Why is proration not working?

[feelingcheated]

I was on a 4 GB data plan, had used 2.89GB in the first 29 days.  29/31 of 4GB is 3.74GB, so I had already paid for that and could not avoid those charges.  I had .85 GB left, paid for, and can't avoid paying for.  I wanted 2GB for next month, and figured I could start it right away.  So I said change to 2GB starting today.

By the end of the day, I got text messages saying I had used up my entire allotment of 0.13 GB and would incur overage charges.

The usage application on the web site said my usage was .13GB, and my allowance was .129 GB.

What happened to the .85GB I had already paid for and not used?

Why can't I see my usage for the entire billing period?

I recall seeing a detailed usage app on the web site that showed dates and times and amounts used.  I can't find that now.  Is it still there?

[feelingcheated]

So, what I did is immediately go back to 4GB, retroactive to the beginning of the billing period.

And now, on the last day of the billing period, the usage app says

Data

Shared by all lines

0.241   of 4 GB used

Estimate as of 02/01/14 at 10:43 PM

3.759 GB Data left

I'm pretty sure that if I used, say, 3GB this morning, I'd have an overage and the app would say I still have .759 GB left.

Somebody please tell the programmers about this one, too.

[flutterfly8497 · Accepted solution]

When you made the change, the last day of your cycle was prorated, so you will have a small credit on your next bill for the one day the change was in effect.  Then you will have a small charge for the new plan for that one day, and they will probably just about cancel each other out.  Whenever making a change like this, always either backdate to the end of the billing period you are in, or future date to the next bill cycle start date (if decreasing allowance, you cannot backdate, only future date or on demand).  This way you will avoid any proration and potential overage like this (because seriously, you are going to have a $15 overage charge for one one-thousandth of a gb, which is insane).  If your bill cycle ends today, call customer service and have them backdate a change back to your old plan to avoid this, then have the change to the 2 gb plan set to start with the new bill cycle. 

[feelingcheated]

Yes, I knew all that.  I'm asking why I don't get the .85 GB that I didn't use during the first 29 days.  Are they lost?  (And that loss was not disclosed?)  Or is it a bug in their web site code?  And if so, does the same bug also exist in the billing system?

[flutterfly8497]

It's because allowances aren't rolled over. If you complete the bill cycle with .85 gb left, that amount is gone then as well. When you changed the plan, it prorated the plan on both sides of the change. I don't really like that either, so that's why I said I backdate or future date changes rather than change anything on demand. To me it feels a little like buying $45 worth of food at the grocery store, giving them $50 and being told, well, this is what you gave us and we don't guarantee anywhere that we will give you change...but the industry standard now is generally no rollover minutes.

[flutterfly8497]

I didn't see that you did this already. You can't see the usage because of the changes, but if you went back to 4 gb then you have that full amount for you entire bill cycle. Whenever you make a change like that the website/app will not reflect the correct allowance and usage, I don't really know why but I guess it is not set up to calculate new allowances based on proration.

[feelingcheated]

I understand what you're saying.  If that is actually the case, I wish they had explained it that way.  I'm not asking to roll anything over to next month, just to get what I paid for this month. 

What do you think about my current usage report, where it says I have 3.759 GB left this month (ending today)?  I'll bet you my overage charge that it's really less than 1.0

[flutterfly8497]

Yeah, it would actually be whatever it was before you made the first change, plus any data used since. That is the part that really stinks, because now you don't know where you are really at. I would probably just turn data off and switch to wifi for the rest of the day to be on the safe side. Usually even if you call the reps have a hard time calculating the prorated costs and allowances, so you end up being in the dark about usage until you get your bill anyway.

[feelingcheated]

Using wi-fi wouldn't help.  My wi-fi is a Verizon jet-pack.  The data is our laptops using the internet, not the phones. 

Any plans to fix the problem of NOBODY, not even customer service, being able to figure it out and give a customer an accurate number?

[flutterfly8497]

Probably not. If pressed, I would think a rep could figure it out for you, but it seems like most of the time they want to hurry up and get to the next call. Still, when you see your usage online normally, it is an estimate only, and although it shows use fairly quickly, it isn't in real time. I don't know if they could make it update in real time, because if you aren't on Verizon's network (roaming, whether within the U.S. or internationally) it can take time for another company to forward usage and charges to Verizon. Being that I am just a customer, not an employee, I don't know what the plans are regarding this topic. I can only speculate.