VERIZON CHANGING DATA PLANS AGAIN

[RoyB]

VERIZON running off us GRANDFATHERED guys I guess. We have the unlimited DATA on our older DROID cell phone account which isn't suppose to go away until around 2030 sometime.

Also have a grandfather MIFI 3GB dataplan unit...

They tried this before and after we reminded them we have a signed agreement between us they stopped bothering us. Don't know if that will work again this time or not.

Hearing instead of dropping us this time they are going to raise the rates in hopes we will drop ourselves... It is almost double for the data starting in November. Thats big for me with three phones on the account...

Suppose to be bigger data rates in the NOV BILLING cycle... Seems like the signed contract should prevail...

My bigger problem is VERIZON is the only reliable service where we live. To make phone calls with the other guys I would have to climb a telephone pole like on Green Acres haha...

I'm going to miss my Internet Radio Scanners downstream operations I guess...

Anyone have any ins and outs on this???

Roy Ken

[RoyB]

dahkota - we are almost the same as you except my DROID does not tether. Had to get the MIFI unit to do that. It actualy worked out better for me in that I can have up to five of my wifi enabled devices working at same time. Also in the early days of using tether mode it tied up the cellphone.

Understand the newer cell cellphones doesn't get tied up when in tether mode...

My VERIZON bill is $248 a mo for two smart phone accounts, one standard cellphone account and the MIFI 3GB dataplan account. It appears I will be seeing a $40 increase depending on what VERIZON will want to do about my grandfather MIFI 3GB account.

[dahkota]

We have an unlimited plan and use about 50G per month. There is no other plan we could get that would be as cheap, even adding in the extra $40/month. Instead of a mifi we tether (bluetooth) our laptops to our phones. It is free and fast, unlike campground wifi.

[RoyB]

Actually I guess the MIFI unit will stay the same... It is set at 3GB not unlimited. It only cost $27 a month - now they only sell the 5GB MIFI low end plan for $59 a month I think it is... If it comes to that it would be best for to me upgrade to the 5GB monthly plan perhaps... I would get the JETPACk like yours...

[RoyB]

MR Wiz - Thinking the same thing here... I really only have one phone and the MIFI hotspot unit that uses the most data. Probably just drop unlimited data to one phone account and get whatever is available for other two accounts.

About the only time we downstream TV SHOWS to watch when we miss one is over our CABLE INTERNET account... Don't think I have ever gone over its limits - bill is always the same each month (almost to the penny)...

Having said that I guess that means I will have to drop my smart phone. Wife already has standard phone and me and my daughter has smart phones. I think if you have a smart phone you have have to have some kind of data plan to keep it...

I guess not doing anything will mean my bill will go up $60 counting my MIFI unit...

[RoyB]

APT - I will get all of that from VERIZON when we call them on what to do... Thanks for help there on what questions to ask...

The last time we talked with VERIZON the guy we was talking must have got bonuses on what new accounts he could get - he was hard to deal with haha...

[MrWizard]

unlimited plans are going from.$29 to $49
a whopping $20
they're is no other plan that will cover my user that is that reasonable, $20 more a month is my cheapest option

you need to keep things in perspective,
the other plans would cost me more, to use the data I use
I'm glad they are not raising it more

[RoyB]

I never heard they could raise the price but did hear they could not cancel the data plan unless we entered into a new contract... My two year CELL PHONE contract was up a long time ago... One one account we have purchased a new cell phone a couple of times from someone else and they just changed the name of the phone on our original account...

In my case both my data plans are a good ten years or more old... I was told by Verizon the terms in the contract would be in force until 2030 something. Thought that meant the rates too but probably not...

We are definitely not big data users.. Just a few TV shows from time to time and when I am on RV trips I probably get pretty close to maxing out my 3GB monthly plan...

Some four year ago they was wanting to move us to a different dataplan which was more cost but didn't do it unless we would change the contract terms??? That was when they dropped the 3GB MIFI plan for a 5GB MIFI plan...

Guess we need to call them up and see what the deal is going to be in our case...

I do have my Internet Radio scanner freqs going all the time and that is never of 300mbs a month I see on the bill... One account is still using the UNLIMITED TEXT big time each month but I don't think that comes under the data plan at all...

We was going to switch to AARP phones on Consumer Cellular but found out they may not be on the VERIZON TOWERS so that is out for us...

Sooner or later perhaps another carrier will put a close by tower here for us.. We are just over the hill so to speak for from other carriers...

[APT]

Just to be clear, Verizon is not changing plans again or eliminating it. They are raising the cost of your current plan.

Do you know how much data you actually use for those 3 lines? The 3GB for the Mifi is marginally cheap to add to Verizon's current pick you size plans. When we had 2 smartphone lines with unlimited data, I think we paid about $150/mo. That's about the cost of the 18GB plan plus two smartphones today. Add a 3rd smartphone for $20 to share. I suspect that 6GB per line per month is plenty for most people that do not stream audio/video all day. Add the Mifi for $10. Probably less than you are currently paying for all the services, and you get unlimited texting and voice minutes.

[sch911]

Once your two years ran out they can raise the price to whatever they want. You really should do a business case by looking at their shared data plans based on your required data usage. You can have all of your devices use the same pool of data and have all you use cheaper than you think....

[p220sigman]

There was another thread running on this a few weeks ago. It had this link in it with information. I would guess that under the last contract you had, the rate was only guaranteed until the contract went month to month and is now subject to change, so you likely won't have any recourse to paying the new rate other than dropping the plan.