A HowardForums user has confirmed weeks of speculation concerning Verizon’s reported plan to force new customers who wish to purchase smart devices such as the XV6900 or the forthcoming Samsung Saga on data plans regardless of the customer’s desire for the plan.
Beginning November 14th, new customers who purchase BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices will be required to add on a $30 or higher smartphone data plan in order to purchase the devices and use 3G data. As a further anti-consumer practice, Verizon will be eliminating the option to block 3G data access from such devices (for those that prefer using Wi-Fi access exclusively in lieu of 3G if the device supports it) as well as disabling pay as you go data and 10MB access plans.
This initiative will also be expanded in 2009 to include feature phones with HTML browsers, with Verizon forcing $15 or higher data plans for those devices. Â It remains to be seen whether these changes will reduce customer confusion which is the intention of the move, or drive savvy consumers away from the carrier for its business practices.
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Are you serious? This is absolutely ridiculous. I was waiting to get a new contract with Verizon at the end of November and i have to put up with this non-sense?
I really dislike Verizon at the moment, regardless if they have really good reception. As the economy worsens, they put this restriction? I wasn’t planning on getting data plan but now, i’m forced to get a regular phone since I’d rather get an iPHONE if i were to pay an extra $29.
I have to agree… this is a big step backwards for the consumer.
I was thinking of setting up a family member with a Motorola Q9c or BlackBerry Curve, because she wanted to just do text messaging more easily, and didn’t like the Voyager or enV2 (as well as the Glyde… not that that matters due to the recall).
While that still appears to be allowed (since the Q9c and Curve are out already), it is just one example of consumers who want to use smartphones for their text messaging functions… and none or little of their internet functionality.
Chris –
I agree with your statement 100%. I have a VX6700 (Apache) that I use on Verizon because I can sync with my Outlook and keep my calendar/contacts up to date, as well as use 3rd party e-reader software, other PIM management software, and I like the wifi. I do NOT have a data plan, due to not being able to afford it.
What’s Verizon going to suggest for a user like me? Why would I stay with them when I could get a data device without a data plan on another carrier? What other phones support Outlook syncing natively and won’t require a data plan?
When I’m ready to upgrade my phone (and I was looking very closely at the Samsung Omnia because it may have wifi), I’ll be grilling the customer service representative with these questions.
I think Verizon feels that people who want the latest-and-greatest would be “forced” to tack on the $30/month plan, much like iPhone and G1 owners are being forced to accept.
I suspect Verizon would suggest that you upgrade to the XV6800 or Q9c, as those are grandfathered in to the data block offering. That’s probably not what you were hoping to hear, but it’s the best answer I see from the way things stand.
By grandfathering in old devices, Verizon is leaving the door open for the casual texters to attach to a device that won’t be really obsolete until LTE lands (it’s not like Windows Mobile 6.1 is going to be a bad data-free smartphone OS in three years). But, the tech savvy customers are going to have to pony up, or port out.
No restrictions on Sprint’s 6800, Diamond or Touch Pro last I checked.
I think verizon is getting over their head. They think because their customer service is good they can take advantage of customers now. I guess att is going to be getting more new customers. This is a very big mistake on their part.
Great idea! Verizon, awesome way to keep tarts with no jobs from getting smart devices who have no clue how to use them. RTFM!
Cuts down on calls to customer care.. etc.
I honestly do not see the problem with this plan. I know a few commenters here said things like they want their phone for the PDA functions only but let’s be serious here for a minute. Why in the world would someone in their right mind shell out hundreds of dollars for a phone just because you can text on its keyboard a little better. The Voyager, enV2, Glyde, and Alias can do THAT!!! They all have calendar functions as well so you can keep your schedules and appointments on them. They have Backup Assistant so all your contacts are stored and in sync. Two of those phones have HTML browsers so the internet still looks “pretty” on them. Sorry Chris, you’re a good moderator but it just don’t make sense for someone to choose a Curve over the Voyager simply cause “they didn’t like it”. Why? Can’t be the email function or the browser because that’s what everybody here is beefing about being “forced” to use, right? Did they want it simply for the looks? The Voyager’s keyboard is actually bigger than the two smartphones you mentioned. It’s just practical spending, not FOOLhardy spending. The Q9c? What a joke!!! I would take the Coupe over that piece of crap.
