basic phone/smart phone
mommiak
Newbie

My phone is available for an upgrade, problem... My phone has no data package. The basic phones are becoming fewer and are over priced for the ones that are available. I dont want to get a phone on ebay because I want to knowledge that if anything happens to my phone I can get it fixed but I dont want to get one from verizons store because of the high price of the OLD phone wich I dont like on top of the 30$ upgrade charge. I want to get a smartphone but that seems to require a data package wich I dont want to upgrade to. I want a phone I like and not have to have a data plan. Why cant we buy smartphones and just block the data usage on it? Not everyone wants a higher bill just because phones have to have internet now. This seems really stupid to me because some of us dont have the need to carry the internet with us everywhere we go we just want a phone that we like. I am faced with being able to pay a low price for a good phone but have to pay too much for internet that Im not going to use or pay too much for a phone that I dont like because the availablity of basic phones is becoming smaller and smaller as time gos on. Why even bother offering basic phones anymore if the phone is becoming something that cant be found? No new basic phones have even come out in the past year. Ive gone through multiple basic phones due to the fact that they are crappy, they dont last very long at all and Im getting sick of having to buy new ones that arent covered if anything happens to them.

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Re: basic phone/smart phone
21stNow
Master - Level 1

Customers don't vote with their wallet.  There is one national postpaid carrier that offers smartphone use without a data plan if you pay full price or bring your own device.  However, there are not a lot of takers for this option.  Plus, carriers got tired of the negative publicity when people racked up data charges on their smartphones when they didn't have data plans years ago.  Hence, the environment that consumers have now where most users have to have a data plan for their smartphones.

Re: basic phone/smart phone
Not applicable

Yep. Everyone claims "Oh I don't want data I won't use data" then they DO use data and since the overage without a data plan is $1.99 MB they get a $1000 bill and the they want to blame Verizon.

what I find funny or just weird you have people complaining about having to have data then you have people complaining data isn't unlimited. Well which is it? I see people complain that Verizon should have a 250 MB option like at&t. Well OK if you have 4 lines and you get Share Everything with 1 GB you have 250 MB for each line. $50/4 is $12.50 each which is cheaper than the $25 each at&t charges for that.

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Re: basic phone/smart phone
Not applicable

I know your not the original poster but wanted to reply to you.

When the non so called data phones were used by customers, there was something called Mobile Web which used a technology called Brew.

The cost was $5 and it did simple things like email and weather and sports and movie scores and the cost was not that bad.

Originally in the beginning cell phones were large enough to fit in a briefcases or were 3watt bag phones, again no such thing as data charges since even the WWW was new and expensive. I know because I was paying through the nose for both.

As time went on the carriers of which there was Cellular One and the old Air Touch which became a somewhat cell provider. Back then you did not have the Bell System, Bell Atlantic, NYNEX, Verizon but they soon entered the market.

When phones improved so did the capabilities of these devices. In time the ability to get data services were on many phones but you had to activate it via either using it and seeing the agreement and charges page, or you paid in advance on purchase of the cell.

Of course some if not all of these data enabled phones were sending out update requests even though you may have not opted for data and the customers were being charged for it, hense the lawsuits and the carrier getting a judgment against it as well as refunds.

There are clamshell phones even on the Verizon site that have no data package. Brew is no longer I believe. So the decision to make more profits and get people to have no choice not to have data is based on greed of the carriers. It may be the wave of the future but it's pushed on the consumer so your choice is taken away.

Do I think that if someone doesn't want data on a data enabled phone should have it forced on them, well in this case we have two answers. First the carrier should be able to disable the data on there end, secondly the customer must know that to use or attempt to use data will cost extra and that once its requested it is part of their plan.

Again why bu a data phone if you intend never to use data.

Unlimited data is something that was offered to build up the service potential, now that people are hooked Verizon and others now want to take it away. That is not right, when now Verizon is using any ploy to get you off the plan.

Why do you think companies had class action lawsuits struck down by the supreme court? It was to make their company questionable acts and policies harder to rectify.

Well off my soap box now.

Re: basic phone/smart phone
Not applicable

Elector wrote:

Do I think that if someone doesn't want data on a data enabled phone should have it forced on them, well in this case we have two answers. First the carrier should be able to disable the data on there end, secondly the customer must know that to use or attempt to use data will cost extra and that once its requested it is part of their plan.

