Verizon Axing Unlimited Data Plans

Shotglass01 said:
I can't say how I know or to whom it was with, but I can absolutely say that cell carriers have far more bandwidth than you can imagine. All systems had 8 hours of battery backup that was backed up by fail-over diesel. They had cuts in to multiple OC 48 loops. It was fucking insane how much money had been spent on that place, and how much capacity they have.
Click to expand...
That doesn't come free though. Usually on the backhaul they pay a price per amount of data used (think of it like $/GB) across that link. They're passing that a long and tacking on a chunk for their own profits.
 
Eulogy said:
That doesn't come free though. Usually on the backhaul they pay a price per amount of data used (think of it like $/GB) across that link. They're passing that a long and tacking on a chunk for their own profits.
Click to expand...

I know that. But I also know it costs far less than what they charge subscribers per month as well. I get that it's a profit business, but they are raping you.
 
Eulogy said:
That doesn't come free though. Usually on the backhaul they pay a price per amount of data used (think of it like $/GB) across that link. They're passing that a long and tacking on a chunk for their own profits.
Click to expand...

How do you explain SMS plans?
 
Shotglass01 said:
I know that. But I also know it costs far less than what they charge subscribers per month as well. I get that it's a profit business, but they are raping you.
Click to expand...
I understand that. That is precisely why I said "tacking on a chunk for their own profits". The only way to make VZW change this is to have people vote with their wallets and stop paying for it. That is very unlikely to happen.
MavericK96 said:
How do you explain SMS plans?
Click to expand...
I don't follow what you mean. It's still data. Just a miniscule amount, and they're charging you an extreme premium for it. Again, if people (in general, not just [H] readers in the know) wanted it to change, they'd have to make it hurt VZW's (and any other carrier's) bottom line. That isn't happening. They'll continue to push the limit, especially since investors demand that profits go up quarter after quarter.
 
Well, regardless of this, my wife and I will be ditching Verizon once our contracts are done. We share a 700 minute plan with unlimited texting and with taxes and fees, this runs me over $100/mo. I figured it out and we're considering Boost since, to start out, It'll be a hair more for two lines with unlimited everything, but it'll drop $5/mo for every 6 months I pay on time. In the long run, I'll get more for less. It runs on the Sprint network which I know works in my area.

Verizon has a great connection, but it's just so damn expensive. I get the cost of doing business, but the only companies that seem to recognize customer satisfaction of the contract carriers are Sprint and US Cellular.
 
ICOM said:
I received my Galaxy Nexus two weeks ago. Sweet! You will FUKN' love it. Look into getting the extended battery (2100). It fits with the stock backing! I got the Otter Box case for protection.

BTW - I'm on the 4 gig data plan and I'm not even putting a dent into it. Then again, I use WIFI for most of my surfing and downloads so...meh...

Non-issue?
Click to expand...

Why did you choose this over the RAZR MAXX? I was planning on getting the bigger battery for the Nexus as well.
 
Honestly I think I would switch my unlimited plan to a 3gb plan if they gave me unlimited text messaging... It boggles my mind that I pay $30/month for data and then I would have to pay $5 for 250 messages or $10 for what, 500 and unlimited VZW texts? I've been using GV for my texting, but it is annoying that I can't get MMS or texts from automated services.
 
The thing I laugh at is the TV and radio ads that try to highlight the point that most people don't even use enough data every month to reach their cap, so don't compromise with another carrier. Well, if most people truly don't use that much, then why limit it, then? It's nothing but an attempt at smoke and mirrors to mask their bullshit and greed.
 
Well if they make me fork over my 4g unlimited plan for tiered I am done. As much as I like tinkering with smartphones and flashing and all the rest of it, I'll be giving metro pcs a shot. 50 bux unlimited everything ... As long as I can get a phone close to my outdated thunderbolt feature wise that's all I need.
 
Republic Wireless looks promising, but the initial phone blows chunks. Waiting for a new phone.

If they don't get a decent phone I will probably try Metro PCS.
 
