Verizon Revamps Plans With More Data, Carryover Data, Unlimited 2G, and Higher Prices

[rdlink]

I think he more meant it would be nice to see them doing something like this of their own volition rather than imitating the competition after the fact. tMobile (and Sprint to an extent) are companies that use feel-good tactics to pull in customers, whereas ATT and VZW are more like "well we had to raise prices to give you a little more data... this will hurt us more than it will hurt you, trust us... you dont really need that extra data anyway. now stop complaining."

I know what he meant. My point is that none of these companies, including TMO and Sprint are going to give us anything unless they think it's going to help their bottom line. They're businesses, and their first loyalty is to their shareholders. Not us, the customers. That's why it was a good thing when TMO decided that the way to make inroads with building customer base (and saving their company in the US) was to turn the status quo on its head. Because only competition will cause a company, especially a company like VZW and ATT to change the status quo.

Me thinks that the only reason why VZW made this supposedly customer friendly change was because they were starting to see some churn related to TMO. As TMO's network gets closer to VZW's in coverage and quality they will have to get even more competitive. Between that, and the FCC finally starting to grow a pair with the wireless companies we may actually get something along the lines of a decent cell phone industry here in the US.

 

[Ries]

Romania per capita GDP = $9500
US per capita GDP = $53000

Translation: We make 5.6x more than he does. In fact if you take $12/month x 5.6 = $67.20. Google Fiber is $70/month.

Also, travel 3,000 miles and tell me how much data costs. Call somebody 3,000 miles away. In fact, my cell phone number is still from the other side of the country, and it doesn't make a difference. And we don't have to pay for 900 numbers to call the doctor, like the Brits did with NGN.

https://www.3.dk/abonnementer/mobil/

$30 per month for 10GB/unlimited calling and free roaming in 40 countries including the USA (Including 25% VAT).

That would be 4700 miles, no problem.

So I can get a cheaper data plan in your country than you can.

 

[MrGuder]

I have unlimited why do I need to a carryover plan?

 

[JohnApples]

Almost as good as soldering RAM so it can't be upgraded!

...I guess, though the two are completely unrelated? At least Apple doesn't advertise "NEW! Secure RAM feature! For just a few dollars more, your RAM is now soldered!"

 

[31 Flavas]

Unlimited 2G. UNLIMITED 2G??? WHAT YEAR DO YOU THINK WE LIVE IN? How about we get unlimited 4G for $20/month instead of this INSANE rip-off!

Insane rip-off? What are you talking about? Have you forgotten how much better VZW's coverage is? Just remember, T-mobile sucks and it's CEO is a jerk and a shyster who is only trying to trick people into using their crappy service. Don't forget T-Mo is also the one who killed off phone subsidies making you pay full price for cell phones. Because that $350/$400 subsidy was totally never repaid though your phone bill. So keep that in mind when you are calling something an "INSANE rip-off", VZW is the good guy here. They're just charging a reasonable price for their superior coverage and service. You pay for what you get.

*The preceeding was sarcasm which was directed in general*

 

[senseless]

After reading the responses of what services other people get in other countries, all I can say is, we Americans are stupid fools!

Fools for letting big corporate America to financially rape us like they do. I guess we like to just bend over and take it for the team cause we sure as hell don't stand up for ourselves.

I'm willing to bet that Verizon union employees make a whole lot more money than their European counterparts. You can't have it both ways.

 

[Ries]

I'm willing to bet that Verizon union employees make a whole lot more money than their European counterparts. You can't have it both ways.

Because socialist europe doesn't have unions?

 

[RedOrchestra]

I'm willing to bet that Verizon union employees make a whole lot more money than their European counterparts. You can't have it both ways.

Spit-balling ain't worth anything - without something to back your bet, your comment is, well, senseless.

 

[M5RahuL]

Speak with your wallet guys!

Switched to TMO ( from VZW after 11 yrs ) about 4yrs ago for $120 unlimited everything!(including worlwide calling ) for 2 lines and never regretted it!!

 

[kazmac]

If T-Mobile's service was better, I'd jump. T-Mobile is ridiculously bad in my building, on my commute and meh on my block. Verizon is slightly better service-wise but not much.

