Verizon Wireless Goes Ahead With 'Bucket' Data Plans

CanHasDIY writes "Previously, it was reported that Verizon was considering eliminating their current data plan scheme, as well as the grandfathered unlimited plans, in favor of a new 'bucket' plan in which up to 10 devices would share a data allotment. Verizon has now officially acknowledged the new scheme, called the 'Share Everything' plan, which will go into effect as of June 28, 2012. According to USA Today, 'Under the new pricing plan, a smartphone customer opting for the cheapest data bucket, 1 gigabyte, will pay $90 before taxes and fees ($40 for phone access and $50 for 1 GB). Customers can add a basic phone, laptop and tablet to share data for $30, $20 and $10, respectively.' Those of us still grandfathered into the unlimited plan will be forced (when upgrading) to either sign up for Share Everything or one of the tiered pricing plans currently in effect."

Comments

Oh really?

[Anonymous Coward]

Looks like the prepaid phone market's getting another customer when my Verizon contract ends.

Re:Oh really?

[schwit1]

I just got the HTC EVO V on Virgin Mobile
$45/month with 1200 minutes and unlimited data.
4G, Android 4.0 and it's a hotspot.

Re:Oh really?

[afidel]

Well, it's 2.5GB of full speed data and then you get throttled severely, but it's still better than spending twice as much for about a third the data. My wife has the best plan ever IMHO, 300 minutes and "unlimited" data and unlimited SMS/MMS for $25/month with no other charges except local sales tax. She is also on Virgin Mobile. The best thing other than no bill shock for data usage is that in the rare event she goes over the 300 minutes it's only $.10/minute until her renewal date. Oh, and no contract, not that I would even think of switching given the direction the industry is going. I just hope Sprint stays desperate enough to keep us =)

Re:Oh really?

[Svartalf]

Which is actually illegal. The terms of the deals are they extend this phone at ths price with this payment plan and you agree to not walk away from those terms for a time no less than two years- which you pay a penalty to them if you do.

The terms for payment and the services offered legally don't have an expiry. The way they get you to change contracts up is to "upgrade" your phone at a discount at the 1-2 year mark.

Sadly, this little price increase just made it more economical to not sign a new deal and just simply buy the phone at full price, keeping the old terms in place. You'll save $200-400 over the lock-in term of the agreement to do that so long as you can bear the brunt of the up-front price. I suggest saving up for it or using revolving credit on a short-term basis.

Re:Oh really?

[gl4ss]

HIlarious. Wifi is free all over the place, tablets are less expensive in TCO than phones, and you idiots willingly pay these huge fees to the greedy telecoms for your tiny little phones. You're gonna be old, blind... and poor.

I'd take 256kbps works anywhere connection over hunting wifi, asking baristas for access and signing up to random hotspot systems..

the more important thing is, with unlimited you can leave constant updates on and use your smartphone as intended. 256kbps is even enough for spotify.

the new verizion data bucket deal is fucking ridiculous. america is truly a 7th world area when it comes to mobile bandwidth(you can get 4 devices for unlimited hsdpa for the verizon price around here and you can do several gigs in first few hours of the month..).

What the Hell???

[jtownatpunk.net]

$50 for 1 gigabyte of data?!? That's insane!

Re:What the Hell???

[Baloroth]

You are being a little dense. Previously, up to 2GB of data would have cost me $30 a month. Now it will cost $50 a month, for 1GB. Before that, $30 would have gotten unlimited data.

So from a consumer point of view, the deal has gotten worse and worse. And it still costs money to add devices to the plan for data sharing, leaving this an all-around shitty deal.

Re:What the Hell???

[TheScarryKitty]

You should listen the Marketplace Tech Report by John Moe about this. He asks the Verizon rep "why?" and there is a 10 second uncomfortable pause followed by a incoherent, rambling, talking point type response.
http://www.marketplace.org/topics/tech/verizon-trying-stamp-out-unlimited-data-customers/n
Laughed my ass off listening to it on the radio.

Re:What the Hell???

[chromas]

1) Subscribe to their service
2) Leave
3) Profit

Re:What the Hell???

