Have I misunderstood the Verizon unlimited plan

[mikestock]

I have had at least 2 Verizon phones for years. At times I have added a Jet Pack or smart phone for additional hotspot capacity in the RV.

Before my current trip I added the third phone for hotspot purposes, which I thought would allow me 15 GB additional access. We watched about 5 hours of movies in two nights when we had no view of DirecTV satellites. Also connected with laptop to check emails and some searching for local attraction info.

I was shocked to see that we had used 19+ GB of data and email content would not load. I called Verizon to try to get an explanation of why the use was so high. I had expected about 6 GB of use.

The real shocker I got from the agent was that, after I reached 22 GB of total use, all three of my phones were in this slow down, 3g mode.

I have had Verizon for years and have been told by in person and customer service agents that I had 15 GB of 4g hotspot data for EACH line. I have, in past years, maxed out one line and still had hotspot access on other lines. This was my reason for adding the third line. We expected to be on the road quite a bit during the current and next few monthly billing periods.

Am I the only one who expected to have 15 Gb of hotspot data for EACH LINE?

[KO]

I guess it is my bad. after all, I went into a Verizon store, told them where I was going and what my requirements were and was told al of my basis were covered. There was no mention of three "unlimited" plans and that in any case I would be limited to 1/2 GB / per day. At the very least, I should have been told my MIFI was incompatible - they looked up my account and devices on their computer. Sorry POOR and misleading service!

If Verizon wants to lead customer astray - okay, but they have demonstrated beyond a reasonable doubt you can't trust them.

[Bill_Satellite]

Not sure where you thought that ANY Verizon unlimited plan was unlimited. NONE of them are. If you signed up for a plan you need not research then that's your bad and not Verizon's. I use T-Mobile unlimited as it is truly unlimited and a whole heck of a lot cheaper than Verizon. You can put a check mark beside your name but it does not mean that you are actually checking all of the boxes.

[KO]

Don't talk to me about Verizon!
I went into a Version store before leaving on a trip to Canada to ensure my cell phone and MIFI would be compatible. I also signed top of the unlimited data plan as my wife is the CFO of a company and needed data.

Once on the road, we got a notice we exceeded our data plan and were being throttles back. A call to the Verizon support and they said -Oh yo need to up your data plan to another plan and that would give you unlimited.

Well, we cross into Canada and get a nice text saying my plan is in effect - use all the talk data you want your covered.

MIFI doesn't work, as it is not compatible with Canada. I get a text daily saying my 1/2 GB per day limit has been exceeded and they throttle me back - so I get no data.

Sorry, but first thing. do when. return home is cancel my Verizon services and I am switching.

[mikestock]

GordonThree wrote:

mikestock wrote:

I happened to have been tree blocked from DirecTV satellites with no OTA access on the two days that set this problem up but this taught me a lesson. I really prefer sitting outside over tv, but thunderstorms have been plentiful here in the western Carolina mountains.

Since you're already an AT&T customer, take a closer look at the wireless services. They're offering pretty good perks to bundle, like free hbo I think, well, they own HBO I guess now but worth checking out.

Funny, you brought this up. Found out today, that I was on a $35/mo promo, which just ran out. When taking a closer look at my bill I found that I had HBO and there was a net charge of $9.99 being tagged on to my bill for the last 6 months. I didn't even know it was there and never used or wanted it. I have no idea how it got added and requested a refund for the last 6 months. I have the bill on auto pay so don't watch it as closely as I should. The $35 increase got my attention. We'll see how much trouble they give me on the refund. I've been a customer for 19 years.

[Bill_Satellite]

We have found T-Mobile to be challenging in the S. CA area. Long Beach, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Ventura, etc. You might have to go outside to get a good signal and the phone would occasionally not ring. Data speeds are slow but manageable. Our AT&T MiFi signal has been OK with only one weak signal area but the speeds have remained good even with multiple devices connected.
I have only been with T-Mobile for about 4 months and this is the first area where we have seen service problems. For the money we are saving, I am still a very happy camper.

