Just ran across this article http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/verizon-cfo-says-grandfathered-unlimited-plans-on-the-way-out/ and wanted to get feedback from other current unlimited subscribers.
I don't see how Verizon can do this? We sign a contract with them, in good faith and now they want to change the rules? If VZW does this and Google makes the future Nexus devices GSM only http://blog.chron.com/techblog/2012/05/google-to-expand-the-nexus-line-with-more-smartphones-tablets-wsj/ I guess I'll take my 10+ years and 4 lines elsewhere.
I have for unlimited even though i am not a heavy user, just to grandfathered in. I think it is time for a class action law suit
Frankie2names wrote:I have for unlimited even though i am not a heavy user, just to grandfathered in. I think it is time for a class action law suit
Frankie2names wrote:
There is no basis for a lawsuit. Verizon is allowed to modify contract terms on NEW CONTRACTS. They are not taking away the unlimited plan if you do not upgrade your device, or upgrade paying full price for the device. Those two ways you do not have a new contract with Verizon. However, if you buy a new phone at the subsidized price, that is when you would be moved to a new shared plan, IF THEY FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THIS.
All perfectly legal and within Verizon's right to do.
The CFO has sent up a trial balloon on this concept. He also said that this plan was PAPER ONLY right now, not a NEW POLICY at this time. They are gauging the response and looking to estimate how much churn (people leaving) this would create and see if this is acceptable.
I have seen a few articles on Pulse about this and I agree with a lot of you. As long as we are currently under contract they can't make us switch. But once we go and upgrade our phone then they can make us loose it. I have a family plan and I have unlimited data package on two lines. So I am paying 29.99 for line 2 and 23.99 for line 1 since I get a discount from my place of employment. But depends on the amount and price it might save me money. I have two different phone one is using 4g LTE and the other is using 3g service. I am good until November for 2 lines and in February for the other 2 lines. SO they have time to get it right. My only question to them is will I still be able to use my discount on the data package since That is what my company's contract says? I am also in another thread about the 30.00 upgrade fee. I don't agree with it at all. Yes every one else is doing it but if everyone else does something does that always means it a good idea?
But what if the existing contract does not lapse. Anytime I have gotten a new phone from Verizon its always been at one year (before they took that away... thank you Verizon) or at the 20 month mark. On more than one occasion, the salesperson has said we are extending your contract an additional 24 months. The way I see it, for their plan to legally work, they would have to excuse you from your existing contract and get you to start a whole new one. Then and only then could they change the terms. On a side note, I did call yesterday and express my displeasure with Fran Shammo and spokesperson Brenda Raney. I told Tony, their unwitting CSR pawn, that if Verizon carries through with this stupid plan, then at the end of my contract I will leave Verizon. If there not going to give me a reason to stay and the grass is just as green at AT&T, then why would I stay.
Every time you get a phone that is less than full price, you are renewing your contract at that time. You will be subject to new terms at that time.
The only way to not lose it, is to never upgrade your phone, or buy the phone at full price, IF they decide to go through with this plan
I have been a very rational and patient customer, through all of the upgrade debacles (Fascinate, Charge, and now the Nexus) and 4G network outages and what not. But this will be the last straw in what seems to be a never-ending barrage of crap thrown at the customers. I have said for a while now that there are only 2 things keeping me tied to Verizon - Network coverage and my unlimited data plan. I have been clinging to my data plan like a life raft in the middle of the ocean. But if I lose that, I am fully ready to go to another network that offers unlimited data at nearly half the price of what I am paying now. I have been with Verizon for nearly a decade, but enough is enough. I have to draw the line somewhere regarding how much crap I am willing to take.
So I called customer service to ask them if there was a way to let the head shed (big wigs) know that I do not like what they are wanted to do with "US" loyal customers. I was told that the only way for sure to let them know where I stand in to send them a message via the "Contact us" icon. So I went that route and recommend that all loyal customers follow suit and let "our" voices be heard. They are required by law to read those comments with in 72 hours. Now please keep in mind that they are not required by law to respond. But the more people that share their disdain for killing off unlimited data, they will see the impact that they could be facing with "loyal" customers jumping ship. I have 5 phones and a hotspot. I really watch what I do with my hotspot so I don't go over my 5gb. I can't imagine now having to watch phones also. So I did some comparison shopping to see what else is available to me and my family.
I pay just shy of $300 a month right now. 1700 shared mins. unlimited text, picture, video. Don't have 4g on any phone, 2 teenagers are wanting smart phones.
Company xxx
1500 shared mins
4g coverage
unlimited text, picture, video, data on 5 phones
$250.00
Yes i know that there can be dropped calls and such. I already deal with that with Verizon. I work in one of the richest parts of the 8th largest city in the US, but they don't want to send their signal into Mexico. Ok got it, and I deal with it. So it would would not really be any different if I switched to company xxx. Well yeah it would, every phone on my plan would have unlimited data.
Ok well that pretty much sums it up. Now I don't care what Verizon does, looks like I am leaving. Money talks and BULLS^!* walks. Thanks Verizon for breaking my wallet. A "loyal" customer of 9 years is moving on.
I recommend to everyone, check out the other companies, but look closely. Remember you are in a free country, so you are free to leave/change carriers. But you can't blame a company if "you" jump out of the frying pan into the fire, because you did not do your research. I would love to stay with Verizon, but I can not pay even more money for the same service I will get by switching company's.
In closing, again I recommend that every customer that has unlimited data and wants to have some perks for being "loyal" customers, use the "contact us" icon/button and let them know. If you don't use your big person voice and stand up for yourself, don't cry when you are paying more. Numbers have power, and numbers have money that Verizon could and should (in my opinion) be losing if they no longer care about their "loyal" customers.
I think everyone should post/pass this on in Twitter and Facebook so everyone can know that they can switch to Sprint and get unlimited cheaper to begain with ( its $27.00 cheaper then mine now) and that everyone that doesnt like whats happening NEEDS TO CHANGE SERVICES ! Just make sure you do not change to another company owned by Verizon. If us , The customer changes over and costs the BIG WIGS in Verizon to lose all those millions in bonases maybe the others will take notice. Verizon has gotten to big and now feels they can not be hurt by making changes like this but just like airlines price hikes they can be shown that if you lose enough customers then you lose even more money. I have three out of five of my family phones comming up at the same time so I will only need to hold one in Verizon before all will get moved but I might see if this BREACH of my contract means it can be changed as well.
Well, I suppose I'll move to a more consumer friendly service, farewell Verizon!
Which service provider? They all have problems. Just have to choose the best of them. AT&T has bad networks, Sprint doesn't have really 4g, and so on...
