Verizon Will Send 4 Warnings to Prevent 'Bill Shock'

How about a simple e-mail VZW? Or maybe send the message to my GV account instead.

Oh well, it won't really matter to me until VZW figures out how to move me from my grandfathered plan. And even then, I can be proactive by using VZW's app and even its widget if I really want to monitor usage that closely.

Im pretty sure you will still get the text. I get texts from AT&T, well only when I want to know how much of my unlimited I use. I have texting blocked.

I'm pretty sure I won't. When I implemented my SMS block several years ago, all VZW messages ceased. The VZW CSR even "warned" me that implementing the block would prevent "important" VZW messages from being sent to my phone.

I just grabbed a new 4G LTE MiFi device, and they sent me a text message with my password to allow me to setup my Verizon Wireless account. This password is sent out automatically, and the tier 1 and tier 2 tech support does not have access to this password. Since the Verizon Access Manager tool does not work with the new MiFi devices, my only recourse was to have the password sent to me via snail mail.

In the end, I just returned the device and will be using my Sprint HTC EVO as a hotspot, as the download speeds were nearly identical where I use the service. I used 2.25 GB of data in just 2 days of normal usage. I streamed 320 kbps MOG music files 2-3 hours each day and caught a baseball game over Sling Box on my iPad. It is simply too expensive at my typical consumption rate.

Those using mobile hotspot devices will have to call in and check usage or log in to their account to monitor their traffic. There should be an option for the user to select at what point a message is sent out and how that message is delivered, if something like this does not already exist.

I really hope that someone at VZW has figured out that all of these new high-speed 4G MiFi devices with their usage caps (even before 7/7) are not capable of receiving SMS since, as pointed out above, these devices cannot use the VZ Access Manager tool.

Oh, that's easy. Knowing Verizon, the warnings will be a whisper, until you actually get the bill

You're close to your limit.

You're close to your limit.

You're closer to your limit.

PAY UP, SUCKA!!!!

I have SMS blocked. You still will get a text from Verizon.

Verizon is being responsible in making sure the users know their usage and how to avoid bill shock. Of course, never underestimate the ignorance of the average user. Plenty will still run up big bills and claim "I know nothing(Doing their Sgt Schultz impression)".

A better solution is to exercise your rights to NOT do business with Verizon. Sprint still has unlimited plans & of course there are the prepaid options.

You also still have tmobile (till ATT gets a hold of them and shuts them down) that although they have "caps", they do not charge overages. So no bill shock with them either.

Another tidbit that no one has seemed to notice is that tmo also does not sell anything less than unlimited texts anymore (it's been that way for a long time). So usually no bill shock there either.

AND if you spend a majority of your phone calls at home or at work, you can essentially get unlimited minutes via their wifi calling.

Unless this has changed recently, Wifi calls still count against your minutes. TM's WiFi calling is meant to take the place of poor cell reception.

It has changed, you can call them and ask them to flag your account for wifi calling to be free.

Please explain? I have tmo and think its completely ridiculous that wifi uses my minutes. You just call and complain?

It's not a complaint thing. All you have to do is ask for the unlimited wifi feature to be added to your account. It's free.

»www.tmonews.com/wp-conte ··· wtmk.jpg

Apparently you can add it from your account on t-mobile.com or call them. There's no reason not to do it since it's free.

Ha ha ha Verizon im grandfathered in with my unlimited, I like using 15 gigs a month for 30$

The other part of the cash cow is that people are going to try to stay under their limit. This means if they go over, it won't be by much. But Verizon still earns another $10 no matter how little the person uses. Most people who go over won't be planning on it so most will only exceed it by a little.

I have had my worst experiences with any company with Verizon. None of this surprises me.

I'm not saying that the other carriers are that great, however, IMO, if I were you and have a Data Plan with Verizon, I would run for the hills. Pay the ETF, and skidaddle......is that a word? I have my own personal boycott against them, but a Nationwide one would bring a smile to my face......Like this.

I have a boycott against all the main cell phone companies
the #1 reason price. I am sticking with prepaid I know the phones are crap but its cheaper. I have to think with my wallet.

Amen ..

Virgin Mobile now has a bunch of Android phones and is still unlimited data. Is OK if you stick to cities and not rural areas.

thanks but sprint service sucks here. Best option here is verizon based or AT&T. I have straight talk on AT&T and it works well. their customer service is terrible I never talk to them if I need outage info I call AT&T and they tell me whats going on.

yeah. me too.
enjoying my 83 cents per month phone service with t-mobile[well until they're sucked into the T collective]

If this is truly about network management (as the defenders like to claim) and not a cash grab why doesn't Verizon and ATT allow customers the option to have data shut off when it reaches the cap?

I agree. Shut me down at my limit and save me $10. Or at least give me the choice to go over or not. I don't come close to the 2gb cap as I use wifi everywhere I can. Home, work, coffee, but If I am on a trip I might.

How about letting us shut off the data at any time. That way if I have no plans on using data for an extended amount of time (let's be honest, in today's world that may be a few hours) I am not racking up "ghost" data usage. That would be true network management!

