Verizon: How Much Do You Charge Now?

[CoolBreeze]

Starting next week, Verizon will double the early-termination fee for smartphones. That is, if you get a BlackBerry, Android or similar phone from Verizon, and you decide to switch phones before your two-year contract is up, you'll be socked with a $350 penalty (it used to be $175).

This fee drops slowly over time ($10 a month), but after two years, it's still $110. If the premise of the early-termination fee is to help Verizon recoup its original cost of the phone shouldn't the fee go down to zero at the end of your contract?

This move doesn't help Verizon's reputation for steep pricing and aggressive gouging.

What bothers me more, though, is another bit of greedy nastiness that readers both inside and outside Verizon have noticed.

"Virtually every bill I get has a couple of erroneous data charges at $1.99 each—yet we download no data.

"Here's how it works. They configure the phones to have multiple easily hit keystrokes to launch 'Get it now' or 'Mobile Web'—usually a single key like an arrow key. Often we have no idea what key we hit, but up pops one of these screens. The instant you call the function, they charge you the data fee. We cancel these unintended requests as fast as we can hit the End key, but it doesn't matter; they've told me that ANY data--even one kilobyte--is billed as 1MB. The damage is done.

"Imagine: if my one account has 1 to 3 bogus $1.99 charges per month for data that I don't download, how much are they making from their 87 million other customers? Not a bad scheme. All by simply writing your billing algorithm to bill a full MB when even a few bits have moved."

At about the same time, I got a note from a reader who says he actually works at Verizon, and he's annoyed enough about the practice to blow the whistle:

"The phone is designed in such a way that you can almost never avoid getting $1.99 charge on the bill. Around the OK button on a typical flip phone are the up, down, left, right arrows. If you open the flip and accidentally press the up arrow key, you see that the phone starts to connect to the web. So you hit END right away. Well, too late. You will be charged $1.99 for that 0.02 kilobytes of data. NOT COOL. I've had phones for years, and I sometimes do that mistake to this day, as I'm sure you have. Legal, yes; ethical, NO.

"Every month, the 87 million customers will accidentally hit that key a few times a month! That's over $300 million per month in data revenue off a simple mistake!

The more Verizon gouges, the worse it looks. Every single day, I get e-mail from people saying they're switching at the first opportunity, or would if they could. In time, the only people who will stay with Verizon are people who have no coverage with any other carrier.

more...
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/techn ... .html?_r=1

[Big Media]

What chaps my ass is that the prepaid wireless people are selling very decent phones for as little as $25 with no contracts, no commitments whatsoever. If these prepaid wireless providers can sell me an LG smartphone with QWERTY for $99, why does AT&FEE charge the same money up front, with a 2 year contract, and a $175 early termination fee for a $99 phone that I already paid for? Is this a fee just for the privilege of being billed for my service rather than paying up front?

I am seriously considering going Pre-Paid and telling the contract companies to F-off.

I place wireless providers in the same category as credit card issuers. They are greedy bastards and they must be stopped.

[Lee]

I'm about to go that route too. Looking into Boost Mobile.

[Dave Loudin]

What bothers me more, though, is another bit of greedy nastiness that readers both inside and outside Verizon have noticed.

"Virtually every bill I get has a couple of erroneous data charges at $1.99 each—yet we download no data.

"Here's how it works. They configure the phones to have multiple easily hit keystrokes to launch 'Get it now' or 'Mobile Web'—usually a single key like an arrow key. Often we have no idea what key we hit, but up pops one of these screens. The instant you call the function, they charge you the data fee. We cancel these unintended requests as fast as we can hit the End key, but it doesn't matter; they've told me that ANY data--even one kilobyte--is billed as 1MB. The damage is done.

"Imagine: if my one account has 1 to 3 bogus $1.99 charges per month for data that I don't download, how much are they making from their 87 million other customers? Not a bad scheme. All by simply writing your billing algorithm to bill a full MB when even a few bits have moved."

At about the same time, I got a note from a reader who says he actually works at Verizon, and he's annoyed enough about the practice to blow the whistle:

"The phone is designed in such a way that you can almost never avoid getting $1.99 charge on the bill. Around the OK button on a typical flip phone are the up, down, left, right arrows. If you open the flip and accidentally press the up arrow key, you see that the phone starts to connect to the web. So you hit END right away. Well, too late. You will be charged $1.99 for that 0.02 kilobytes of data. NOT COOL. I've had phones for years, and I sometimes do that mistake to this day, as I'm sure you have. Legal, yes; ethical, NO.

"Every month, the 87 million customers will accidentally hit that key a few times a month! That's over $300 million per month in data revenue off a simple mistake!

With a family plan of five phones, we always manage to have at least one $1.99 hit and this bothers me no end. The whistleblower is absolutely right - it's darn near impossible NOT to hit the web connect thingo.

[Scott Reppert]

Tracfone. Great Motorola phone. Talk all that I NEED to. Reception in areas where I have seen ALL other phones fail. $15.00 a month (at most...some months less).

[Bob Campbell]

But how can they be stopped barring....wait for it.....more government regulation. Like Europe has. Damn socialists.
You know, some of you guys really don't get to whine about this one. It's free market principals at work.

