Verizon Wireless rant

Knucklehead

Well, my Wife and I visited our local Verizon store yesterday to upgrade her phone. She wanted to get the LG Envy3, no problem right? Wrong. It seems that Verizon as of yesterday now requires you to get a data package of at least $9.95 per phone on most of their phones even if you dont use any data features. She just wanted a nice texting phone, she dosent use the internet on her phone at all. Our contract is up in September, maybe I should start looking for another provider.:mad:

jerryj12

I can't wait for my contract to be up with Verizon. I will be dropping them like a hot potato. Looks like there are a lot of good pay as you go phone company's to choose from now. With NO contract.

concealer404

Knucklehead wrote: »

Well, my Wife and I visited our local Verizon store yesterday to upgrade her phone. She wanted to get the LG Envy3, no problem right? Wrong. It seems that Verizon as of yesterday now requires you to get a data package of at least $9.95 per phone on most of their phones even if you dont use any data features. She just wanted a nice texting phone, she dosent use the internet on her phone at all. Our contract is up in September, maybe I should start looking for another provider.:mad:

I would suggest you do that... I used Verizon for years, and stupid crap like this made me leave. I never went over my minutes, or texts, or anything, and somehow my $45/month plan was consistently costing me over $70/month. Screw that.

Now with T-Mobile and very happy.

Demiurge

Wonder if this is new (yes, I read that it said as of yesterday...). I have never had any problems with them. My bill is always around $45 a month and never over $50. If there's a gripe I have it's that minutes don't roll over. I hardly make a dent in them every month. I'd say it's a waste of money, but it replaces my home phone.

Can you use old Verizon phones with the pay as you go services when your contract is up?

jdwmap

Walmart offers a pay as you go on the Verizon Network (no it isn't advertised as this, but if you get the right person at verizon they will tell you it is), it is 45 a month for unlimited data/text/phone.

You can also inquire about the 550 minutes a month package at Verizon, it is quite a bit cheaper (for 2 lines i think it was 60 a month) if most of your calls are mobile to mobile then you don't likely use up your minutes. Do some searching, if you are not under contract you can negotiate with them.

Knucklehead

Demiurge wrote: »

Wonder if this is new (yes, I read that it said as of yesterday...). I have never had any problems with them. My bill is always around $45 a month and never over $50. If there's a gripe I have it's that minutes don't roll over. I hardly make a dent in them every month. I'd say it's a waste of money, but it replaces my home phone.

Can you use old Verizon phones with the pay as you go services when your contract is up?

From what the rep told me, any new phone upgrades that are considered "premium phones" will be charged the $9.95 per month, if you already had an env3 for example prior to yesterday you will not be charged the extra. I think its total BS if you dont use the data features to begin with. Being Verizon and the fact that they feel like they cant do whatever the hell they want to loyal customers I would say no, you cant use old Verizon phones with a pay as you go.

bobman1235

The problem with Pay As You Go phones is that you can't transfer your number to them / from them since you don't "own" the number, so if you have any attachment to your phone number or don't like the idea of hassling your friends every time you get a new phone, that might be a dealbreaker for you.

bigaudiofanatic

OP any phone like the droid the black berry and so on will require that. That is with any phone company. You can cancel it after you get it for a month. We have been with verizon for over 6 years we love them and will never go back to any of the other crappy cell phone providers.

superjunior

I still have an old school verizon package from years ago. no camera, internet or such. 50$ per month unlimited. had the package for probably 10 years now. when I renewed my plan a couple years ago they said they would continue to honer my original plan since I had it so long. I hope that doesn't change

bigaudiofanatic

^ Probably will not my mother has done that for 6 years now with a plan they continue to honor it. Either way we wont change.

Knucklehead

bigaudiofanatic wrote: »

You can cancel it after you get it for a month.

Im not sure that is the case here....I will call them today to verify.

Verizon has great coverage etc...I hate that they have become the tail that wags the dog.

bigaudiofanatic

Ya when I got my BB I had it for one month than canceled it no problem.

Knucklehead

bigaudiofanatic wrote: »

Ya when I got my BB I had it for one month than canceled it no problem.

Well from what the rep told me, this just went into effect yesterday.

edit: Just got off the phone with Verizon, any upgrade to a premium phone after yesterday must carry the data package, you cannot cancel the package.

bigaudiofanatic

Well I would pay it when I get my droid in a few months. You need it to get the full capability of the phone. I just got the BB because it was on sale for 40 bucks. I look at it this way if you going to buy a phone that can do all this stuff and not pay for it to do them than the phone is worthless and you should just buy a cheap one. Just how I see it. Just call them and see what they say.

Fireman32

I dropped Verizon like a bad habit years ago. I am quite happy wth AT&T

Demiurge

He's probably full of ****, but you never know. I'd call their help line.

Knucklehead

bigaudiofanatic wrote: »

Well I would pay it when I get my droid in a few months. You need it to get the full capability of the phone. I just got the BB because it was on sale for 40 bucks. I look at it this way if you going to buy a phone that can do all this stuff and not pay for it to do them than the phone is worthless and you should just buy a cheap one. Just how I see it. Just call them and see what they say.

