Fact or fiction?
HUGUETTE
Enthusiast - Level 2

We were on Verizons 10GB, 500 minute plan & had been using less than 5GB so we decided to downgrade back to 5GB.  Thats when we learned about:

SHARE EVERY UNL TLK&TXT 6GB

It was $20 cheaper, so we took it.

Shortly after that, we got a data usage alert from Verizon & found wed been charged with a huge 1.4 GB at 12:41 AM the night before when nobody was using the computer.  We called Verizon Support & were told the time stamp was not the time of the actual data transfer, but the time the amount was entered into Verizons database (& therefore meaningless). The agent suggested it was probably from our activity the day before.

We had another unexplained 1.3 GB on 10/30 & limped through last week using less than .25 GB.

Our data clock reset at midnight Saturday and, lo & behold, another 1.3GB hit at 2:30 AM yesterday when everyone was asleep.

Yesterday, Johnathan at the Verizon store said Apple downloads huge OS updates to our iPhones & MacBooks in the middle of the night without warning or permission.  We dont believe this has ever happened.  Can someone enlighten us?  Meanwhile, our Jetpack stays turned off when were not online & were watching Verizons record of our GBs.

This inability to trust Verizons record of our data usage is unacceptable.  Weve been happy with Verizon service and support for 10 years & wed hate to leave because of this.

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Re: Fact or fiction?
shutterbug07
Contributor - Level 2

your phone will do updates automatically if you dont have ssettings changed to something else. I persoally always leave my mobile data off unless I am specifically using it. Especially when its as easy as sliding the drop down menu down and pushing a button. If you dont have wifi at home I suggest shutting mobile data off at night when your in bed and not using the devices. That would help with data usage your not "using" As fas as the jetpack, I've seen and heard too many issues with that thing and personally think that its a waste of money, especially since your phones on that plan ahve mopbile hotspot built into it.

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Re: Fact or fiction?
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Dear Huguette,

Good afternoon. Saving money on your phone each month is very important. Allow us to help clarify usage with your jetpack. When a jetpack is not being used, it is recommended to turn it off. When a jetpack is powered on, all wifi capable devices, pc's, etc. will have the ability to connect to the jetpack and complete software updates. This will cause usage towards your data plan. How are you turning off your jetpack when not in use?

Thank You,
MichelleL_VZW
VZW Support
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSUPPORT

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Re: Fact or fiction?
HUGUETTE
Enthusiast - Level 2

MichelleL_VZW,

 

Thanks for your response.  We’re hoping we can reach a

satisfactory explanation & thereby restore our trust in Verizon

Wireless.  The conflicting responses we got from *611 & Verizon Store

did little toward that end.

 

To answer your question:  We turn off the jetpack with the switch on top of the unit.  Prior

to 11/10 we were leaving it on all the time.  Since then, we turn it off

whenever we're not online.  We’ve been watching the data usage detail very

carefully and, so far, we've had no more huge data amounts since the 1.3GB

early on the 10th.

 

We’d be interested to learn if there is a simpler (perhaps

automatic) way to turn off the jetpack.

 

Also, a forum response suggested we may not even need the

jetpack since our iPhone 4 can be used as a hotspot.  When we got our iPhones, we understood the

iPhone 4 didn’t have hotspot capability.  Which is correct?

 

We’ll look forward to your response.

 

Huguette & Richard

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Re: Fact or fiction?
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

HUGUETTE,

Just what we needed to know. And we're terribly sorry for your prior experiences. But it's great to know you're doing everything right to limit usage on your jetpack by turning it off with the switch on top (which is the best option for this particular device). In regards to your question about using the iPhone 4 as a hotspot, I can confirm that it is fully capable of doing so. Additionally, if on the Share Everything plan, you need not pay extra for hotspot capabilities but only format the plan to suit your usage http://bit.ly/xdDajD . And hey, you may still get some good use out of your jetpack if you travel or are on the go.

EvanO_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

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Re: Fact or fiction?
HUGUETTE
Enthusiast - Level 2

EvanO_VZW,

Thanks for your response.  This sounds great, but I don't know how to make my iPhone4 visible to my MacBook Airport.  Can you explain how to do this or direct me to the instructions?

Thanks, Huguette

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Re: Fact or fiction?
HUGUETTE
Enthusiast - Level 2

This morning I downloaded “Current Data Log” & found the

total of the individual log entries about 100 KB lower than the indicated usage

total.  Also, the “Current Data Log”

shows no entries for 11/14/13 and 11/15/13.  My earlier downloads of “Current Data Log” show entries on both

11/14/13 and 11/15/13 and now they are gone.  Can you explain this discrepancy?

 

My usage since I began turning off the Jetpack when not online

continues to be about 70KB per day and there have been no more huge log entries.

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Re: Fact or fiction?
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

I sure can, HUGUETTE. To make your phone visable to your MacBook Airport, follow the steps at  http://vz.to/1f8Kzih to enable the personal hotspot and view it's settings. Once it's been turned on, you should be able to see it as an available connection.

Additionally, keep in mind that third party applications may not provide an accurate reading of your data usage. I can't speak for what that application pulls it's data from, so it may be missing some key components or may simply be providing an estimate. The information available at My Verizon http://bit.ly/xB4iTc is the most accurate way to track data usage amounts and times.

Thank you
JenniferH_VZW

Please follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

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Re: Fact or fiction?
HUGUETTE
Enthusiast - Level 2

JenniferH_VZW

Thanks

for your response.  http://vz.to/1f8Kzih  worked fine on both of our iPhone4s.  One slight problem:  Download speed is 4 to 10 times slower with

the iPhones than with the Jetpack.  Is

there a way to remedy this?

 

Thanks, Richard

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Re: Fact or fiction?
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Glad to hear that you got that resolved, HUGUETTE. The difference in speed is most likely the result of the iPhone 4s which is a 3G device -vs- the faster LTE 4G speeds that the jetpack provides. What type of speeds are you getting on your phone? Have you completed a speed test?

ChaunceyM_VZW

Follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

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