Verizon is cracking down on some Unlimited users who use exactly what they paid for

[pwn_intended]

45 minutes ago, straight_stewie said:

If you think 50 GB a month on ANY data plan, home or otherwise, is alot, you're in the wrong place bro.

I think that 50GB for a home internet plan is embarrassingly low. Anything under 100-150 would be unacceptable. However, 50+ GB on a CELL PHONE data plan is excessive. Trust me, I'm all for the "because I can mentality" when it comes to tech, but I cannot fathom how one is able to legitimately use that much data on a phone without using it as internet for their home, thereby no longer making it mobile data. You cannot possibly say that 50GB isn't excessive on a phone considering that's approaching double the storage capacity of most phones...

[cummerou1]

Just now, pwn_intended said:

I think that 50GB for a home internet plan is embarrassingly low. Anything under 100-150 would be unacceptable. However, 50+ GB on a CELL PHONE data plan is excessive. Trust me, I'm all for the "because I can mentality" when it comes to tech, but I cannot fathom how one is able to legitimately use that much data on a phone without using it as internet for their home, thereby no longer making it mobile data. You cannot possibly say that 50GB isn't excessive on a phone considering that's approaching double the storage capacity of most phones...

I used to use that amount because i did not know you could share data from your phone to your pc. Spent most of my day when i came home watching youtube vids on my phone.

[straight_stewie]

9 hours ago, pwn_intended said:

I think that 50GB for a home internet plan is embarrassingly low. Anything under 100-150 would be unacceptable. However, 50+ GB on a CELL PHONE data plan is excessive. Trust me, I'm all for the "because I can mentality" when it comes to tech, but I cannot fathom how one is able to legitimately use that much data on a phone without using it as internet for their home, thereby no longer making it mobile data. You cannot possibly say that 50GB isn't excessive on a phone considering that's approaching double the storage capacity of most phones...

 

I don't agree with your logic. There aren't any rules in the plan that say that you can't use your phone to provide a hotspot. Infact that's one of their selling points for unlimited data plans: "you can use you phone as a wifi hotspot".

So with that known, Verizon is, in my opinion, contradicting themselves and being an asshole for the sake of money. (Yes, I realize how timeslicing works and how users who do this constantly are also being dicks, but non-the-less...)

[PianoPlayer88Key]

I was just thinking, what would be a too-low bandwidth cap for an "unlimited" service:  You can't stream data, 24/7, from every single computer in your house/office (assuming you have as many PCs as your electrical outlets/strips, breaker panel, etc. can handle), at a bandwidth fast enough so that even if you had all quad-socket Xeon E7-8890 v4 CPUs - even if ALL the level 1 cache's on the CPUs were striped in Raid 0, so to speak, the CPU cache bandwidth would STILL be a bottleneck, AND you'd never reach your monthly cap.

 

[Raytsou]

Okay, maybe Verizon has a point.

I remember a couple of months ago T-Mobile was actually doing something similar, but it was a case where a few users were exploiting the system and had terabytes of data usage in a month. If this is also the case, then it wouldn't be too bad. But if Verizon is basically fucking with everyone over 100GB or something like that, then they can go die in a hole.

[Just Monika]

If "unlimited" has a limit, then Verizon should simply state a limit. Or they could be slightly more straightforward and go with the "X speed up to this amount of usage, then decreases to Y speed beyond" so they could attempt to control edge case users that download extreme amounts by limiting their download rate. I'm not sure whether Verizon does this already with their unlimited plans since I'm not familiar with them.

[Mk7-Golf-R]

2 hours ago, The Benjamins said:

doesn't help US has a land mass / population density issue that a lot of European countries don't have. It is not easy to have full nation coverage.

I agree with this. The U.S. is large. Not counting inside mountain ranges, every where I have been has full 4g data. Download speeds that compare to a home cable modem package.

 

i have mainly traveled the east coast, but many truckers I have dealt with say Verizon is the only carrier who is reliable coast to coast.

 

examples.

[Bleedingyamato]

4 hours ago, pwn_intended said:

I back this move by Verizon. When someone uses their unlimited plan as if it were a proper home internet plan that IS abuse. It is an unlimited mobile data plan, meant for use with your phone. I am certain that what they define as "extra-ordinary" is when they have people torrenting 50+ gigs a month on mobile plans while tethering to their pc's. This ruins the experience of other users in their vicinity limiting their speed. This may not be a big deal in rural areas, but in congested city centres this is a huge problem.

That's wrong.  Verizon stated unlimited plans as exactly that: unlimited.

 

News flash the definition of "unlimited" is NOT: "We're saying unlimited but what we really mean is jk we're just greedy bastards who are charging you for data you don't actually get to use because it's secretly limited data use."

