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Verizon Makes It Easy To Go Over Your Data Cap

Posted by Soulskill on from the as-it-was-as-it-ever-shall-be dept.

jfruhlinger writes "Verizon Wireless has revamped its video service; many Android phones can now stream full episodes from a number of current TV shows. You can even choose to just buy access for a day if you don't see yourself using the service often. Sounds great, right? Well, except for the part where all of Verizon's current smartphone plans have data caps — and the new service makes it awfully easy to go over them and incur overage charges."

20 of 166 comments (clear)

  1. Not all plans by Nialin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...all of Verizon's current smartphone plans have data caps

    If you've got an Unlimited Data plan (as I have), this won't be an issue. The throttling of your service will be, however.

    Fuckers.

    1. Re:Not all plans by msauve · · Score: 2

      even the "unlimited" plan is capped @ 5 GB.

      No, it's not. Verizon can throttle the top 5% of bandwidth consumers, but there's no "5 GB" cap. Poke around, and you'll find people who have used 40+ GB in a month.

      --
      "National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
    2. Re:Not all plans by crashumbc · · Score: 2

      Citation? Currently (subject to change of course) your grandfathered if you're on the unlimited plan. Changing phones does not mean you lose your current plan.

      As an aside there are still people on Verizon that came from Alltel 6-8 years ago during the merger, Verizon STILL honors the Alltel plans those people are using.

  2. Welcome to Australia by NoobixCube · · Score: 2

    Our telcos have been doing this for years.

    --
    Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
    1. Re:Welcome to Australia by Zouden · · Score: 5, Funny

      This is correct. We banned automatic weapons in 1996 and look at us now: data limits on all our broadband plans. I hope this can be a lesson to the rest of the world.

      --
      "A week in the lab saves an hour in the library"
    2. Re:Welcome to Australia by YouWantFriesWithThat · · Score: 3, Insightful

      no, you banned semi-automatic weapons (and pump shotguns) in 1996.

  3. Re:Stream over 3G ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Umm... Me for one. I used a tethered phone as my only internet access for a couple of months. I used 12GB one month and 9GB the second month.

  4. Re:Stream over 3G ? by f0rk · · Score: 3, Informative

    Who the hell is crazy enough to try to stream a full show episode over 3G ? Get a grip, people, use wifi like everybody.

    People who live in places where bandwidth isn't overpriced. I live in Sweden and I pay about 15$ for unlimited data. I could also pay less, and get 5,10, or 20GB and a throttled pipe if overdrawn. 3G is fast. It's fast enough to stream video. Heck, I even resort to setting up a portable hotspot some times just to torrent stuff.

  5. So? by vipw · · Score: 5, Insightful

    At least that is network neutrality. Would it really be better if they waived the bandwidth charge when using their movie service but made customers pay extra when using competing services (e.g. Netflix)?

    Just think about what you're complaining about, and what it really means. The only problem is that the data caps are low and the overage charges are high -- and that is exactly what one should expect given the competitiveness of wireless service in the USA.

    1. Re:So? by Roogna · · Score: 2

      No, they REALLY want you to use it. As they will make boatloads of money off overcharging you for that use.
      It's the consumer who doesn't actually want to use it. Though sadly some won't know better until it's too late.

  6. Re:300M by DrXym · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Three in Ireland just launched free internet up to 15GB per month on a pay as you go scheme. Top up by 20 euros and you get internet, free calls to other Three users and other stuff for a month, plus the 20 call credit for landline / other network calls. Not bad but I don't know how their broadband will work in practice since it's likely to be swamped with new subscribers.

  7. Sorry state of affairs. by protodevilin · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm about to return to the United States after living in the UK for 3 years, and enjoying the benefits of its highly competitive GSM cellular market. There are over half a dozen major carriers to choose from out here, each with a wide and unique range of devices and plans to choose from, resulting in overall much greater value for the consumer than is currently available in the US.

    I'm not at all looking forward to choosing whether to lie back or bend over before I get rightly screwed by whatever carrier I go with when I return. We've really let these telcos run amok unchecked, and now look at us.

    1. Re:Sorry state of affairs. by MartinSchou · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm not at all looking forward to choosing whether to lie back or bend over before I get rightly screwed by whatever carrier I go with when I return.

      Don't be ridiculous. You have lots and lots of choices in the US, when it comes to your cell phone service.

      You get to choose how much, what colour, what scent, what taste, what manufacturer and what type of lube they use when they're raping your ass. That right there is hundreds if not thousands of combinations and choices.

      What more could you possibly ask for?

    2. Re:Sorry state of affairs. by Hardhead_7 · · Score: 2

      Sprint - they still have unlimited data. If people would stop with the "they're all the same" crap and actually move to the carrier that still offers unlimited data, the market would reward them for it. Instead, non-geeks don't know enough or care about data caps, and geeks complain that Sprint doesn't have "real" 4G (as if WiMax wasn't more than enough bandwidth for streaming video).

    3. Re:Sorry state of affairs. by Yvan256 · · Score: 2

      It's nice talking with your neighbors, isn't it?

  8. Re:300M by _GNU_ · · Score: 2

    "Does it seem strange to anyone else that Verizon is releasing their upgraded video service just a month or so after introducing bandwidth caps? Or at the same time they're field testing 300 MB, $20/month data plans?"

  9. Sprint by retroworks · · Score: 2

    I just had to replace a phone (canoe accident) and Sprint said the hardware replacement meant my previous unlimited data plan was no longer extended. I assume the phone companies are all watching to see what one another gets away with. At least there is competition. Most USA cell phone users give me a blank stare when I allude to "Ma Bell".

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    Gently reply
  10. Re:300M by uncanny · · Score: 3, Funny

    what the heck are you doing over in that development country you call the states?

    Apparently doing something other than messing around on our phones all day. Put the porn down and step away from the phone

  11. Consumer Credit Schemes by crow_t_robot · · Score: 2

    It looks like the mobile industry is using strategies from the consumer lending playbook...get people in with cheap services and make the penalties extremely high if you go over your limit/late payment. This is a money-making strategy that took the consumer lending industry by storm. Watch this: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/creditcards/view/

  12. "Smartphones" never been very smart by kheldan · · Score: 2

    These sorts of scams from wireless providers have always been in place. Their networks have always had overstated bandwidth capacity, have always been grossly overbooked, and have always been overpriced. They're really turning the screws, now, so that I can't believe anybody could possibly overlook how screwed over they are if they sign the contract. All this for being able to view "content" on a tiny little screen, perhaps not even at full motion speeds.

    --
    Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!