unlimited mobile broadband

[annp]

I have  UM175 USB mobile broadband and just set it up with a wireless router. I am concerned about going over my plan's data usage. I have looked to see if there is an unlimited usage plan available, but I don't see one.  Does anyone know if there is? I seem to remember there being one when I originally signed up.

[#2]

There is unlimited internet for cell phones for $29.99.  There is no unlimited for laptops.  The maximum you can get for laptops is 5 GB for $59.99.

[mrcape]

I have unlimited data plan which does not mean much anymore. Verizon will cut you back to 5-20kb if you exceed 5gb. They are tricky on reporting useage and the popup window showing data useage is erroneous. They have a nasty habit of not resetting their useage counter for 24-48 hours especially on the last days of your monthly total. On your new month day, you will find the counter is still adding and most likely you exceed the 5gb number. Suddenly you will find your data flow is at snail pace and you have not done anything wrong. You can try and convince Verizon they made a mistake but odds are they will just tell you that you will be punished for 30 days at 5-24kb. I just had this happen again and no reply from Verizon support on my complaint. I got about 4 months left on contract and will look for alternatives. Only reason I use their Broadband because I travel alot and is very convient for that. I see the list of unhappy broadband users is growing and most looking for alternatives. I monitor my own useage now with a couple of utilities. If Verizon does not reset their useage counter at the proper time, a consumer will just have to stay off the network until they do. Terrible way to run a business....:

[moreunhappiness]

I too have what Verizon to sold me as an unlimited broadband account with an up to 1.4 Mbps download rate.  This is NOT the case whatsoever. Since when does unlimited mean you will be throttled to Kbps/s if you go over 5 gigabytes of usage? I do not care what letters this deceptive company says they sent out notifying their customers of the change. I demand what they sold me.  I referred MANY customers to Verizon wireless because of the availability of their service. That ends today. I can no longer say that Verizon Wireless is a company worth giving your money. We'll see how deceptive they are by whether or not this message even gets posted. Unlimited means Unlimited. I don't care if you decided you can make more money by limiting people. You sold me unlimited. I demand unlimited. Deliver what you sold. Deceptive practice should never be rewarded. Cancellation Date = The soonest appointment I can get to get another service here. You lost another customer. Get the hint yet? If you are dissatisfied with your service do as I am doing. Have the people you have referred call and express their concerns that they will be treated the way you have been treated. Someone has to make this bully get the hint. You deliver what you sell or the NSA will be your ONLY customer.

[#5]

Verizon, and most other cellular providers, no longer offer unlimited data plans for computers.  The Verizon data usage meter does normally lag a day or two and sometimes 3 or 4 days.  It is a simple matter to download a free copy of NetMeter to keep track of your usage on a "real-time" basis.  Just like everything else in life, you need to manage your usage and pay attention.  Nobody is intentionally trying to screw anyone.  Some people are just victims, and always will be.

[Sirreel]

It IS a terrible way to run a business. It puts the burden on each individual customer to download extra programs to watch the 'clock'  and basically waste a bunch of time and energy trying to avoid overuse charges. How many customers are we talking about? See http://newscenter.verizon.com/press-releases/verizon/2010/verizon-reports-strong.html.

• Verizon Wireless has the most retail customers of any U.S. wireless provider.  The company had 87.5 million retail customers at the end of the fourth quarter, an increase of 25.0 percent year over year and 5.7 percent on a pro forma basis.
• The company also added 1.0 million reseller customers in the fourth quarter, bringing its total number of customers at the end of the quarter to 91.2 million, an increase of 26.6 percent year over year and 7.0 percent on a pro forma basis.

Multiply 90 million customers by the hours each customer spends per year on this problem by the worth of each hour to calculate the burden Verizon is putting on society. Suppose each customer spends one hour per year avoiding overuse charges and each one of those hours was worth 20 bucks. Verizon is costing society 90 million hours x $20 per hour = $1.8 billion in lost productivity, not to mention the indirect costs involved. For instance, what's the rent on 90 million hours of living space? You'd think they could solve this problem fairly easily (and cheaply) on their end and save us all this unnecessary expense. To top it off, the cap is supposed to protect their network. Why do they pawn off on us the responsibility to protect their network for them?

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jimfitzgerald wrote:

Verizon, and most other cellular providers, no longer offer unlimited data plans for computers.  The Verizon data usage meter does normally lag a day or two and sometimes 3 or 4 days.  It is a simple matter to download a free copy of NetMeter to keep track of your usage on a "real-time" basis.  Just like everything else in life, you need to manage your usage and pay attention.  Nobody is intentionally trying to screw anyone.  Some people are just victims, and always will be.