For 35 a month I get ( pay as you go Virgin Mobile ) 300 mins , unlimted texting , unlimited internet ( love it ) LG android smart phone , With Verizon for the last 3 yrs it was costing me 120 a month ,and I never downloaded a thing off the internet .I would never get a contract again . the only difference is the pay as you go phones are not as nice as the contract phones ( if thats what your into ) .
 
Russ said:
Verizon got rid of new unlimited data plans more than a year ago, afaik.

I guess they aren't letting the existing plans get renewed now? Did any of you really expect them to let you keep forever a plan that they don't offer to new customers?

I switched to Sprint as soon as Verizon got rid of their unlimited plans, no questions asked.

The HTC Evo Shift works just fine, I don't really care about their other phones b/c this one has everything I wanted.
Click to expand...

Actually yes I did expect that. It is called a reward for being a customer for as long as I have. Now I am looking at Sprint as well. Screw them they already get away with more BS than any other company offering similar services.

Phone exclusives should never been allowed to happen. How stupid would it be if it were a new laptop that would only work on one network? Yea its just data moving through some tubes.
 
buttons said:
I hate to defend big business...but did anyone stop to think what bandwidth costs carriers? Cell phones are using more data then ever anticipated. This trend to eliminate unlimited data are to curb those people who abuse it..stream movies eight hours a day and so on. This shouldn't affect 95 percent of us.
Click to expand...

They're overcharging, not upgrading their infrastructure like they should, and giving ridiculous limits. I mean, seriously, they give us a few gigs a month right after they turned on 4G service that, in some cases, was as fast as the cable connection I used to have in my apartment. That's fucking ridiculous! And in the meantime, we're starting to see more and more services that utilize that bandwidth. Right now we have netflix, internet radio, and stuff like dropbox. In the future, it will be more and more intensive.

For comparison, Japan is close to turning on WiMax2 with up to 165 mbps speeds, with NO LIMITS.

And seeing as how the base ISP option at Yokota (just west of Tokyo) where I'll be next year sucks...I plan on using that WiMax2 pretty extensively.
 
That was the ONLY reason I renewed my contract with Verizon this past time is because I got to keep my existing unlimited data plan. If they take that away, Ill be gone and get a basic phone. I lived without a phone for long enough, Im sure I can live without a data plan.
 
So far on Sprint I've used up 27 gigs with 9 days left on this current billing cycle.
 
To those defending this, kindly shut up. Just because you don't use your data doesn't mean they have the right to take it away from you just because they don't feel like allowing you to have it anymore.

I have an unlimited 4g plan. Generally speaking I hover less than 1gb, there are exceptions however. This past week I had to drive down to Fla for a job and took the wife and kids. We used my phone to stream netflix to keep everyone entertained while I drove. In one day this consumed over 600mb of data and that was only 1 movie. On the trip back this was repeated and there were a couple side trips as well. End result is in the span of 1 week I used up 2.8gb of data. Now on the tiered plans I would be getting the absolute shit charged out of me for that. Given I only hit the cap every few months, I find that notion to be more than a little unreasonable. Are they going to refund me money for the bandwidth I don't use on a monthly basis? No? I didn't think so.

If Verizon pulls this garbage, I will be buying my phones retail. If they try and screw those of us with grandfathered contracts over anyhow, I will be dropping them and taking them to court over it as they can't legally change the terms of your contract unless you renew under new terms.
 
Or you could go to sprint... which i have.... and i *hate*....

Sure, unlimited sounds good, until your getting this:

SpeedTestSprintIphone4s.png


The only thing unlimited about it is the headache of knowing I have 18 months or $350 ETF... the network is *so* over saturated.. and they just keep on adding people with their claims of 'unlimited data'. There is no unlimited... because if you could actually use 10mb a day, i'd be impressed. Netflix, Youtube are useless.. pandora skips every 15 seconds... phone calls are fine, sure.. but do you really buy a smartphone for only phone calls?

oh well, it sounded good at the time, but i'd gladly take a 3gb or 5gb plan that actually gets 3 - 5mbps down 1 to 1.5 up over 3g.. and yes it's not all bad. I do get 1.3 to 1.8mbps between 2am and 7am.. but the picture you see above.. that's lunch time.. when *everyone* is using their phone and its never more than .30mbps during the day. Promises of upgrades have been going since October, and I even live in one of the cities that was one of the first to be upgraded to handle their new 4g LTE, yet i see absolutely no progress yet.