It makes no sense. People will complain about things they don’t necessarily have to have…. and by that I mean PDAs. Don’t need internet and email? Get a normal dumbphone. Why would you shell out big bucks for a PDA? To look cool? Once again, wasteful spending. You all are, in essence, telling me that you would go out to buy a Jaguar car just to go grocery shopping. And as for WiFi … not always the most dependable connection either, especially if you are using the “public” variety. If people really want to avoid these “forced” charges, simply get a dumbphone. Don’t want internet? Get a dumbphone. Don’t need email? Get a dumbphone. See how simple that is? But don’t bitch about something that you don’t have to have. I say this in defense of not just Verizon Wireless, but all cell companies and any company that charges for something you can live without. That’s just why I have the HTC XV 6800. I used to have the LG-VX8300 but upgraded to the 6800 because email became very important and a more robust internet experience is essential … Not to mention I am always backing stuff up to Dashwire.com. If I didn’t need all these things, I would have upgraded to the LG-VX8350…no doubt about it. You have options people. Use them.
You forgot one option… switch to AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint. All of them let you drop your data option on a standard smartphone.
And, that is why it is a step backwards… Verizon is attempting to move towards Apple and Android’s position. That position is; if you want convergence, you have to do it the way we want you to.
Next I’ll hear people tell me why a la carte programming on cable, would be a bad thing for the consumer…
I know what you are trying to say Chris, and you are right … move to another company ( sorry I left that out ). But mark my words, it won’t be long before they follow suit. Remember when Sprint offered unlimited internet or their broadband cards and VZW didn’t? How long did THAT last before they went to a 5 gig cap? Verizon was also the only cellco to charge an upgrade fee for restarting your contract when you got a phone at discounted prices. The others didn’t do THAT either … then AT&T / Cingular / Cingulart / AT&T followed suit. And although AT&T don’t “force” data plans on their OTHER smartphones, they do so with the iPhone and that still counts as being “forced” to use something. The others will follow…. especially now that T-Mo has 3G (finally). It is not “nickel and diming”, it’s just good business sense. Charge for the internet instead of having customers call in about why there are data charges on their account.
The dumbphones with HTML browsers, from what I understand, will have the same mandate. But I also know about Verizon’s new Connect plans: It gives you unlimited data on dumbphones as well as unlimited Mobile Email. They are $10 more than a single line Select plan and FS secondary line on a Select or Premium plan, and $20 more than a FS primary line on a Select plan. Imagine that … no need for V Cast… for just ten bucks. Trust me, you will be hearing about the Connect plans REAL SOON…. as well as the other companies making data plans mandatory.
Imagine that … no need for V Cast… for just ten bucks.
We had that before the Nationwide plans. Verizon now expects me to thank them for dropping back to the rates of the $5/month MW2.0 days? Sorry, not going to happen.
I appreciate that Verizon dropped data rates to $30/month for smartphones… it was two years too late, but at least they finally did that. Unfortunately, the changes coming on the 14th are a step back in the wrong direction.
The $5 Mobile Web? Are you kidding me? Now that’s rich!!! It still ran on top of your minutes during peak hours.
They aren’t scamming anybody in any way. Add $15 for unlimited data or $10 for the same thing? Hmmm. Seems like a no – brainer to me. I always thought that V-Cast would look just a little more attractive if it dropped at least $5. Just my two cents. In any case, it’s all a mute point. I will be expecting a very nice PhoneNews report on how the other companies are doing the same thing sometime in the near future. Why? As stupid as the manditory data plans may seem, I seriously don’t think VZW got to where it is being stupid. Tell ya what …. let’s just wait until Q4 earnings ( or losses ) comes to light in Jan. or Feb. Then we all can decide if the data plans being forced on customers was a bad idea. Until then, I’m gonna sit back and relax and enjoy the soon-to-be-released HTC Touch Pro ( XV6850 ).
I dont understand why people cant understand other peoples desire to have a PDA w/o internet. Palms have been out for what, 15, 20 years already, and the functionalities of their programs far surpass any dumb phone on the market. I don’t need the internet but i would like a WM phone so I can edit word documents. “shelling out for a PDA” (and btw deeskillz2000 nowadays that shelling out would only cost 100 on some phones after new every two pricing, hardly big bucks at all.) is much more desirable than shelling out for a PDA and phone aside from jsut one device, not to mention the convenience of having all appointments/numbers on one device. It makes much more sense for a PDA to become a PDA/phone than it does for a music player to now be your phone too. Why is everyone so against people who know that they dont need internet every second?
I have no problem with this… AT&T will follow suit. It makes business sense and we often forget that Verizon is a business.
Neil, I see your point but you’re missing mine. Most people will actually call up Verizon to bitch about the data charges that showed up “unknowingly” on their bill. Most reps will disclose this at the point of sale ( of course, because they get paid from the data plans ). So it’s not like the customer is uninformed about data charges. You have some who simply use it for the appointment / scheduling function but then decide to get “curious” and venture out on the internet. Then they can’t understand the charges.