On Android phones you can turn off data, so you can be sure that there is no usage going through your data plan.

Concur completely, shut down my data when i hit the cap. Of course they will not do this as all the calls coming into their call center will cost them those nice hefty profits they are making when people "all of a sudden" have no data.

Wouldn't the much better and best customer service option be to throttle you down to 2G speeds if you hit your data cap and then not charge overages?

How magnanimous of them!

Seriously, this Country's corporations have gone to hell in a hand basket in a short time after a pretty much short depression. Now though people are getting smarter and realizing how greedy these corporations are getting.

out of Verizon and others is rather....pathetic

They should have been put in place years ago AND they should be used in a LOT more instances where people go over on other ISP bills (ie stories of people going to Europe and having their American phone charge them THOUSANDS)

The new data plans announced 7/7/2011 are simply greed. If as Verizon says, only a small fraction of the users, like 2% will be affected, why even bother to incur the wrath and ill-will this will generate.

Bandwidth is not expensive, certainly does not cost $10.00/ GB they will charge for overages to be delivered. If all the $10.00 went to increasing capacity, fine. But capacity is limited by spectrum in most markets and spectrum is a finite resource that can not be purchased as it is all allocated.

Verizon, I will be giving up my smart phone if I have to go on a metered plan. I have been a wireless customer since you were known as Bell Atlantic Mobile, almost 20 years. You stand to loose a loyal customer.

In the capitalistic economic model, the price a vendor charges for a product is related to what the vendor thinks the market will bear, not to the cost of the product. A pencil sketch by Picasso may go for $200,000 for a product that costs a couple of dollars in supplies, simply because that is what someone will pay for it. And the primary purpose of a publicly held corporation is to maximize profits by any legal means, for the benefit of the stockholders.

The discussion about whether this is moral and/or ethical is a whole different matter.

they have not done this in past. they can text me and email me a dozen times telling me my FUC*((( bill is due in 3 weeks and that I NEED TO PAY NOW..

That's just to condition customers to ignoring their texts.

... about potential lost revenue and customers. My contract is in force until the end of the year and I'll keep my existing phones (3) and unlimited plans as long as I can.

I've already decided though that if they try to force the issue we're going back to good old fashioned phones and dumping the smart phones altogether. The Droids are neat fun to use but not essential and certainly not at the risk of giving Verizon a blank check to screw me with...

Instead of the extra revenue they're trying get they'll be getting no data revenue from me eventually...

Unless by then I find another carrier that is still offering an unlimited plan and I switch altogether.

I really thought Verizon would weather the capping storm, looks like more bars in more places will get u screwed....... im switching to sprint.

»www.youtube.com/watch?v= ··· DSBAh6RY

from rule the air, to wither on the vine air!

And this is why you buy out your competitors.

This way, when they call and cancel, you can do this and get away with it because you don't have anywhere else to go.

Verizon: "Don't like UBB? Well, where are you going to go?"

And those 2-year contracts don't hurt either.

Verizon 3 gig plan:
Bill Period: June 05, 2011 - July 04, 2011
Need-to-Know Information | Explanation of Charges
Quick Bill Summary
Previous Balance

$68.96
Payment - Thank You
-$40.00
Payment Received 06/08/11 -$40.00
Total Payments Received

-$40.00
Balance Forward (due immediately)

$28.96
Current Balance
Account Charges and Credits

Includes Late Fee of $5.00

$5.00
Monthly Access Charges
These are your fixed monthly charges that are based on your Plan and Optional Services. If you change your plans or services during the month, an adjusted charge that includes partial month charges or credits, may appear on your bill.

$29.40
Usage Charges
These are your variable charges that depend on whether you have used any services that are billed on a per-use basis, or have exceeded any monthly allowance included in your Plan or Optional Services.
Voice
The "Voice" section of your bill Includes charges for voice calls, including calls that exceed your Plan's minute allowances, 411 Search, Long Distance and other calls.
$0.00
You do not have any Breakdown of Charges & Minutes Information for this statement.
Data
Megabyte charges are incurred as a result of using data services like web browsing, receiving daily alerts, downloading games or Ringtones
$70.00
Breakdown Of DataClose
Messages Used KB/MB Used Downloads
Phone Number

Text/Picture/Video
207-***-1**3
Phone Number
GB Used
MB Used

KB Used
207-4**-1*** 11 -- --
Phone Number

Downloads
207-4**-***3 --

Verizon Wireless' Surcharges and Other Charges & Credits
Verizon Wireless Surcharges - Includes charges to recover or help defray costs of taxes and of governmental charges and fees imposed on us by the government. Other Charges and Credits - includes charges for products and services, and credits owing.

$0.08
Taxes, Governmental Surcharges & Fees
Includes sales, excise and other taxes and governmental surcharges and fees that we are required by law to bill customers.

$0.00
Total Current Charges Due by July 30, 2011
Includes all charges for your current billing period. It does not include past due charges.

$104.48
Total Amount Due

$133.44