Verizon Introduces 'Share Everything' Service Plan for Up to Ten Devices

[bstr]

Higher cost for less in return

I have a $70 (1400 min) plan with 3 smart phones, 2 dumb phones

Unlimited data on the phones: $30 x 3 = $90
2 dumb phones $10 x 2 = $20
2 smart phone add-a-line $10 x 2 = $20

Total cost: $200 (corp discount and taxes are a wash)


With new Share Everything, I essentially lose unlimited data for an increased cost of about $60. I do gain texting on the dumb phones, but not necessary. Smart phones get it free with Google voice already.

Smartphone access fee $40 x 3 = $120
Dumb phone access fee $30 x 2 = $60
6GB data shared $80

Total cost: $260

No thanks.... and when my contract expires in Dec 2013, I'd say there's a 75% chance I'll switch to Tmobile or Virgin Mobile.

 

[Unspeaked]

I can't believe some of the prices being mentioned around here.

I'm on T-Mobile and have two phones sharing 1,000 minutes, unlimited texts and 10GB of data (technically unlimited but throttled after 10GB) for $90/month. Excellent customer service, no contract and good coverage (in my area).

How can anyone give their money to AT&T or Verizon??

 

[Huracan]

Looks to me this is a pretty bad and expensive plan, except for people who were already paying very expensive full coverage plans. I am not with Verizon, but if I were to change my current plan to their structure I would have to pay a lot, lot more, for not any significant improvement in day to day use.

By the way, texting plans have always been a complete rip-off, and voice (when you look at it as another form of data) is becoming a smaller part of mobile data traffic.

These plans seem like an attempt to squeeze the last drops of voice and texting while milking the data cow good. Definitely this plan doesn't seem customer friendly, it is designed to increase Verizon's revenue.

 

[AustinIllini]

I'm on T-Mobile and have two phones sharing 1,000 minutes, unlimited texts and 10GB of data (technically unlimited but throttled after 10GB) for $90/month. Excellent customer service, no contract and good coverage (in my area).

How can anyone give their money to AT&T or Verizon??

We want to be ready for the LTE iPhone, which T-mobile won't be ready for when the iPhone LTE is released. Like it or not, big red and mama bell are going to have the best LTE networks for the foreseeable future. If you can live without it, fine, but that's why we give the big guns money.

 

[drober30]

Ubsurd!

These prices are a huge increase!

My wife, daughter and I would pay $40x3 = 120 just for our iPhones, then $60 for 2GB of data which equals = $180

Right now with AT&T our bill is $140 and the wife and I have unlimited data, my daughter only has 200MB but that's OK, she is only twelve and even under our shared minutes of 700, we have plenty to go around with free weekends and mobile to mobile.

Wireless carriers need to innovate and figure out a way to provide data much cheaper. They will make plenty of money by having people sign up that otherwise would not.

Just like Apple updates their iOS for free and Mountain Lion will be $19.99 for all devices, there are ways to offer value and make $$$$

 

[baummer]

I wonder if Sprint will file a lawsuit against Verizon for using "Everything" in their plan's name, seeing as how Sprint has the "Simply Everything" plans.

 

[globality]

I can't believe some of the prices being mentioned around here.

I'm on T-Mobile and have two phones sharing 1,000 minutes, unlimited texts and 10GB of data (technically unlimited but throttled after 10GB) for $90/month. Excellent customer service, no contract and good coverage (in my area).

How can anyone give their money to AT&T or Verizon??

Believe me, T-Mobile will increase their price when they get the new iPhone

 

[bstr]

I can't believe some of the prices being mentioned around here.

I'm on T-Mobile and have two phones sharing 1,000 minutes, unlimited texts and 10GB of data (technically unlimited but throttled after 10GB) for $90/month. Excellent customer service, no contract and good coverage (in my area).

How can anyone give their money to AT&T or Verizon??

I did because I've been paying $52/mo for each smartphone on Verizon for unlimited data and subsidized phone pricing.

 

[diane143]

How can anyone give their money to AT&T or Verizon??

Coverage. I just looked at their map. It's like AT&T 10 years ago (in my area anyway)

 

[baummer]

Coverage. I just looked at their map. It's like AT&T 10 years ago (in my area anyway)

True, Verizon's coverage is hard to beat. Not saying it's perfect everywhere in the US, but I've been in some remote areas with people who have AT&T, Sprint (myself included), and Verizon, and the only people who had cell coverage were those who had Verizon. I just can't stomach paying what they charge.

 

[wordoflife]

For me, I'd be paying about the same on this new plan compared to my current plan, but I'd be getting more stuff through this new plan.

However, I have AT&T right now and I really like the service that I'm getting.

 

[diane143]

True, Verizon's coverage is hard to beat. Not saying it's perfect everywhere in the US, but I've been in some remote areas with people who have AT&T, Sprint (myself included), and Verizon, and the only people who had cell coverage were those who had Verizon. I just can't stomach paying what they charge.

I live in the northeast so it's certainly not remote. But AT&T had some wicked bare patches back then, and I see the same with T-Mobile now. Plus all the dropped calls, the bad reception (turn phone off, turn back on and it's fine even though you never moved). I've eliminated all those issues since switching to Verizon in 2005, and watched people who went to the AT&T iPhone have them start up again. I know people on Sprint and they have bad coverage around here too. We can call one of the guys here in the building, and they'll walk up to us and their phone isn't even ringing.

