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Verizon lied about data throttle?

Two months ago I got the unlimited data plan in addition to the hot spot. I was told "data MAY be throttled after 11gb based on local traffic".

Cool, I live in rural area, not very many people out here, shouldn't be an issue.

2 months and all is great. Been using 60-100 gb , primarily on Netflix. Then I get an e-mail...

"Data WILL be throttled after 10gb."

Netflix goes to [Removed] The next day. What a buch of cons. I pay $270 a month for 2 phones and a hot spot. That's $3240...A YEAR! Been a VZ customer for 6 years.

Care to explain why you are not honoring our Contract with a loyal customer?

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Comments

Ann154

The mobile hotspot data limit was part of the original announcement. Get unlimited data on the network you deserve: Verizon | About Verizon

The new Verizon Plan Unlimited FAQs | Verizon Wireless

JWeddle

"May be limited based on network traffic" was the "deal".

"Will be limited after 10gb is the bait and switch.

Your response fails to deflect the problem. please try again with useful response that "may" prevent me from switching to AT&T.

Ann154

Quote from the press release. "Mobile Hotspot with 10 GB of 4G LTE data is included at no charge (after 10 GB you’ll get 3G data speeds)."

MFK5331

I fell victim to Verizons lies as well. I purchased the Home LTE router because the Verizon rep told me the 10gb hotspot limit only applies to phones and not a router intended to be used this way. I specifically asked if this would work for gaming, streaming, downloads, etc and the rep told me it absolutely would.

It did that perfectly for a month, until Verizon pulled the switch and turned on throttling, now that any chance of returning the router is gone. Now I'm stuck with this router that is essentially useless 3/4 of every month. I knew the throttling limit, asked about it, and the rep flat out lied about it to get a sale. I am livid with Verizon right now.

dimap52

Verbal claims made by representatives of any company are legally difficult to enforce and in fact may NOT be legally part of any contract. So READ before you LISTEN, whether it is in store or on the phone. Personally I think this whole 'unlimited' business is a pile of snake oi, precisely because of all the throttling limits, video slowdowns, etc. I READ about the 10 gig throttling limit on mobile hotspots and INTERNET DEVICES which put up a red flag which kept me from signing up, not to mention the $20 tablet fee which is a $10 increase from the capped plan fee.

So it seems that the WRITTEN 10 gig throttle on internet devices (cantennas, routers, hotspots) has been finally implemented and the gravy train of unthrottled access that CSR's told customers they would have has finally ended. Makes me glad I READ the terms before signing and stayed away.

Now the question is, are the CSR's deliberate liars, or are they just uninformed and actually BELIEVE what they say? I would like to think the latter, but commissions are a powerful incentive to 'distort the truth'', particularly when they can seek legal refuge in denial of a stated claim. I have a feeling this 'unlimited' business isn't going to last very long anyway, as VZW never wanted to bing it back in the first place.

harleyman22

The problem is they have a 14 day window to try out the product and did not throttle the speed down during the 14 days. It's like test driving a car and agreeing to but it and when you go to pick it up they have a Yugo there waiting for you. Also, many people are not even getting close to the 3g speed promised in the contract. Why does Verizon insist on doing this to themselves??

harleyman22

The original announcement stated 3G...since when is .29 mbps download and non existent upload speed considered 3G??

Ann154

Re: New unlimited plan effect on HomeFusion Broadband

Gwight8

We were all lied to. The exact same thing you describe happened to me. I also posted on the boards here. Verizon doesn't seem to care about us. I filed a complaint with the FCC yesterday.

Verizon advertises; "Stream all you want, it's Unlimited". You can't stream anything at <600kbps. It's a classic bait and switch and blatantly false advertising.

I've been a Verizon customer for 15 years. I'm leaving since they don't seem interested in doing anything to keep me.

Gwight8

Check out my post "What happened to prioritization" in plans and services discussion.

Same exact thing happening to me.

LEFTY54

Well, I just found out the same thing. My jetpack worked beautifully for two months and I got my message early this morning that I was cut back to 3G. I also live in a rural area and was told I wouldn't have to worry about this issue since there isn't as much traffic out here. Definite bait and switch.

