Usage for Verizon 5 Spot

[JDamien1]

I use the Verizon 5 Spot for my internet connection.  I DO NOT use a Verizon cell phone.  This device is used only for connecting to the internet.  Before this I had to use dial-up.  My question and problem is with my monthly usage.  I am on the 5 gigabyte plan.  Each month I get my bill and it shows my usage in GB's.  If I use 3.8 gb they round it off to 4.  This is fine, however, each month this year they have an entry for "Unbilled usage from a previous month" and they always put 1 gb there.  Most months I only use 2 to 3 gb ALL month so I have to ask, where does this mysterious 1 gb come from?  I do not take the 5 Spot anywhere.  It is in my home and that is the only place I use this device.  I've called and spoken to at least 3 different people, I've written to them probably 5 or 6 times to get an explanation of where this "previous usage" comes from and in reality no one there can give me an adequate answer.  One person at Verizon said it was usage that came in "after" the bill was sent.  So what could this be, maybe 50 mb or so and they are charging me for 1000 mb's (1 gb).  If this is the case then it would be totally unfair.  If usage comes in after the bill if printed, then just include this in the new monthly periods usage.  Is there anyone out there who has this same situation or can anyone, including Verizon personnel, provide me with an answer for this situation?  I do check my usage online and even that is not accurate.  Today I checked and made a detailed list of usage by day and hour since my month started on Aug 3 and they say I used .394 gb or 403 mb so far and yet when I check the usage details and add up all the usage it only comes to .1937 gb and 197.92 mb.  So where do they come up with .394 gb and 403 mb?  Thanks for any comments or suggestions.  JD

[vzw_customer_support]

We definitely don't want to confuse you on your billing Jdamien1! Here's what I can tell you about unbilled usage from previous months. In summary, it is usage that didn't hit the billing system until after your bill cycled. Let me give you a clear example. Let's say you used 4.5 GB for June's bill. On July's bill, you have 4.9 GB used for the month and 0.4 GB unbilled usage from previous months. It will round up to 1, but you will not be billed any overage because you stayed underneath your allowance.

I hope this answers your question. Essentially, we aren't billing you for a full GB, only the partially-used GB.

Regards,

MikeS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[JDamien1]

Dear MikeS, (or whoever gets this email. It seems I can never

communicate with one person, each time I send an email it goes to someone

new),

I do appreciate your responding to my question on data usage for my Verizon

5 Spot. While your explanation is somewhat clear, it is not totally

clear. For one thing, if there is some small amount of data that "didn't

hit the system until after the bill cycled" why would this need to be

included as "usage from a previous month"? Wouldn't it be easier to just

include this usage, and in my case it would be very small, as part of the

next months usage? This way it would be counted as actual use and not

"rounded" off to 1 gb. If I use say, 89 megabytes that falls into this

"didn't hit the system until after the bill cycled", then I get charged for

1 gb as it is rounded off. This would be totally unfair to my way of

thinking. e.g. I had one month that I actually used nearly 5 gb which is

my allotment. So my usage was rounded off to 5 gb and this is fine.

However, because of some usage that "didn't hit the system until after the

bill cycled" I got charged for an additional gigabyte and so I had to pay

an extra $10 for that month. Since I rarely use 3 gb per month, I feel it

is totally unfair to add one gigabyte to my bill as "from a previous

month," when such usage amounts to just minor megabytes.

The "didn't hit the system until after the bill cycled" usage could only be

for one or two, perhaps 3 days. In that period of time I would normally

use as I say, just 10-80 megabytes, but because of this Verizon policy,

this use is rounded off to 1 gigabyte. So I get charged with 1000

megabytes of use for using under 100 megabytes. This policy is totally

unfair in MY case. Perhaps there are users who do in fact use a lot of

megabytes in those few days that didn't hit the system until after the bill

cycled, but I do not. Therefore, because of this 1 gig usage from previous

months that always appears on my bill, I am forced to keep my monthly usage

UNDER 4 gigabytes so with the previous month usage of 1 gig will bring my

total usage to my monthly allotment of 5 gb. If I would use 4.2 gigs on a

given month, that would be rounded off to 5 gigs and with the other 1 gig

from "previous month" I would have a total of 6 gigs and therefore have to

pay an additional $10 for that month.

To me, the proper and fair procedure in this matter would be to take this

"didn't hit the system until after the bill cycled" usage whatever actual

amount it is, say 87 mb and let that count in the next month's usage as 89

mbs and NOT as 1 gigabyte or 1000 megabytes. I'm sorry to go on and on

about this, but this usage and billing procedure limits my usage every

month to as I said above under 4 gb, because if I happen to go over 4, like

4.1 then it is rounded off to 5 and with the 1 gb added in from "previous

month usage" (or usage that didn't hit the system until after the bill

cycled) I will have a total of 6 gb and therefore have to pay for this

extra gb which in fact I have not used. Additionally, I see no valid

reason to "round off" this usage in the first place. If I use 4.1 gb then

that is under my monthly allotment of 5 so should show as 4.1 gb of usage

and not as 5.

I hope that you (whoever gets to read my excessive verbiage) understand my

position. Sadly when my contract expires I will have to search for an

alternative provider that does not have such a usage policy. Unfortunately

where I live, out in the country, I cannot get cable or DSL of any kind, so

I am stuck with using either satellite or a device like the 5 Spot. I know

this is my problem and it is very frustrating.

Again, thanks for putting up with my ranting and long winded email.

Joseph Baker

Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are!

On Sun, Aug 12, 2012 at 6:50 AM, Verizon Wireless Customer Support <