My reply from VZW to the BBB.
Deamorei
Enthusiast - Level 2

Here is a letter i received after filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.  My complaint was about them not providing accurate usage reports to consumers This letter was from Verizon Wireless to the Better Business Bureau of New Jersey.

 

Dear Ms.  *insert name here*

 

Thank you for contacting Verizon Wireless (VZW). This letter is response to the above referenced complaint for Mr. *insert name here*.  Mr. **k expressed concern regarding the 5GB allowance associated with his Mobile Broadband account and the tools to track usage. Please accept this letter as confirmation of VZW’s resolution to his concerns. Mr. ***k  subscribes to a $59.95 Mobile Broadband plan that includes an allowance of 5GB. I sincerely regret his dissatisfaction with his allowance and the tools available to track usage. I forwarded this feedback to appropriate parties and it will be taken into consideration for future enhancements.


In light of Mr. ***k  concern, she he wish to change his plan, I can offer him an alternative Mobile Broadband plan for $199.99 for a 10GB allowance. Should he wish to pursue this option, he should contact me directly within 30 days of receipt of this letter. Otherwise the plan may not be available. Should Mr *** k have any questions i can be reached at  *insert phone* numbers here.

 

Sincerely


*insert name here*

Executive Relations Coordinator

 

 

 

So they are willing to give me an extra 5GB a month allowance for $140.00 a month.  That comes out to be around 28 dollars per gigabyte after 5GB which is cheaper then the overage charge of 50 dollars per gigabyte. None the less something is horribly wrong when a mobile broadband bill for such limited use can cost me about 60% of my home mortage payment for so little use *10GB per month*. They never really answered as to why we the customer cant get up to date usage reports now did they? I don’t think they can accurately track usage real time in relation to users. Thats why we don’t get an update for several days sometimes.


 

Keep an eye on all wireless companies not just Verizon. They are raking us over the coals right now . VZW has no reason to be competitive. They own the market pretty much right now.  I do have excellant performance from VZW thats not a complaint.

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Re: My reply from VZW to the BBB.
Not applicable

You can accurately track your usage with NetMeter.

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Re: My reply from VZW to the BBB.
Deamorei
Enthusiast - Level 2

Verizon Access Manager is designed to monitor usage. I shouldn't have to download additional software since it's already provided. This site isn't even up to data on usage. My data was supposed to be reset yesterday yet the data usage screen shows old data . It's VZW responsibility when setting limits to provide accurate usage readings whenever we so desire to check them.

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Re: My reply from VZW to the BBB.
Not applicable

That may be true, but we all know the Verizon data lags a couple days.  So, you can either fly blind, or download NetMeter or some other program and stop wasting your 5GB complaining about it.

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Re: My reply from VZW to the BBB.
Doodle
Newbie

Deamorie I agree with you we should not have to download another software. That would just take more of our 5GB of usage that's never up to date.

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Re: My reply from VZW to the BBB.
Not applicable

I agree, you shouldn't have to download another software.  However, it you want a solution to your problem, that's it.  Otherwise, you can continue to run the risk of exceeding your 5 GB allocation while you sit here complaining.  Verizon is well aware of the problem, but it still exist.

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Re: My reply from VZW to the BBB.
reallyniceguy
Contributor - Level 3
JESUS ! what are you downloading to go voer the 5 gig cap? as per the terms and conditions you cant download movies or mp3s and it should be for casual net surfing. You are runing the risk of getting audited.
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Re: My reply from VZW to the BBB.
Doodle
Newbie

No one said anything about downloading anything that makes you go over the 5 gig limit. The discussion is about not wanting to download a program that Verizon should provide.

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Re: My reply from VZW to the BBB.
Deamorei
Enthusiast - Level 2

Actually you can go through 50-75MB of data in a surfing session 2-3 hours and that's just one person using the connection. Flash adds like this website uses are pretty heavy. Regardless of what Verizon wireless thinks, Mobile/Wireless broadband is the future of most all connectivity to the internet. Why do they even have a MIFI that I use that 5 users can connect simultaneously to the VZW wireless network for. How about mobile collaboration, etc, etc,.

 

 Yesterday my usage jumped from 17MB to 578 MB just over night. In fact it actually in the past 3 reading went from 47MB rolled back to 17 then jumped forward to 578, That's only 144MB over 4 days so its not as outrageous as it may seem.  On 5GB you can use 166MB per day again which really isn't much. Its just me and the spouse. Imagine if we had 4 kids in school. The majority who benefit from this service aren't travelers or city folk but us urban dwellers who live in the outskirts with no high speed broadband available. Ever try to surf on an iphone? Its about worthless.  Same on a Blackberry. ala Netbook now that's where its at.

 

Though the price for 5GB is outlandish its for me to do whatever I want to use it for. My main use is for surfing and playing a MMO. Checking email. I've never went over but I've been close. Users are not allowed simply by the cap to enjoy the internet for all it has to offer. Wireless companies are like oil companies trying to squeeze the market for all they can get.. Last quarter VZW added 1.3 million NEW wireless customers excluding acquisitions compared to roughly 300k wired subscribers so tell me where the market is. Yeah wireless internet! Do some research mobile broadband is really the cash cow for wireless providers.

 

Oh btw Jim. If a customer goes over without knowledge that's a potential lawsuit for VZW. It's not an acceptable problem for the consumer to have to deal with. Not even this website is up to date on data use but its sure up to date in taking our money on auto pay isn't it? I've never had my bill rolled back or paid late. I suggest people that want to do away with caps and are for net neutrality to stay on their elected leaders rear ends. Wireless companies need to pass the buck on to where it belongs. The providers of things such as Netflix or Itunes and not the consumers who pay for their services. People need do drop the assumption that mobile broadband is used primarily by phones, berrys etc, etc.. It's not.

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Re: My reply from VZW to the BBB.
Not applicable

I agree Verizon should provide accurate, up-to-date usage data.  However, they don't.  As a customer, you can run the risk or going over your 5 GB, or you can be proactive and download NetMeter or some other software and solve the problem.  Not to do so seems silly to me, but that's your decision.

 

Personally, I would never use Verizon wireless broadband as my primary ISP.  To me, 5 GB is not enough capacity.  I use it for travel and as a failback for when my Charter cable internet goes out.  If you're trying to use it as your only source, I think you're not going to be happy with it.  If you live where Verizon is your only option, that's your decision, but Verizon is under no obligation to tailor their business model to fit your needs.  That's a business decision for them to make.

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