JWeddle

@ann154

.25 down, .5 up. 3G my ass.

Verizon lied. FCC complaint filed.

Autotraker

Same problem here. The 3G speed they are throttling us back to is almost unusable. During a good period I may get 0.60Mbps and usually its down around 0.25Mbps. I did read about the 10GB limit but sales rep told me not to worry about it since they will only enforce the throttle if the local cell site is congested. It was not only not true it was a downright lie. And the first month they didn't throttle me at all. They waited till I couldn't return the JetPack before they started enforcing the limit. Pretty shady stuff going on.

dshellhause

For Ohio residents I think this is actionable under Ohio Revised code 1345.01-.13 Specifically 1345.03(6). I'm not a lawyer, but am likely to undertake a small claim against Verizon citing this part of the ORC and 1345.09 (A).

harleyman22

The funny thing is, Verizon is destroying their business with these things and they aren't smart enough to see it. Today's consumer will not put up with it and Verizon is already losing long term customers and this issue is costing them even more. I'm done with them and their lies and scams.

MFK5331

I've been with Verizon for 15+ years, and unless they make this right, and do it soon, I'll be going to a new carrier the second I can. I've already saved a few friends from switching to Verizon because of their "unlimited" scam.

Verizon_Support

We never want to see anybody go. We want to help everyone figure out what is going on with your 3G speeds and with Network Prioritization. Here is a link to help you find out more about usage with Hotspot device and Unlimited Data, https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/new-verizon-plan-unlimited-faqs/. What phones are we working with? What locations are you having issues at?

JavierMD_VZW

Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport If my response answered your question please click the Correct Answer button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!

harleyman22

We know what's happening. Verizon is throttling speeds down to unusable levels on customers who have jetpacks and calling it 3G. How are you going to change that Javier?

Also, could you explain why the Verizon agent in this thread stated 3G should be 2 mbps?

How much faster is 3G than Safety Mode?

MFK5331

It's a carrier issue, not a device or location issue. When I bought the Home LTE device, the sales rep assured me that I would not get throttled after 10gb of use. I was told it would work great for streaming, downloads, gaming, etc and I would only face prioritization after 22gb, but would not have the 3G throttling. Now I'm stuck with a device that is basically useless for 3/4 of every month because the sales rep lied and scammed me into buying it.

Autotraker

I'm not waiting for half a month. JetPack going in toilet today and canceling that out first. Phones will switch as soon as I can get into a T-Mobile store. What it comes down to is the sales reps lied. Not one misinformed rep but the store manager. Not one misinformed store manager and his sales force, the corporate reps who verified his lies. Then when you call them out on the lies they hide behind the fine print. My mistake for believing the lies and even when I did read the fine print I was told not to worry about it since it will not effect me. It not only effects me but thousands of people who all got the same lie Nationwide. Complaining does no good, this company just has no intention of making anything right with their customers. I'll vote with my wallet and go elsewhere.

dshellhause

The promises and assurances of the in store sales representatives (which by any definition are authorized agents of Verizon). If you read the threads more you'd understand the complaints a little better. Your comments appear to assume that people are complaining about the hotspot feature on their phones, and there may be a few who are, but the vast majority of complaints are people complaining about the Jetpack, or in my case the "LTE Home Internet and Phone" device (wouldn't the name imply it is a home internet solution?). Reading the threads it sounds like most of us were deceived on both when the throttling kicks in (10 gb vs 22 gb) and how that throttling would occur. Also you don't seem to understand the pricing, as I'm paying a lot more for my "LTE Home Internet and Phone" than I would for Broadband or DSL if either were available in my area.