[MNGeeks61]

MrWizard wrote:
MNgeeks

Amazon or eBay
Buy the T-mobile version of your current phone
Take that with you to T-Mobile
No Need for you to make payments on an $840 phone

We switched on Friday. I just bought the phone straight out, was easier and kept our monthly bill lower.

Already, at our place up north, we get better service (LTE 4 bars vs 1 and better speed). In the Twin Cities proper, no real difference in coverage, both T-mobile and Verizon seem to be great in metro areas.

The cost of our 2 phones dropped $40/month, so that is a nice addition.

(Next up: cancelling Dish and going streaming.)

[Scottiemom]

valhalla360 wrote:

Scottiemom wrote:
The throttle back in busy data areas is a lie. They throttle us back period when we reach 15G. Doesn't matter where we are. Sounds a good game when they say that, but we get throttled back no matter where we are, with little signal strength.

Dale

You have to read the fine print.

For hotspot, they do full throttle when you hit 15gig of hotspot use.
For access on the phone, they do selective throttle.

We don't use our phones for hotspots. We have a MIFI and we have unlimited. We get throttled back to 3G once we hit 15G. No matter the traffic, etc.

Dale

[mikestock]

GordonThree wrote:
Since you're already an AT&T customer, take a closer look at the wireless services. They're offering pretty good perks to bundle, like free hbo I think, well, they own HBO I guess now but worth checking out.

I got HBO when I added AT%T internet, but it was so slow I couldn't take it. To be honest, I never watched it much when I had it. I have a lot of trouble finding movies that interest me. Even with Netflix and Prime I can spend a lot of time searching for movies that aren't profanity laced and have believable content.

I'm happier with KIndle books and my library.

[MrWizard]

i have the Kindle app on my Android tablet
i read Sci-Fi mainly
i have gotten quite a number of e-books from amazon for 99cents
also Baen books a big publisher has a large online selection
for free download in epub format and i have a free reader APP, for those on my tablet
i've been reading sci-fi books, since i was 9yrs old, almost 62yrs
curl up with a good book, no need for movies or internet
i think my interest in movies is a result of my reading

[GordonThree]

mikestock wrote:

I happened to have been tree blocked from DirecTV satellites with no OTA access on the two days that set this problem up but this taught me a lesson. I really prefer sitting outside over tv, but thunderstorms have been plentiful here in the western Carolina mountains.

Since you're already an AT&T customer, take a closer look at the wireless services. They're offering pretty good perks to bundle, like free hbo I think, well, they own HBO I guess now but worth checking out.

[mikestock]

I really appreciate all the information here.

I think I've learned that my best option is to record any movies, which I had never tried, ahead of time and use the hot spot for other uses. I would never have a hotspot usage problem, otherwise.

I happened to have been tree blocked from DirecTV satellites with no OTA access on the two days that set this problem up but this taught me a lesson. I really prefer sitting outside over tv, but thunderstorms have been plentiful here in the western Carolina mountains.

[valhalla360]

Scottiemom wrote:
The throttle back in busy data areas is a lie. They throttle us back period when we reach 15G. Doesn't matter where we are. Sounds a good game when they say that, but we get throttled back no matter where we are, with little signal strength.

Dale

You have to read the fine print.

For hotspot, they do full throttle when you hit 15gig of hotspot use.
For access on the phone, they do selective throttle.

[MrWizard]

MNgeeks

Amazon or eBay
Buy the T-mobile version of your current phone
Take that with you to T-Mobile
No Need for you to make payments on an $840 phone

[jcpainter]

mikestock wrote:

jcpainter wrote:
mikestock, what is the name of the Verizon unlimited plan you are on?

After a confusing walk thru their website, all I can say is that I am on the "Unlimited for All" plan.

At the end of this billing period I will investigate further and probably cancel the extra, third phone. It apparently, didn't benefit me, in reality. I may change the plan for my other two phones during the fall football season since we will spend a lot of time in the rv.

LOL . . . all of their plans have names, bring up a chat session and ask them what the name of your plan is.