... alright, im done ranting now.. I just hate the fact that people are axing unlimited data plans and people are all excited about 'i'll just go to Sprint' please please dont make the same mistake I did.. i regret it enough to pay $35 a month additional for a mobile hotspot so i can actually get 4G speeds. oh well, live & learn.
 
Kodiak33 said:
Why did you choose this over the RAZR MAXX? I was planning on getting the bigger battery for the Nexus as well.
Click to expand...

With the exception of battery life, the SGN is simply a bettsr device. ICS, larger screen with true 720 HD, exfended battery, Otter box case. It was a close call but the Nexus screen and OS clinched it for me. Cant fault anyone with the Rar max though.

.
 
Well, I'm already on 4G LTE unlimited, so I guess I'll just keep using it and buying my own phones without every changing the contract.
 
Grrr.. and here I am poised to get new phones and I was planning on moving from AT&T to Verizon. Everyone I talk to seems to love Verizon (in the Houston market) and my AT&T coverage has actually been going downhill lately. There are restaurants I used to be able to get a signal that are now dead zones for me.. while my Verizon-carrying coworkers are surfing away in the next seat.

So, what's my best option nowadays? I have an "old" iPhone 3GS and my wife has a POS AT&T Fuze. I get a corporate discount through all three carriers (Sprint, Verizon, AT&T), and my company reimburses me up to $75 each month. I'm currently paying about $120 for the "family plan", of which I get reimbursed about $60 each month and have unlimited data on my iPhone (and my wife's Fuze has data blocked and no "smartphone" charges since the contract started before AT&T made that stupid change).

What I want is a phone to get my corporate email on (Outlook), recieve calls, and hopefully work as a hotspot for when I'm travelling and the hotel Internet is crap. I have a 1.5 hour drive commute each way and Pandora/IHeartRadio/etc. are lifesavers for me and get streamed just about every day. Not a big app user though, so I'm not tied to an Apple device (don't really care either way), but corporate supported phones in the Android or WinMobile realm can be pretty limited (and they require me to purchase Touchdown out of pocket if I go Android to connect to Exchange).
 
My 2 year contract is just about up, and now Verizon pulls this nonsense. Time to switch to a new carrier... will be following this thread closely to see what others choose.
 
AnonymousUser said:
go with a carrier that will let me keep a smartphone but without a data plan or a cheap data plan.
Click to expand...

I've got my iPhone on a $25 a month GoPhone plan, 250 minutes and unlimited text, that's the lowest one, there's a decent $35/$45/$50 plans that are all expanded versions.
 
Wow. Ting looks mighty attractive. They have the Galaxy S II as well. Even in white. Uses Sprint's network. Why would one not go with them???
 
SirKronan said:
Wow. Ting looks mighty attractive. They have the Galaxy S II as well. Even in white. Uses Sprint's network. Why would one not go with them???
Click to expand...

Meh. Just figured it out. I use a bucketload of unlimited (m2m) and night and weekend minutes. Easily hitting 3000+ some months.

I just can't win. Crap.
 
Well well now i suppose im on my way out along with that unlimited data plan.Fuck em where it hurts in the pocket book.
 
PensFault said:
With all the lobbying, subsidies, regulations, etc. Good luck trying to penetrate this market. The cost of getting into the business is massively high for a reason, that reason is to stifle competition. This is not a free market, this is not capitalism.
Click to expand...

Capitalism's ultimate end is one entity in every market having total control and influence. Free markets can not really exist.
 
MavericK96 said:
Unless you tether a lot, 2 GB is usually plenty even for heavy browsing on a smartphone (in my experience, anyway). So this would work fine for me. Probably will do something like this when Verizon goes full retard. Would be saving me a TON of money, too.
Click to expand...

At least tethering (hotspot) works without extra charges! At least on mine it does.

I've only used it once for a few hours when my cable went down, which is exactly why I got this.
 
MavericK96 said:
Well, they won't be keeping my business come upgrade time (October).

Or sooner if they decide to pull the plan before then...
Click to expand...