I don't have many complaints about them since I've moved (AT&T customer service was horrible!) but wow, these plans take the cake!

 

[Unspeaked]

Believe me, T-Mobile will increase their price when they get the new iPhone

Did Sprint? I didn't think they did.

Coverage. I just looked at their map. It's like AT&T 10 years ago (in my area anyway)

True, Verizon's coverage is hard to beat. Not saying it's perfect everywhere in the US, but I've been in some remote areas with people who have AT&T, Sprint (myself included), and Verizon, and the only people who had cell coverage were those who had Verizon. I just can't stomach paying what they charge.

I haven't been to every city in the USA so can't say this from experience, but it seems that every time I look at one of those Consumer Reports style reviews of wireless carriers, they all have their strong spots and weak spots. There doesn't seem to be anyone that is perfect everywhere, or horrible everywhere. Though I'll admit Verizon seems to have the best network coverage in general.

 

[SVTVenom]

Like the article says, it's a better deal for people paying for minutes still and on a family plan. It's $10 cheaper than what I pay now, anyway. The pricing is still outrageous, though. $50 for 1 shared GB, but only $100 for 10GB? Why not $10 for 1GB, $40 for 4GB, etc? At least they wouldn't be insulting people's intelligence with that pricing scheme.

 

[semitry]

True, Verizon's coverage is hard to beat. Not saying it's perfect everywhere in the US, but I've been in some remote areas with people who have AT&T, Sprint (myself included), and Verizon, and the only people who had cell coverage were those who had Verizon. I just can't stomach paying what they charge.

I recently switched from Sprint to Verizon. The difference isn't that much. Sprint use to be a hell of a deal but after adding premium data, nixing how discounts are applied and taking away yearly upgrade for the primary account holder, it's not worth it.

Sprint for 2 after a 27% discount was $136.
Verizon for 2 after an 18/20% discount is in the 140s.

 

[rgravell]

glad i just locked my contract in for two more years with unlimited data. looks like my iPhone purchases will be outright every year.

 

[semitry]

Did Sprint? I didn't think they did.

They have in how they do discounts and taking away the primary account holder yearly upgrades. Their network is trash, at least in my area so they should to pay for decent coverage.

 

[Dahiana]

$40 per device seems like a lot & sharing 2gbs of data in my family would be crazy. 2gbs per user is usually not enough for 2/5 of us but it's a cool new interesting concept. I like the $10 no contract deal for IPads.

 

[nzmc36]

Exactly! Why is the monthly plan more for a smartphone vs a regular phone? And why is there even a monthly charge for the tablet if all it uses is the data portion?

The only justification I can see here is to help subsidize the additional cost of the smart phone.

Still - a joke. Why should we be paying more here in the US than in the UK/Europe for basic service - I guess because they can.....

 

[mentalward]

OK, I just spoke with a VZW rep regarding the corporate discounts. According to this person (grain of salt disclaimer) the corporate discounts will apply to the access charges ONLY and not the data plan. But I was told it would apply to all lines and not just the primary. If this is the case then this new plan will actually save me about $20/month as we are not heavy data users.

I heard something similar regarding my workplace discount not covering the shared data plans, except that I was told that I could still only apply the discount to my device. In my case, my wife works the same place I do and is also entitled to a 22% discount through Verizon, but only one of us can use a discount per plan according to Verizon. Here’s how it works out for me:

Old Plan
$93.57 (119.96 -22%) 700min Family Plan w/ Unlimited TXT
$23.40 (30.00 -22%) iPhone 4 with unlimited data (use about 1.5GB-2GB /month)
$30.00 iPhone 4 w/ unlimited data (use about 500MB-1GB /month)
$9.99 Dumb phone (with data blocked)
$9.99 Dumb phone (with data blocked)
----------
$166.95 TOTAL/MONTH

New Plan
$70 4GB Shared data (discount no longer applies to shared plan)
$31.20 ($40 -22%) iPhone 4
$40 iPhone 4
$30 Dumb phone
$30 Dumb phone
----------
$201.20 TOTAL/MONTH

This new “value” plan would cost me $34 MORE a month! I don’t use unlimited minutes, or unlimited texting, or tethering, or whatever else this plan supposedly comes with. If I am forced to this structure when my contract expires late this year, I will look for another carrier. $200+ a month, considering my limited non-data needs, is an outrage.

 

[inkswamp]

The pricing shell game continues. These phone service providers got too comfy with screwing customers over and they're clearly going to hold on to that as long as they can. Instead of innovating or adapting to this next big thing in phones, they're going to keep doing the same-old-same-old and gradually lose control. Already most of my text messages go out as iMessages. I wonder what Apple's next move will be to chip away at their control? Whatever it is, it can't come soon enough.

 

[Judas1]

A price increase in the guise of a new feature. Go to hell Verison.

 

[ritmomundo]

So will these new "share plans" replace the currently offered plans? Or are they just an extra option to choose from?

 

[Spectrum Abuser]

The device charge is discriminating products. Charging $40 just to have one smartphone(even a low-end device) on the family plan is an absolute dump on the customer. On AT&T it's a $10 charge per 'line'[device] on the family plan. No matter what device you're adding everything uses a flat rate.

 

[macUser2007]

LOL!

So, that's $100 per month for a phone with 2GB of data. Pretty poor deal, IMO.

Verizon is expensive and it has a terrible customer service wherever they are a monopoly. Only suckers use it.