[Lester]

But how can they be stopped barring....wait for it.....more government regulation. Like Europe has. Damn socialists.
You know, some of you guys really don't get to whine about this one. It's free market principals at work.

Exactly... and some have chosen tracfone, etc.

You really don't understand most of what you read, do you?

[Bob Campbell]

But the guy bitching did not. Asked for someone to stop them.
C'mon Lester, facetious. Look it up.

[CoolBreeze]

I've had pre-paid for 5 years now. I've had Verizon, Tracfone, and now Kroger ( Front-man for I-Wireless). All of these phones work very well. Now, it's only the matter of who has the best deal year to year. I feel (that as of 8 months ago) Kroger does. I got an LG flipphone and over 350 minutes for $50. Then (and this is the only way you can do this) I went on line and signed-up for their "auto-pay" plan. Every 3 months they take $20 from your credit card and give you a bunch of minutes, while your old minutes roll over. (what's a bunch? I cant remember but I want to say something like 300). Anyway... it costs me EIGHTY DOLLARS A YEAR for cell phone service, and I have never run out of minutes. (most others are at least $100 a year, but some have a $100 card to buy, while others force you to buy cards every 3 months or lose your minutes. I don't have time for that game).

All I know is that IF you use a cell phone for pure convenience now and then and not as a daily device to show people how important you are.... many pre paid or pay as you go are the BEST way to go. Just be sure to check around FIRST.

[Bob Campbell]

I use mine for a very old school reason, to make phone calls.
If we had real competition somebody would come out with a flat fee, no contract, every service phone. We all buy our own phones, all phones work on all systems. LIke land lines.I'd pay a hundred a month for that.

[AmpedNow]

If I wasn't planning to get a smartphone, and just needed basic calling and text, I'd go prepaid myself.

As for Verizon, I'm pretty much done with them. I got nailed with this data charge several times before I figured out what was going on... I would be surprised if this doesn't turn into a class action lawsuit.

I've stuck with them for so long because of their network. At the time, they were the only national network I could use without having to worry about roaming and long distance charges. This is no longer true now. Almost everyone has cheaper plans as well.

They are also getting bad about answering emails. They don't even bother to go by their 24 hour answer policy anymore.

I never thought I would say this, but as a six year customer, I would strongly suggest to anyone to to their homework before signing a contract with them. It's the network, all right... That's all they seem to care about.

I would comment on their recent, slightly, sleight-of-hand ad blitz against AT&T, but maybe later...

[cgarison]

Considering my HTC TyTNII/Kaiser/AT&T Tilt spends 8 hours a day in data mode, I must say that I will be keeping my AT&T plan as it is now.

Things will change (for the better) and then I might move to another phone, but for now, my next phone will be an unlocked HTC with WinMo 6.5 that I can use with my current AT&T contract. If I am lucky, I might even get one with a headphone jack to replace my iPod.

[fearpeddler]

for the last 2 years i've had suddenlink phone, best home phone service i've ever had.

[Lee]

A friend of mine got this Wal-Mart cell phone deal thingie where she got an LG Slider phone...pretty nifty looking phone, actually. Her plan is unlimited everything for 60 bucks a month.

I'm a HUGE texter and data user...I primarily use data to read Wikipedia while taking a dump.

[fearpeddler]

I've been in a billing dispute with verizon for about 6 years now, finally the other day they mailed me a settlement offer for what my bill was supposed to actually be, and not the disputed amount... to bad the statute of limitations runs out on it anyways so their offer isnt worth it....

[nitchg]

This is a real email I sent moments ago to verizon.

Dear Verizon,
I had a Worldcom business account with an 800 number years ago, and there was a prepaid excess of $300 in it. Then when companies started musical chairs, It ended up as a Verizon Enterprise Center account and I fell thru the cracks and could no longer log in. I tried my best to cancel the account Master Acct. No. xxx Billing Acct. No. XOXO
but your company farmed out American jobs to operators in India who I talked to for several hours, but they did not seem to understand what I wanted, or could not, or would not do it. English is the national language of India, unlike the United States. Maybe that explains it. I continued to receive verizon enterprise center email about logging into my account but could not log in. I wanted to cancel my account while I still had a positive balance. But you routinely called my number to check on it I suppose, and billed me for the call. Now another year later you send me a RIDICULOUS MINDLESS do not reply message. Do_Not_Reply@verizon.com. I am sending this email to you on the last known addy I had for you. You tell me After 120 days without logging in to the VEC I will be required to authenticate using my user ID/password combination and provide the answer to your secret question. I don't have a user ID/password or secret question unless it is "Doesn't anyone know what is going on at verizon?" The answer is : You assholes!!! with three exclamation points. Bite Me!

[The People's DJ]

I'm a HUGE texter and data user...I primarily use data to read Wikipedia while taking a dump.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why I think its time. When you can surf the web while goin' #2, its time for a great big EMP bomb. Start all over again.

[sportsvoice]

I guess this is what keeps me with Cincinnati Bell Wireless. No contracts.