I came back to Verizon in 2005 (they didn't support the phone I wanted when I went to Sprint for 2 years), and for as long as I can remember I've always been happy with the service I've received from them. Unfortunately, the recent news of increasing wireless/fios rates coupled with the dropping of the unlimited data plan and the $30 addition to a phone upgrade have caught me less than thrilled. I've still got an old 3G phone, but I recently added my wife to my plan this past December and she got a shiny new iPhone. The short of it is, my phone is out of contract and month to month, when I want to upgrade to a new phone I get a $20 credit ($50 upgrade incentive minus a $30 fee) my data plan is gone (or I can pay full phone price) and I'm looking at higher rates in the coming months to help offset the cost of upgrading the new 4G LTE network. I'm not really a fan of what's going on here, so when my wife's term is out, I won't be staying with Verizon. I'm glad your market research wonder boys have done such a great job on helping you figure out how much everyone can afford. Thanks for the memories and treating my customer loyalties so well.
If you have 20% of your users that use 55% of the data
losing that 20% would be profitable, everyone use is using wifi or has a tablet for their heavy data
Heres my feelings on this whole subject and why I feel what their doing is wrong. I know theres always going to be people out there standing up for these multimillion dollar companies << Comment removed to comply with >> but the big companies need to remember WHO made them that big . Ok , here it goes.
I have been with Verizion for over 10 years and have had two lines from day one , my wifes and mine. When I added my daughters line I had them BLOCK everything but the calling features. Two times I had a problem with her texting feature becomming unlocked through Verizion and the first time they removed the charges but the second time THEY unblocked her phone they only removed HALF of the charges and that was only because I added unlimited texting to her phone for $10.00 more a month. So I still had to pay over $300.00 for texting that WAS BLOCKED. When she updated her phone I had the block her EVERYTHING that had to do with data and it worked , FOR EIGHT MONTHS .Then I got a bill for over $1,200.00 for her data usage that was some stupid program that came with her phone but some how started causing me charges. I refused to pay it and had all three turned off because Verizion wanted me to pay it. It wasnt till I filed a complaint to the FCC that three days later all the phone were working again and the charges was removed from my account( I would have changed companies then but my wifes and Mine had a year left on them).I have now in the last few months been "losing Internet Connection " with my Droid when trying to check my email or Read my news online.I have now added on a third line with my oldest son and will add another soon of our youngest son but UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ANY OF THEM HAVE A DATA PLAN! Now with that I have no need for any stupid faily share Data plan and NEVER WILL. I have three phones that all come off on the same month and the other one will I guess just have to stay on by itself till it comes off. Sprint has unlimited Data and I will most likly go with them. People say its not really 4G but I do not mind it since I'm on 3G now . If I end up leaving Verizion Wireless I will not go back . They are showing me their bonuses and bottom dollar is more important then people who have been with them through thick and thin.
Verizion Wireless is becoming the Walmart of Wireless phone companies, Forget what the customers really want , where can I make more money. Times are tough and their not getting better. Its comming down to do I have data on my phone or do I just get it free from the coffee shop ? They now charge $30.00 to update your phone and why , because they can . They block out alot of features on most of their phones why , because they can charge you extra for them. When I first got my Droid X I had so much trouble wit it and after getting it replaced twice and wiped out and reloaded three more times I contacted the manufacture and was told all of the problems were do to the changes made by Verizion Wireless and had to make a patch to fix them , Thats sad.
Anyways thats mine in a nut shell . Like it or not its not going to change my mind and neither is Verizion Wireless unless they change their minds on my unlimited plan.
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator
And now we have this: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/22/verizons-viewdini-for-android-hunts-down-streaming-video/
Verizon is not only straining us by putting caps and fees on your data but they are also creating the very portals to which you will exhaust your precious data availability! I applaud the phone manufacturers, I applaud the OS creators, I applaud the network engineers, I applaud all the app developers and all that they have built... I am utterly disgusted with the recent news that has been billowing out of the VZW battle camp as of late. If this is a tactic designed to push out the top 5% users of their network (I being one of them) then they are indeed succeeding. It is right in line with cable companies "capping" your bandwidth once you reach a maximum usage by lumping "illegal activities" in with general purpose use. I do not do anything illegal on my phone other than use it for what it is: a multimedia data streaming device. I listen to Pandora, I watch Netflix movies, I send and receive e-mail and text all day, I download tons of free apps off the Google Play Store, I even occasionally BUY one of the apps on the store that are huge in size. I will be done with VZW by the middle of next year...
Don't you just like that someone from Verizon comes in and removes some bad Pr for the company!!!! This is the first month since I got my Smart phone last year will go over the 1 gig of data and my wife has not gone over 500 Mb a month. I think if they are going to remove the unlimited data they should do it on people who use over a certain amount like 10 gig a month. The people who use a little shouldn't have to get rid of it. And depends on how the family share works it may not be worth if for me to switch plans. I May look else where when all my lines are up. That will be next year in February. Granted I get 4 G Lte at my home and that is it so far so I really don't need it. It is fast but my home wifi is sometimes better then the data plan on Verizon. All they are doing right now is making all the loyal customers upset with all the Fee they want to charge. Before long they will loose customers and be loosing money. And then they will see what they did caused this and they cant recover my this mistake. I agree with what someone said about the economy still being in bad shape and they want to add more fee. GET REAL VERIZON AND STOP ADDING MORE FEES!
This decision by big red jolted me into determining what I was "really" paying for my unlimited data plan. For the same number of shared minutes and the same number of text messages (which I can share) at another provider my monthly cost is "X" dollars. Looking at what I pay Verizon each month, the real cost of the unlimited plan is over $500 a year. I'm beginning to think I don't need any services from Verizon.
The question then becomes is there grounds for class action lawsuit for a monopolized product line, eg. Verizon branded products only to be used/purchased from them.
I have no problem buying a phone at retail value & being able to keep my unlimited data BUT then it gets sticky.
Why should I have to buy directly from Verizon, who more than likely will have a mark up on the retail value of the product? I'd rather buy a device directly from Google. Yes I know, right now the tech is not the same. With that being said I can also see Verizon not allowing their coded radio signals, (one of the reasons listed behind the slow Nexus update.) to be thrown into a device not coming directly to them.
If the ability to keep unlimited data on one's service requires no handset subsidation, then Verizon needs to fulfill their earlier pleadge for open handset alliance.
Has anybody wondered how this going to effect Voice over LTE (they're supposedly starting this next year)? I mean seriously, won't that use data??? So how will that effect people with unlimited VOICE plans? Are those going to be done away with next? Or will they charge you out the wazoo for going over your "data" limit?
Or maybe they're doing away with unlimited data in in anticipation of freeing up bandwidth for VoLTE? Perhaps they'll give us a certain amount of data and we can use it for voice or apps or both, up until we hit our allotted amount.
Whatever their reason, I think it's going to hurt them.