I agree...with certain phones....the env3 is primarily a texting phone but you have to carry a data package which is stupid. When you get your Droid you will pay an extra $30 a month.

bigaudiofanatic

Knucklehead wrote: »

I agree...with certain phones....the env3 is primarily a texting phone but you have to carry a data package which is stupid. When you get your Droid you will pay an extra $30 a month.

I know

polkatese

just a FYI, AT&T has also instituted data plan requirements for 90% of their new phones. I upgraded my son's phone to a Samsung Impression (QWERTY phone) with the intention of mainly for texting. Luckily, the rep told me the workaround to NOT signing up for the data plan and put me on that workaround. It has to do more with being able to get the rebate without signing up to their data plan.

PhantomOG

I saw this as well. The phones I bought for me and the wife (enV touch) would require the minimum $10 data plan as well if we bought them now. Friggin ridiculous. I bought these phones because of the large qwerty keyboard for texting. Now it seems that ALL phones with qwerty are going to require a data plan.

I've been with Verizon for 10+ years now. If the situation is still the same when I upgrade in a couple years I will probably be leaving. I have no need to surf the web on my damn cell phone and its pissing me off that they are trying to jam this crap down everyone's throat.

Knucklehead

PhantomOG wrote: »

I saw this as well. The phones I bought for me and the wife (enV touch) would require the minimum $10 data plan as well if we bought them now. Friggin ridiculous. I bought these phones because of the large qwerty keyboard for texting. Now it seems that ALL phones with qwerty are going to require a data plan.

I've been with Verizon for 10+ years now. If the situation is still the same when I upgrade in a couple years I will probably be leaving. I have no need to surf the web on my damn cell phone and its pissing me off that they are trying to jam this crap down everyone's throat.

Exactly!!!!!

bigaudiofanatic

I agree that they should not force things on people. But with most phones now being able to surf the web and so on. Just having a qwety keyboard is not all it has. But non the less they should not force people to have stuff but this is technology.............sadly. Reminds me of Microsoft and vista. UGH

bobman1235

Chances are their justification for forcing the data plan is that, with the fancier phones, they're subsidizing a much larger amount. Where on a RAZR or something they're only taking a hundred dollars off the phone in return for your signing a contract, for an expensive smartphone they're taking 300 or 400 dollars off and want to make sure they recoup that money from you.

Not saying it's right, just saying that's probably the mindset.

jdwmap

bobman1235 wrote: »

The problem with Pay As You Go phones is that you can't transfer your number to them / from them since you don't "own" the number, so if you have any attachment to your phone number or don't like the idea of hassling your friends every time you get a new phone, that might be a dealbreaker for you.

Actually, you can port a number to a pay as you go phone. I ported my home number to one and then ported it to a cell number later.

http://www.straighttalk.com/Howitworks

Look at step 2:

Choose to keep your existing phone number or receive a new number

The only problem is phone choices, they are limited and you can't just pull an unlocked phone in to the network.

Knucklehead

effin things have become a necessary evil.

nadams

I suppose you'd complain as well if you weren't required to get a data plan, and then accidentally used some "data" features, and got smacked for overage data charges?

My monthly cell bill is $85+. For one phone. I understood when I got the phone that I was going to have to have a full data plan, and so that's what I pay. I just make sure I utilize the data features as much as possible.

Oh, and BTW- a data plan does not replace any texting plans you may already carry. I still carry a 1500/mo texting plan on my full data phone, because a text is not considered "data".

PhantomOG

nadams wrote: »

I suppose you'd complain as well if you weren't required to get a data plan, and then accidentally used some "data" features, and got smacked for overage data charges?

Nope, because the day I got the phones I put a block on every damn thing except for calls and texting because that what I intended to use the phones for.

My monthly cell bill is $85 for two phones. My wife and I may use ~100 anytime minutes a month and ~100 text each month as well. I'm sure Verizon would love for me to pay $200 a month for unlimited plans but they shouldn't screw the light users just because they can. EDIT: They can but I won't be a customer anymore.

dorokusai

I love my Verizon phone...oh wait, I work for them. Nevermind.

concealer404

^Reported!

nooshinjohn

Having worked for a major cell-phone company for the better part of fifteen years, I can honestly say that customer service has gone down hill by design. In the beginning, service was an art practiced with the knowledge that we needed the customer to survive. Airtime was three bucks a minute back then. As we gained customers and the mergers began, customer service began to decline. Today, they know our lives have become dependant on them and they live now to take advantage of us, knowing there is very little we can do about it.

Knucklehead

PhantomOG wrote: »

Nope, because the day I got the phones I put a block on every damn thing except for calls and texting because that what I intended to use the phones for.

My monthly cell bill is $85 for two phones. My wife and I may use ~100 anytime minutes a month and ~100 text each month as well. I'm sure Verizon would love for me to pay $200 a month for unlimited plans but they shouldn't screw the light users just because they can. EDIT: They can but I won't be a customer anymore.

+1.....its bad enough they charge $25 a month for unlimited texting (kids)...blocks on all the phones for internet or data usage.