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Verizon's New Phone Plan Proves It Has No Idea What 'Unlimited' Actually Means (gizmodo.com)
Verizon has unveiled its third "unlimited" smartphone plan that goes to show just how meaningless the term has become in the U.S. wireless industry. "In addition to its Go Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited plans, Verizon is now adding a premium Above Unlimited plan to the mix, which offers 75GB of 'unlimited' data per month (as opposed to the 22GB of 'unlimited' data you get on less expensive plans), along with 20GB of 'unlimited' data when using your phone as a hotspot, 500GB of Verizon cloud storage, and five monthly international Travel Passes, which are daily vouchers that let you use your phone's wireless service abroad the same as if you were in the U.S.," reports Gizmodo. Are you confused yet? From the report: And as if that wasn't bad enough, Verizon has also updated its convoluted sliding pricing scheme that adjusts based on how many phones are on a single bill. For families with four lines of service, the Above Unlimited cost $60 per person, but if you're a single user the same service costs $95, which really seems like bullshit because if everything is supposed to be unlimited, it shouldn't really make a difference how many people are on the same bill. As a small concession to flexibility, Verizon says families with multiple lines can now mix and match plans instead of having to choose a single plan for every line, which should allow families to choose the right service for an individual person's needs and help keep costs down. The new Above Unlimited plan and the company's mix-and-match feature arrives next week on June 18th.
unlimited data doesn't mean unlimited data
I had no idea that UNLIMITED could be so...well...limiting!
FWIW, I have verizon unlimited and constantly go over 22 GB and don't think I've ever been throttled. I think it depends on how clogged the network is, 22GB is guaranteed.
According to folks who know a lot more about math than I, there are numbers greater than infinity. So maybe "unlimited" is simply a concept instead of an absolute . We need a Richard Feynman type to explain this to laymen. Or, at least, explain it to me.
It was clear then Verizon had no intention of honoring it so I switched to a set data plan. While dumping Verizon was an option I have family members who think it's a "must have". We'll see about that...
and they are wording it to exclude the few people who want to use their smartphone as their home internet or have some continuous download on it 24x7 cause they want to feel special at using a lot of data
I wish people would stop buying plans that say there are unlimited but really are limited. It really not hard to figure out that if they list a limit then the plan must be limited in some way. Adding the word unlimited must increase sales. They wouldn't add it if it didn't.
See! Systematically eliminating all regulation on our corporate overseers is allowing them to innovate like never before. Keep fighting the good fight Ajit Pai!
75GB of "unlimited" data? Verizon must have gone to the Anchorman School of Marketing!
And this is exactly why I'm grateful I decided to switch to Google's Project Fi. None of this fake bullshit "unlimited", plus no international "only some days" restrictions. One shared data pool for the whole family. Once we hit our max, we can keep using data as much as we want, without getting charged more. Plus, no cost other than data sim cards that are data-only (no voice/text) are fucking AMAZING. Just keep adding devices like tablets, old cell phones, laptops, hotspots, whatever. Its all just on one shared data pool, and no fuss, no bullshit.
n/t
I am pretty sure they are changing the meaning of unlimited, so they can start charging for emails, web pages and minutes of watching netflix movies.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
"Unlimited" is the amount of money that Verizon hopes to make from their customers.
https://youtu.be/nZoZLdRnBd8
i pay about 20â for truly unlimited.
but i guess the differenve is here in europe we have a law against false marketing. call it unlimited and it better be unlimited..
Not only does 'logic' mean something totally different to marketing people, they're not even using the same dictionary as everyone else, as we can all clearly see here.
T-Mo has for quite a while now been a lot more upfront about how the term "unlimited" includes a certain amount being your "prioritization point" after which you get throttled.
(INF + 1) * 0 =/= 2
Therefore
2/0 =/= INF + 1
Division by zero does NOT produce infinity as a result. This is because multiplication of 0 by infinity does not produce whole numbers as a result.
At some point, the appropriate response is for the neighborhood to get together and close down the lemonade stand.
No matter how libertarian the society - companies only exist at the allowance of the society.
infinity, infinity + 1, infinity + 2,
I believe the great Samuel L. Jackson said it best when he asked:
ENGLISH!! DO YOU SPEAK IT?!
Data is, always has been, and always will be limited. There isn't a provider on Earth that truly offers unlimited data. Data is inherently limited by device and network capability and time. Author is failing at being a pedantic jackass.
They are priming-the-pump for when Net Neutrality is completely gone and these will be the new definitions shoved down our throats:
- Unlimited: you can connect to any website of your choosing up to our Limited data caps.
- Limited: you can connect to the predefined sites we chose for you up to our Limited data caps. Also know as the "Welcome to Portugal mother******!" plan.