Two days ago, at another users suggestion, I emailed Verizon via the contact us form. I got a response from a woman named Eva that essentially towed tbe company line. In other words, we know whats best for you, so sit down & shut up. I responded to Eva and got another CSR named Cyndi who drank the same kool ade. In short, writing to appeal to tbem does no good. Verizon has made up their minds that they can squseze more blood out of tbeir turnips. I think this turnip is going to look for a new garden.
Everytime there has been a change or I have complained about my service at one of two Verizon stores in my area I was told point blank that if I leave I would be back again but if I didn't see that that would not matter to Verizon either. I even had a lady helping my wife upgrade her phone threaten to have me thrown out if I kept asking " stupid " questions when asking about my wife wanting to drop her unlimited data plan to go back to just a plain phone. My wife no longer want the data plan because she was having the same problems with her Droid X that I was like dropped service or timing out when just opening email.
This lady seemed mad that she wanted the change telling her when she changes her mind and she will that she would lose her unlimited if she dropped it at that point. Lol, she would be losing it anyways. Unless they change their game I will be in changing all my phones out to another provider in Aug. And I might even pay early termination fees to change my wifes with them. Its a shame seeing the business being lost over stupidity and greed.
GOD loves YOU and there is NOTHING you can do about it!
I have also been emailing Verizon consistantly and had a little different response. I have little faith in what I received, but I will post the line so others can contact customer support about it.
"Verizon Wireless is pushing for the release of the software in the next few days; so just keep in mind that it is very close!" ~Customer Serivce email dated May 23, 2012
What "software" ?
I don't think anyone has picked VZW by basing their decision on cost alone. It's never been the cheapest option. The customer service and their willingness to keep their customer base has taken a blatant shift. Honestly, I don't and never have used more than 2Gb/mo. Maybe I'm paying more than I should by keeping the 'unlimited' plan, but my paranoia won't let me leave this be. I've been burnt by 'caps' before, and the companies that impose them make it very uncomfortable when you exceed them. So, I'm sure I've paid more in the long run just for my peace of mind, but I'm done here. When you make it this obvious that the old adage, "The customer is always right" no longer holds true, then it's time for this customer to pack up and press on. Don't worry VZW, as long as you keep funding the jimfitzs, they'll keep swinging for you.
Corporate greed strikes again. I have been a customer for almost a decade and now they want me to move my phone and six other lines to another carrier. They even sold me the Droid 3, and stopped supporting it less than a year after I bought it. At the end of my contract, I will be switching. Goodby Verizon.
Based on comments in the WSJ by Verizon's CFO, it is about increased profits. So as someone else said it about money and little greed. The Apple products have only affected the 3G spectrum at this point as they do not use LTE/4G. Their reliance on iTunes does seem to use a little more bandwidth. Most users I know tend to use WiFi because of this. Also it seems that Verizon is trying to create their own version of the iTunes store which will require more bandwidth utilization so we are back to money.
It would be interesting to see a chart of users bandwidth use. I believe you find their are the "bandwidth hogs" but their are some who use very little. There was a guy in the Verizon last time I was their wanting to move his parents back to a basic phone. He had bought them both iPhones two years ago and they had never used them for anything but phones. He said he was giving up.
Of course it's about profits. What else would it be about? Verizon is a publicly owned "for profit" American corporation. They exist to make profits. They will continue to cut costs and increase revenues and profits as much as possible. Nothing wrong with that. If things get out of hand, competition will take away their market share as customers leave for lower cost alternatives or more value. That's how our system works. Would you want to own stock in a company that was not trying to grow their long-term profits? That's what causes your stock prices to go up. And what has this got to do with someone buying 2 IPhones and not using them?
there = a place
their = possessive pronoun = belongs to them
they're = contraction for they are
What you say will work in the short term, but not in the long term. If Verizon keeps angering their customer base then as you said people will leave for a better price or better value. Verizon should be able to see down the road that antagonizing their customers is not a good thing.
The oldage is that 1 customer tells 10 friends and they tell 10 friends and so on. I have already told Customer Service that in good conscience I can not recommend Verizon service to anyone else ever again.
It would nice if someone from Mount Olympus would come down and talk to us. See how frustrated we are and try to come up with a solution before they start losing customers.
They know what they are doing. They know their customer base and how many customers they may or may not lose, if any. A corporation this large does not make major pricing mistakes.
Well they why didn't they 'know what they were doing' when they give unlimited data in the first place. They didn't seem to realize they a percentage of the user base would be heavy users, and make sure the network could handle it. Unless they intended to screw up over time, and that was the plan? I said it before, and I'll say it again, we bend over and take it, and continue to use a companies good or services after they pull stuff like this, and that's why they keep doing it. If we stood together and said, enough, were leaving, then they would be forced to rethink what they are doing, but since so many people enjoy getting bent over by big corporations, that's why we keep getting what we deserve. (Did I mention tomorrow when my new HTC One S comes I'm going to Tmobile Prepay?) So yes I don't just talk, I act. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW VERIZON??
They did know what they were doing when they set up the unlimited data. At the time the network could handle the usage and they knew that eventually the unlimited would go away. So essentially (just like all the other carriers) they provided the allowance they were able to at the time and got the customers who could afford the plan. They aren't evil for changing plans, they still want to provide the plans that will be beneficial to the most customers, at a rate that provides the highest benefit to VZW. The goal hasn't changed, the devices (and the way customers use them) have changed. In essence what I'm saying is that vzw (and pretty much all companies) have always been out to ***** their customers as much as possible, but it's counterbalanced by the fact that they need to at the same time satisfy as many customers as possible to produce the most profit... it's basic capitalism.
Well if your going to talk about "Basic Capitalism" we can expand this to many directions, such as Gov having to bail out companies because they got to greedy and were going to go under, but where "TWO BIG TO FAIL", basic capitalism means if you don't run your company correctly, you go under. But that's another argument. As far as Verizon is concerned, we need to stop this "Like all other carriers", Just because EVERYONE is ******** us over, that makes it OK? And like you said, it's all about profit, not about the customer, so that's why, in the spirit of Capitalism, me, and I'm sure many many others as well, are going to take there hard earned money else where! But I'm sure they will be fine, there is a never ending supply of suckers out there waiting to get ******* over. And when there NEW plans don't suit there needs, then they will ***** THOSE customers over as well. That's why it's pre-pay month to month for me from now on. Not getting locked into these games with contracts anymore. I suggest many other's do the same thing.
>Please keep your posts courteous<
Hey, thats great. I've always encouraged people to change carriers if what VZW offers doesn't meet your needs. My only complaint is when people misrepresent what vzw is doing as somehow evil or immoral. They are doing what they think is best for their business (in this case I agree with them). In fact I believe that with the addition of the family share data plans they will make more of their customers happy than they would by keeping the unlimited data.
Trying to show or remind there are two ends to the scale. The "bandwidth hogs" that use a lot data but also those that have smart phones that use little to no bandwidth.
Thanks for the editorial advice. It nice to know I have a human editor since my computer based one likes to make strange changes. :smileyhappy: Now if I can just find the #12 screwdriver and hammer I will have that fixed right away.
