Carryover Data Scam?

[MU_TIGRES]

Surely other Verizon customers have noticed the false advertising and service scam Verizon has set up w/ their new "carry-over" data plans.

The false advertising about the carryover data on Verizon's new plans is unacceptable.  They advertise that any unused data will carry over and is eligible to use until the end of the next month's billing cycle.  Instead of being honest and upfront about the service they provide and its limitations, they give the idea that you'll benefit from carryover data every month if you are under your data allowance.  This is FALSE.  They've creatively found a way to deceive their customers and limit the benefit they truly have access to.

If you do not use all your monthly data allowance, they tag it onto your data allowance for the following month.  So let's say you are under by 1GB of data in July, they will tag on an extra 1GB of data in August... but what they conveniently hide under layers of incomplete and inaccurate advertising is the fact that you have to use all of your monthly data allowance in August before you begin to use the 1GB of extra data from the previous month.  This means that you're really only eligible for carryover data every other month.  If you have carryover data in July, you have to use that extra data by the end of August otherwise it expires, but in order to use that extra data you have to use all of your monthly allowance in August first before using the carryover data, thereby eliminating any possible carryover data from August into September.

Not only is it offensive that they think their customer base is stupid enough not to notice this cheap ploy to offer something while only actually offering a portion of the claimed benefit, it's bad business and false advertising to suggest that you offer carryover data every month when in actuality customers could only use it every other month.

As a Verizon customer, I'm insulted and frustrated by this bad business ploy that you're hiding under layers of false advertising.

[mama23dogs]

Ever heard the saying, "don't look a gift horse...."  Well you should be smelling hay and oats.

Funny how nobody complains when they have no rollover.  But the carrier gives an inch and all they get is ungrateful customers. 

So, why don't you stay on the previous plan, then you have nothing to complain about.

[ELVZW]

This IS a scam. If I have data from January, I should still have it available in June. The gift

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@mama23dogs wrote:

Ever heard the saying, "don't look a gift horse...."  Well you should be smelling hay and oats.

Funny how nobody complains when they have no rollover.  But the carrier gives an inch and all they get is ungrateful customers. 

So, why don't you stay on the previous plan, then you have nothing to complain about.

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horse can kiss my butt. 

[rcschnoor]

MU.TIGRES wrote:

they give the idea that you'll benefit from carryover data every month if you are under your data allowance. This is FALSE.

No, this is TRUE. If you are under your data allowance for the month, the unused portion of your data allowance will roll over to the following month if you are on the new Verizon Plan.

Data which has ALREADY rolled over IS NOT part of your data allowance and therefore will not be rolled over again.

Your data allowance will be used before any rolled over data.

The fact remains if you have a data allowance of 10 GB and only use 8 GB, 2 GB WILL ROLL OVER to the following month.

[MAGERB]

They should use the rollover data first in the following month instead of using you paid allotted data first.

[ca_user]

Exactly! The rollover data should be used first. Very deceptive, and customer service misled me on this as well. They told me that the rolled over data gets used before they start reducing your current month's data.

[boringusername]

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@ca_user wrote:

Exactly! The rollover data should be used first. Very deceptive, and customer service misled me on this as well. They told me that the rolled over data gets used before they start reducing your current month's data.

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No it souldn't. So say you're ona 16 GB plan and you only use 8 GB. So 8 rollover and 16 GB regualr data for the next onth. If you only use 8 GB that month and rollover is used first then the next month you'd have 16 GB rollover plus 16 GB regular. So 32 GB. Rollover is meant for times hen you go over your regualr data. If you need more data get a plan with more data or get an ulimtied plan

[reddeviltj]

That's not how it's been working for me.  I only receive roll-over data every other month.  I have two homes and need my mobile hotspot for my internet connection at both.  Verizon doesn't cover where my northern Michigan home is so I end up using pretty much 0 GB while I'm there and go search for wi-fi connections in restaurants when I really need to do something.

I changed my plan in July on the 14th. 

This isn't working for me since I am not getting what I'm paying for as they say I am.

Verizon is the ONLY cell phone company I have ever used and I would rather not change since the other companies don't have reliable connections in the rural down-state home where I spend most of my time.

This past service month I spent 3 weeks up north and only used 3 GB of my 16.  They say I rolled over 4 GB by the time my month was over.

At the end of this month I will probably still have data left but it will be gone, paid for by me, never to be seen again.

Verizon fix this, please.

[BRAPER72]

I feel like the very last part if your explanation needa more explanation lol like u use 8 out of your 10 and 2 carries over and then what???

[Weth]

This is exactly how AT&T does the data rollover. From reading their explanation of how it works, it seems they were not hiding how it works at all. Certainly it is not the most consumer beneficial way to do it, but it is better than what we had.