Everyone seems to harp on the fact that Hotspot/jetpack is limited to 15gb of data per device. The issue you run into is what happened during the early days of the Feb unlimited plan when this wasn't enforced. We had a ton of people eliminating their home wifi networks and running their entire home/connected world (home security cameras, tablets, televisions, game consoles, media servers or purely cord cutting) off of a jetpack. This crippled the network. Then there were post everywhere about how someone couldn't send a snapchat of their dog farting and looking shocked. Much less the issue of businesses trying to oporate off of Verizon that couldn't send out invoices or ambulances that use verizon to get medical information out to the truck due to network congestion.
Under the current network restraints, it's just not possible to run things as fully unlimited the way people want. Much less for a lesser price and still have the money to build out a network that will be able to support your unlimited dog fart snapchats in the future.
Seriously, aren't there any?
We got the whole extended family on board ( I think we are up to 8 people on this plan) so extra lines are something like $10 a month for unlimited plans, may just get an extra phone just to stick in the car so I can be lazy and not even take my regular phone out of my pocket.
A 150/150MBit fiber connection backstops the service at home.
Cable, monthly contracts, phone leases, and other silly shit from the major players, thanks but no thanks.
And as if that wasn't bad enough, Verizon has also updated its convoluted sliding pricing scheme that adjusts based on how many phones are on a single bill.
This is called volume pricing. In this case it is used to entice households to use the same carrier rather than shop around based on different needs. It may be bad, but it makes plenty of sense.
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
No idea what anyone puts up with Verizon / ATT. I'll just continue enjoying my no bullshit Walmart plan.
Let's not forget; this is the same company that failed to grasp the difference between $.02 and $.0002
https://consumerist.com/2006/1...
(if anyone has the original audio, please post it)
This sig contains repetition and redundancy.
Everyone I know who used Verizon has regretted it. Much slower to use with many more deadspots.
I want to take issue with Verizon's use of the word 'unlimited'. Saying their service has "Unlimited Data" when in reality it is capped on a monthly basis feels like it runs afoul of the truth in advertising laws. Has the FTC chimed in on this nonsense? I don't buy into the notion that this is a 'branding' thing or a 'marketing campaign'
I live in Israel, and I have the 100GB plan of 012mobile. And it's just 30 ILS (around 9$).
Yay for me!
Verizon are annoying.. like if you want to sell a device that connects to Verizon, you must get a Verizon certificate for that...
hemi
Unlimited means you can access social media, games, messages, email, etc, anything, you aren't limited. They aren't referring to amount of data transferred.
Next is non-unlimited access, extra $$/mo for social media, or email, games, etc.
In addition to its Go Unlimited and Beyond Unlimited plans, Verizon is now adding a premium Above Unlimited plan to the mix, ...
It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
Color us all shocked, SHOCKED, at how the plebs are exploited in the shithoke country USA.. shocked!
youre such an amerikuk peon.
ive been locked into an unlimited data plan on my canadian mobile for 9 years. eat my cock pleb!!
You can get an unlimited number of lines, there is no limit to the amount of lines you can purchase.
You can pay an unlimited amount of overage fees, there is no limit to the amount of overage you can pay.
You can pay an unlimited amount of money, there is no limit to the amount of money you can pay.
We here are Verizon know consumers don't like limits, so we removed them from our billing systems. Feel free to surf to your hearts content! There is no limit to the amount of data we can bill you for!
and there are idiots willing to pay these asshole companies too.
Given how things go on the other side ofnthe pond with net neutrality... Unlimited can easily mean unrestricted, neutral data connection.
Sure, but that doesn't really work with the other three lemonade stands in town are running the same "unlimited" lemonade scam.
Gresham's law is a monetary principle stating that "bad money drives out good". Humpty Dumpty's law is a linguistic principle stating that someone can can make words mean whatever they want... "which is to be master-that's all."
davecb@spamcop.net
Unlimited approximates my frustration with such deceptive marketing puffing. Many companies use such descriptions Which is indicative of the company's attitudes towards their customers. PT Barnum quotes. Most people disregard, read the details and make an informed decision so seems ok but it shouldn't be taken so lightly. Industries like The telecoms have an oligopoly and need to be held to higher standards. The telecoms argue scale critical in providing services, which there is merit, but then they need to compensate by being more transparent in their terms of service.
You are a complete idiot if you believe your plan is truly unlimited. All plans are limited by technology and time.
You won't be, after this week's episode of Soap!
...I find this outrage a little unbelievable. Americans always have had issues with the relativity of scale (only selling medium, large and extra large), so then deal with this also.
Medium = small, therefore unlimited = limited.
Someone truncated the title. Should have read 'In a country where unlimited coffee refills come in three tiers...'
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less."
No, I'm afraid YOU'RE the one confused. You just expect it to be the common English language definition of the word. In this case Marketing has gotten involved, and it's not English anymore, even though the glyphs would appear to be so. Just think of it as Advanced Emoji.