Their only going to make some people happy until they get that huge data
overage bill because people will have a harder time keeping up with their "
family " data plan because little Billy used up all the data loading music
onto his Iphone.
JimDandy wrote:Their only going to make some people happy until they get that huge data overage bill because people will have a harder time keeping up with their " family " data plan because little Billy used up all the data loading music onto his Iphone.GOD loves YOU and there is NOTHING you can do about it!
JimDandy wrote:
When Verizon implements a shared data plan, they need to have tools in place for the account holder to be able to track data easier during the month, and also implement controls to limit data on EACH LINE.
But to allow the account holder to proactively manage the shared data on all lines would be counter productive to Verizon's desire to increase revenue. Watching accounts go over the limit to be able to add blocks of data and increase a persons data bill is one way to increase revenue.
I am so glad Verizon's finally getting rid of all the greedy data users. Hate on me all you want, but with unlimited gone, Verizon's data limits will finally free up as there aren't a whole bunch of data whores on the market. If you would like to see what Verizon would be like if they kept only unlimited, look at Sprint and Clearwire. I'm practically forced to have Clear, and I have dial-up speeds most of the time. What's better, Sprint owns Clear, and Sprint has one of the worst stocks around. Verizon made the mistake of offering unlimited in the first place having no idea how it would backfire. Verizon's NEVER dropped a call, even in the middle of the Nevada desert. They're worked as a perfect back-up internet provider, I almost never have to talk to their customer service, and the one time I did, they were good and willingly took off one of two overage charges from our bill. If you don't want to get charged, get a data counting app. Unless you have an iFail, there's a bunch of free ones on Google Play. I'd love to get their homefusion, but the price is still just too high. :smileysad: Again, hate all you want, I don't care, but those of you that kill the network with outrageous usage is why the rest of us have to suffer the high cost of data.
Can't tell if trolling or uneducated and confused.
<insert Fry meme>
You really need a history lesson. At one time all the major carriers offered unlimited data. It is true there are some data hogs out there and based on the numbers I have heard them use, they are on unlimited plans which gives all of us that use our plans wisely a black eye for their bad behavior. Had you read this thread you would notice that I am in favor of hard limit caps on Verizon's unlimited data plan. This would be similar to what TMobile does. They say they still offer unlimited data, but only the first 2 GB is high speed. After 2, you connection slows down for the remainder the billing cycle. As to backfiring, Verizon's unlimited data plan is not backfiring. In fact, it probably was a great selling point to get customers through the door. Combine that with Verizon was the first cell company to offer unlimited 4G. The problem with unlimited data is people do abuse it. I have read websites that talk about how people have used Verizon's Data Plan to download torrent files to their laptop via hotspot from their smartphone and I read about a person who played Worlds of Warcraft off the 4G connection because their home line was on 1.5 MBPS, but they could hit speeds of 11 to 15 MBPS when the used their phone and a internet server. Essentially, a few rotten apples spoil the bunch. The majority of us long term, grandfathered unlimited data plan holders are very decent people and pay verzion a pretty penny for our service. It's a shame that Verizon has chosen to go after everyone instead of just the offenders, but in this case Verizon has chosen to maximize profits over customer service.
I'm with you, mostly. There seems to be customers using thier mobile wireless as their primary internet connection. Verizon should consider treating MiFi hotspots differently from cellphone usage and also discriminate geographically. In rural areas where a 4G hotspot is the only decent connection available and population density is low, they should definitely continue unlimited plans. They could charge an extra $10 and pump up their infrastructer. In highly saturated areas though, people with cell phones needing mobile data shouldn't be compromised by people playing WOWC or downloading Netflix. I don't use even a Gb in a month even though i have unlimited. I have an app that will allow me to tether to full size a computer, but it's only for back up. If I tether, I use an enormous amount of date without even trying. It's not a matter of downloading movies. It's as much about the operating system and screen size. The more I think about it, the more I can understand that Verizon's primary business is cell phone service. Satisfying people who need more than 2-3 Gb per month will never be more important than having no dropped calls and always having super fast 4G LTE on their cell phones. I want them to kick butt all over ATT Wireless. Leave the whooping of UVerse arse to Xfinity.
I don't believe it until Verizon post it. If they do get rid of unlimited plan I'll just leave Verizon. Verizon 4g sucks anway. I can't get a decent signal anywhere. What a piece of crap service. I had a tmobile tablet and that was so much faster than Verizon. How embarrasing. I can't tell if it is my Nexus phone or the service. I wonder which one I will have to give up.
Yep, I agree with you, michaeljtimko, about the few bad apples. I can't count how many times I've seen people comment that they never use Wi-Fi, even though they could, because they are paying for unlimited and intend to use all they can.
How is using the service that people have been given and paying for considered bad apples? Why should they use Wi-Fi when it's available when they are paying for data service? Wi-Fi should be used as a back up when either data service is slow or not available. There is nothing wrong with using service that were given to you.
What is wrong is to use hot spot without paying for it because they have unlimited data.
if this has been asked, which i'm sure it has, i'm sorry for asking it again. i have read a lot of the 11 pages of posts in this thread and i am still confused. so my question is, if i have a 4G HTC thunderbolt and i upgraded to a new phone, like the samsung galaxy s3, before the new plans are officially announced (if its released before the new plans are announced), will i be able to keep my unlimited? i've tried to research this online and i've seen answers for both sides.
lnguyen05 wrote:if this has been asked, which i'm sure it has, i'm sorry for asking it again. i have read a lot of the 11 pages of posts in this thread and i am still confused. so my question is, if i have a 4G HTC thunderbolt and i upgraded to a new phone, like the samsung galaxy s3, before the new plans are officially announced (if its released before the new plans are announced), will i be able to keep my unlimited? i've tried to research this online and i've seen answers for both sides.
lnguyen05 wrote:
Until they announce OFFICIALLY and roll it out, you will be able to keep your grandfathered unlimited data plan.
The announcement that Verizon made that stated this thread said that it was just on paper only. They are looking to kill the unlimited when they roll out the SHARED data plan. Until that is done, you can are grandfathered.
Yes, unless they decide to drop it anyways. Verizon does what it wants when it wants no matter what you or I think. If they want your unlimited plan gone it will be gone. This is how it was told to be by someone last week over the phone from Verizon when I asked what guarantee I would get signing up for two more years.
@Jimdandy,
VZW could certainly force anyone they want off of the unlimited data plan. Just remember, that would void any current contract and VZW would be losing on any phones they had subsidised.
In case anyone wanted some more information about why the carriers have shifted from so many tiered voice/text plans to unlimited for their services or what they're looking at transitioning into. Contrary to what many other people have posted about their thoughts on "equitable" alternatives for pricing plans, VZW has their own market analysts (either contracted or VZW employees) that will give them an optimal return for their investment. They know they're going to lose some business, but it won't be enough to offset their bottom line.
