I lost my unlimited data plan?!
played
Enthusiast - Level 2

About a year and a half ago I lost my iPhone 4 while hiking so I decided to pick up an iPhone 5s.  I went to BestBuy and they told me that if I purchased a phone through them I would lose my unlimited data plan.  So, I decide to try Verizon directly before I purchased a phone off the street at full value, which I was more than happy to do to keep my unlimited data plan.  You see, I fully understand the value of an unlimited data plan due to the pace at which technology is advancing.  Not long ago people laughed at the idea of watching movies on a personal computer and home network because they couldn't comprehend the idea of "streaming" and the mind boggling amount of data it would take to achieve this feat.  I did not laugh then and I anticipate the same evolution with smart phone technology as we're already seeing today.  Therefore, when I called Verizon directly and spoke with a salesperson inquiring about purchasing a new iPhone 5s at a discounted rate because my 2 year contract had expired, I specifically asked, "Will I be able to keep my Unlimited data plan?"  The salesperson said, "Yes."  Well, it wasn't true and Verizon bumped me to a limited monthly data plan.  I called a few months later once I discovered that my plan was changed (Yes, it took a few months to notice the change.  Look at your latest bill and see if you can find the name of you data plan.  At the time, this info was found I believe on page 4 after a blank page, somewhere in a long list of other plan features and it had a code name that did not say "data plan" or anything of the sort.  It took a call center supervisor several painful minutes to walk me through locating the web page where I could click on a link to download an electronic copy of my bill, then talked me through a scrolling exercise that lasted several pages of the pdf file as I just described).  Bottom line - my request was rejected because I should have noticed the change and called immediately.  But why would I even bother looking for a change in my plan when the salesperson told me I could keep my Unlimited data plan?  My bad.  I should never have trusted (and will never trust again) Verizon sales people.

Am I the only long term, loyal Verizon customer that got, well, shafted like this?  I would absolutely LOVE to hear if anyone else received similar treatment.

-played

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Re: I lost my unlimited data plan?!
Weth
Legend

A quick search on Google would have told you the only option was buying a phone at full price. This policy has been in place for a long time now, and was even well known 1.5 years ago. There is no chance of getting your unlimited data back at this point.

Lesson of the day. When you talk to a salesperson, any salesperson, already know what you want. Research yourself before you do any interaction with any salesperson. Stay focused, and if anything else is offered other than what you were planning, stop and re-research before committing. Doing this would decrease the problems on this forum by at least 75%.

Your next best option is to wait for another double data promotion, or you have 6 months left in your contract and re-evaluate the field.  I do not see unlimited data and Verizon going together anytime soon.

Re: I lost my unlimited data plan?!
pherson
Champion - Level 1

Wait. I'm lost. You said you decided to try verizon. Was your iPhone 4 on another carrier?

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Re: I lost my unlimited data plan?!
pherson
Champion - Level 1

Never mind. I reread it.

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Re: I lost my unlimited data plan?!
dad_of_2
Specialist - Level 1

   Always read and re-read everything. Since you aggreed to the 2 year contract, you have to go with those terms. Sorry.

On a side note, if you would have logged in to your myverizon account, you can see right on the front page your allowance, so saying was hard to read the bill is not an excuse.

Re: I lost my unlimited data plan?!
played
Enthusiast - Level 2

You're correct.  I really should have read through the 2 year contract probably several times.  My mistake was to trust a Verizon employee likely trying to earn commission on a sale.  However, I've only had positive experiences with Verizon sales people for the last 14+ years so of course I wasn't suspicious or skeptical, and so I trusted him.  I went on my merry way assuming everything was as stated so I didn't think to scrutizine my bill.  At the time I did not notice the data usage limit on MyVerizon and I agree that it's easy to find, but regarding the bill I believe I am correct in stating that Verizon's billing layout is not user friendly, proven even by the length of time it took a Verizon call center supervisor to guide me to the page and location of the data plan (code).  Additionally, on the version of the bill we walked through the words "data plan" were nowhere to be found in the list of plan features and I believe that's still the case today.

Re: I lost my unlimited data plan?!
GMSLEE
Enthusiast - Level 3

I got the HTC Thunderbolt, Verizon's first LTE capable smart phone, back in mid 2011.  I got the unlimited data plan, and I used around 10-20GB per month on average.  After a couple years, you start to notice your phone is slow.  Not sure if it becomes slower because newer apps are written to utilize faster hardware (that last OS upgrade ran like a dog!), or because you see other people's phones and wish you had the latest and greatest again.  By that point Verizon had tossed the unlimited data idea, because apparently when a customer uses unmetered data, several angels lose their wings in a very unwholesome scene befitting modern video games.  I bought an HTC Droid DNA on eBay for less than I figured I would pay for the data I was using in a year, and since it doesn't upgrade your contract to do so, proudly retained my grandfathered-in unlimited data plan.

More recently, my wife had us switch carriers because Verizon doesn't get reliable signal at our new house.  Turns out other carriers offer unlimited data, and some will even pay your early termination charges that Verizon uses to hold you hostage.  I lost my unlimited data plan with Verizon, so I can never go back, but now I have unlimited minutes to go with unlimited data on another carrier, so I'm actually doing a little better than I did, and would be paying less per month for it if I didn't have to buy the phone at full price with the competitor (beware sales tactics: cheaper isn't always cheaper!).

Re: I lost my unlimited data plan?!
pherson
Champion - Level 1

Hostage?!

That's the silliest thing I've heard so far today!

Hope your new "carrier" works out.

Re: I lost my unlimited data plan?!
GMSLEE
Enthusiast - Level 3

Hope your day gets better!  "Hostage" being an exaggeration of course, the concept is still there.  Enough unsatisfied customers feel they can't leave their provider due to the $175 or so per line termination fee, that it has become a common sales tactic for competitors to offer to pay the fee.

The new carrier has been good for the first couple months so far.  I miss LTE in the country (trips to central KY involve slow data speeds on my personal phone now), but the unlimited calling was just not possible without signing a new contract with Verizon, and it didn't make sense to pay the up-charge for a 20GB plan.  Plus, a phone that drops calls in your home isn't reliable enough to be a feasible option.

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Re: I lost my unlimited data plan?!
pherson
Champion - Level 1

Cell phones, just like cellular internet, was never meant to be a replacement for a home phone, or home internet.