In my particular case I was told prior to purchase that throttling would occur after 22 gb, and it would be a prioritization type of throttling based on network load. This is exactly how the device functioned in the first two months of service and I was satisfied. Now (after the period in which I am able to easily cancel my contract and return the hardware has lapsed) they throttle me after 10 gb to "3G speeds" which in my case is around 100 - 200 kbps. This makes my home internet completely unusable for 90% of the billing cycle. Wouldn't you agree this is deception in sales? Verizon is responsible for what their authorized agents tell potential customers. I'd love to be released from my contract if they aren't going to restore the previous level (and promised level) of service. My guess is I'm going to have to file a small claim to do so.

dshellhause

Saw this on one of the other threads: unlimitedville.com. I'm going to pursue this, as I think the "Yellow Plan" coverage in my area is excellent and $99 a month. (I hope this isn't too good to be true, but at this point it's worth a shot). I'll be going to the Verizon store to get a refund on my Verizon device and this month's premium and relief from my contract. If the store is unable to provide this I'll be taking Verizon to small claims court under my state's consumer protection laws. This is relatively easy to do and includes up to $5,000 in non-economic damages in my state. Speaking of which, does anyone know Verizon's address for Legal Correspondence?

harleyman22

I wish you the best of luck and if you end up taking them to court we will be rooting for you. I'm probably going to end up forking out the $175 and moving on from Verizon and never giving them another penny of my money.

dshellhause

Usually a certified letter in the mail stating your dispute and citing relevant state code and claimed damages is sufficient for resolution.

A little old link by internet standards but still relevant:

Suing Big Companies In Small Claims Court Is Fun And Easy – Consumerist

I've used this method before successfully on another company.

harleyman22

Hmmm...interesting. Thanks for the info.

BARTMV

Agreed that this policy of "throttle back"is bait and switch.

I have done a reasonably thorough search of the written agreements provided by Verizon when I opened this account and see no reference to the throttle-back policy.

I consider this to be deceptive at the least, and possibly illegal. The word "unlimited" has meaning and was an enticement to enter into a two-year agreement which can only be cancelled with financial penalty.

Pursuing the matter.

Verizon: what say you ?

BEATER68

I am also in the same situation as many, many others are. Had the cananttena on a 40 Gig a month plan. Worked fine. Was told by Verizon rep about the new "Unlimited" data plan that would only slow to 3G after 22 GB. Was specifically told my cantena device mounted on outside of home is not a "mobile hotspot". What hogwash. LTE internet is the only choice where I live and I need internet for business. I was fine with the 40 gig cap at a slightly higher rate, at least it worked. Now I can not even get that.

After the first month, they sent me a letter saying after 10g of data, my cantenna would slow to 3G. It actually slowed to .05 or less and is completely useless. I have spent far to many hours on the phone with various "techs and representatives" with no solution.

I have been a loyal Verizon customer for 14 years, and this is how they treat us. Verizon should be ashamed for not making this right, but of course they could care less.

Any other canned, non helpful responses from you Verizon?????

LimitedFan

I'll admit I didn't read any fine print. Nor did the rep explain the whole throttling when I switched (I think I was on the 10 or 14 gig plan). I had a friend switch to unlimited and he said he used over 200 gig at good speeds. And that first month and a half was great. Now, I hit my limit and speeds are so slow web pages time out. Currently looking at options to replace my Verizon Hot Spot. You had it and you lost it.

spfarm

We were never told about the 10GB limit. We had terrible speeds from CenturyLink on DSL and others told us about the Verizon hotspot option so we switched. We just signed up Friday, got the home MiFi and hit our 10GB limit TODAY 3 days in! I can't even do a speedtest now because the page won't load the internet is so slow. I can't believe this! We may have to switch again.

dexman

Plans offered by other mobile providers...Sprint. at&t, T-Mobile and Cricket...have similar provisions built into their Unlimited plans.

In times of tower congestion, smartphones that have exceeded a certain soft cap, are subject to deprioritization until the congestion clears, or, the phone connects to another non-congested tower.

For devices such as the Jetpack, once a softcap has been exceeded, data speed is reduced until the start of the next billing cycle.

Elsewhere, it has been suggested that the FCC has mandated these rules (thus the similar structure of the Unlimited plans offered by multiple carriers), and, the carriers are simply complying.

It seems that these Unlimited plans are skewed towards smartphones as they have a high soft cap, and, are supposed to be affected only during times of congestion. For devices such as the Jetpack, hard capped data only plans are the way to avoid throttling after the 10GB soft cap.

spfarm

We found a solution. Those who want a home hotspot buy a cheap Samsung tablet and load FoxFi. That's all I will say.