Another thing: Aside from the Connect plan I talked about earlier, there is something that will be “disappearing” from VZW. Employee discounts on phones. I’m not talking about VZW employees, but you know how “where you work” gets you a lower price (sometimes free) on your phone? Well, that’s going away this month. You will still get the discount on your plan though… where it matters. Corporate Liable discounting will still be around. And from what I hear Neil, New Every Two discounting may be going away as well … but that is strictly rumor. Let’s hope to God that it doesn’t.
deez stop trying to defend verizon… pda phones are built for power users so there are many that have wifi at work home and school if i can get 3.5g speeds or faster where im at 80 percent why the hell would i pay 400 dollars a year for slower net.. i used my mogul for months with no plan at all just bluetooth tethered to a sprint samsung a900 and got free 3g speeds.. your setup is yours.. and plus why would u get a dumbphone subsidized then buy a pda full price instead of using your subsidy on a pda phone than using it like a dumb phone and a pda sure youll miss out on pda phone features but that dell axim cant do sprint tv either right…
I agree with you celz. I don’t understand why people like dees have to try to find ways to make it look like its right for companies to force people to use their services when they don’t have too. Wifi signals are everywhere now. If you don’t want to pay $30 for data because you use the wifi signals then who are you to tell anyone they can’t do that anymore? C’ mon people. Unless you work for verizon dees I don’t know why your so focused on agreeing that verizon should force their customers to pay for a service they don’t need. But then again maybe your made of money and don’t mind paying the exorbitant fees that cell phone companies impose. Maybe you can send me some of that money.
As many do, JJ and celz, you are so hell bent on chewing me out that you completely miss my point. If you ( carefully ) read my posts, I clearly state that it’s just not practical to get a smartphone when you can get a dumbphone for far less and don’t have to get a data plan as well. It also does the same thing when it comes to schedules, appointments, and the like. Celz, your last sentence made absolutely no sense ( dell axim? sprint tv? huh? ). Sure I can use a New Every Two eligibility on a PDA device but why would I waste my time getting something with a ton of features that I will never use? The point of PDAs is mostly focused on email and web access. I’m not defending Verizon Wireless … all I’m saying is the whining about it doesn’t make sense. Pretty soon, all companies will be doing it. I remember when VZW didn’t charge restock fees for devices … now they do. I remember when Sprint’s broadband service was “unlimited” … now it isn’t. Why? Because all these companies follow each other with their business practices. If I didn’t like someone’s service …. PEACE OUT!!! It’s that simple. Nothing is ever FORCED on people when you have options. Either switch companies or get another type of device. It doesn’t matter if it’s VZW, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mo, Cricket, whoever. And JJ, since the majority of people have dumbphones, the companies aren’t really “forcing” anything on anyone. Wifi isn’t everywhere like you both claim. There are plenty of rural spots that have EV-DO but no wifi, and most businesses are getting “wise” when it comes to wifi access and they are starting to charge for their services. Sorry guys, but not too many people are that tech savvy that they know how to set up Wifi networks in their homes.
Again, if you don’t like premium cables prices, get basic cable or switch to Dish Network. Same thing applies to cell phones and PDAs.
Oookay! Dees maybe next time you might want to write an essay. Your right most phones out there do have things like appointment and like you said “the like”, but the pda smartphone does all these things better and more efficiently. So if thats the reason you bought the phone you shouldn’t be forced to add a feature you don’t use. But then again money grows on trees so everyone can pay for this.
[…] for all new smartphone devices launched on the 14th and going forward, which PhoneNews.com has covered in-depth. Trackback | Permalink […]
So, dees, I have a XV6700 right now that I use ALL the time for e-mail, internet, word processing, excel and other functions of a windows mobile phone and I use the WiFi function because I have absolutely no problem with it and where ever I go, there is WiFi. If I wanted to upgrade to the VX6900, I’d have to get the data plan. I do not want the data plan because it would be pointless for me to even have WiFi on the phone then. Now with this new thing they are doing, I have to get a data plan if I want to upgrade. Why in the world would I want that? I use my Pocket PC phone for just that: a Pocket PC and a Phone. I don’t want them to forced to mix and HAVE to use their data plans. I am cruched for money as is and they are more or less focing me to use their data services instead of the WiFi. I am in very rural part of the country and only have two providers to choose from: Alltel and Verizon. I am not able to switch back to Alltel because where I camp I need reception to keep working and Alltel has no reception there. So what is a person like me supposed to do? I can switch to a dumbphone because I need all those capabilities and I can’t switch companies? It looks like I am going to be forced to get a data plan. Do you see how insanely backwards this is?
And what about the people that just want the PDA phone for word processing and excel? Maybe they are on the road a lot and need to use those programs, but they don’t need the internet. You’re pretty much telling them that it’s too bad and to get a dumbphone and a laptop so they don’t get charged. That would be the only way that they could do it with avoiding those insane data service charges.
What if someone is in a contract with Verizon? They can’t switch, they are just forced to pay the data fee.