Agreed. I've been a loyal customer for ten years but the only reason I've stayed lately is because I was "grandfathered" for unlimited data. If that is going to go away for me, then I see no reason to stay.
They tried to screw me a few months ago by suggesting I pay over $300 for a cell booster for my home since we have shitty reception in my neighborhood (all carriers do because of lack of nearby antennas) when I know for a fact they have given them to other people I work with and live near for free. I ended up just getting a landline.
 
Ashbringer said:
They said it will even effect grandfathered plans. Sounds like Verizon is going to get you to switch whether you like it or not. If going to 4G screws you out of unlimited data, then I'd probably stick with 3G for as long as possible.

If you happen to be one of the lucky people who's contract is up, as well as phone upgrade, then just switch carriers. Sprint is CDMA just like Verizon and they have the iPhone as well. Plenty of great Android phones to choose from as well. I would switch.
Click to expand...

I meant I already have 4G. So they can't "get" me on "upgrade 3G to 4G" but they could get me in other ways.
 
Sovereign said:
I meant I already have 4G. So they can't "get" me on "upgrade 3G to 4G" but they could get me in other ways.
Click to expand...

I'd like to see how they can do that without your knowledge. I don't plan on getting another phone through them again. I'll just take my SIM card with me from phone to phone. If you don't change your plan, you should be fine I'd think.
 
MavericK96 said:
Uhh...not really. But of course, that's what they'd have you think.

Plus, this was back before Netflix and Hulu were so popular. Nowadays that cap is looking pretty silly.
Click to expand...
The comcast cap isnt silly at all. I have a netflix account and routinely watch entire seasons of shows, The Office, Breaking Bad, Glee, etc. I play steam games and BF3 nightly, and regularly order movies over Vudu in their HDX format. My wife streams pandora all night when she gets home, and I'll do the occasional Linux distro. I have never once hit my 250GB cap.

The simple truth is those of you experiencing bandwidth problems know exactly why. You either pirate software, or are using your home class internet service in a business class manner (server hosting, file sharing, too many users, running 24/7 etc). The internet has not evolved to the point where 250GB is too slight for home access. I'm sure it will one day, but we're not quite there yet, so enough with the whining and copout's, we all know why 250GB isnt enough for you.

Ashbringer said:
I swear do some people here work for Comcast? If they have a network overload then they should just expand the network. Much like Verizon who's claiming the same problem. If you have more customers then you can handle, the answer is to expand.
Click to expand...
This is a for profit business. When your closet starts to get full of junk, do you add a wing to your house? Or do you do some housecleaning and tidy up a bit? Obviously I want Verizon to expand, but dont be silly and act confused when they find cheaper alternatives. Their current network output clearly reflects previous needs for expansion, and they WILL do it eventually.

I've been telling my friends and family to get used to Facebook. Texting costs me money, but Facebook is free. If you have a smart phone and aren't using alternatives to texting, then you're just dumb. Texting should be freaking free, or damn near it.
Click to expand...
The problem with alternative texting is that you have to get the recipient on the same platform. Most people arent going to download a custom app, configure it, and keep a desktop shortcut for it just for you. I love how a Facebook sheep is calling us all dumb for not using THAT of all apps lol. If I'm going to use alternative texting, it sure as hell isnt going to be facebook.
 
McFry said:
The comcast cap isnt silly at all. I have a netflix account and routinely watch entire seasons of shows, The Office, Breaking Bad, Glee, etc. I play steam games and BF3 nightly, and regularly order movies over Vudu in their HDX format. My wife streams pandora all night when she gets home, and I'll do the occasional Linux distro. I have never once hit my 250GB cap.

The simple truth is those of you experiencing bandwidth problems know exactly why. You either pirate software, or are using your home class internet service in a business class manner (server hosting, file sharing, too many users, running 24/7 etc). The internet has not evolved to the point where 250GB is too slight for home access. I'm sure it will one day, but we're not quite there yet, so enough with the whining and copout's, we all know why 250GB isnt enough for you.
Click to expand...

The "you can't possibly use 250GB/month at home legally" argument has been debunked eleventy billion times on the net. 250GB/30 days = 8.3GB/day. This can easily be achieved via legal downloads/patches/streaming, ISO downloads (Linux, etc.), Steam, Amazon, Gamestop (Stardock) downloads, list goes on... This might not be common, but it is certainly very feasible and reasonable.