LAVAY_03

I am so angry with Verizon, I am also going to close my account tommorrow and make sure that I warn everyone of this outlandish rip-off.

BDHARDWICK

We have also been customers for the past 15 years. We upgraded to the unlimited plan. What a mistake! Dial up is faster than this. We are incredibly disappointed. We have been lied to and misled by dishonest employees. Never again. Dropping verizon this week and moving to At &T.

BDHARDWICK

We feel we were lied to and scammed as well.

Hcenteno21

I agree 100%. First month was nice after that the service has gone to [Removed]. Not to mention magically my usage tripled when I switched from AT&T. I ended up getting the unlimited plan and after the first month my connection went to 50-100kbps. I know what I use my phone for, and its been the same thing for the last few yrs, somehow when I switched to Verizon my usage tripled. They fed me BS on how everything is HD and uses more data. I never went over 4gb on at&t and w VZW i am always over 22 ? i dont use netflix or stream music, or watch youtube. I am also switching to T-Mobile. I notice verizon speed tests are "fast" but that may be something to investigate as well. Side to side comparison T-Mobile did better on everything. It's sad I was looking forward to something positive when I switched to VZW, but it has been nothing but a nightmare.

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Hcenteno21

Apparently [Removed] is a bad word.

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mreimer78

Yah I got bit by this too. After 4 months of occasional (after 22 GB) throttling during what I assumed were the "high traffic" times, I have now been reduced to 600 kps for the next 3 weeks of my billing cycle.

I agree with several others comments, "occasional throttling to 3G speeds during high traffic times after 22 GB" is what I signed up for, not total throttling after 10.

mreimer78

Might as well get a 10GB plan and save money.

HIMFAN75

I got my phone in feb. all was well until yesterday. The reps didn't lie to us. Verizon screwed us by changing our plans agound us. You know the new plan that gives you 15 gb for free and is supposed to be wonderful ? Yeah they got us and I knew it was coming as soon as I read that email.

mreimer78

Congrats Verizon! As soon as I get the phone paid I will be switching internet service to some other method. I dont care if I have to pay more, and at that point Verizon will join my list of companies I refuse to do business with.

lukevinyl

Whether you can find it or not is irrelevant as it has been posted and re-iterated on these forums more than one can count. It has been disclosed from the beginning the point at which "de-prioritization" of data can occur on the website, the press release for the plan etc.

Not sure what you mean about unlimited being an enticement to enter into a 2 year agreement as a 2 year agreement has absolutely nothing to do with being on an unlimited plan....

PhoneSearch_us

Yes, I have been customer for over 15 years, I had the grandfathered Data plan for years and a salesperson 2 months ago talked me into switching to the new plan, told me there would be no change except when the network was totally congested.

She was very misinformed.

I have the recored message as all my calls are recorded. If her telling me, what is now lies.

I called tonight to disconnect my service completely. Sept 17th 2017

The rep asked could he call me back in the AM, The 10's of thousands of dollars I have paid this company I am DONE. Hopefully they will pull a rabbit out of the hat.

I thought about assuming another unlimited data grandfathered plan, but F___orget about it.

Going back to my phone number for $20 a month and forget about the data. If more people did this, the unlimited data problem would be corrected. If we keep giving and giving. The Carriers will keep charging and charging.

Good By Verizon.

JTMORG1

Happened to me too. Lied to by multiple CSR's.

CHEPED37

Id be happy if it was throttled to 3 G but it's less than 1G!

loki1943

It's very frustrating for me, get nothing close to 600 kbps when I get throttled; average is around 90 kbps, with hours at much less (sometimes as low as 9kbps). The "up to 600kbps" is a lie as far as I can tell. The reality seems to be that Verizon actively seeks to render your speeds practically unusable when they throttle you.

