I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
Alleyday
Enthusiast - Level 1

I'm positive that Verizon is committing Fraud.

10 days ago my husband and I switched from Sprint to Verizon and got new Galaxy S5 phones.  While with Sprint, my husband used about 1.5GB of data a month and I used .5GB a month.  The reason my usage was less was because I use my phone less (duh) but also because my phone very often wouldn't connect to their service, 3G or their so called 4G at all.  My husband didn't have this problem, but I got so fed up with the connectivity that we switched to Verizon.  We thought that since I would be able to use my phone a little more and the data would be faster and more reliable, it would be prudent to buy 3GB of data a month even though we were only averaging 2GB before. 

Well, after having Verizon for 10 days, we have used 2.3GB between the two of us; .5GB for me and 1.8GB for my husband.  In other words, our data usage has MORE THAN TRIPLED with Verizon.  This is absolutely wrong, so I did some investigating.  I looked at the data usage details spreadsheet that Verizon posts online with the date, time and amount of each occurrence of data usage.  Be aware that we have wifi at home (where we are basically every night from 7pm-7am) and my husband has wifi at work (weekdays 8am-5pm).  I was SHOCKED to see that the vast majority of my husbands outrageous usage was being incurred specifically during times when he was at work or home, even significant amounts at 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning.  Only a little usage was being accrued during the about 3 hours a day when he might not be connected to wifi.

I spent over an hour on the phone today (including 40 minutes on hold) with tech support.  They must have thought I was an idiot because they kept telling me about how our phones are using a lot of RAM.  I'm no IT expert, but RAM is internal memory and not equivalent to data usage.  Then they tried to tell me that the time stamps on our spreadsheets were delayed and that the data was really being used when not on wifi but not showing up on my account until some unknown period of time later. This is bullshit and I debunked that theory by turning off my data (when there actually was no usage accrued) and then turned my data back on momentarily at 10:15am.  A usage charge popped up a little while later on my account time stamped 10:16am.  Pretty accurate, which tells me that the other time stamps are also accurate to within a minute or two; not off by many hours.

Then tech support told me to try a test to see if I can show that data is being accrued when I'm definitely not using it.  They told me to turn off my data for an extended period of time, use wifi only, and then check my account to see if data charges are accruing.  Well, of course data isn't accruing when data is off.  That proves nothing.  That does not have any bearing whatsoever on the fact that data usage is accruing when data service is ON but I'm CONNECTED to a reliable, strong, functioning WIFI signal like the one at my home and the one in my husband's office.  There are only two explanations left.  Either my husband and I are severely psyciatrically disabled and are imagining having working wifi signals and are somehow watching youtube videos in our sleep; OR VERIZON IS COMMITTING FRAUD.  Its one or the other, the way I see it.

IS THERE A REASONABLE SOLUTION TO THIS???  Resolving this issue by telling me to manually turn my data service on and off each time I come and go from my house is unacceptable.  Verizon, you need to fix your practices and remove the fraudulent usage from my account immediately.  Since I'm sure you won't, I'll be switching to AT&T since I still have 3 days to cancel my contract.  Third time is a charm, I hope.

Labels (1)
Re: I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Hello Alleyday,

I am saddened to hear that you've had such a rough start to your relationship with Verizon! I'd like to help sort this situation out. What make & model phones do you and your husband have? We can troubleshoot, and get to the bottom of why data is accruing when you are connected to wifi.

Thank you,
MichelleH_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

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Re: I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
basil1091
Enthusiast - Level 2

I am having the EXACT same issue. We are going through way too much data.  When I looked at the specific usages many of them seem to be when we are at home or connected to reliable wifi connections at work.  I have been a Verizon customer since they were originally Ameritech, then Primeco, then Verizon, going back almost 20 years. I feel they do have almost the best reception in the most places but this is ridiculous that they have this issue with the bogus data usages. I agree, fraudulent practice going on. And having to turn data on and off is insane.  If it's off, you cant get text messages if they're to more than one person, and you can't send/receive picture messages.   Check your online posts as well. We seem, on all 3 phones, to have several hits 12 hours apart days in a row.  IE. 5/12 I had a hit at 3:31 am and 10:31 am, then 3:31 pm and 10:31 pm.  And it is way more than the .0001 ping of a notice or weather advisory or something of that nature.  Verizon is up to something.  I may start to research my options.

