A Positive Post on the New Shared Plan.

[vznsharewallet]

there is absolutely nothing positive about this plan. nothing.

you must work for Verizon

In Less Than 1 Year Verizon Data Goes from $30/Unlimited to $50/1GB

how is this fair??????  it is just pure greed.

https://www.facebook.com/VerizonShareYourWalletPlan

[lewisr13]

I guess we they thought the world was going to end last year that's why we offered unlimited data.

[DjFields]

There is absolutely nothing positive about what verizon is doing to its customers with these new plan changes. I have been a loyal customer of verizon since "98" I have upgrade my phone several time over the years.  Changed my plan several times because they changed their polices and procedures, but not this time.  I have one Smartphone, my data plan was grandfathered in and I have unlimited data. As it stands I pay over 100$  for my plan, even with unlimited data.  With these new changes, when I am eligible for a new smartphone in a year, even though I am eligible for an upgrade at a discounted rate, and I'm going from one smartphone to another smartphone, I lose my unlimited data and now have to switch to one of their lesser, more expensive new data packages.  The only way I could keep my unlimited data and still get a new phone, is by paying full retail value for a new phone.  Verizon you are crooks...in a time when everyone is struggling to make ends meat, losing their homes, trying to pay off debt, you want to raise your prices!!! Typical big cooperation....Are you F-ing kidding me!!!

This is an absolute travesty to loyal verizon customers. I for one, will drop verizon and go another company, such as sprint or T-mobile, or Boost...someone that doesn't try to stick it to there customers, if Verizon does not rethink their plans to move forward with this!!!! What is the saddest thing about this whole situation is, I have not received anything from verizon about their new plan changes in my bill or online statement.  All of this info has been through social media, and the Internet.  And Verizon calls this good business...NO WAY!!!

[SuzyQ]

An analysis of how our bill would change under the new pricing structure:

Currently we have 5 lines, a BlackBerry, an iPhone, 3 basic phones.

1400 Minutes, Unlimited text, $100.00 (less a 15% employee discount) $83.50

BlackBerry Unlimited data plan, $29.99 + $9.99 line access

iPhone 2GB data plan, $30.00 + $9.99 line access

3 Basic lines, $29.97

Taxes and fees - vary.

Total average monthly bill - $200.00 give or take a dollar or two.

New plan:

$40.00 BlackBerry

$40.00 iPhone

$90.00 3 basic phones

$70.00 4 GB shared data

$240.00 and that doesn't include taxes and fees.  I'd lose my employee discount, we'd gain unlimited minutes.  In reality we'd gain 2 GB data for the iPhone, since I rarely use even 100MB on the BB, but it's not worth $50 more a month. We'll pay the extra $10 for another GB if my daughter goes over her 2 GB (which she hasn't done yet, but it's been close!)

Now, if we were to add/replace one of the basic phones with a smartphone, we'd about break even, and we might actually save if we went to 4 smartphones.  But now we are close to $300 a month for phone service??  That's more than my car payment...

We aren't going to be making any changes anytime soon.

[lewisr13]

DjFields wrote:

...someone that doesn't try to stick it to there customers,

Good Luck with that.

[lewisr13]

SuzyQ wrote:

Now, if we were to add replace one of the basic phones with a smartphone, we'd about break even, and we might actually save if we went to 4 smartphones.  .

That is exactly the targeted consumer with these plans. It's not about reducing everybody's bill, which for some reason many people think that's what Verizon was going to do.

Not you SuzyQ, but many, many, many others.

[Jax_Omen]

Looking as a Sprint customer:

I have 4 smartphones

we text a fair bit

we never talk to anyone, but when we do, it's each other.

we use less than 4gb data, combined, between the four of us. I'm by far the heaviest of the batch, using at least 2gb of data. the other three are on wifi 90% of the time.

So let's price out VzW's current offering versus the new plan:

current: 700 minutes, unlimited text, 4 data plans at $30 apiece:

$80 account charge, $9.99x4, $30x4 = $240

new: 8gb data plan, 4 smartphones at $40 apiece:

$90 account charge, $40x4 = $250

A $10 increase, which gives me unlimited minutes I won't use, mobile hotspot I have no use for! oh boy!

However, if I went with the 6gb plan, it'd break even. I would be unwilling to go with the 4gb plan because getting 4g data services I'd expect my usage to go up (as I'm the one frequently not on wifi): it's hard to use much more than 2gb at .5mbps speeds on Sprint 3g!

Currently I pay $210/month for my sprint plan ($110 for the first line, $20 for each of the other three, 4 "premium data" $10 fees).

I'm not sure if the higher speeds would be worth $30/month to me... but it's $30/month whichever way I set up the plan.

[Duogen]

Very good arguments here.

I will point out some and discuss.