Love how people automagically ASSume that someone hoovering the internet at home to their caps has to be a py-rat, no other explanation making sense. :rolleyes:
 
McFry said:
The comcast cap isnt silly at all. I have a netflix account and routinely watch entire seasons of shows, The Office, Breaking Bad, Glee, etc. I play steam games and BF3 nightly, and regularly order movies over Vudu in their HDX format. My wife streams pandora all night when she gets home, and I'll do the occasional Linux distro. I have never once hit my 250GB cap.

The simple truth is those of you experiencing bandwidth problems know exactly why. You either pirate software, or are using your home class internet service in a business class manner (server hosting, file sharing, too many users, running 24/7 etc). The internet has not evolved to the point where 250GB is too slight for home access. I'm sure it will one day, but we're not quite there yet, so enough with the whining and copout's, we all know why 250GB isnt enough for you.
Click to expand...

Who even cares what people are doing with their connection? Total bandwidth might be finite on an ISP's network given their capacity, but data throughput is only limited by the time you can use that bandwidth. If I'm paying for a 100/Mbps slice of an ISP's bandwidth, I should have every right to use it 24/7. If they haven't oversold capacity, then usage above some arbitrary point (like 250GB) shouldn't effect the network.

You know, data caps are tantamount to limiting the time a cable TV subscriber can watch their TV. Imagine if you had a 2500 minute cap on the time your cable box could be used a month... In fact, with digital cable, it's exactly equivalent. "Dear valued customer, We're sorry but you've watched too much TV this month. We'll now begin adding a $1 surcharge to your next billing statement for each additional minute you watch. Thank you."
 
Kodiak33 said:
Thinking of upgrading my DroidX now for a Galaxy Nexus or RAZR MAXX before this goes into effect. At least I'll have the unlimited for a couple more years.
Click to expand...

kirbyrj said:
I'd like to see how they can do that without your knowledge. I don't plan on getting another phone through them again. I'll just take my SIM card with me from phone to phone. If you don't change your plan, you should be fine I'd think.
Click to expand...

Currently the belief is they will be forcing you to a tiered plan regardless of contract status. So kiss unlimited data goodbye no matter what.

Now if they do force unlimited 4G LTE users to a tiered plan that means you can either suck it up and deal or leave Verizon without eating an ETF because they're changing the contract to something you don't agree with so they have to let you out.

Let's assume a class action is brought against Verizon by forcing users to tiered plans. It won't go anywhere because Verizon can back door it like T-Mobile does. Some amount of data at 4G LTE speeds and then you get dial-up speeds.

I'm in this boat as is my wife. We're both currently on unlimited 4G LTE. If I lose it I'm telling Verizon to kiss my ass and I'm going to T-Mobile with a contract free pre-paid plan. Hopefully, that WSJ article about multiple unlocked Google Nexus devices is true because that combined with a contract free plan is Heaven on Earth.
 
Eulogy said:
I don't follow what you mean. It's still data. Just a miniscule amount, and they're charging you an extreme premium for it. Again, if people (in general, not just [H] readers in the know) wanted it to change, they'd have to make it hurt VZW's (and any other carrier's) bottom line. That isn't happening. They'll continue to push the limit, especially since investors demand that profits go up quarter after quarter.
Click to expand...

My point is that it sounded like you were justifying data charges because of what they pay for the data. Charging an "extreme premium" means they are not charging as much as they are because of actual costs to them, so that kind of destroys that argument.

AFAIK Verizon has consistently rising profits. I think they can afford to upgrade their infrastructure if they are going to rape us on data charges. As it is now, we get pretty much the same performance as two years ago (or worse), and yet still pay the same (or more with these new tiered plans).
 
People need to make it clear to them this is not going to fly. Just like the fucking greedy statement in one of the articles about how basically "we charge a $30 upgrade fee now and since no one really complained, obviously it was the right decision."

Isn't 5 or 10 or 20 billion dollars a year in profit enough? I mean, you always have to INCREASE profits, like making a shit ton of money every year is not enough?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top