What if like in my case there is no one else to switch to? Once again, they are forced to pay for it.
What if they don’t have the money to go “buy another device?” Once again, they are forced to pay for it.
This is just another thing large companies like to do to get as much money as possible out of a person that has few dollars to spare as is.
I just like the option that I have right now. Use WiFi where I can and use data services where I don’t have WiFi. I don’t want to be forced to use data services all the time. Yes data services are convienent, but I don’t thing it’s worth $30 or more a month and I don’t have that much to spare.
here is the thing. I will pay out lots of bucks for a PDA phone with not datat because I will not use the data. The reason why I want a phone like this is for the third party medical applications you can get off of Handango. The envy and all of those text messaging type phones just does not do it for me. I will be leaving verizon once my contract is up in three months. God I hate this stupid company.
Oh by the way I tried to get a blackberry from verizon and they told me that it is in their contract with blackberry and that it is the same with all carriers. What a big lie. I even contacted rim support and they told me that it is up to verizon to decide if they want that, yet they blame it on RIM. What a bad company.
An update to my earlier post: Verizon will not .. I repeat … will NOT … be getting rid of their Employee Liable Discount program on phone purchases. I do have news that their restock fee for returned and exchanged phones will go up from $20 to $35. And they are getting rid of the insanely crazy $20 upgrade processing fee for secondary lines on a FS plan. Ok, enough of that. Back to the subject.
DRB. Maybe you missed all of the above posts but the “mandatory” data plan doesn’t start until Nov. 14 ( tomorrow ). This will answer your “What if someone is in a contract with Verizon?” question. Answer: It won’t affect them at all. In order for it to affect them, they would have to upgrade after said date to a PDA phone, which means they are almost out of contract. So they have time to decide if they want to take the plunge.
The medical software issue? I understand that a lot of people in that field use Palm OS to run their software. For them, I actually feel bad for, but again, this only applies to “post Nov. 14th” contract renewals…. and it seems like it will only apply to the Centro in that category since I don’t see any Palm devices on their way to VZW anytime soon. I was told how these plans would help the company recoup the money they lose when they sell PDAs at subsidized prices. I’m not defending Verizon, but I know a lot of people who have gotten over on them by calling up and complaining about data charges on their bill when they know they either surfed the web or gotten email ( cheaters essentially ). They gave me tips on how to call up VZW and bitch to the high heavens to get a credit for it. The good thing, VZW practically bends over backwards to keep a customer. The bad thing is that this really hurts everybody else … Thus, these mandatory data plans. As for having access to Microsoft Office apps, most Blackberry users are OK with this. This is because they’ve used Blackberries for a while and have already been paying for the data packages that required of them on VZW. So this really doesn’t bother them, especially since the Storm will have those apps installed as well. As for WinMo users….who knows?
To boob: The Blackberry mandatory data service is also the same procedure with Sprint.
Verizon, like all the other cellcos, knows what they are doing ( I beg to differ with Sprint sometimes ). So let’s wait: Either this will be a good business move, or it will blow up in their face.
dees, you still have to agree though that all the other scenarios make a person pretty screwed when this comes into play. The fact of the matter is: if someone has a PDA phone and they don’t want to pay data services, they better make their phone last because they won’t be able to upgrade without getting a data service plan. Unless of course they switch (if they even can). I’ve figured out how to beat the system though. Since I can’t switch and I can’t upgrade without getting stuck with the data plan, I’ll just keep buying used PDA phones and I’ll just keep going month to month and never renew.
To clarify, you can still upgrade after November 14. You just are limited to the devices which were designed (and released) before November 14.
For example, lets say you have the Samsung i730. After November 14, you can still upgrade to the XV6800 and have the data block plan applied. However, you won’t be able to upgrade to the XV6850, since that will come out after November 14.
I was shopping in my local mall this past week and happened to stop into a verizon booth and one phone really stuck out that didnt need the $30/mo internet fee that the Blackberry Storm does, the LG Dare. Since im available for upgrade I decided that this was THE phone. Im on a business plan and im not the primary so I had my boss meet me at Verizon so I could get the phone. Well it turns out that because this phone has some html browser (that I’ll never use) I’d have to change the plan to a Data plan, instead of keeping the plan the way it is (minutes come off plan everytime you go online – Cost NOTHING).
But heres the kicker, if I were to buy that phone and change the plan, its not just my line that changes, it changes the ENTIRE business plan and therefore would cost my boss a rediculous amount of money to continue using his phone the way he does(he says he goes online about 5x a day max, under the new plan it would cost $1.99 every time he logs on and an additional $1.99 for every megabyte of data). I was pissed but there were a few other phones that I was interested in, but lo and behold they were all under the new data plan umbrella, so I’m stuck with my ****-stained cracked up broken phone. Thanks Verizon
Verizon really knows what they are doing. I can buy the new Samsung Omnia (the equivalent of an iPhone) for only 200 dollars with a two year contract. What an amazing deal. Then I simply add on a 40 dollar 450 minute plan and then add on the newly required 30 dollar megabyte usage plan which I do not need. It all adds up. It totals to 840 dollars a year and that’s not counting activation fees, taxes, and unexpected phone breakdowns. Who would think a phone could cost nearly 2000 dollars in it’s short two year lifetime. Verizon is raking in the big bucks.
