Unable to Remove Data Plan with Basic Phone?

[wish4madness]

Last month I upgraded a basic phone to a smart phone on a Nationwide Family plan.  To do so I had to get a data plan of course.  Soon after, I went in My Verizon and I removed the smart phone and put the basic phone back on (I gave the smartphone to a family member with a different account).  I also made sure it said the data plan would be removed from my line which now had a basic phone, which was what I wanted.

So a month later I got my bill and saw that I'd been charged $60 for 2 months worth of that data plan which I thought had been removed.

I called customer service and the specialist I talked to said that it's now Verizon policy to not allow removing a data plan once it's been added.  What?!  She was nice and put in a request to have it removed anyway, but I'm wondering if anybody else has experienced.  Is it true that this policy exists?  Once you add a data plan you can never remove it?  Does that make sense to anybody?

[SuzyQ]

Yes, that's the new policy.  The data plan stays for the duration of the contract you signed to get the discounted smartphone to use on another line.  Just as the ETF is now based on the phone purchased, so is the data cost. 

It doesn't stay there forever, just for the two years of the contract.  You may as well use a smartphone opn that line, as you'll pay for the data anyway.

[tikibar1]

The policy became effective August 24 of this year:

http://www.droid-life.com/2014/08/25/upgrade-verizon-2-year-data-plan/

[SuzyQ · Accepted solution]

Further info:

Customers on price plans other than The MORE Everything Plan who purchase a smartphone on a new two-year agreement must have a data package (minimum $30/month) for the two-year term, even if you change devices.