After all, they FEEL "unlimited" actually has a value of like 28GB, and who are YOU to completely invalidate their feelings? Corporations have people too -- you HORRIBLE person you!
---
A decade ago, I used to work for Verizon Wireless in IT support. One of the things they told us (meaning sales and customer support, although we heard it too) was that Every Customer Was Supposed to Incur at least a $50 a month charge on their account. If not, you were to "make it so" by helping the customer make the correct decision if at ALL possible.
Don't know, but I bet that amount as gone up instead of being rescinded.
If the universe is someone's simulation -- does that mean the stars are just stuck pixels?
In the US bribes are legally protected as free speech, so the end result isn't exactly a surprise.
for verizon to go above and beyond, and actually deliver reasonable data use at a reasonable price instead of trickery and mind games and assaulting the english dictionary.
What a sad sad country you Americans have for letting your betters treat you like that. Get some balls pussies.
Join a Euro or Asian country and have proper laws to stop this kind of shit.
If you ever kick Verizon to the curb while you're still 'paying off' a phone, you'll discover that they have a defiinition of 'prorated' that is quite different than you might expect. You can read about it in the fine print of your several foot long contract.
This is what corporate USA is like; companies advertise whatever lies they like and very rarely get called on it. And as long as they leave enough contradictions in the fine print to fool some people, they'll get people defending the practice too.
Both being currently rendered meaningless.
We have unlimited 4G data for around $20/month. And it's unlimited. That's it. The end. No fine print.
Your comment is like a McDonalds employee violently arguing that it makes sense ot ask "Do you want fries with that?" each and every time, no matter if the customer already said what he wanted.
All I can say is: ... IEE754? ... Was that meant as a joke? ... And given the definition of (i), you make the dumbest possible argument.
"Bro, do you even know surreal numbers?"
((i) came out of this exact kind of problem.)
The dumber they are, the more confident they are. But you can tell how clueless they are, by how loud they are, how often they use memorized rules instead of arguments they thought about, and by how often they use words like "just ..." or "impossible" or "fact" or "simply", etc.
So sit down, shut up, open the teeny-tiny box your mind is in, and start actually thinking for yourself for once in your life. ... Instead of existing solely on a memorized rule set, and either breaking down or becoming as aggressive as this, when you encounter anything outside of that and can’t handle it.
If there is a math equivalent of McDonalds, you should^Wwill work there.
* Actually, I.ll pay $50 for the first 1GB, and after that, they can get a dime for any further 100GB they give me!
(And I dream of a world, where people are man enough to organize to a level where they can push big companies into doing exactly that, then do it once, and after they learned their lesson, choose not to. ... Even given the obligatory moles, propaganda, agents provocateurs and bought military police force that need to be fended off.)
Instead of leeching money off of people just because you monopoly-can and/or got the biggest lever!
How about you do some actual work for the money? Or is that incompatible with the psychopathic anti-morals of the organized profit crime?
Nasus must have put a hit out on him.
"You keep using that word, I don't think it means what you think it means"
- My name is Inigo Montoya prepare to die,
This ridiculous nonsense is exactly why I switched to Ting a few years ago, where you can simply pay for what you use. I don't want to support a company that is living in the past and obviously trying to make things so complicated for its customers in order to take advantage of them. Boo! I now have 5 lines with Ting and most months pay less than what I used to for 1 unlimited line on one of the old school providers. Simple website, simple billing, simple app, no nonsense. If you're interested, here's a $25 credit for you :-D https://z0hn6l4dk7d.ting.com/
Reading your comments make me want to stay as far away from tech as possible, so fuck all of you.
Here in Sweden I enjoy a proper unlimited plan. Sure it's about $60 a month, but I regularly use 100-200 GB monthly with no issues at good speeds (10-20 mbit). I can also purchase additional data sim cards for ~$3 / piece monthly that connect to the same plan, which is a reasonable price. I have one for the wife, one for a 4g router in the summer house, one for an overnight apartment I stay at for work sometimes. It's sooo worth it not having to worry about usage at all.
....Poor snowflake, awwwwwwww....
You the snowflake baby.
You can not seem to get past 2016.
Duly elected President Trump pisses on you every day with a five second tweet that you talk about ALL DAY.
You are obsessed with the MAGA MAN.
You should seek counseling.
You need help.
You need a reality check.
You need to step outside the CNN/MSNBC echo chamber.
TRUMP 2020!!!
The only thing "unlimited" is the cluelessness of the general public who continues to shell out tons of money every month to support this BS. Stop buying it!!!
Not to mention the farmer who lets me pick all the lemons off his tree I can for a dime. Hint: Its a ripoff, he only lets me pick one lemon for one dime! I bet thats who the lemonade stand owners learned it from.
Unlimited will now start to mean that they are not blocking or slowing down certain services and websites.