharing, i.e. full-length movies, music etc, is robbing the entertainment industry and hogging tremendous bandwidth illegally. This is one of the reasons for the 5G cap for most providers. At some point, the MPAA will sue them for not regulating end user actions.
Spammers still account for 75-85% of the traffic on the internet. For those of you who are seeing marked increases in data throughput, I suspect (strongly) that you have a spambot program on your computer. Without adequate firewall/virus protection, PC's are EXTREMELY susceptible to malware, trojan horses, and bots. There's a simple solution for spam, but none of the ISP's are willing to take the steps necessary to stop spam.
All that being said, and in spite of the 5G cap being a pain in the butt, the Verizon MIFI2200 has been the best thing to come along for me since sliced bread.
As a couple of posters have pointed out, market demand will eventually force Verizon, AT&T, etc. to raise that cap.
I am a new user and after some initial experience and after reading this thread I am scared to death. I definitely do not want to spend more than $60 dollars per month and need a way to accurately and reliably monitor my usage so I can STOP at the 5GB cap. Plus, MY overage is rated at $0.25 per MB!
I am using the USB modem for $59 with the 5GB monthly cap and am still in the first month, so I still have a short window of opportunity to change to another plan and device if necessary.
1) I can't reliably and consistently get usage data so as to determine if I am going over and was told there is an internal issue being escalated and worked on and I should call in if I want accurate usage data. ?
2) I am one person, one computer, with one wireless printer and have discovered I can no longer network with anything, including my wireless printer
3) I use a "family line" cell for $10 a month, with 700 mins limit for 3 people, but the other 2 rarely use the phone and I think I can keep itunder the limit on the cell phone part
4) I just checked my bill and it is over $400 for the initial month with the set up for 2 USB modems and 2 cellphones! What happened here? The quote was $160.?
This solution was pretty much bought for me with good intentions and I am now trying to ascertain if I have apoor match or what. I am not a heavy uploader/downloader but do use the internet (email and forums) on a daily basis and update my computer (OS and software) on a regular basis. Am I using the right solution or have I missed something obvious and should be using something else like the MIFI or an EVDO optimized router for the wireless printer? Any help is appreciated.
I don't want to get into a comparison contest, but I just left cable which allowed unlimited access to highspeed for $60 per month and I could share with the 3 other computer users who were in the house and I could print wirelessly, and my bill was ALWAYS the same - $60 per month. Yeah, I know I couldn't surf the net if I walked out into the yard. This is a learning experience for me. I am open and flexible with regards to finding and using solutions that help me with my requirements. thankis again
In this Nov billing period I was able to restrict my usage again and remained below the 5G cap............all the while being extremely disappointed with the cost for the moderate increase in speed at a cost of $60 per month.
I do ask myself about the relative cost of verizon service especially when I consider that my electric bill for my 2500 sf, 3 bdrm farm home with outbuildings for September was $5 per day for 1300kwh vs $2 per day for increased computer access speed............albeit 3 to 15 times my computer's 28kbps network access on dial-up.
By the way the verizon usage report that I check daily states that excess usage will cost $.25 per mg, not $.05.............why is this message not corrected?....updated???
thanks
jim
Well, I left 800 mb on the table after diligent and even fearful monitoring of daily usage.....that stinks. Verizon seems more and more like it's worth less and less.
I've done much the same thing, but after talking to several Verizon technicians, it is clear that NONE of the usage data that is reported is accurate. Lags, estimates, and who knows what else go into the equation, and this process--whatever it is--spits out a number. If this close to your actual usage, it's a coincidence. I don't really care except I am paying for 5 GB and can't use it all for fear that Verizon will pick a number for my usage that is above that amount, the truth be damned. Monitoring my actual usage with an independent program (SurplusMeter) tells a very different story from the one Verizon spins. Which do I believe? The software that has no axe to grind and does not profit from overage charges.
I am informed by several software engineers that programs like this are not difficult to write. Why doesn't Verizon write a client-side app to monitor usage? They could encrypt the data so we can't fake lower numbers. This is basic stuff.
The ridiculously-inaccurate usage data we are given constitute, in my opinion, fraud. We are sold a service that permits a certain amount of data transfer per month. Then we are denied the information to be able to keep within that limit. I'm quite sure I could send Verizon my SurplusMeter results and they would not be accepted as the truth. As it is, I have to call a Verizon tech every few days to rub his or her nose in the fact that they are living in a fantasy world. Verizon are not selling a service, they are selling a con.