AT&T and Verizon Considering Complex New Data Plans - Forbes, dated 6 June 2012.
skafoglou wrote:In case anyone wanted some more information about why the carriers have shifted from so many tiered voice/text plans to unlimited for their services or what they're looking at transitioning into. Contrary to what many other people have posted about their thoughts on "equitable" alternatives for pricing plans, VZW has their own market analysts (either contracted or VZW employees) that will give them an optimal return for their investment. They know they're going to lose some business, but it won't be enough to offset their bottom line.AT&T and Verizon Considering Complex New Data Plans - Forbes, dated 6 June 2012.Talking Less, Paying More for Voice - Wall Street Journal, dated 5 June 2012.
skafoglou wrote:
Verizon has already said that you can keep the unlimited data plan if you a)do not buy a phone at a discount after the shared data limit takes effect or b) you buy a phone at FULL RETAIL PRICE.
Basically, as long as you not sign another 2 year contract for a new phone, the unlimited will stay in effect.
There's basically two messages going out, one to the share holders and one to the consumers. To the share holder: "[consumers] will have to come off of unlimited and go into the data share plan." To the consumer: "Customers will not be automatically moved to new shared data plans. If a 3G or 4G smartphone customer is on an unlimited plan now and they do not want to change their plan, they will not have to do so."
Regarding keeping unlimited data, the only thing VZW has "said" is that you're not going to automatically come off of the unlimited plan.
As noted by Grothka from the ToS "****We may change prices or any other term of your Service or this agreement at any time,but we'll provide notice first, including written notice if you have Postpay Service."
Quoted from Verizon at JPMorgan TMT Conference
"So when you think about our 3G base, a lot of our 3G base is unlimited. As they start to migrate into 4G, they will have to come off of unlimited
and go into the data share plan. And that is beneficial for us for many reasons, obviously. So as you pick what tier you want to be and we think that
there will be some price up in those tiers."
Fran Shammo - Verizon Communications Inc. - EVP & CFO
Here's what's up, VZW has a vision and a plan for where they want their company and what services they're willing to provide. If unlimited data isn't in their plan, you will not be keeping it. I'm not going to stand behind quotes and then tell you that you can't. But isn't it in the realm of possibilities that a company would seek out whatever means are available to become more profitable? Why would you think that they're going to keep something that wouldn't have as great a return on their investment? Yes, VZW said you'd be able to keep it if you did 'X', but they've also said it's going away period. So, pay the full unsubsidized price if you feel you need to, but the only time unlimited data will be back is when there is such a saturation of open Wi-Fi networks that it becomes more cost effective to get a flat rate for data because no one is using it. Which is where voice and text are now.
You forgot the press release issued the next day after the VZW executive's statement. That is where the full price option comes in play.
lol I think a lot of people are going to be surprised who are saying they never go over the 2 gig limit. I never did either. In fact, on 3G, I averaged about 300-500 megs a month. After switching to an LTE phone, just TODAY i used over a gig. Thats all text based browsing on the AVS forums and about 15 minutes of youtube. 4G eats up bandwidth a LOT faster than 3G. People who previously used 1 gig a month are going to be burning through their caps really fast on LTE.
I know if they take my unlimited data away, I am going to AT&T and not coming back.
I could say more, but I think all sides have been put on the table.
at&t is going to be doing about the Same thing.. Sprint & T-/Hot B.C. Mobile is the Only one's that say they will stay Unlimited. No problem for Sprint as they like to use every body else's towers instead of there own for there Service.. b33
Looks like the big date is June 28th. http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2012/06/pr2012-06-11e.html
I knew this was Going to happen PJ with the Inc.4G Coming out but i think it's coming maybe on the 22 an the SIII and the Razr HD as Well O Heck i Guess Like a Title Wave we all New it was Coming but We didn't just when an what damage it was going to Cause..Now We Know Going back to Bead Got a Headache a big one!
ha. If you want another headache, it looks like the upgrade fee may be going up slightly too. PDF lists "Activation/Upgrade fee/line: $35" instead of the current $30. Dear Verizon, please to fire all of your execs and hopefully put someone in charge that has a clue.
Okay, I'm a little confused....I am eligible for an upgrade right now. My current plan is 450 minutes (which I don't even come close to using), unlimited data plan and unlimited M2M messaging. I only have my smartphone on my account, I don't have any other phones. I wanted to get the iPhone, but if I wait until after the 28th I will have to pay full price for it if I don't switch to the sharing plan! I don't know what to do. I am getting married at the end of the month and was planning on waiting until after the wedding to do my upgrade (try to save some money!), but now it looks like I don't have a choice. If I upgrade before June 28th, will my unlimited plan be grandfathered in?
Yes Murph it will if you get your iPhone Say today Say the 27 you will Continue with what you have. it's when you go Past the 28.. Something else you can Do if you know when your Bill cycles say it Cycles on the 15 ok 5 or 6 days after that if your Account allows it you Might be able to Service Bill part of or all of the amount of the phone or phones why i say wait till your Bill Cycles because it give you a Month to pay on the Device that you purchased. As i said if you done this say on the 21 you would have till the 20 something of Aug. to pay for it..I have done this many many Times before an i did it when i got my Maxx.. b33
murph1108 wrote:Okay, I'm a little confused....I am eligible for an upgrade right now. My current plan is 450 minutes (which I don't even come close to using), unlimited data plan and unlimited M2M messaging. I only have my smartphone on my account, I don't have any other phones. I wanted to get the iPhone, but if I wait until after the 28th I will have to pay full price for it if I don't switch to the sharing plan! I don't know what to do. I am getting married at the end of the month and was planning on waiting until after the wedding to do my upgrade (try to save some money!), but now it looks like I don't have a choice. If I upgrade before June 28th, will my unlimited plan be grandfathered in?
murph1108 wrote:
your other otion is that it appears you can keep your current calling/texting plan, but just choose a tiered data plan (not the new shared ones) so you could wait to upgrade and keep your monthly bill the same.....but you would only get 2 gb's of data instead of unlimited. there is going to be no way to keep unlimited after the 28th (unless you pay full retail price for your next phone, or buy it on ebay or something), but it does appear that the old calling plans and individual tiered data plans will still be an option.
B33 wrote:at&t is going to be doing about the Same thing.. Sprint & T-/Hot B.C. Mobile is the Only one's that say they will stay Unlimited. No problem for Sprint as they like to use every body else's towers instead of there own for there Service.. b33
B33 wrote:
But at lest there phones are good and verizon's network is not all that good at holding on. ( It could be I have two bad phones, but if I want some thing that may work, I have to buy it my self.)
There new plan's suck way more than I could have ever thinked and yes I know "thinked" is not really a word, but this level of pure greed shocks me and here I was thinking 2GB for 50 not 1GB. Verizon = apple x2 and I think there phones are low grade for the $ and there not as fast as the S2, razr or the one x.