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What makes you think no one is intentionally screwing anyone in this deal? Saying stuff like that, some might see you as a victim of verizon's advertising.

[#7]

I'm just a very satisfied customer with no complaints.  My wife and I have 700 minutes for $70 per month.  I have a USB760 for my laptop that is $60 per month for when I travel.  Last night, I added a third line for $10 and ordered a Droid with an unlimited data plan for $30.  Once I receive the Droid and get it up and running, I'll get rid of the extra phone line and the USB760.  My total cost will then be $100 per month for two phones and unlimited data.  Seems very reasonable to me.  I have Charter cable for home internet.

[Deamorei]

The quality of the service is fine. It's the quantity of it that's the problem. I don't watch the electric meter on my house i just pay the bill when it arrives no matter how much i consume. I won't go broke either way like users of Verizon mobile broadband could. Verizon was making a killing on mobile broadband before they imposed these silly caps that VZ, ATT and Sprint imposed. Something you need to realize is that wired telecom is a dieing breed..

Few people that i know have wired phone lines to there homes. They cancelled and use cellphones. Sattelite TV is cheaper then cable so the only thing that holds alot of people to services like Charter is the unlimited/faster broadband. People need to stop trying to justify and support the idea that mobile communications are just for occasional use or for travelling only.If companies have oversold their service to the point that they cant provide service to all their customers then just maybe they need to upgrade while they have all that excess money they are soaking up thanks to us consumers.

I wish my broadband service was through a coop like my electric/company bill is. We are the share holders who have a voice in all things with our company Verizon doesn't understand that their service isn't a need in our lives but an added expense that we choose to pay. I hope local communties start overstepping them and putting up there own wireless systems and let coops decide to pay what they want for the service instead. We don't have the choice to go elsewhere right now regretfully for our service.

[Sirreel]

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jimfitzgerald wrote:

I'm just a very satisfied customer with no complaints.  My wife and I have 700 minutes for $70 per month.  I have a USB760 for my laptop that is $60 per month for when I travel.  Last night, I added a third line for $10 and ordered a Droid with an unlimited data plan for $30.  Once I receive the Droid and get it up and running, I'll get rid of the extra phone line and the USB760.  My total cost will then be $100 per month for two phones and unlimited data.  Seems very reasonable to me.  I have Charter cable for home internet.

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That's great for you. I don't own a cell phone because I can't get reliable service. I have to use an antenna mounted on my roof to pull in the broadband signal. I can't buy a wired (fast) connection at any price - it doesn't exist at my location. Your reasonable scenario is not available to everyone, but of course, you already knew that. There's an odd tone to your posts that makes me think you just like telling people how good you've got it.

Is paying 100$ a month objectively reasonable? That article I quoted from above says verizon's monthly expense per customer is about 27$.  So, you're paying their stockholders 73$ a month - almost 300% profit. Verizon has done a very good job with its advertising if you think you're getting a reasonable deal.

[#10]

I think two phones, one with unlimited data, for $100 is quite reasonable.  That's $60 for the first phone, $10 for the second phone, and $30 for the unlimited data package.  Which part of this do you think is excessive?  By the way, Verizon lost money last quarter.  If you don't like Verizon, you should leave.  It is foolish to continue to pay for something you don't like.  And it's nobody's fault but your own where you live.

[Doodle]

Let's all move to the city and put Verizon out of business.

[Sirreel]

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jimfitzgerald wrote:

I think two phones, one with unlimited data, for $100 is quite reasonable.  That's $60 for the first phone, $10 for the second phone, and $30 for the unlimited data package.  Which part of this do you think is excessive?  By the way, Verizon lost money last quarter.  If you don't like Verizon, you should leave.  It is foolish to continue to pay for something you don't like.  And it's nobody's fault but your own where you live.

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As before, I'm glad you believe you're getting a good deal. I've raised the question as to whether that belief is objectively reasonable considering that you might be handing over three times as much money as it costs Verizon to provide you with service. I admit it's hard to figure out the profit from the article I provided, but those numbers come straight from Verizon. I think a reasonable profit is expected but 300% is excessive. So, of your bill, I think the profit portion is excessive.

If you'd read the article you'd know Verizon didn't lose money last quarter.

I don't leave Verizon because it's the best option available to me. It doesn't mean I necessarily have to like it. It's only foolish to pay for something you don't like and don't need. For instance, I don't like buying medicine but I need to do it.

