Data "Plan"

[jplante4]

Just wondering about this and thought I'd float a thread.

I'm with Verizon for wireless, which includes internet access when we're not at a CG with WiFi. Why do they have this concept of a data plan? Why do you have to guesstimate the amount of data you'll be using? Why not charge by the gig and be done with it?

I thought it might be for capacity planning, but I can set my "plan" to 10 gig and bump it up at the last minute if I'm running out. And if I go over, then they just charge me for the extra by the gig anyway, so why not set a per gig price from the beginning.

Anyone have any insight into this silly industry?

[jplante4]

On my home phone (land-line, don't ask 😞 ), Verizon called and offered the $65 month plan. $65 a month, unlimited calls blah, blah, blah. I bit. My bill was $65 for exactly 1 month. Every once in a while I look at my $95 "$65 a month plan" and call them to complain. They knock off a couple of bucks to shut me up.

In preparation for taking off for the winter, I installed a temp/water alarm. It uses the landline to call out with alarm conditions. I called Verizon and asked if there was some level of service between the $95 "$65 a month plan" and vacation standby. "No". Great way to treat someone who has been a customer for 40 years.

So I went to the Verizon Wireless store and bought a wireless home phone adapter (basically a cell phone in a box that you plug a handset into), added that to my wireless plan ($20) and plugged the home alarm into it. Put the landline on vacation standby ($18) and the total monthly revenue to Verizon Inc dropped to $38. How stupid an one company be?

[wa8yxm]

Let me explain Data Plans to you.. You see, you need to understand what "The Plan" is.

First: Some companies are kind of nice. T-mobile for example has a plan where you get some HIGH SPEED (4Glte) data,, Greased lightening compared to what I'm used to.. and then once you hit the roof... They slow you down (Grass grows speed).. but at least the do not do what Verizon does.. The plan here is to get you to spend more per month for a "Bigger" plan.

Verizon wants you to buy a small plan. But when you go over they do nothing special.. They just CHA-CHING your big time.. Yup, your cell bill may be 2,3,4,5 times bigger.

You see, THE PLAN.... In both cases (but T-Mobile is not as greedy) is to releive you of your hard earned cash for the fallacy is that money is the root of all evil so they wish to remove the evil money from your life.

Actually it's the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil per the book.. But hey.. That means THE PLAN (which loves money) is the evil one.

Hopefully you are laughing, or at least smiling at this point..

But in fact, that is the plan, to take your hard earned money.

[cpaulsen]

I have a 30 gig plan and never go over. It is a set fee and am happy with that. When I had a 15 gig plan....every so often I would go over a little and when Verizon said thy would double your plan for the same cost....I did it. Have had Verizon for years and would not change.

[MrWizard]

I'm with Verizon for wireless, which includes internet access when we're not at a CG with WiFi. Why do they have this concept of a data plan? Why do you have to guesstimate the amount of data you'll be using? Why not charge by the gig and be done with it?

GIGs are not cheap, when buying by the gig
if i bought by the gig at $10 per gig, my bill would be astronomical
way too easy to rack up a large useage and large bill, paying by the gig with NO set plan, just pay up when the bill arrives

[dave17352]

I like the trend and I think it will continue gigs are getting cheaper and cheaper all the time. I myself find Verizon to be pretty straight forward and pretty good service through out most areas of the country I have been in.

[darsben]

Try T-mobile.
Minimum 3 GB which will carry over if you do not use it all.
If you go over in a month and have no stash then you can purchase extra data.
I am satisfied with the plan.
Coverage could be better in the west but I am not addicted to data

[APT]

jplante4 wrote:
Why do they have this concept of a data plan? Why do you have to guesstimate the amount of data you'll be using?

You are welcome to pick the $30/month plan and "And if you go over, every extra GB is $15". They offer that option. No planning required! The cost of data for supporting any given customer/line is not fixed per GB. Do you like to save money? Well, you chose to pick say 12GB for only $80 instead of $15*11 + $30.

[jcpainter]

Probably profit oriented. If you sign up for 6 GB and don't monitor your usage and adjust your plan each month (like most probably don't) and you only use 3 or 4 that month, they make more money!

We always start out with a low data bucket and have notifications sent as we hit 50, 75 and 90 percent. If we get a 90 percent usage notification, we increase it immediately. It's a bit cheaper to increase the monthly allotment before you go over your monthly amount, than to pay the higher overage charges.

[blangen]

Just a guess... maybe it has to do with fraud control. So long as you are micro-managing your account, Verizon is repeatedly assured that you're aware of usage. If not for that, when a big bill arrives, one could claim that something was wrong and they weren't responsible.

[Johno02]

lots of extra money to them for unused data time.

[corvettekent]

That would be too simple.