Any way, I am on a fine line, becuase the razr is my first and only phone with verizon and it's been a rockey rock road.
Thanks for the info! I just chatted with a verizon rep and she said if you are eligible for an upgrade now, you have until August 1 to get a new phone with your unlimited plan. After August 1 you won't be able to keep your unlimited plan. Also, after the 2 years is up, you won't be grandfathered in and will have to choose another plan. How do you know when your bill cycles? Is it the day your bill is due?
Thanks for the info! I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. I can upgrade now and be grandfathered in, but in 2 years I will have to choose a different plan anyway. At least I have some time to figure it out.
Murph do you get a paper Statement on the statement it Should tell you on the First Paige or if you Look on my Verizon it will say when your Cycle Ends an you will want to wait 5 to 6 days after that day or as soon as you can look on you my Verizon an it Tells you your Monthly Bill then you can Service bill an have a Month to Pay You can service bill before the cycle Date but you won't have a free month it would be the due the Next month you see what i mean..
When does this go into effect? I upgraded a few months ago, so I'm still under the unlimited plan as of right not. My husbands phone can be upgraded this Saturday. I want to know if I need to start looking into the new data plans for him...Again when does this go into effect???
The new plans go into effect on June 28.
You don't have to select the share everything plan. The individual plans should be still available if I'm reading the information correctly.
As much as I dislike the fact that VZW is going to stick it to we loyal customers, the comparison of what I have now to what it would be really isn't that bad. Right now, I have a basic phone and a smart phone on a 700 minute plan. The total for the plan ($80), access charges ($9.99/each), and unlimited data ($29.99) is $129.97 (before taxes and excessive fees). If my wife wanted data, it would be $159.96. On the new shared plan, I would pay $30 for my basic phone, $40 for the smart phone, and $60 for 2GB of "shared" data. That total is $130, or a measley $0.03 more than what I'm paying now. And, if my wife wanted a smart phone, it would be $150 for both of us to have smart phones and share 4GB of data. Quite frankly, I stream music, upload tons of pics, message lots of friends and family, and use GPS quite a bit. I rarely bust the 2GB mark and, if I'm close, it's because I have had to uninstall and reinstall or install apps.
I just did a comparison for the "Let's Jump Ship to Sprint!" party, and I'm not impressed. Sure, I get unlimited data, voice, and text for the same cost, $129.99, but then get an extra $10/phone tacked on for "premium" data. So, instead of the same price, now we're looking at $20/month more for essentially the same plan. I'm not even looking at minutes, because my wife and I rarely use half of the 700 we get. With the new shared plans on VZW, I can get 4GB (essentially unlimited data) for my wife and I and pay the same as Sprint.
My experience with VZW customer service has been excellent. The service, in my opinion, is second to none. I was with Sprint for 5 years and AT&T for 2 years before moving to VZW. Unless a lot of things have drastically changed since then, the grass isn't greener (in my opinion). Is it worth the headache to pay for new devices and switch carriers to save what may be less than $5/month with Sprint? I don't think so. I would compare AT&T plans, but let's face it: I'll never go back to AT&T.
"Thanks for the info! I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. I can upgrade now and be grandfathered in, but in 2 years I will have to choose a different plan anyway. At least I have some time to figure it out"
Not if you are willing to pay full price for the phone. You can continue to get unlimited data if you don't get a subsidized phone and sign a new contract. This is what I will be doing. I don't abuse my data plan but just watching one or two movies from Netflix on your phone will blow right through your cap for the month very quickly.
I've been a Verizon customer for over 10 years. Mybill for 3 smart phones is now roughly $250 a month. Verizon can kiss that goodbye. They obviously don't care about their customers and those that are grandfathered in, as i am with 2 of those phones.
1 of the phones contracts end 7/1 and i'm going to start taking my business elsewhere. I am furious that they're raising prices on us and then limiting data.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CUSTOMER LOYALTY?????!!!!! We've been loyal to them all these years just to get kicked in the butt.
AT&T, Sprint, show me what you've got.
Loyalty is paid lip-service only when Verizon is pandering to us; otherwise, if the corporate pigs are feeding at the trough, then words like; loyalty, honor, integrity, and good customer service are all meaningless.
Skidmark25 wrote:I've been a Verizon customer for over 10 years. Mybill for 3 smart phones is now roughly $250 a month. Verizon can kiss that goodbye. They obviously don't care about their customers and those that are grandfathered in, as i am with 2 of those phones.1 of the phones contracts end 7/1 and i'm going to start taking my business elsewhere. I am furious that they're raising prices on us and then limiting data.WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CUSTOMER LOYALTY?????!!!!! We've been loyal to them all these years just to get kicked in the butt.AT&T, Sprint, show me what you've got.
Skidmark25 wrote:
If you you live in a 1st or a 2nd round market like I do, go with sprint LTE. If not then AT&T's H+ is fast most of the time and were I live, it can best verizon LTE. I knew they would pull one over, but $50 for one not 2, 1GB have they gone mad or do they think every one else has gone mad.
"WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CUSTOMER LOYALTY?????!!!!" :I have never counted on this and never will, becuase I know they all out to get your $, if it suits them... They will stab you in the back and mug you for all you got and run.
Loyalty means nothing to these people. In the article I read reporters were told that the amount of people they will lose over this is acceptable compared to the profits raised. I myself want them to become the next Netflicks. Verizon is becoming another Apple. They make six times the profit and can care less about their customers because they will lock them into their products. Next thing you know they will pull up everything in America and move to a slave labor country,,, opps, Apple has already done that. Well, for a profit I can see Verizon following them .
I agree...I have been with them, since the ALLTEL days (1995). There IS NO CUSTOMER LOYALTY. Unfortunately I just went a smartphone just 3 months ago and have 3 lines, all smartphones. I have had nothing but trouble. I am seriously considering dropping each line one by one and paying the term fee. Not to worry though. You can't treat people wrong and expect the best. Its just a matter of time.
Like I said. We need to make Verizon another neflix.
99.9% of the time the "top dog" will fall from there #1 spot and they mosty do it to them selfs. It's happened time and again,
1) Apples PC's
2) The "bell"
3) rome ( Mostly they did this to them selfs)
4) sony in the game system maket ( I like sony, but selling a $600 system was asking for it. Note I did by one at that time and I like playstations, but I know the truth.)
And so on
Yes it will take time, but with not things are now, I don't think it will take very long for there # to start droping.
I find that some of the people posting here are very funny, all because they are passionate about the unlimited plans that they now have. (which I am one, I have 2 smart phones and 2 dumb phones on my account, both smart phones have unlimited data), and that will be taken away (which I also do not like)
But apply a little logic to it.
