Data Spike, no warning, no reflection, no help?
kylemacca
Newbie

I monitor my data like crazy.  I have alerts set up for every increment possible (I want to say 10%, 25%, and 50%).  I get a calendar alert on the day of my billing cycle so I can refresh my phone's usage stats.  I have to, I don't have that large a data plan, 2GB, plus rollover.  I have wi-fi assist on, but keep track of that as well - it's currently under 1MB for this period.

So imagine my surprise when today I get an alert that I've used over 50% of my data - even though I hadn't gotten alerts for 10% or 25%.

I also can't figure out how I've used up so much data - I didn't get any alerts the previous month, so I must have used less than 1GB (otherwise I would have at least triggered the 50% alert) so at least a GB should have rolled over, so I went from using <1GB in a month (part of which I was on the road and relying a lot on maps, no less) to >1.5GB in less that a month.  But I check and my rollover was less than 1 GB.  But again, no notification last month that I'd hit 50% (nevermind 10% or 25%).

Here's where it gets even weirder - so I said I always refresh my phone for a new billing cycle... my phone only reports me having used 0.380GB this cycle.  And honestly, I usually reset my phone a day early (because I'd rather have an overestimate of my data than underestimate).

And when I check my usages reported online, it has me doing things I didn't do this month (like upgrading software).

I don't want to sound like some conspiracy nut, but it almost seems like Verizon is waiting until close to the end of the data cycle, and then just "tacking on" data I haven't used.  I can't think of any other reasons why 1) my alerts aren't pinging before 50% (if at all) 2) my phone is reporting DRASTICALLY lower usage than the verizon site 3) the Verizon site is showing data being used at times when I am not just not using my phone, but, even if there were some low-level background apps running automatically, it's on a stable wi-fi system, during low-traffic times (like, I know I'm not up at 5:13am, when some of this data usage is reported...but neither are most people, so the wi-fi shouldn't need any "assisting").

I don't know why they would do this, except to decrease how much rollover data I get (and potentially charge me for overage).

Does anyone else have this problem?

I'm on an iPhone 6

Oh, and I tried contacting customer support about this.  They said it had to be handled by a tech person, and transferred me.  The tech person said it had to be handled by customer support (they wouldn't even transfer me, just gave me the contact info for customer service and that was it). 

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Re: Data Spike, no warning, no reflection, no help?
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

kylemacca, we’re sorry to hear that you’ve been having a difficult time getting your data concern resolved, we’re here to help. Keep in mind the data does not report in real time, this means if you ended a data session at 1:00pm, the system may take up to 4:00pm to report the usage. Wi-Fi assist will pick up the strongest preferred network.

 

By having this feature on, if your home Wi-Fi signal becomes low or weak then it will automatically connect to the cellular data network; to avoid this we recommend turning the feature off. We’re confident you’ll notice a more accurate data analyst after turning the feature off. I hope this information is helpful.

 

TrinetteW_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

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Re: Data Spike, no warning, no reflection, no help?
kylemacca
Newbie

Was this a canned response, or did you just not read where I said:

"I have wi-fi assist on, but keep track of that as well - it's currently under 1MB for this period."

Seems like every time someone experiences a data spike, the response is always "turn wi-fi assist off".  My phone's wi-fi assist has been reporting under 700KB since 3:00pm today.

And this still doesn't explain why my 10% and 25% alerts *never* go off.

Try again.

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Re: Data Spike, no warning, no reflection, no help?
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Using WiFi assist allows the phone to use the cellular data if the WiFi connection isn't strong enough increasing your data usage. That's why everyone suggests turning it off.

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

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Re: Data Spike, no warning, no reflection, no help?
dexman
Community Leader
Community Leader

In addition to what Ann posted, smartphones will often do Administrative tasks during the overnight hours.

In order to keep my data usage in check...(I'm on an old 1 Gig plan)...I've implemented a few steps to keep from going over my limit.

I keep 4G/LTE fully disabled when it is not needed. While at home, all devices are connected to my Verizon FiOS Internet service. When I go out, I'll switch on 4G/LTE if I'm expecting some important Email. or, need to access the Internet in a location where WiFi is unavailable. I turn my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge off at night.

By implementing these steps, my usage has remained well under the 1 Gig cap...although I realize that these steps might not be practical for other users.

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