[Sechr Nibw]

You can keep your unlimited data plan, for a price. Rather than signing a new 2 year contract, and saving $500 on your new phone, you can pay full price for the phone, not be locked into a 2 year agreement, and keep the unlimited data package.

Re:What the Hell???

[Man On Pink Corner]

How do you reconcile your statement with the Q&A from the article?

Q: I'm single and I just want a smartphone, that's it. The cheapest Shared Everything plan looks pretty expensive at $90 per month, and that's with just 1 gigabyte of data. Is there no alternative?

A: There's one cheaper plan, intended for first-time smartphone buyers. It gives you unlimited calling and texting, and just 300 megabytes of data per month. If you're frugal with data usage, that will get you by. It costs $80 per month.

If USA Today is making that up, as you claim elsewhere, they have one hell of a lawsuit coming from Verizon. They would have yanked the quoted text the second someone told them how badly they'd gotten it wrong. Why is it still up there?

Re:What the Hell???

[Baloroth]

Actually the current plans are going away. You can still use them if you already have one, but they are no longer available for new customers or customers who are upgrading to a smartphone. You also can't hang on to old unlimited data plans if you are upgrading, period (unless you pay full price for the phone, of course, although don't be surprised if Verizon "helpfully" upgrades you to the new plans anyways, wireless carriers have been known to do that in the past), though they can shift to a tiered plan, for now. Expect Verizon to phase those out completely as well in 2-3 years, just like they are with their unlimited data plans.

Re:What the Hell???

[LordLimecat]

Because then youd miss out on the world renowned Verizon customer service experience!

Oh wait.

Re:What the Hell???

[C_amiga_fan]

This interview is hilarious:

Verizon Spokeswoman: We think that people need to go to a usage-based model for data and pay for the amount of usage that they're using so that everybody is able to access the network...... And we're charging on the megabytes of data that they use.
John Moe: Why?
Spokeswoman: Uh................... er................... cough............... People have changed the usage of how they're using their devices. They're moving to using more data, and to ensure the speed and reliability and the access to the network, people are paying for the amount of data that they use.

LINK - http://www.marketplace.org/topics/tech/verizon-trying-stamp-out-unlimited-data-customers

Re:What the Hell???

[Jon_S]

OK, verizon, so then go ahead and charge me by the megabyte (or gigabyte). They aren't doing that.

They require at least a $50 base charge (supposedly made palatable because it also includes the voice and text -"now unlimited!' - I never used up my voice and text quotas!) for 1 GB. Can I just pay per gigabyte after that? No. If I upgrade my dumb phone to a smart phone so I can use that data, I have to pay an extra $20 - $30/mo. *with no extra data* (adding a smart phone to the plan is $40/mo. Right now, adding a dumb phone to a family plan is only $10 plus $10 for text).

Every time one wants to "share" the rationed GB's with another device, one has to pay $20 - $40 /mo. extra for no more data. That's not paying by the GB.

Stop lying through your teeth VZW! If bandwidth is limited, then just sell it by the GB.

Re:What the Hell???

[Rei]

I don't get why utilities are so expensive in the US.

Here in Iceland, we're considered an expensive country. And you should expect the same sort of thing with anything having to do with data, since it's not exactly cheap to run underseas cables to us, and all the electronics hardware has to be imported, and not nearly in as much bulk as places like the US can buy in. So why is it that our utilities on things involving data are so cheap?

For my phone, I use NOVA. Since I don't call much and text in-network, I get the free, per-usage voice/text plan. The data plans available are 1GB for $7,60 or 10GB for $23, both at 5 MB/s. And coverage? We have one-7th the population density of Iowa. Here's Síminn's 2G coverage and here's 3G coverage (note that the population here is clustered around the coasts, there's no permanent residents in the interior and that you can't even drive on the few roads in the interior without a high-clearance 4x4). You can get 3G on some glaciers here! I was facebooking from the top of a mountain last weekend.

Or TV, for example. From Síminn, which I subscribe to, the base package is $7,60, a middle-of-the-line package is ~$27, and the everything package is ~$44.