Leaving for another carrier because Verizon is doing away with unlimited plans. - we need to compare unlimited to unlimited carriers here for, otherwise its a failed argument. Right now, only two other carriers have 'unlimited' plans, Sprint and T Mobile.
Verizon is doing this to make more money - Of course Verizon is looking for increased revenue, that is what being in business is about. Business is about supply and demand. Right now, the demand is for more data by the customers, so Verizon is looking to increase revenues by eliminating the unlimited plan. What doesn't cost more money in the past 1 year, the past 5 years, or the past 10 years? It is rare that a product or an industry has not raised prices in any time frame. Computers are about the only industry where you get more bang for your buck in any past time frame.
Verizon has now put numbers on the new shared plan. Now is the time to actually do a little research to see EXACTLY how each of you are affected should you get put on the new Shared Plans.
Looking into this myself, I found that with 4 lines, 2 smart phones with unlimited data, 2 feature/dumb phones with no data, using less than 4 gigs/month total, that I will paying about $30 more (depending on how the employee discount would be applied, if at all) I did estimate that if the employee discount would apply to the data plan and the main line phone, that I would be paying about $15-20 more than what I pay now. If I didn't have the last 2 lines for the adult kids, I would be paying about $20 less per month on a shared plan. My data plan for my main line has the corporate kicker data plan cost.
My biggest gripe is the $30/month access charge for the feature phones. Why is that cost so much higher than a netbook or tablet? the dumb phones do NOT STRESS the pipeline at all, so why the much higher cost? Its a mystery to me.
I am not a Verizon employee or a Verizon fanboy. I do like their service, even with all the failures at times of the network connection on 4g. My data connection has stabilized somewhat since the latest update to my Galaxy Nexus. I do not have reliable 4g connection in my house, but I live in a 4g extended area, which means the towers near me do not have 4g, but I do have towers close enough to get 4g once in a while at home.
I do respect all of your opinions, but if you apply some logic, you might find that you may get out with a lower cost bill. Of course, some people will get a much higher cost, and I feel sorry for you.
curtterp wrote:My biggest gripe is the $30/month access charge for the feature phones. Why is that cost so much higher than a netbook or tablet? the dumb phones do NOT STRESS the pipeline at all, so why the much higher cost? Its a mystery to me.
curtterp wrote:
my theory is that they aren't charging much for netbooks or tablets, because it really has nothing to do with how many more devices you add. if you select the 6 gb plan, it really doesn't matter how many devices share those 6 gb's. whether it's 2 smartphones, or 2 smartphones and a netbook, or 1 smartphone, a netbook, and 5 tablets. in any case, you are using nearly 6 gb's of data. since they are including hotspot, they really have to keep the tablet and netbook access fees low. otherwise, why wouldn't you just use your smartphone and hotspot those devices? many people that don't use data NEED a phone of some sort (dumb phones) so they can charge higher fees. however, nobody with a smartphone "needs" to add a tablet. they can tether. when it comes to adding the tablets and netbooks, they are cheap because what you are really paying for is the data. the phones are more because you are paying for minutes and texting. if that makes any sense???
I feel its because their using the phone to make alot off of the tablets and
pads but to toggle anything from your phone its an added cost but this is
their way of making money from people not wanting to use their data services
with laptops or tablets. Think about it, you can get free wifi almost
anywheres now a days so pretty soon data plans will only be wanted by data
hogs willing to pay crazy costs.
After talking to a Verizon person lastnight for a few hours I was told some really stupid stuff as well as finding out some stuff most people here do not know about their accounts. First I found out that if you go into a Verizon store to see about upgrading your phone or look online what they tell you is not what it might seem. For example , My phone , as well as two others show on our account that they are up for their updates on the same month , Aug. of this year . BUT their contracts are not up untill Dec. of this year ,and if we do early term on mine ( a smart phone ) and my kids ( both just reg. phones ) the early term fees are as follows. My smart phone - $175.00 My daughters dumb phone $170.00 My sons dumb phone $85.00 and when I asked why one of the dumb phones is so high but both end at the same time I was told it was because my daughter changed her phone before her upgrade was allowed EVEN THOUGH I BOUGHT IT ONLINE AND NO FROM VERIZON ! I was also told my wifes early term fees would be $175.00 for her dumb phone she picked up in Oct. of last year and when I asked why I was told it was because she down graded from her data phone and shes still under her data contract even though she no longer has data , can not get data and they would not let her go back to a data plan unless she pays full price for her new smart phone AND pays early term fees for her phone plan THAT IS STILL ON HER DATA CONTRACT . what a BIG BIG ripoff , how can they get away with this. Oh , and by the way. If you have more then one phone Verizon Wireless Reps. can upgrade YOUR phone using the TIME FROM ANOTHER phone and get this THEY DO NOT NEED YOUR PERMISSION or even tell you . ALL of my phones contracts are screwed up because of this happening.
Second : This same Verizon phone rep. told me that everything I have been hearing on the news , online , from the news papers and even from Verizon about UNLIMITED DATA being grandfathered out WAS A LIE ! He said that I WOULD NOT have to pay full price for my phones to keep unlimited and that my contract will not and can not be changed no matter what even Verizon says. Is this what their having Reps. saying now ? The only part of that I can beleive is when he said they have been under constant complaints from customers not happy over this change so now I found out lastnight that because Verizon only lets me see when my next upgrade is and nowhere could I find when the contracts end I have to wait till Dec. of this year before I can change to another company. Before lastnight my wife and I were not together in leaving Verizon but now we are . I found out LASTNIGHT that Sprint gives discounts to Pastors and people working in a church ( My wifes a Pastor and my daughter and I both work for churchs ) and that our discount on FOUR smart phones with UNLIMITED EVERYTHING will cost around $170.00 plus taxs but what really makes me upset is finding out Verizon HAD ONE AS WELL! They have known about my wife being a Pastor of a church FOR YEARS and NOONE said anything !
You spent, 'A few Hours' of your weekend listening to someone who does not have a clue on what is going on?? Alrighty.
Jim,
You can see when your contract ends on your phones in MyVerizon. When you log into MyVerizon, go to Documents and Receipts. You will see a listings for your bills from the past year. Above the grid, look for the dropdown box that has Account in it. Drop that down and go to one of the phones.
There you will find equipment upgrade document. Click on that, and the contract end date is right there, near the top of the document. Each phone will have it's own contract end date, so you will need to look at each phone.
As for using another line for an upgrade without your consent, that is hard for me to believe. I think that the rep is giving you a line of what comes out of a bulls posterior. At least in my experience, my main line was upgraded early twice, once to get the Droid X when it was launched, and the other was to get the Galaxy Nexus when it was launched. That was something that Verizon did on its own, I did not ask for it or inquire about it. It just showed up in My Verizon. None of my 3 secondary lines had their contract end dates move as a result of this. (One line has been out of contract for years, one has been out of contract for almost a year, the third is out of contract at the end of this year).