Another part of my utter frustration with T-Mobile is customer service which is awful, whether over the phone or in person, always a cluster. And trying to fix something is like pulling an angry elephant's tusk out. They have great deals and I happy they work for a lot of people.

I'll probably keep my 3gb plan for now, although I notice service is a lot worse since early this year.

 

[vmistery]

Isn't part of the reason that US carriers are expensive that the USA is so huge? Here in the UK i pay £37 a month for 2GB data unlimited everything else and get the iphone chucked in too but you could fit a lot of UKs in the USA!

 

[WinterWolf90]

Interesting, I don't think I've heard of discounts higher than 25% (short of those for Verizon employees or agents). Must be something more recent.

Perhaps it's my government job? We are union as well and the benefit is through them.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Why do you guys in Europe keep "bragging" about your comparatively cheap data but then scream in outrage about how expensive Apple products are there compared to the U.S.?

The reality is though that a great deal of consumers in the U.S. do not pay these prices. Either they get a discount through work -- or even paid 100%, they are on a family plan which reduces per phone use cost, they are on a "grandfathered" plan at much lower rate, or they go with a less expensive pre-paid plan.

So please, enough with the "our prices in Europe are sooooo much cheaper, nah, nah, nah." It's a silly and pointless whatever it is unless you truly do not understand why local markets are local, why, say, a house in the country may be a lot less expensive than 5 miles outside a major city center.

Or, if you're no longer getting anything useful out of this thread, you can just stop reading instead of telling everyone else what they can and cannot post?
[doublepost=1467896842][/doublepost]

Insane rip-off? What are you talking about? Have you forgotten how much better VZW's coverage is? Just remember, T-mobile sucks and it's CEO is a jerk and a shyster who is only trying to trick people into using their crappy service. Don't forget T-Mo is also the one who killed off phone subsidies making you pay full price for cell phones. Because that $350/$400 subsidy was totally never repaid though your phone bill. So keep that in mind when you are calling something an "INSANE rip-off", VZW is the good guy here. They're just charging a reasonable price for their superior coverage and service. You pay for what you get.

*The preceeding was sarcasm which was directed in general*

Doesn't sound like sarcasm, sounds more like a defense for Verizon from a Verizon zealot. But, since you put that "disclaimer", it must be.
[doublepost=1467897142][/doublepost]

Isn't part of the reason that US carriers are expensive that the USA is so huge? Here in the UK i pay £37 a month for 2GB data unlimited everything else and get the iphone chucked in too but you could fit a lot of UKs in the USA!

Think about it, though. There are paying customers everywhere there is service. It's not like everyone lives in California, but the carriers have towers across the US that no one uses.

We may have more land but we have people all across the land paying for the service. It would be interesting to get a "people per tower" count to see if a higher service cost is justified or not.

 

[senseless]

Spit-balling ain't worth anything - without something to back your bet, your comment is, well, senseless.

"Verizon is also unionized. In a competitive market, unions cannot do much to raise pay. If they do, their company will have to raise prices, driving customers away. But in a non-competitive market, companies such as Verizon enjoy inflated profits. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) used its leverage to redistribute some of those inflated profits to its members (hence the $130,000 a year compensation packages)."

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/434050/verizon-strike-landline-workers-go-strike

 

[Rocketman]

Feedback: As an overpaying Verizon customer, if you are going to add rollover, to have it only valid for the following month is insulting. A year? Forever?

Given how much T-Mobile will pay me to switch and all the unfined data uses they have, it is pretty compelling.

I think I pay for 6 lines now.

 

[BOOmBoTz401]

I thought this was a 20$ line access.....40$!?!

I'm on the 2gb loyalty plan for 60$

With my discount the new plan comes to 77$ for 2gb without there "saftey feature" which is insanity

Didn't Verizon also say they were planning to drop 2g completely not to long ago?

These new plans are ridiculous, if there was another carrier that has the nationwide coverage i need I'd be gone

 

[31 Flavas]

Doesn't sound like sarcasm, sounds more like a defense for Verizon from a Verizon zealot. But, since you put that "disclaimer", it must be.