I reside at my current location because my wife's parents got sick and we took care of them in their home as they wished instead of letting them die lonely and painful deaths in a nursing home. We ended up having to sell our house and move in here because sometimes it takes a while for old folks to pass, especially when they're being cared for by someone who gives a **bleep** if they live or die. During that time my wife's employer was kind enough to fire her for missing work even though they offered her, and she was on, FMLA leave. Now we're stuck. So, yeah, I guess you're right, it's my own fault I'm living here.

[#13]

What a company charges for it's products has nothing to do with their cost.  Prices are based on "what the market will bear" and the competetive environment.  Also, do you know how to read an income statement?  http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=VZ  A company has to cover more than their variable cost.  Also, your personal situation is not Verizon's fault or concern. 

[Sirreel]

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jimfitzgerald wrote:

What a company charges for it's products has nothing to do with their cost.  Prices are based on "what the market will bear" and the competetive environment.  Also, do you know how to read an income statement?  http://finance.yahoo.com/q/ks?s=VZ  A company has to cover more than their variable cost.  Also, your personal situation is not Verizon's fault or concern. 

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jimfitzgerald, you should consider changing your user id to sarahpalin. You only answer questions you think you know the answer to no matter what question is posed, and even then your answers are often wrong or entirely subjective.

For example, you passively accused me of somehow being at 'fault' for living where I do. I explain how I came to live at this location and you reply that my personal situation is not Verizon's fault or concern. That contention is obviously true, but so what?  Even true statements can't win arguments unless they pertain to the argument. You are simply not responding honestly and that suggests to me I should not waste my time arguing with you.

[#15]

That's good, because all you have done in this thread is attack me because I said I am a satisfied Verizon customer.  At least I answered the OP's question and tried to help them.  I am not a victim of Verizon's advertising.  I am a supporter of Verizon because of my favorable experience with them and their products.  You next questioned my judgement as to the value I put on their service and product.  I explained that I believe $100 for two phones and unlimited data is a fair price.  You then tried to make a case that Verizon's profit margins are 300 percent.  I showed you that they are actually 3 percent.  If you don't like Verizon, that's fine, but don't attack me because I have had a good experience.  Why don't you just answer the OP's question and not attack me for posting my experience?

[#16]

Verizon Quarterly Income Statement

http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/invsub/results/statemnt.aspx?Symbol=VZ&stmtView=Qtr

[Doodle]

I think I can answer the original poster's question. Depending on what you plan to use the Internet for, you should be very concerned about going over your plan's data usage. Verizon is notorious for being as much as 4 days behind on updating your usage amounts. If you call tech. support about the data usage, they tell you that you need to keep up with it by looking at the Usage pop up box. They will then contradict themselves by telling you that it is not accurate.

Someone on this forum will tell you to download a program that you have to pay for to monitor your usage that is your option. I personally think that since Verizon can be up-to-date on our usage when it comes bill time they should supply us with up-to-date usage amounts every day.

Unless they have started an unlimited plan in the past few days then no there is not an unlimited plan.

Unlike Mr. Fitzgerald some of us are not very happy with Verizon.

If you are a rural user, you could also have problems with your connection. If you get connected with EVOD then you should be fine. If you get a NationalAccess connection, you are going to be looking at problems. NationalAccess is slower than Dail-up and your usage amounts will go through the roof. I live 1500 feet (I measured it), from a Verizon tower that doesn't work half the time, that is when I have NationalAccess.

[#18]

I agree you shouldn't need it, but NetMeter is free.  At least there is a version that is free that will give you what you need.

[Greg4Wireless]

To my knowledge, "unlimited mobile broadband" does not exist with Verizon......

[bbpierce]

I have not updated my wireless card for my laptop for that very reason.  If I go with a new plan, I will be limited.  I too live in the country with no wired phone and no cable access, yes to be close to my elderly mother, my dad just passed away.  I choose to live here just like Verizon chooses to limit my ability to get on the internet if I upgrade.  I will keep my old plan until they disconnect me I guess because I need to use my wireless connection a lot. 

[Sirreel]

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bbpierce wrote:

I have not updated my wireless card for my laptop for that very reason.  If I go with a new plan, I will be limited.  I too live in the country with no wired phone and no cable access, yes to be close to my elderly mother, my dad just passed away.  I choose to live here just like Verizon chooses to limit my ability to get on the internet if I upgrade.  I will keep my old plan until they disconnect me I guess because I need to use my wireless connection a lot. 

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My condolences, bbpierce, on the passing of your father. You're doing a very good thing by being close to your mom in her old age. A very good thing indeed. You have one foot in heaven already.