For those who are saying whats the point of having Smartphone without data plan. You guys forgetting there are huge number of people who dont need there data service. I my self spend 90 percent of my day around wireless network, i can access at will. So why should i have to pay for verizon’s data service?. I was with verizon for 8 years. But no more. To me Verizon forceful way to push data plan on good phones is nothing short of extortion. I have alot of friend who are system admins, and dont need verizon’s data services.
Phones have wi-fi so we can use that at any time no problem. And for people who live in very popular states usually have alot of hot spots. So we can access those via wi-fi too.
Some people argue with me about having map on go. Well i have software that have up to date map, stored on my micro sd. So for people like us Why in hell will we pay for there data service when we will never use it??
Verizon should give there customer the option to lock there data service or not. I switch to ATT and they lock the system on my HTC. I use wi-fi easily no problems. No extra charge. Not to mention i get Rollover.
I will like to see Verizon hit ground so they realize, that treating there customer with forceful behavior will not be tolerated by the customers.
I’ll tell you why I don’t want to use the internet from my PDA phone combo… I don’t want to pay the extra $30 a month. 30 X 12 = $360 per year for browsing a web that hasn’t become completely mobile. Most web pages are not written to be viewed on a mobile device. What the heck ever happened to CHOICE? If I want to use a device a particular way, I should be able to use it any way that I choose. I pay I say! I have At&T and if they choose to follow suit then I will be taking my business elsewhere! Consumer’s should speak out!
Deeskillz and others who are OK with this Verizon change:
It is simply comes down to choice. This big companies are slowly decided what you and I are going to do, buy, listen, wear and so on. It doesn’t matter what I am going to do with the phone, maybe I am not going to use it for medical purposes or for using applications or anything else. I simply want the new beautiful lets say Samsung Omnia just to look cool. I am not going to use the phone for anything else other then the phone. Heck, I might even be so stupid that I don’t know how get out of the phone screen to get to the other applications. So why should I be forced to pay for the data plan.
IT COMES DOWN TO CHOICE. IT SHOULD BE THE CONSUMER WHO DECIDES WHAT THEY NEED TO BUY AND NOT THE COMPANIES TELLING YOU WHAT TO BUY.
How would you feel if you but a computer and you were forced to purchase an internet service with it. What if you want the computer just for gaming and you will never use the internet.
And why stop there. What if you wanted to buy a carpet for your house but you can only buy the carpet if you also purchased monthly cleaning service for $50.00 a month.
I am sorry the dinner comes with a dessert which is $7.99 extra. No I am sorry you can’t buy the dinner separately, you have to purchase the dessert with it. You don’t have to eat the dessert but we still will require you to pay for it or you can choose not to eat here at all.
Do I need to continue … because I can go on. If big companies like Verizon are allowed to continue like this it won’t be long before this country won’t be the “Land Of the Free.”
Didn’t Microsoft get sued for forcing consumers to buy software they didn’t want. How are these phone companies getting away with this?
Last, did you know that in some European companies (it could be in all Europe I am not sure) you don’t even have to purchase the phone from the wireless provider? You go to a store and buy the phone you wish to but and then you go to the provider you wish to be with. I sometimes wonder how really free the land of the free is.
Zohrab, I can not agree any more with you! Taking away our choice is horrible.
I have been a long time customer of Verizon, and have been very happy with their service, until now. I would love to buy the Omnia without a data service. Everywhere I really need data service I am usually in range of an Access Point.
They recently did something very similar by forcing all customers who want to purchase new phones to sign a new contract with a new updated plan. I have been grandfathered into a plan for a long time that I am really happy with. If I want a new phone, I need to pay more phone for my voice plan. They tell me because of network enhancements the new phones need a new plan.
I SEE IT AS BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO BE GRANFATHERED IN, WE WILL FIND A WAY TO FORCE YOU TO CHANGE PLANS.
Customer service is usually pretty good, but new corporate policies stink. Verizon will start to lose customers….
Everyone – I have been driving around from Verizon Store to Verizon Store asking to speak to every manager about this. They are getting tons of complaints but one person that I spoke to told me flat out that this is all about revenue and that I should not expect it to change. They don’t care that Teachers, Nurses, etc. use these phones for their day-to-day lives with absolutely no need for a data plan. I went into a store this week and before I could even explain my frustration the guy behind the counter handed me a stack of Customer Service sticky notes and said to go to the site to submit and then to give them to all of my coworkers that are impacted.