 

Basically the fact of the matter is Verizon is pulling a bait and switch.  Charging people insane amounts of money for supposedly unlimited data but then screwing them over for, GASP, ACTUALLY USING WHAT THEY PAID FOR.  

 

It is not possible to abuse unlimited data because by definition there is no limit to it.

Verizon and every other cell phone provider in this country are all guilty of insufficient network infrastructure upgrading.  They're too cheap and greedy to pay for the proper costs of running their business so they pass the cost onto customers and worse they screw with them to force them to fit within current network limits and Verizon's bs expectations.  

[Misanthrope]

t's Verizon's own fucking fault for being stupid enough to call it "unlimited" when they could have use any other buzz Word that wouldn't get em into legal trouble like "unfethered" or "ultra large" or whatever the fuck.

 

The FCC should intervene and a class action law suit should be leveled against the motherfuckers.

[potoooooooo]

The only problem is if they get brought to court over this they'll win. Their defense is extremely strong

[Curufinwe_wins]

1 hour ago, Repost said:

That's a poor way to put it because that's the same as someone going to a buffet and taking all the crab legs. Sure, over the course of half an hour, they only eat 1 a minute which isn't much. But because the restaurant can only serve a finite amount at a given time, he shouldn't be able to take all of it and leave none for the other diners. Similarly, someone that is consistently hogging all the data and bandwidth at a given time should be punished and depriotized. 

Except that isn't how it works... You can't go up and just take all the crab legs... There are MILLIONS OF TIMES MORE CRAB LEGS THAN YOU CAN GRAB.

 

Mobile providers need to get away from data caps (a pure money grab bullshit), and move towards BANDWIDTH CAPS (you know the thing ISP's actually have to spend money on infrastructure to provide.)

[Sakkura]

6 hours ago, Nineshadow said:

I have 10 GB on 3G and 30GB on 4G with my 2.9 EUR/month plan. After that it gets throttled to... I don't know what speeds tbh (I checked and it's 128 kbps down and 64 kbps up) , I never used that much internet. Oh, and also unlimited voice calls in any other national network.

To be fair, Romania has pretty low prices (and wages) in general. Still pretty amazingly cheap.

 

I was comparing Denmark vs. USA, where you wouldn't normally expect Denmark to have cheaper prices (especially not with our 25% VAT).

 

But maybe the US is finally getting some competition. There should definitely be room for competition on the price.

 

4 hours ago, Mk7-Golf-R said:

I agree with this. The U.S. is large. Not counting inside mountain ranges, every where I have been has full 4g data. Download speeds that compare to a home cable modem package.

 

i have mainly traveled the east coast, but many truckers I have dealt with say Verizon is the only carrier who is reliable coast to coast.

But the US is very urbanized, so pretty much all the coverage is going to be concentrated where people actually live. It doesn't matter if you have bigger empty spots in between than most of Europe.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urbanization_by_country

[Deletist_Jerk]

Not the first time, and not the last time. 

 

We're talking about Veri$on

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Because back in the day there was no way you could use that much with only Facebook and Twitter. Now that every one is playing Pokémon Go...

[79wjd]

3 hours ago, Sakkura said:

But maybe the US is finally getting some competition. There should definitely be room for competition on the price.

Well until recently we only really had contacts. We're finally getting away from contacts so prices are finally going down a bit.

[themctipers]

8 hours ago, AluminiumTech said:

This is a screenshot from Verizon's website. it looks like I might have been correct when I said 100GB.

 

Normally an "Unlimited" option would be there but I don't see any.

 

thats a fucking dream in canada.

[suicidalfranco]

as if  i needed to tether my connection to use huge amounts of data on my phone

 

[goodtofufriday]

For the company I work for we actually have a 100gb plan since Unlimited was never really unlimited.

[Big Head Tech]

These comments really bring out the entitlement generation.  When you sign a 2 year contract, after that is up its free game.  Verizon's Unlimited plans, like everyone else's was around a time when data was 2G and 3G when the maximum throughput was 10GB per month.  Now we have people using 50 times that and it congests towers and causes disruptions in other peoples services.  Remember, Verizon invested 15% of their GROSS income in 2015 into network improvements. 18 BILLION dollars, more than T-Mobile's Net Profit for the year.  It's also about being fair.  People are porting to Google Voice or exploiting an issue on Best Buy's servers to upgrade and keep the unlimited data plans.  When I pay $320/month ($150 of this is phone payments) for 5 phones+tablet 24GB of 4G Data and unlimited 2G/3G and $160/month for Comcast, my Neighbors are abusing an outdated Unlimited plan and pays half that and still getting discounted phones.  They also have the best product in the USA, but at least they are honest about unlimited data.  T-Mobile and AT&T only give 22.5GB of 4G data and Sprint gives 5GB of 4G data before they take away priority access to the Towers.  Verizon calls it what it is, safety mode.