We're on an island in the middle of nowhere. These sort of things should be way more expensive than in the US, not cheaper. Why is this? And availability, too. Back when I lived in Iowa City (a big 10 university town, I should add, so there were some fat pipes running into the place), the best uplink speed I could get on my netconnection was 1.5Mb/s (down was better, but not impressive). Here I get 50Mb/s bidirectional, and that's considered bad.

I don't get it, America. What's up with all that? I'm in freaking *Iceland* here.

Seriously?

[Penguinisto]

Unless the other carrier follows suit, how on Earth do they expect to keep customers?

Certainly,while Sprint and T-Mobile may be small, and AT&T has sucky customer service and/or coverage (I'm sitting here at home with a AT&T smartphone that has zero signal - thank Heaven for automatic call forwarding), any of the three would be infinitely better than being forced to shit out what is likely going to be a three-digit cell phone bill each month.

Then again, knowing carriers, they'll likely start jacking their rates in proportion to how badly they want new customers vs. getting a piece of that pie.

Re:Seriously?

[dkleinsc]

Unless the other carrier follows suit, how on Earth do they expect to keep customers?

Odds are good that they're trying to see if other carriers follow suit. Back in the days before the Internet, 1 airline would raise prices at 4:45 PM on Friday afternoon, see if the other airlines raised their prices to match over the weekend, and if they didn't then lower the prices back down at 8:15 AM on Monday morning. Legally, that's not price fixing, even though in practice it is.

Re:Seriously?

[LordLimecat]

Over the years I have come to understand that Verizon really truly does not expect or want to keep customers. Their only goal is to infuriate, annoy, inconvenience, and generally cause problems for as many people as is possible.

I believe that they are not a data carrier, as much as a hatred delivery company who uses their status as an ISP to more easily deliver that seething contempt to its customers.

Re:Ugh. Worst summary ever?

[SydShamino]

DID you not see the BIT about them dropping all THEIR other plans? So there's plenty point TO comparing these new prices to existing one-LINE Verizon prices as Verizon CUSTOMERS will soon be paying these prices or no LONGER be Verizon customers.

Hyperbole much?

[macwhizkid]

'Under the new pricing plan, a smartphone customer opting for the cheapest data bucket, 1 gigabyte, will pay $90 before taxes and fees ($40 for phone access and $50 for 1 GB).

Not that I'm a defender of Verizon, but why the hell would anyone sign up for a shared plan with only one device? Obviously you're going to lose out... the prices are designed to make it marginally cheaper to add additional devices in return for a higher "first device" fee.

The new "share everything" plans are designed to make it easier (and a bit cheaper) for families with a bunch of smartphones, a tablet or two, and text-messaging addicted teenagers. Not for single-device customers looking for a bargain.

Re:Hyperbole much?

[CanHasDIY]

The new "share everything" plans are designed to make it easier (and a bit cheaper) for families with a bunch of smartphones, a tablet or two, and text-messaging addicted teenagers. Not for single-device customers looking for a bargain.

Indeed; that is addressed in a Q&A page linked from TFA:

Q: I'm single and I just want a smartphone, that's it. The cheapest Shared Everything plan looks pretty expensive at $90 per month, and that's with just 1 gigabyte of data. Is there no alternative?
A: There's one cheaper plan, intended for first-time smartphone buyers. It gives you unlimited calling and texting, and just 300 megabytes of data per month. If you're frugal with data usage, that will get you by. It costs $80 per month.

How about $40 for unlimited

[Galestar]

Just a jump over the 49th parallel (Canada) we have Wind Mobile (major cities only). $40 for pretty everything unlimited, no contract. You guys in the U.S. are getting screwed up the ass.

Re:How about $40 for unlimited

[Anonymous Coward]

The key phrase here is "major cities only". If you were in the US and you were only going to use your phone in major cities, you wouldn't have signed up for Verizon, which has always had the highest prices in exchange for deep penetration into rural areas. Instead, you would sign up for Cricket, Boost, MetroPCS, or a similar carrier that only has coverage in major cities.