Please go here and fill out the survey! https://www.survey.verizonwireless.com/vzwsurvey/
SmartPhoneFan, I hate to say it… but you’re wasting your time. This decision comes from corporate in New Jersey, and they likely won’t even hear the managers note the complaints.
And, if there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Verizon Wireless over the past five years… they tend to stick with the wrong decision, rather than admit they were wrong.
I also agree with those who are opposed to being forced to get a data plan with a pda device. It should be the customers choice regardless if you just want the smartphone for texting only. Verizon isn’t great. Their prices are high, and they offer little to the customer. signal strength is average and it is based on the phone you have and were you are at the time. No one should be forced to get something they never use. However, money talks. it will take the will of the people to make verzion cater to its customers. if the people do not want the forced data plan, they should cancel service with verizon. Its like the gas prices, as long as people keep driving, they can sell it to you for the price they want. As long as people keep using verizon, they can sell it to you they want to. The people must hurt verizon in the bank account to get what the people want. Economic boycott. But until that happens, verizon will do what verizons does. i am verizon customer, but not for long, i am looking at other carriers to go with. I own a treo, before the forced data plan. I want to upgrade but not with verizon-they suck for the lack of deals and good prices, These companies are retarded, you don’t raise prices or force people to pay for things don’t need when the economy is on life support at the moment. You lower your prices and give choices. well…thats just my 5 cents.
I’ve been a customer of Verizon for over 10 years. I’ve been moderately happy with my plans and service. I’ve also used a PDA for over 10 years. I use most of the functions of my PDA except internet access. I simply do not need a data plan. I’ve been waiting 10 years for a phone PDA combo to come out that would be worth getting. I”ve been wanting to go to a single device for years, but just was never happy with what I saw. Usually, the PDA that have come out are terrible and or the phone quality would be terrible. I haven’t used it yet, but was getting excited about the HTC touch pro.
I am absolutely disgusted that Verizon is requiring a data plan, a plan I absolutely don’t need. Deez, I’m sorry, but you’re extremely narrow minded. I benefit significantly from using a PDA every day for 10 years. I don’t need to have internet access or email access everywhere I go to benefit from a PDA. And no, none of the non-PDA phones can measure up.
I”ve only recently learned of this new forcing of data plans, so I’ve got a little homework to do. Why not buy a HTC touch pro outside of VW and then just activate the phone. You’ll loose the new every two, maybe even the rebate, but gain that back after 6 months.
If this won’t fly, I’ll be looking to other providers. I am disgusted by a company that will not provide choice. Deez, your reasoning is foolish. Because confused or dishonest users use the internet and then complain about charges, and then VW gives them their money back and that hurts VW financially so now they are going to charge all their customers after Nov 14th with data plans is idiocracy. If people can’t learn to not use the internet after a single curteousy discount, then let them pay for their mistakes. They will learn. Because some people can’t figure it out and VW feels bad for them shouldn’t be a burden all customers have to bare! Better yet, provide a service option that allows customers to lock out internet/email use through the 3G network.
So…anyone other than Deez have a suggestion. Any good options for other providers?
@ smokiibear
Unfortunately for you , buying outside of the store will do you no good, the phone was launched after 123Nov and you will have to get the data. drop them like a bad habit. this move from them is not for you
WTF!!!! How is this legal? I was really excited when I went into the VW store today and saw that Samsung Omnia. Sweet! Then the employee tells me that bull$hit about the data plan. I was so angry that I immediatly called the 1800 #. I got a rude lady (that thinks her life will change because Obama is president…if you know what I mean) and she tells me the same thing as the store employee. I tell her that this isn’t fair and it doesn’t give the consumer a CHOICE. This genius tells me that ” yeah you have a choice to NOT get a phone that requires a data plan” lol are you serious? I also asked her why am I FORCED to pay for something that I don’t want to use? She explained that it’s because so many people were complaining about the outrageous “accidental” amounts they were paying for their data usage bills. So because of some dumb idiots, everyone else has to pay. Someone wrote above defending Verizon saying that “if you leave your house with the lights on, you still have to pay the electric bill”??? what? yes you do have to pay it but its our CHOICE to have electricity in our house. It’s not FORCED upon us. I’m just not sure how this is legal? How can Verizon legally get away with this? Doesn’t this fall under some kind of unfair trade act or some kind of consumer protection law? I already filed something with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) but i doubt that’ll do me any good. This is just another example of the small guy getting screwed. We can’t do anything about it at all. This is why people flip and become violent. There’s only so many times a person can feel like they’re being taken advantage of and they can’t do anything about it before they snap and take the law into their own hands. Hopefully someone with more experience/money takes Verizon to court. Maybe Dominic Barbara could help!!! 1st of all!!!! hahaha
Nik…I feel the same way.