Unfortunately that won't work because as you can tell by reading the forum many people are very stupid and ignorant and would use data and claim to not have requested it and then claim that Verizon did it on purpose because Verizon is evil.

Also no one is forced into anything. If one doesn't like Verizon's terms go with another carrier. Speaking with one's wallet will be more effective than complaining on a messageboard.

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Re: basic phone/smart phone
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Brian68 wrote:

Elector wrote:

Do I think that if someone doesn't want data on a data enabled phone should have it forced on them, well in this case we have two answers. First the carrier should be able to disable the data on there end, secondly the customer must know that to use or attempt to use data will cost extra and that once its requested it is part of their plan.

Unfortunately that won't work because as you can tell by reading the forum many people are very stupid and ignorant and would use data and claim to not have requested it and then claim that Verizon did it on purpose because Verizon is evil.

Also no one is forced into anything. If one doesn't like Verizon's terms go with another carrier. Speaking with one's wallet will be more effective than complaining on a messageboard.

Unfortunately verizon is forcing it on a consumer. By offering 99% smartphones and 1% basic phones, the consumer has a small choice in a non data phone. thousands of people were involved with the secret data charges lawsuit. so yes Verizon and other providers are evil.

The carriers need only totally disable data on phones so equiped so not even system updates count and are charged as non customer requested data. Please rest assured verizon and others have this capability but choose to play stupid and reap in data usage charges all the while saying the customer is ignorant or stupid. not everyone my friend is ignorant nor stupid.

Verizon was caught with their hands in the cookie jar before why would you think if they could get away with it they would not do so again.

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Re: basic phone/smart phone
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Elector wrote:

Brian68 wrote:

Elector wrote:

Do I think that if someone doesn't want data on a data enabled phone should have it forced on them, well in this case we have two answers. First the carrier should be able to disable the data on there end, secondly the customer must know that to use or attempt to use data will cost extra and that once its requested it is part of their plan.

Unfortunately that won't work because as you can tell by reading the forum many people are very stupid and ignorant and would use data and claim to not have requested it and then claim that Verizon did it on purpose because Verizon is evil.

Also no one is forced into anything. If one doesn't like Verizon's terms go with another carrier. Speaking with one's wallet will be more effective than complaining on a messageboard.

Unfortunately verizon is forcing it on a consumer.

Customer: Hi I want a phone without a data plan.

Verizon: Sorry you MUST have a data plan.

Customer: Good- bye.

Where is the "force"?

Re: basic phone/smart phone
Not applicable

Brian68 wrote:

Elector wrote:

Brian68 wrote:

Elector wrote:

Do I think that if someone doesn't want data on a data enabled phone should have it forced on them, well in this case we have two answers. First the carrier should be able to disable the data on there end, secondly the customer must know that to use or attempt to use data will cost extra and that once its requested it is part of their plan.

Unfortunately that won't work because as you can tell by reading the forum many people are very stupid and ignorant and would use data and claim to not have requested it and then claim that Verizon did it on purpose because Verizon is evil.

Also no one is forced into anything. If one doesn't like Verizon's terms go with another carrier. Speaking with one's wallet will be more effective than complaining on a messageboard.

Unfortunately verizon is forcing it on a consumer.

Customer: Hi I want a phone without a data plan.

Verizon: Sorry you MUST have a data plan.

Customer: Good- bye.

Where is the "force"?

You seem to be having a problem with this non data concept.

Customer: I would like to purchase one of your non data plans.

Verizon: Yes we have 3 phones we offer for this purpose.

Customer: Yes I see those online, do you have any others?

Verizon: No, the others all require a data plan due to them being a smartphone.

Customer: Thank you I will take one of your 3 phones.

Now these phone are not data enabled and are exactly what the customer wants. Customer happy, Verizon happy. simple.

I as I said don't believe that a customer should have to be pushed into a data phone, when Verizon sells At least 3 phones that are non data. the original poster wanted that type of phone and was steered away. hence the question of non data on a data phone.

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Re: basic phone/smart phone
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

Three?  I just checked and there were ten basic phones available for purchase online.

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: basic phone/smart phone
Not applicable

Ann154 wrote:

Three?  I just checked and there were ten basic phones available for purchase online.

Hi Ann, sorry I am using a Sony tablet or iPad and its hard seeing a full page of anything let alone my trying to reply via one of these dang hand

I can go over and look from my laptop but 3 or 10 it was that the op wanted to know if there were any phones that did not have to have any data plan. it would seem you and I found out their are.

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