If you say so. You might want to read my post history. But, I don't deny there are zelots who will defend VZW / ATT.
[doublepost=1467897908][/doublepost]

To everyone outside the US, let me tell you...15 years ago, in the jungles of Thailand, I had cell service at a time we barely had decent service in the cities of the US. Today, coverage is better, but prices are ridiculous. The problem is (like our healthcare, which someone mentioned) there is nothing we can do about it. People are numb to the high prices. I don't know why we don't have 300mbit unlimited service in our homes for $30/mo. I don't know why carriers are still peddling 128kbs service, like they're doing us some sort of favor. We're being brainwashed.

Verizon, to me, has always been the worst value in the industry. A company that truly doesn't care about giving it's customers a decent deal. Always high prices, locked down phones, and bad policies keep me from ever switching to them.

People are dumb. That explains it.

You know I posted on this before. Here is the post if your interested. I was criticized not for the content of my post, but because we don't explicitly "venerate" by bowing down before them and asking for more beatings. There isn't just a numbness, or even brainwashing. There is defense of rip-off high prices. I mean, absolutely here in the US, there are many that support Verizon and Comcast, et al, fighting the FCC's rules on Net-neutrality. That is they are supporting, even higher prices on basic internet service.

I'd call that ignorance, but i'll likely get another infraction for calling it out where I see it.

 

[I7guy]

Feedback: As an overpaying Verizon customer, if you are going to add rollover, to have it only valid for the following month is insulting. A year? Forever?

Given how much T-Mobile will pay me to switch and all the unfined data uses they have, it is pretty compelling.

I think I pay for 6 lines now.

The rollover does seem a bit stingy.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Or, if you're no longer getting anything useful out of this thread, you can just stop reading instead of telling everyone else what they can and cannot post?
[doublepost=1467896842][/doublepost]

You mean like what you are doing here?

But please go back to my posts here and show me where I tell people not to post? What I did was respond to their post about why their point is, well, pointless when discussing a U.S. carrier. If someone makes a post in a forum, yes, they are putting themselves out there for a rebuttal. My rebuttal, however, was not ****. Sorry.

And, yes, posts about how cell service is cheaper in "X" country when the discussion is about a "Y" country carrier, not only does not add to an intelligent ON POINT discussion, but just clutters it up. There is a word for that: non-sequitur.

 

[XTheLancerX]

Is it bad that I want on this plan? Family of 4, we share 12GB and sometimes we feel very limited by that amount of data. $10 more and we can get 4 more gigs, and rollover probably contributing another few gigs a month if we need it. Plus there won't be quite as much tension when it comes to going over because we won't be forced to pay $15, we have the option to. 128kbps will work for the necessities such as navigation and very light browsing.

Before we would have needed to spend $20 for more data, but now it's $10 and we get carryover and no more forced overages for only going over by a megabyte just a few days before the cycle ends...

 

[DevNull0]

Damn the US plans are expensive for what you get.

What's funny is i was thinking the opposite.

Damn Canadians get ripped off for telcom.

 

[Killa Aaron]

Bye Verizon.... October 1st my contract is up on my 6 Plus from 2014, I'm buying the iPhone 7 Plus outright this time and going elsewhere.

 

[salukimike]

what do you get for that price? a free iphone on top?

in my country you get 20gigs 4g and unlimited phone call for 20$

I pay 58$ for 500gb. 4g with hbo,netflix and spotify included

your phone services are as expensive as your healthcare.

Yes, in relative terms it is expensive. However once you factor in what you would have to earn in pre tax income in the US in order to pay for the service, Its most likely cheaper or equivalent here.

 

[gnasher729]

What they call "safety mode" is nothing else than unlimited data with substantial throttling, except that they make you pay for it. At O2 in the UK, 3G stops working when I reach the limit, but I can buy 500 MB for £6, which are not time limited. I'd say that is a much better deal. And 128kbps is 16 Kilobyte per second, so it would take 8.6 hours non-stop use to use these 500 MB. By that time you have long died of boredom.

 

[Tech198]

hehe... I like companies that brand their packages like their selling T-shirts. Telstra does the same thing...

Why does Verizon still offer 2G ? There can't be that many 2G only phones still out there. can there?