K12IMSON

I also live in a very rural area, a population of 2800, most of which are on US Cellular. I notice after approximately 3 weeks of great service with data speeds of 20+ mb, my data drops to below .1 mbs between the hours of 6 am-12am the following day. The data will jump between 10 mbs and sometimes even go down to 0 (zero). I call customer service around 10pm-11pm and I record the rep on the phone tell me, ”yes, your data can go down to 0 (zero) at times with throttling.” The rep tells me the line must be heavily congested. There is no way my farming community is congesting the lines at 11 pm since the town is asleep by 8 usually. Before the switch to go unlimited, my data was always at 20mbs.

I will disseminate the recording if requested from me and I will screen cap this message before I submit this response. I call the local store in klamath falls, OR and they tell me the data will never get to zero, contradicting the conversation I had with their rep last night. He tells me we should get 600kbs at least, enough to stream dvd quality. Well, I have speed tests to show otherwise. It seems that there is random throttling down to 100kbs as soon as the work day starts and doesn’t stop until 12 am. At times I get ZERO data, my Speed test tells me no internet connection.

Verizon is lying to the community and we need to band together with my attorney who will gladly take this case for us. He sues companies specifically for lying to their customers. If interested, please contact me at [removed] as this needs to be rectified and Verizon held accountable for their lies.

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ROBWIL46

Verizon has been artificially boosting data usage as well as throttling hotspot speed to under 1Mbps way before the 15g hotspot limit is hit (note I have the so-called Beyond Unlimited data plan). This started happening at the same time Verizon was spending millions (billions?) lobbying to get the rules of Net Neutrality rolled back. Now that they’ve accomplished that, they will continue to commit fraud and probably on an even larger scale. The problem is they, like AT&T, Comcast and the other corporations currently controlling Republicans, will continue all sorts of activity to rob everyone but their elite paymasters-the same ones who, in addition to their corporate friends, will be robbing the U.S. Treasury starting early next year. Don’t expect Verizon to be honest about any of this. If you talk to any of their representatives, they deny there is anything going on like this even though here we all are complaining about this on their own site. Note another similar discussion on this site has been locked and I suspect this one will soon be locked too.

Tommyin2011

Its stated in the contract that it gets throttled down to 3G speeds after 15GB (was 10GB). Whats WRITTEN is what wins, regardless of anything you are ever told. I get throttled every month, as I always exceed 15GB of hotspot data. I can still stream Netflix just fine at the throttled speed. Other services are a challenge, but Netflix is reliable. I binge watched some Greys Anatomy last night and blew through 1GB of throttled hotspot data lol

Also, the biggest reason is because AT&T throttles hotspot to 2G speeds, not 3G. You think the Verizon throttle is bad? Ha! Oh and AT&T also screws people over...I had insurance, needed to make a claim, and the end result was being told that, despite paying for insurance, I would have to buy my replacement phone at full retail price. That was when I switched to VZW. Instead, I made AT&T eat the full remaining balance of those phones. Those are MY biggest reasons for steering clear of AT&T.

Tommyin2011

Really think about that for a minute. In the comment below, I'm making an assumption that you have your phones through VZW as well.

Internet service through an ISP at comparable speeds are around $70 per month. Verizon charges $20 to add on an LTE router to your unlimited phone plan. Do you really feel as though you should get $70 worth of service for $20? This isn't meant to insult you, but please...come on. Use your head!

You could add 3 hotspots on for $60, which is cheaper than comparable landline WiFi still, and that would give you 45GB of data. Plus another 15GB for each phone you have.

Remember people, VZW is a wireless phone carrier, not an internet provider. The internet they provide is designed to work on our phones.

lukevinyl

The argument I have heard over and over from certain individuals is that they live in a rural area and so there is no internet provider to give them a home internet connection.

Because of this, they expect to use the wireless network as a replacement to a true hardwired ISP and expect for it to be unlimited for them to use 100's of gigabytes monthly for the discounted price the unlimited plans are set at.

I wish it weren't true, but I constantly see posts stating VZW should allow all the other subscribers to experience degradation of the MOBILE network since they don't live in a populated area....

K12IMSON

The issue with my service is that I have not used more than 2 gb before I am throttled. The throttling has nothing to do with how much data I’ve used and seems to only happen when I am back in a rural area. In the city, I have consistent 50-60 mbs and it does not throttle. In the rural areas, I am throttled down to less than 100 kbs.

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