Jame, very profound comments.
I have been a verizon customer for 10 years. I have 4 lines altogether with a monthly bill of approx $150 X 12 months X 10 years work out to about $18,000.00 in total. I have been a good customer pay my bills on time and rarely complain( I have been happy with their service so far). Last christmas I went to the verizon store with my son who is 13 and he saw omnia phone which he decided would be his christmas present. When I went to get it of course they informed me that I need a data plan. Now I was willing to spend $200 for the phone but I am not willing to spend $920.00 (200 for the phone and $30 a month for 24 months). I also realized since my wife and myself have a xv6800 pda (which we are both very happy with) if we ever decide to upgrade for a better device either because xv6800 is broken or because we like the new look of another pda device we would not be able to since we would have to get a data plan. Now I have been using a pda device for about 4 years I cant even begin to tell you with all the software downloads from handango how much easier it has made my life without the data plan. As far as data plans go I have wifi in my house and wifi at my work and the 40 minutes or so it takes me to get to work its not worth $30 a month to get data plan which I would not really be using in the car anyway. So DEES open you eyes just because you dont see any advantages to a pda without data plan does not mean that pda’s are not worth it without data plans. Pda’s are an intricate part of a lot of people’s lives who choose not to have the data plan. I have downloaded software for calendar appointments I actually read books on my pda sometimes and sometimes to check on a couple of things I use the internet via wifi for major browsing I go on my laptop for which I have a data plan from verizon for another $50 bucks. This company in plain english is just being silly even if you look at dollars and sense I gurantee you they will lose customers to att just like when they refused to play ball with apple the I phone went to att and verizon lost 2-3 million subscribers. They were just getting over the image of having the most boring phones and now this. I know they will lose me as a customer and I hope they lose a lot more because if they are successful at this you bet other companies will follow suit. I am very dissapointed in verizon but I am sorry to leave them. Honestly other than this I really never had an issue with them before.
By the way smartphonefan thank you for posting that url I did file a complaint and I have also been speaking to verizon employees letting them know of my decision to change carriers so far only 1 employee actually cared but she tried to match my personality with a phone that does not require a data plan lol. I explained to her please leave the psychoanalysis to the professionals after all I maybe scarred for life after you are done with me. But anyway I encourage all of you to go to the url that is posted and let your voices be heard also if you are switching please make sure to let verizon know of your reasons to do so. Except for DEES everyone in this forum seems pissed, and I have a feeling DEES is one of those representatives at verizon who was trying to match my personality to a phone lol.
Mike is right, If you want to see a change in this policy you need to let them know how you feel.
Contacting customer service (Dial *611 from your cell phone (800) 922-0204) will at least alert them of the number of people dissatisfied with this new policy, but even the supervisor’s don’t have any power. It is probably best to send an email to their complaint department. The link is under Contact Us -> Send an email
Whether you agree or disagree with the need for a data plan with a pda phone, the removal of choices by any company should always be viewed with concern.
For all you who are defending Verizon on this, saying “Oh, why spend hundreds of dollars on a smart phone and not use it to it’s full potential,” think about this dumbasses.
1. Currently, the Omnia is FREE for me with my upgrade. The “dumbphone” DARE is $30.
2. The Omnia has a radio tuner, so I can listen to the TVs at the gym that broadcast on FM transmitters.
3. The Omnia has WIFI, so if I really need the internet, I can go find a hot spot to use it for that. I already pay $50/month for Comcast to bend me over and take my money. I just don’t want to carry a laptop for VERY occasional internet use, but it is nice to have the ability.
4. The Omnia is Windows Mobile, so there are lots of programs you can install, as well as games. You have MUCH more choices than on a standard Verizon Strippo dumbphone.
5. The Verizon internet is SLOOOOOOOOOW! I loaded my VERY SIMPLE website and it took FOREVER to load it at the VZW Store.
6. I would like to sync it with outlook, or Google Calendar every day when I am home ON MY WIFI.
7. It has a LARGE video screen to watch my downloaded TV and Movies, plus 8GB internal storage.
8. It has an MP3 player so I don’t have to lug a phone AND an IPOD around with me. The ipod can stay in my car and I can just carry this one device.
9. It has a freakin 5MP camera that takes pretty dang good pics if you forgot your digital camera at home, or don’t carry it with you every day.
So you see you morons, there are TONS of reasons why I would want one of these phones without needed the DATA plan. I want to incorporate all of my devices into one, so I don’t have to carry a bunch of stuff. I always have my phone though.
deeskillz2000, do you really think the dumbphones that have calendars will hold up? you cannot sync them with ANYTHING easily. bitpim doesn’t count for obvious reasons.