I simply cannot believe that accurate reporting is as difficult as the techs claim. I believe it is difficult the way they are doing it now. They should do it right. I WILL NOT PAY OVERAGES because the numbers I base my behavior on are fiction. I will stay within my budget as I meter it locally, and if they claim overage charges I will fight it as long as I have to.
You said it.
My data usage was also off the chart. I just contributed it too watching a video or two, but I am watching to see if I have been hijacked.
In the same boat and I agree the 5gb limit wouldn't be as big of a deal if they did not advertise it as UNLIMITED! Also why is the second 5GB almost 5 times as expensive as the first 5GB.
I wish for once a company would just offer a decent service for a price that allows them to make a profit and us to use it. Stop playing all the games and just make everything a fair per MB or minute fee and I am likely to use a lot more of your services.
As you currently operate I try to avoid them as much as possibly and I will jump ship at any opportunity!
Get it? Probably Not/
we always turn off our wifi device when not in use. Went way over and now I have to be the internet police for my family. Not what I wanted to do. I'm not surprised this person went way over--too bad they advertised it as for heavy users.
pjk join the club. I live alone and have had outrageous overages. When I would call they would always blame it on me. I was calling them about everyother day. I was told many things, like the tower was damaged. They have credit my account for all my overages that is one good thing. But I felt like it was a full time job also. I've started staying off line, even when I'd like to get online. I'm just tired of calling ever few days.
I'm just waiting out the time till I can cancel this. I guess I'll go back to dail up. By the way about half the time I'm on National Access and it's slower than dail up anyway. I live 2000 feet from the tower so I should have a good connection.
It amazes me that in this day and age of governmental controls on all of us that the PUC and the FCC allow the general public to be raped as badly as what they are allowing Verizon to do to us.
1- The "data usage" that is reported to us ids so far out of wack none of us have any clue as to how much we are using. This is as directly misleading as them telling you its ok to jump off a 5 story building because they will catch you. But of course they will tell you that was three days ago and your contract allows them to lie to you and provide you with that data wheneever they feel its ok but not when you need it. Every other utility that uses a measured service has a meter that I can read - Gas, Electric,Water, etc. EXCEPT Verizons way out of bounds "estimated usage". An "estimate" is supposed to be somewhat close to the truth and based in real time and using factual data. If your carpenter came to your house and gave you an "estimate" for installing your new kitchen of $5000 and you checked with him a few days before completion and he told you you were well within your budget at that time but then handed you a final bill of $25000 you would freak out and sue him - especially if he would then shut off your kitchen and not allow you to use it anymore if you didn't pay him. The really interesting thing is then you would also be terminating your contract with him and he would also charge you for that !!!! Hmmm Gee wouldn't it be great to be a common working carpenter with THAT kind of POWER????
2- I thought UNLIMITED had no end... and no fine print. Isn't that false advertising????
3- Verizon is a public utility no different than any other. In this day and age we all use cellular services just like electricity, water, gas, and sewage. But at this point and time they are abusing the general public with extremely shady business practices which need to be monitored and regulated. WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN AND REPRESENTATIVES IN WASHINGTON. AND MAKE THEM AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. In the mean time Cricket and a whole bunch of other companies are making better, honestly unlimited, plans available at lower rates. Please investigate and use them as I will.
Dave, can explain exactly HOW this is price gouging.
If you order an expensive cut of meat at your local steakhouse, and they bring you road Kill
do you complain when the bill comes, yes you do.
Just like how the RIAA learned a few years ago, You can not gouge the US for to long.
Yes.... if folks have any success in getting te govt to order Verizon to lower it's prices, I'd like to suggest that next, we move on to gasoline. I'd rather have it cost $2 a gal if no one minds.
Verizon is not a "Public Utility" it's not owned by the government, if it was we'd have to pay more and get even less. It's public exchange, but it's a private (for as much porfit as they can stinking get) company.
I don't understand how the mifi works %100 but I'm sure if you are not useing it turn it off. I don't know if it has a password for other users to log onto, it should, but if it don't other people, not you, could be loging onto it. Just like any hotspot.
As long as people are paying for the service they will keep chargeing what they do. The best petition to sign is a contract with Sprint-Clearwire 4g if you can get it. Supply and demand.