Re:How about $40 for unlimited

[Anonymous Coward]

Yup. I have a lot of friends and family in rural areas. For most of them, it's Verizon or nothing. They put a lot of effort into remote areas; I've even heard of them doing things like airlifting towers into forests and on top of mountains.

I live near a major city and have Virgin Mobile, which uses Sprint's network. I'm paying $45/mo for 1200 minutes and unlimited text/data (4G even, although it's crappy WiMAX), no contract. The coverage in my neighborhood is actually better than Verizon, and I have no problems in smallish cities and along interstates that go through the middle of nowhere. It is annoying to go without service when I visit my family, but not enough to justify spending twice as much for one lousy gig of data and a 2-year contract.

Re:Ugh. Worst summary ever?

[Baloroth]

This is completely 100% false. THERE ARE NO OTHER PLANS. From the Q&A linked in TFA

Q: I'm single and I just want a smartphone, that's it. The cheapest Shared Everything plan looks pretty expensive at $90 per month, and that's with just 1 gigabyte of data. Is there no alternative?

A: There's one cheaper plan, intended for first-time smartphone buyers. It gives you unlimited calling and texting, and just 300 megabytes of data per month. If you're frugal with data usage, that will get you by. It costs $80 per month.

In other words, you can do this plan for 1GB of data, or pay $80 for 300MB of data (basically, $40 for 300MB of data, since the phone access costs $40), or you can not buy a smartphone from Verizon. There are literally no other options for new customers.

Real plan name

[byteherder]

Shouldn't they be calling the the 'Screw Everyone' plan instead of 'Share Everything' plan.

Re:Ugh. Worst summary ever?

[bongey]

Call Verizon yesterday about the ShareEverything Plan.
My current plan has 4 smartphones , 1 basic and 1 tablet.
The bill would go up by $30 dollars if I switched. The amount of data I could used would go down by 9 GB .
Funny hearing the silence from the customer service agent when I asked him . "You mean my bill would go up and I only get 5GB for 5 devices ?"

Best Verizon Quote Yet...

[Anonymous Coward]

This is my favorite quote yet: "What I'm doing is giving you the flexibility to share the data you've paid for," Chief Marketing Officer Tami Erwin told Reuters. "Customers who are using more than one device will very quickly see the value in this." Which is from this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/12/verizon-share-everything-family-data-plan_n_1589216.html

They're charging me extra for letting me use the data I already paid for, and act like they're doing me some unusual favor.

Re:Ugh. Worst summary ever?

[Mister Transistor]

BECAUSE...

It's MOST LIKELY....

WILLIAM SHATNER...

That you're TALKING to!

Re:Germany here. 1GB = 9.90€. Prepaid.

[d4nowar]

If Americans traveled outside their own country more then they wouldn't accept the prices they pay.

I hear this all the time, but the reason for this is the size of the country and the lack of nearby countries that aren't named Canada or Mexico. To get anywhere out of the country other than that is out of the budget of most Americans.

Re:less minutes and less text

[LurkerXXX]

So get a prepaid cell phone plan and use free wifi for the data.

Some of us have jobs and can't hang out at McDonald's all day. Some of us live and/or work in rural areas and don't have any McDonald's or other free wifi close by.

Please stop giving out ProTips. You kinda suck at it.

Re:Not Forced

[Physician]

"Verizon issued a clarification to The New York Times today, noting that the loss of grandfathered unlimited plans will be limited to those customers purchasing new subsidized devices for use on the carrier. Users who do not upgrade their devices or who choose to upgrade at unsubsidized prices will be able to keep their unlimited data plans. Still, the change would appear to be set to affect the majority of Verizon's current unlimited data customers, as most customers are interested in regular handset upgrades at subsidized prices. - Customers will not be automatically moved to new shared data plans. If a 3G or 4G smartphone customer is on an unlimited plan now and they do not want to change their plan, they will not have to do so. - When we introduce our new shared data plans, Unlimited Data will no longer be available to customers when purchasing handsets at discounted pricing. - Customers who purchase phones at full retail price and are on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan. - The same pricing and policies will be applied to all 3G and 4GLTE smartphones."