The whole point of a smart phone was so I could sync my calendar and contacts easily, and modify them as needed quickly on my computer. throw in a media player and we’re golden for me.
I live and work around wifi, so why the hell would I need a data plan? even if I didn’t, I’m not that pressed to have my info sync right away OTA.
I would be fine with this practice if they did one thing, make a sync conduit for our computers with their software. that’s it. make it sync with outlook and i’d be fine. i can even do w/o a music player.. i jsut want something I can sync w/o jumping through hoops.
deeskillz2000 is probably a verizon employee or part of the R & D at VZW. I was finally set on a phone and now this just killed it for me.
For those of you who might have missed it, Daniel B has posted a link to FCC’s complaint page over on Boygeniusrepot. He feels that Verizon’s policy might violate the Open Access Rule they had to sign to use part of the public spectrum. It only takes about 5 minutes to do and will hopefully have some impact.
I’ve also started a “Stop Verizon Wireless’ Mandatory Data Plan” petition at PetitionSpot, but really consider that to be a futile gesture.
BAAAHAHAHA!!! That deeskillz2000 guy is AMAZING!!! He sure has it all figured out…
Oh except for the monopolistic bundling of hardware and dataplans. Stupid logic is stupid.
Verizon’s decision is still a thorn for tech users, even almost a full year later. My 2 year contract with Verizon ended and I was thinking I could upgrade to their new HTC Touch Pro 2 phone in an attempt to combine my PDA and phone devices. Surprise, have to pay $30 more a month (that’s $720 over 2 years for the math wizards out there). I kept asking and asking the Verizon reps why make a WiFi enabled device at all if the data network is supposed to provide all that is needed? Reason – it doesn’t. We only need to look as far as AT&T to see what happens when data plans get forced on all smartphone purchases, their data usage got so high it overtaxed their network and caused degradation in phone call quality and coverage in some areas.
Those of you trying to argue we should all pay up because that’s what the phone was made for, there are demographics out there, particularly those in college/university settings, where WiFi is available in almost every area. Several workplaces and office environments likewise have WiFi. So what it amounts to for people in these settings is $30 a month for a service that will get used in the rare occasions when you’re out and about away from home or work, ie not that often. And perhaps some would think this is worthwhile and pay for it, but for those who do not (and I suspect this demographic is growing) the option to just use WiFi should be there.
One more point to address the line of BS that all the Verizon reps kept feeding me “but we subsidize phone costs and we have to make that back on data plans”. I call BS. Even the newest phones they have on offer, unlocked and bought off eBay or other more shady sources do not cost the $720 they’re raking in on a forced data plan. For most of these phones they’re likely making $400-500 excess. And if this argument held water, where’s the unsubsidized phone price with no forced data plan? It’s not there because it would either be so obscene their scam would become obvious, or it would lose them money.
Bottom line, offer less choice, force more defaults, and make more money! A fabulous business model unless you happen to be a customer. I took my business elsewhere.
Jebediah? Where did you take your business. I’ve been waiting for the touch pro 2, but still cannot stomach the 360/year. I would prefer a life insurance policy for 1.6 million over a data plan 🙂 Any other companies. Can we buy this unit and activate without being force to the data plan?
I found another solution to the “forced” data plan. If you purchase a phone that was in service prior to the November 18th, 2008 cut-off date, you are not required to get the forced data plan. In my case I was utilizing a blackberry and then switched to a palm centro. When I tried to turn the data plan off, the verizon setup screen would not allow me, and the verizon operator said I “had to” get the plan. Ticked off, I swithed to my old non-pda unsmart phone. When I called again to try a second time, the new operator told me that the Palm Centro and the Palm Treo 755P both did not have to be on the plan because they were operating prior to the above date. I asked the operator to wait, and when I attempted to switch from my plain phone to the Centro, a new selection existed in the data plan that had me paying per Kilobite ONLY if I used to internet on the Centro. If you are going from a “required” data plan phone to a non-required phone, you must first get on a non data plan phone, and then switch, or get an operator at Verizon that knows what he or she is doing that can reset the selection so that you can have the “pay as you go” data plan. Good luck. Alex
Hey if you have high wifi available to you and want to still use a pda on wireless just use a cheap phone for your regular calls with limited minutes buy a used htc mogul or htc 6700 on ebay (htc 6800 ~ $100, htc 6700 ~ $60) (I I think a ipod would work also but I have never used one) and use it with a skype plan ($3 mon) for your calls when you are near wifi. If the phone isn’t activated you can use wifi anywhere you like and verizon can’t do anything about that. Actually the phone carrier doesn’t matter if you use it as a wifi phone only. I bought phones for my kids for christmas and they love it because they can surf from their phone anytime they have internet access and no phone bills for me:) The only downside is 2 phones.