As for the Pastors discount, that would be something you would have to request specifically. I get an employees discount because of who I work for. There are people that I work with still do not know about Verizon's discount for our employer. Unless you actually ran into a really good local rep, people would not just let you know about the discount, and I am thinking that most of the local reps have no clue that Verizon gave a discount to Pastors.
So check out My Verizon's Document and Receipts section. (or find the original paperwork when you got any new phone for any line)
JimDandy:
It sounds like that service rep you talked to is confused. Every Verizon representative I've spoken with says you need to purchase the phone to maintain your unlimited data plan. The talk online of it isn't rumors or random blogs speculating. It's quotes form Verzion headquarters.
Understand that I had spent a long time on my account trying to find this information and could not find it . It is made hard to find and their " updating your phone " is what alot of people think is their contract date. The contract end date should be next to the update phone dates. I can say though that they not only used one of the other phones updates on a differant phone on my line but as I understood the rep. lastnight this has been done ALOT of times on my account. What I can not understand is where Verizon thinks they can charge a smart phone early term. fee for a contract that has a DUMB phone , how can this be legal? I have also had constant problems with Verizon with my daughters phone. I first had them block all web , data and texting from the phone and THREE times it suddenly becomes unblocked and after being tired of this and being told be Verizon that the only way to stop the problem was to PAY MORE , $10.00 a month for unlimited texting . Then the web kept getting unlocked and I locked it out of her phone so it couldnt be used but now I find out their also telling me that her early term fees if I close my account today is $170.00 EVEN THOUGH BOTH HERS AND MY SONS END ON THE SAME DAY! I'm guessing this is how their trying to scare their customers into not changing.
They can not say I did not ask if there was a discount for a Pastor because every time we changed phones I asked and to say its my resonsabilty to find out is crazy. That just tells me their not TEACHING their emploees enough or putting customer care before their all mighty dollars. To me thats like blamming a bank emploee for getting shot during a robbery or telling a rape victim its their fault , thats crazy. Their jobs are to know this stuff and if not then they should have SOME WAY to find this out when they sell you your phone or open an email account starting with "Pastor" and if a person asks MAYBE they should CHECK but out of the many many times asked we were told NO1 I find out Sprint not only gives a discount to Pastors but others that work for a church and this adds up to alot every month , Atleast $35.00 as much. And now that they know shes a Pastor and that theres a discount was she offered it lastnight , NO ! At this time I just want to get out without costing us to much money , I have had their lies , Cheating and abuse of using phones on my account to upgrade others ( making their cummision i"m sure )without my knowledge .
Was a smartphone ordered on that line and transferred to another line? That's the only way it would be subject to the $350 ETF. Also when they initially started the 350 etf, there were some "multimedia" phones that were subject to the increased ETF but those were eventually removed. What kind of phone does she have?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/19/verizon-whittles-350-etf-advanced-device-list-a-bit-fcc-pres/
"the ten phones removed were all featurephones, including the Motorola Krave, Samsung Rogue, and a host of LGs"
First, I am not disagreeing with you. A GOOD REP, would have looked up to see if there was a Pastor/church worker discount. It could be that they just started to give Pastor/church worker discounts too. I would not have any idea about when Verizon started to give the discount, since I do not work for them.
Did you find the documents where I said to find them? I actually had a hard time finding that information too. I had searched before, but until today, did not find the actual date. My Verizon makes it easy to find some information, but makes you look in the funniest places to find other information. I also agree that it should be listed right next to the upgrade date on the firs page. ( I think it used to be there, but they took it out on the redesign of My Verizon)
Unfortunately, it looks like Verizon changed their terms and conditions last year. Here is the link
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/support/return-policy
It does show that Early Termination Fees are $175 for feature Dumb Phones, and $350 for smartphones
I spoke with a rep and she said VZW wasnt going to do away with unlimited data. She stated that there were too many people that had it and if they did that it would turn a lot of people into other direction (ie, staight talk, and other carriers that are cheaper). Yes their data is slower but it still works and a lot of people I know have already changed to these carriers because they are scared of paying too much. I myself happen to love VZW. I would not have another carrier. I have had nothing but great service from them. If they decide to make me change then so be it. I will pick the best data plan suitable for my family. At least I know its a reliable service. They have went out of their way to make sure Ive had great customer service. If I have had issues with anything concerning my bill, they fix it.
They are doing it... The only way you can keep it is by buying a device outright and not taking subsidization.
At this point anyone that believes a Verizon rep. saying its not going to happen is screwed. After seeing it in the news.in newspapers and online you can believe its going to happen. When Verizon holds a press conference about it theres no reason to believe Verizon reps. Their only out to make a commission and go onto the next one. Thats why they handle customers the way they do in their stores, put your name on a screen and in an hour or so they will call your name and there will still be atleast four Reps standing around talking with each other your only dollars to them.
Switching to the new plan is optional. See http://bit.ly/Ky30dS. That web page has a link to a "calculator" so that you can compare the new plan with your existing one. For some people, the new plan can save money. For those with unlimited plans that really use them, the new system will cost more.
I wouldn't exactly call the new share everything plan an option. I would more or less call it a demand. Its like the schoolyard bully shaking down the smaller kids. If the new plan was an option, then Verizon would not be taking away unlimited data if you want to keep getting phones at subsidized costs. This is why their actions are a demand.
You have 4 options... Choose that plan and take subsidization, buy a device outright and keep it, or move to another carrier, or cancel all cellular services you have when you are out of contract(unless you are willing to pay the ETF). They may not be the options to your liking, but they are still options.
You also have the option of choosing one of the tiered data plans if you want to get a subsidized phone.
What most people do not understand is what you just said. In no way id unlimited an "option " or a choice. If you do not updated your phones plan it will go into a month to month plan. It was explained to me at a Verizon store in my area like this. If you buy your phone at full price and not update your contract it falls into a month to month plan contract and means if Verizon wants to cancel your unlimited they can and only give you 15 days notice and they explained to me after everyone that was left on the unlimited plans do one or the other they will cancel ALL month to month plans still carrying unlimited because the people have already invested alot of their money into a smart phone that will only work on the Verizon network. It doesn't matter if you want to go onto their plans or not. This person showed me an article from the paper where a Verizon rep. states that Verizon is getting rid of ALL data plans for phones and push everyone into shared plans except for a few dumb phone plans.
I think it would be a public relations nightmare if they were to say you can have unlimited data as long as you pay full price for the phone, then cancel that option the next month because your contract expired. They would be far better off just saying the option for unlimited data expires when your next contract does. They gain nothing from a public relations disaster by making you pay full price for retaining unlimited data then telling you to go away the following month.
I'm cancelling my S3 and going from my droid X back to my LG 6100. I'll carry both 6100 and droid X as I did in the days of cellphone and PDA. I'll use the wi-fi on the droid X for web and the 6100 for calls. I've had it with increases.