[Big Head Tech]

5 hours ago, Weird Face said:

If "unlimited" has a limit, then Verizon should simply state a limit. Or they could be slightly more straightforward and go with the "X speed up to this amount of usage, then decreases to Y speed beyond" so they could attempt to control edge case users that download extreme amounts by limiting their download rate. I'm not sure whether Verizon does this already with their unlimited plans since I'm not familiar with them.

Different time different era.  Remember, These are plans that were retired 4 years ago, back when 2G and 3G had a throughput cap.  Now the Bandwidth and speeds are so high, even a company that invests 18 billion into their network a year cannot handle it.  This isn't a new plan they decided that they changed their mind on.  This was a feature that the contracts have expired on and a new era where things are different.

5 hours ago, Bleedingyamato said:

That's wrong.  Verizon stated unlimited plans as exactly that: unlimited.

 

News flash the definition of "unlimited" is NOT: "We're saying unlimited but what we really mean is jk we're just greedy bastards who are charging you for data you don't actually get to use because it's secretly limited data use."

 

Basically the fact of the matter is Verizon is pulling a bait and switch.  Charging people insane amounts of money for supposedly unlimited data but then screwing them over for, GASP, ACTUALLY USING WHAT THEY PAID FOR.  

 

It is not possible to abuse unlimited data because by definition there is no limit to it.

Verizon and every other cell phone provider in this country are all guilty of insufficient network infrastructure upgrading.  They're too cheap and greedy to pay for the proper costs of running their business so they pass the cost onto customers and worse they screw with them to force them to fit within current network limits and Verizon's bs expectations.  

Verizon had unlimited data plans back when 300-400Kbps was the maximum throughput over their network.  It was almost impossible to exceed 10GB per month back in these days.  4K pics/videos did not exist.  People are able to upload 500MB videos in seconds now days.  This is not a bait and switch.  People exploited errors in 3rd party retailers to upgrade to 4G smart phones at a discount to keep older features and abuse a system that was set in place for 2G/3G phones with a 4G LTE phone.

4 hours ago, Misanthrope said:

t's Verizon's own fucking fault for being stupid enough to call it "unlimited" when they could have use any other buzz Word that wouldn't get em into legal trouble like "unfethered" or "ultra large" or whatever the fuck.

 

The FCC should intervene and a class action law suit should be leveled against the motherfuckers.

Incorrect.  Unlimited data plan contracts could not legally be signed after 7/7/2012.  Therefore, the final legal contract signed to extend an unlimited data plan would have expired 2 years ago.  Which means, pricing and available is subject to change at any time.  Anyone who is still in contract with these plans and features exploited 3rd party retail systems to do so.

[79wjd]

1 hour ago, Snaeb said:

These comments really bring out the entitlement generation.  When you sign a 2 year contract, after that is up its free game.  

I think this right here is the important point that everyone is overlooking. As soon as Verizon ended their unlimited plan about four years ago whether or not they would continue to honor those with unlimited data was determined on a month-by-month basis. As a result a lot of people who were on the unlimited plan CHOSE to upgrade/sign a new contract (and give up their unlimited plan) rather than pay for an unlocked phone as they knew that Verizon could terminate the unlimited plan at any moment. 

 

Now, is it deceitful for Verizon to call it an Unlimited plan even though they're now limiting it? Of course, and they should terminate the unlimited plan and replace it with whatever they want to call it. But the important part is that they do have every right to end the unlimited plan whenever they want. 

[Bleedingyamato]

1 hour ago, Snaeb said:

Different time different era.  Remember, These are plans that were retired 4 years ago, back when 2G and 3G had a throughput cap.  Now the Bandwidth and speeds are so high, even a company that invests 18 billion into their network a year cannot handle it.  This isn't a new plan they decided that they changed their mind on.  This was a feature that the contracts have expired on and a new era where things are different.

Verizon had unlimited data plans back when 300-400Kbps was the maximum throughput over their network.  It was almost impossible to exceed 10GB per month back in these days.  4K pics/videos did not exist.  People are able to upload 500MB videos in seconds now days.  This is not a bait and switch.  People exploited errors in 3rd party retailers to upgrade to 4G smart phones at a discount to keep older features and abuse a system that was set in place for 2G/3G phones with a 4G LTE phone.