Re: I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

basil1091,

No reason to complete anymore research. We are here for you. I want to make sure that we are getting everything taken care of for you ASAP. Ddo you use the Verizon Cloud services on the phones at all? What kind of cell phone do you have that is showing data usage while you are connected to wi-fi? Please keep me posted.

Kevin_R

Please follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

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Re: I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Check the sleep policy for the wifi radio on your phones. After a period of inactivity, the wifi radio will turn off allowing the cellular data connection to be active again for background syncing.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

Re: I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
Carolemac
Enthusiast - Level 1

Same thing here.  When I had my DROID X, I didn't even use 1GB per MONTH.  And I am doing all the same things I've always done, only now it is on a new phone; DROID Ultra.  I just added an additional 1GB to our previous 2GB plan just last week and guess what?  We have burned through half of it already.  And we are ALWAYS connected to WiFi. 

This is insane!  It is using data even when it is turned OFF!  At least with my DROID X, I could remove the battery when I turned the thing off and I'm sure that helped with the data.

What do you say, Verizon?  I can't keep adding GB to my plan; we are now paying almost $175 per month for our two DROID Ultras.  Which are constantly connected to WiFi!  We do not play games, videos or music on our phones and I've disabled whatever can be disabled on my phone. 

If I can't get this taken care of, I am leaving Verizon.  Something here just isn't right.  Definitely NOT happy!

Re: I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
kira102984
Enthusiast - Level 1

This exact same thing is happening to me.  My husband and I just got smartphones for the first time this week.  I asked several questions because we have never had to use a data plan. We were told that if we were on wifi, we would not incur any data usage.  So, after 2 DAYS with our new phones, my husband alone has used half of out 1GB data plan- the best part of this sham called Verizon wireless is that he has been connected to wifi the entire time!!!!!!  I just did an update on my phone- as it was connected to our wifi at home, and watched in real time as our Verizon data tracker increased our data usage-----as I was connected to wifi!  This is so ridiculous.  There is no way were are staying with Verizon.   We are absolutely contacting the Better Business Bureau.  We have been improperly informed and flat out lied to-- we have been connected to wifi the entire time and have watched as our data usage has skyrocketed--- did I mention it took only 2 DAYS for my husband to go through half of our data plan!  2 DAYS!!!!! ON WI FI!!!!!

Re: I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
Carolemac
Enthusiast - Level 1

I took it off WiFi and complained on their Facebook page.  I think their

salespeople telling folks to always stay on WiFi is their way of making

money!  Take your phones OFF of WiFi, put Task Killer Advanced (google play

store - FREE) on your phone and hit that repeatedly during the day.  It

will shut down the junk running in the background that loves to nom on your

data.  The other thing I do is to constantly dump cached data from my

phone.  We did all three of these things and we have only burned up .7 of

our 3GB limit since June 1st!  Not even a whole GB in 19 days!  Also,

remove all updates from every app that your phone came with (bloatware)

every so often. And shut the phone down every night after you run the task

killer and empty your data cache. Somewhere along the line I will learn how

to completely uninstall that darned bloatware and I will pass it on!

Let me know if this makes a difference for you!

-Carole

(Removed)

Personal info removed as required by the Verizon Wireless Terms of Service

Message edited by: Admin Moderator

Re: I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
Caitip28
Enthusiast - Level 1

I am having the same issue.  The reps just blame you for using data... but I have been home all day and connected to my wifi all day and it still says data is being used.  Verizon are scam artists!!!

Re: I'm accruing data usage when I'm connected to wifi
davidhj
Enthusiast - Level 1

Having identical problem-- I too have had verizon for 10 years plus and am VERY familiar with system. Upgraded to 'new' plan July 2 and all of a sudden getting huge time stamped data usage even when connected to wifi. The time stamps

are unclear because unknown to me what time zone verizon's billing system lists (I am in central).  Many of the time stamps are at 3 in the morning when the phone is either still connected to wifi, not being used (because I am asleep), or off. I have not streamed a single thing since I got the new plan-- and used data only to access email.

So verizon's system is either broken, or doing something in the background which results in override of wifi which I had thought not possible.