[FIREMEDIC311]

I'm good with your comment. I understand how they deceive us. my issue with them is one of my phones has celluar data off 100% of the time yet that phone racks up 4 TIMES the amount of my phone and I have cellular data on 24/7. They just want me to purchase the family base to "restrict" the data able to be used on the phone, THATS NOT THE PROBLEM!!! That phone is 100% on wifi only it should have ZERO DATA USAGE maybe miniscule if used as an actual phone for a voice call lol. RIDICULOUS

[Weth]

Let's hear the actual setup. There is no way you have cellular data turned off on the phone 100% of the time and see data usage, with or without wifi. I have seen many phones, and you do not get data usage when cellular data is turned off. What phone is this. Do you really have cellular data turned off on the phone at all times?

[pherson]

Or does the end user of the device make you THINK they haven't used it?

[MAKNZE]

I completely agree with your statement! I just recently switched to the new plan with carryover data. We actually had approximately 12 GB to carryover this month because I finally realized the original Verizon clound settings were driving up the data usage on this phone. I just thought "[Removed], I use a lot of data". However, I figured out my excessive usage was due to the  standard setting on my phone was set to sync to the VZW cloud every hour even without WiFI. Needless to say, I am using much less data.

So, back to the carryover.. I have almost 12 GB  of carrying, but day after day, it isn't going down; only my monthly plan allotted data is going down. Then it hits me. OMG are they really making it to where I HAVE to use ALL of my data in order to use my carryover? I mean, I knew the carryover data would be eligible to use the following month, but I did NOT know they were making you use all of your data to get to it. I agree they didn't advertise that part of it because it is not a standard carryover plan. The should have named it the EVERY OTHER MONTH carryover plan as if you use any carryover data that month, it means you won't be carrying data to the next month.

Love Verizon service and have been a loyal customer since 1994, but it's disheartening to see the customer is no longer their priority.

Profanity removed as required by the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service​

Message edited by Verizon Moderator

[mama23dogs]

Just because neither you or the OP read the terms of Carry Over (which is very clear and simple) doesnt make it  a scam.  Verizon didn't have to offer this FREE extra perk.

[Shirowhat]

I agree, Verizon does say in their terms the carry-over data is used only after your monthly allowance, so technically this is not a scam... if you purchase the plan from their website.... but I signed up during a call to Verizon to discuss a different issue.

The customer service agent convinced me to sign up for a plan, that I wasn't even in the market for, by assuring me the plan would cost the same as my current plan and that the rollover data would be used BEFORE my regular allotted data. I signed up over the phone and it wasn't until after I got home I discovered this was false.

tl;dr: website correctly states terms, but agents are selling a product that verizon doesn't offer, which is technically a scam

[mama23dogs]

The printed TOS and website trump whatever information that may have been mangled, misunderstood or lied about during a call or in person.

The broken record....It is a perk Verizon didn't have to offer, it's a marketing ploy only.  At most it will help 6 months a year.  Same as AT&T. 

[Ann154]

Customer Agreement | Verizon Wireless

[MONPLA47]

I totally agree!  I am a new Verizon customer and am not happy with their policy to apply data usage as bonus data, then purchased data, and finally carryover data.  Because carryover data is not cumulative, I have nothing to carry forward for the next month. 

[rcschnoor]

MONPLA47 wrote:

I totally agree! I am a new Verizon customer and am not happy with their policy to apply data usage as bonus data, then purchased data, and finally carryover data. Because carryover data is not cumulative, I have nothing to carry forward for the next month.

I would be curious to know how often you go over your data allowance? If you DO routinely go over your allowance, where would you expect to actually "accumulate" carryover data. If you DON'T routinely go over your data allowance, you would usually have carryover data to use in any given month.

If you go over your data allowance 6 out of 12 months of the year, you MAY be on the wrong data tier for your needs. Regardless, even if you DO go over your allowance 6 out of 12 months in a year, you would STILL have carryover data in the OTHER 6 out of 12 months of the year.

If you go over your data allowance in only 3 months out of the year, you would have carryover data in 9 months of the year. UNLESS those 3 months were one right after the other, you would have carryover data to use in those months. Even if you went over your data usage 3 months in a row, you would have carryover data to apply to your overages in the FIRST of those 3 months. With a 2nd month in a row of overages, I would start to wonder if I am on the correct data tier instead of worrying about carryover data I could have "accumulated" from months ago. If you want to use "accumulated" data from months ago, possibly you were on too big of a data tier at that time. Carryover data is not meant so that you can bump up your allowance one month to get carryover data which you can use for the next several months.

Don't forget, there is ALSO SafetyMode to prevent you from incurring overages, too.

[KATHCANDO]

I also am very unhappy with data carryover plan. I received my "misinformation " from the Verizon sales representative.  I did not realize I had been mislead until the 2nd month. When I called Verizon,  that representative, Rachel,  told me again that anything left at the end of the month,  would again roll over.  Sadly, still not true. Obviously Verizon people don't even know how it works. I am not tally looking for it to accumulate month after month, but I think any previous month's carryover should be used first. I am very disappointed and frustrated with this plan. Will be researching other options.