Incorrect.  Unlimited data plan contracts could not legally be signed after 7/7/2012.  Therefore, the final legal contract signed to extend an unlimited data plan would have expired 2 years ago.  Which means, pricing and available is subject to change at any time.  Anyone who is still in contract with these plans and features exploited 3rd party retail systems to do so.

Selling people an unlimited data plan and then kicking them off it when they use what they overpaid for is the definition of a bait and switch.  

 

Verizon told them unlimited and is trying to weasel out of the arrangement.  Anywhere else in the business world this would be a breach of contract/terms of service and grounds for a painful lawsuit.  

 

Fact is unlimited data means no limits on data use.  Period.  End of story.  There is no arguing that.  

 

Btw: people ARE entitled to getting exactly what they paid for.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with people expecting to have unlimited data because that's what they paid to get.  

 

Talking about "the entitlement generation" just makes you sound foolish.

 

There's nothing wrong with being entitled to what's fair in life just like getting unlimited data when you paid for it.  Or the right to reasonably priced college for another example.  

 

 

[79wjd]

6 minutes ago, Bleedingyamato said:

Selling people an unlimited data plan and then kicking them off it when they use what they overpaid for is the definition of a bait and switch.  

 

Verizon told them unlimited and is trying to weasel out of the arrangement.  Anywhere else in the business world this would be a breach of contract/terms of service and grounds for a painful lawsuit.  

 

Fact is unlimited data means no limits on data use.  Period.  End of story.  There is no arguing that.  

 

Btw: people ARE entitled to getting exactly what they paid for.  There's absolutely nothing wrong with people expecting to have unlimited data because that's what they paid to get.  

 

Talking about "the entitlement generation" just makes you sound foolish.

 

There's nothing wrong with being entitled to what's fair in life just like getting unlimited data when you paid for it.  Or the right to reasonably priced college for another example.  

 

 

Verizon sold them an unlimited plan under a contract. As soon as that contract ends (which they all did two-three years ago at the latest) they have the right to change the terms of that deal. It's wrong of them to change it while still maintaining the name 'unlimited' (unless of course they modified the terms of the grandfathered-in unlimited plan to include these limitations). 

 

And I don't see why reasonably priced college should be a right....*cough* entitled much? */cough*

[Bleedingyamato]

12 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

Verizon sold them an unlimited plan under a contract. As soon as that contract ends (which they all did two-three years ago at the latest) they have the right to change the terms of that deal. It's wrong of them to change it while still maintaining the name 'unlimited' (unless of course they modified the terms of the grandfathered-in unlimited plan to include these limitations). 

 

And I don't see why reasonably priced college should be a right....*cough* entitled much? */cough*

So long as Verizon has them on an unlimited plan they should be delivering unlimited data.

 

People have a right to a decent education in this country.  That's partly why there are laws for required education that is available from public schools paid for by taxes to distribute the cost over the population.

 

College shouldn't be any different.  Years ago college was paid for primarily by government funding so tuition still existed but it was very cheap and reasonably priced to the point where a minimum wage job could easily pay a person's way through college.  Now tuition has skyrocketed well beyond reasonable limits and far beyond the stagnant minimum wage such that now many people cannot afford a college education and those than are able to attend are forced into high interest student loans that now have resulted in a serious crippling student loan debt problem.  Because of this the financial future of many college students is being negatively affected and these people will take menh years to recover from this burden if they ever do.  Worse student loan debt doesn't just go away when a person dies but rather transfers to their immediate family and may affect them adversely as well.  

 

All this while other countries offer reasonably priced or free college to not only their own people buy foreigners too.   

 

So yes a good education is a right.  It makes no sense to argue against a good thing.  A higher educated public is good for the economy and good for overall quality of living.  Better education means a greater chance of finding a good paying career not just being stuck at a dead end minimum wage job.  This lessens the chance people end up on the street and forced to rely on government assistance which allows tax money to be used for other important things like sufficient levels of city services like police, firefighters, and maintenance of city infrastructure like roads and water pipes. 

 

[79wjd]

@Bleedingyamato There is a key difference that you're not considering. Years (read: decades) ago when college was more affordable you had FAR fewer people going to college and those that were going to college were actually studying something which has a future and not some bullshit major, which if your lucky will net you a job that pays slightly more than minimum wage. Not to mention the economy was growing at an explosive rate -- nowadays business, engineering, science, etc... majors can get jobs that pay decently well, however -- especially in business -- you have far more applicants than you do jobs. The current job market has become over saturated with people either aiming for the same finite group of jobs that pay well or those who don't know what to do and end up with a degree that doesn't help them in the slightest in finding a job. 

 

These other countries that offer "free" college also have significantly higher taxes and as a result all products end up costing significantly more. At the end of the day, it usually balances out.