So lets face it, the 30$ for a dumb phone is ridiculous, I will agree with you there. Its obvious they are pushing you to a smartphone, (i mean really 10 bucks difference, It would be dumb to have a dumb phone) So I can see where Verizon is sticking it to you in the wrong way with that.

The whole "loyal" customer thing is just a laugh. You expect to be rewarded on keeping a cheap bill forever. Sorry, this is not the same thing as giving your dog a treat every time it goes to the bathroom out side. Prices go up, its called inflation.

The laugh of me being a Verizon employee. No, but I do work for an ISP that hauls all this 4g data around, I know the bill they pay to provide you with this service. I have expected rise/change in data since the announcement of 4g, if you didn't, your spoiled not loyal.

I understand a lot of you feel your not going to be able to spend your entire life on your phone now, maybe that's the reason behind it? It got out of hand. It was cheaper to have WIRELESS internet ANYWHERE than it was to have high speed internet in your house from a cable/dsl provider.

Another thing I am seeing is people referring this service as a phone service. No "service provider" in this day and age is a primary phone service. You have entered the age of Data. Everyone will be Data providers. Video/phone will all be data. You all wanted this, you wanted phones that did it all, but you expected the price to stay the same. Common sense says that can't happen, but you got spoiled and loss that common sense I am afraid.

Kind of like the Gas prices. Data has become a true necessity, and some people can not make a living with out it. Prices for data will go down. Data usage will go up though, so it will balance out. You will have to learn how to manage your usage. This time next year, data will probably double/triple. So the lowest 50$ will be 3 gb and so on. You thought it was sneaky using Google voice instead of your minutes, or other messages instead of the text plan. Well it has came around and bit ya.

I also understand we are comparing family plans/new plan. To my understanding this is all that is affected, family plans. I have not heard that individual plans were changing to this. If the source can be provided, it may spark interest. But do not source these people saying "most of Verizon's plans are gone and replaced" as that's speculation, not fact.

All of your arguments are valid and a true concern. But you advise Verizon is greedy because they are charging more for their service. But I feel the consumers are greedy, because they want all this technology, but want it to be cheap.

Jumping ship to another carrier isn't doing something to hurt Verizon in anyway. You will go buy another phone, sign another contract, and pay someone else. You will save 10 - 20 bucks a month, and have something else to gripe about, whether is phone quality, network quality or customer service. Its a never ending cycle with consumers.

In the end you are going to be forced to manage your data usage in every aspect of your life. It will never be unlimited for ever. Cable providers, Cell providers, DSL Providers, etc they are all going to tiered or have been tiered for data. People that stay with Verizon and adjust to the changes, will save money in the long run. And will be used to what is to come. While those that flee, will continue to do so. Until they are forced to change. IPv6 is out now, and it is out to put an IP on everything. Cars, washers, thermostats and everything else being manufactured to work on a network. 2012 was never the "end of the world" it was the end of the world as YOU knew it. Welcome to the true Digital Era.

Change happens.

[Duogen]

Those that want to keep their unlimited can keep it. You pay for a phone out right.

But how dare Verizon make you pay full price right?

Verizon does not make any money of your purchasing a raw phone out right, and you get to continue your lower bill.

Why should Verizon pay the extra money for a phone, when you (they) don't want to pay for the data their using.

80% of the traffic on the internet is video streams (netflix, hulu and youtube and as it may disgust some, porn..). That is a lot of data.

Want to keep watching all that? cool buy your phone out right, if you really are worried about money, sell your old phone. Smart phones go for at least 50 - 60% retail. Maybe after this goes on, more. Lets do an iPhone, as they hold retail much better than an android.

I want the new Iphone 5, and dang it Verizon is doing this just because the new Iphone is coming out soon!!! How am i going to use all the cool new features with tiered data!!!

Well I can sell my Cool iPhone 4S for about 400-450. The new iPhone will be 649 - 699. I will roughly pay 250 - 300$. On contract I will pay 200 anyway. So is it really that bad?

[icebox93]

Well, I'm not one of those data hogs even though I have unlimited data right now, but I see that they are charging significantly more to families like us who weren't heavy users on the old plan.  Basic phones that cost $10 month, or $20 with a 1000 text plan, now cost $30.  So the line charge on two dumbphones with moderate texting, goes from $40 to $60. A 50% increase  for those who, more profitably for verizon, use less bandwidth for the right to let them share the data.  So Jim, this isn't just about discouraging data hogs.  They want families to get more smartphones, because the differences between old and new aren't as stark for smartphones as with dumbphones.  The ones who come out ahead are the ones who were paying the high prices for big minute plans, particularly if they were paying for text plans for all lines.  Assuming they had several smartphones before, they win because the cost for the new data plans will be less than the cost for the minutes and texting they were paying before.  The more smartphones they had before, the more they will save.  But for families who had one or two smartphones, small minute plans, a couple basic phones, and didn't pay for texting for everyone will pay more under the new plan.  I guess they don't want those customers either.