I am FURIOUS

[TheresaK]

I am a prepaid basic customer. I have had an Alltel phone for years and recently bought a new phone and flipped to a verizon prepaid plan. This is a phone that I barely use. It is pretty much there fore emergencies (hence the prepaid)  Now I find out that I have to pay money every 1-3 months onto an account that I hardly use just to keep it active.

And if I don't? VERIZON STEALS MY MONEY!!!!

If Verizon doesn't want a class action lawsuit on their hands in a couple of years they will change this ridiculous policy.

What are customers who only have phones for emergencies supposed to do? Keep building up money in an account they aren't using? Part of the reason I do prepaid is because I can't afford to buy a monthly calling plan. Now I find out I have to pay $15.00 a month anyway, or verizon will cancel my acount and STEAL MY MONEY.

It's not like I forgot about the phone or something. Just because I don't use $15.00 every month, does that mean I should be penalized? I am a graduate student living on a student budget and I cannot afford to pay $15.00 every month just to keep this phone active. I already pay ridiculous fees for a land line, and now Verizon think I should cough up money every month to keep my cell phone active. Something that probably only costs them a few cents to maintain? (What is one person in a massive database of active cell phones?)

I feel like I should be informing the FBI about this SCAM. What do you think the FCC will do when the find out that you are stealing money from people just because they can't afford to pay you an extra $15.00 every month just to keep a phone active that they aren't using? You **bleep** think that you can get away with that indefinitely?

[spottedcatfish]

Yes, unfortunately, they can get away with that.  It is a standard industry practice to place an expiration date on prepaid accounts.  This prevents Verizon from having to maintain records on a mountain of defunct accounts.  It is clearly stated in the Terms & Conditions that failure to keep the account active will cause you to forfeit your money.  You agreed to these terms when you established your Verizon account, and there is nothing illegal about them.  The FCC is perfectly aware of the practice.

That said, the laws are clearly not working in your favor here, so for options:

1. Consider another prepaid provider with a more lenient renewal policy.  For instance, Page Plus only requires that you purchase a service PIN (the smallest being $10) every 120 days, a much more favorable situation than $15/month with Verizon.  They use the Verizon network, and any postpaid Verizon handset (you can find a ton on eBay cheaply) can be activated on their service with the exception of Blackberries.  You should also consider the prepaid division of any other major providers in your area, and the prepaid MVNOs that use their networks.

2.  Consider replacing your landline with your cell phone.  How much do you use your landline?  Would a postpaid cell contract, or a different prepaid plan make it a better financial decision to replace the landline with a cell phone?  If you moved to a Verizon plan, you could continue to use your current handset.

3. Consider ditching the cell phone.  How often do you find yourself in a situation where you are either alone or with someone else who does not have a cell phone?  If you truly only need the line for emergencies, a travelling companion or fellow student is probably going to be more than willing to lend you their phone.

4. Suck it up and continue to add the minimum balance neccessary to keep your Verizon account active.  I believe that if you add larger amounts, your account "end date" is extended for a longer period of time, hopefully someone will chime in with those amounts and you can see if one of those options might be more feasible for you.

[budone]

If you are talking emergency calls as in 911, most any newer phone that is not activated will make that call. There is no need for a prepaid plan.

[Minniehaha]

Your aware of the fact that you have to renew every 90 days or whatever before you sign up. You pay for a landline phone even if you never use it, its the same with cell phones.  I am a prepaid user and when I have enough money into my account I call long distance friends to use some of the money up.  The 90 day plan comes to $10.00 per month thats not a bad deal. What do you pay for a landline phone every month?

[skullandbones]

just make a $100 payment it will last a year...

[acraftylady]

We had verizon prepaid 10yrs. ago and had to add money every month to keep it active so this is nothing new about doing that on verizon.  Back then our minutes carried over from month to month so we just let them build up and then once in a while I would make some long distnace calls to family to use some up.    We had t-mobile prepaid for my son then too and it was the same as well as with other prepaid services around here when I researched.    Mary

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TheresaK wrote:

I am a prepaid basic customer. I have had an Alltel phone for years and recently bought a new phone and flipped to a verizon prepaid plan. This is a phone that I barely use. It is pretty much there fore emergencies (hence the prepaid)  Now I find out that I have to pay money every 1-3 months onto an account that I hardly use just to keep it active.

And if I don't? VERIZON STEALS MY MONEY!!!!

If Verizon doesn't want a class action lawsuit on their hands in a couple of years they will change this ridiculous policy.

What are customers who only have phones for emergencies supposed to do? Keep building up money in an account they aren't using? Part of the reason I do prepaid is because I can't afford to buy a monthly calling plan. Now I find out I have to pay $15.00 a month anyway, or verizon will cancel my acount and STEAL MY MONEY.

It's not like I forgot about the phone or something. Just because I don't use $15.00 every month, does that mean I should be penalized? I am a graduate student living on a student budget and I cannot afford to pay $15.00 every month just to keep this phone active. I already pay ridiculous fees for a land line, and now Verizon think I should cough up money every month to keep my cell phone active. Something that probably only costs them a few cents to maintain? (What is one person in a massive database of active cell phones?)

I feel like I should be informing the FBI about this SCAM. What do you think the FCC will do when the find out that you are stealing money from people just because they can't afford to pay you an extra $15.00 every month just to keep a phone active that they aren't using? You **bleep** think that you can get away with that indefinitely?

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[TheresaK]

Actually, I switched from Alltel, and so  NOT aware of the fact that I had to keep making payments or they would cancel my account. All I did was click a button on a website. My old Alltel plan just let me carry the minutes over until I used them.I WANT BACK ON IT.

Furthermore, the idea that maintaining the account of someone who doesn't use their phone for ONE MONTH is such a burden to Verizon that they have to do this is purified distilled bull.

There are LOTS of people who may not use a prepaid phone for a month or two and then need it for a road trip. 

As in: Anyone who goes camping or travelling less than once a month, or spends less than $15 in minutes when they do. That is what I use it for, mostly. Every 2-3 months, I'll go backpacking or camping, and I use it to communicate with others on the road to coordinate our stops and keep my boyfriend informed when I arrive home safely.And call AAA if I have a breakdown.

This is totally a ploy to COERCE prepaid customers into spending more money on their verizon account than they naturally would. The fact that they take your money unless you keep making LARGE PAYMENTS is COERCIVE. And if the payments are more than you normally would use in a motnh, that counts as LARGE in my book.

And yes, the state can invalidate unfair contracts.

And class actions lawsuits have been brought against cable companies for changing cancellation fees, which is also ostensibly legal, so anyone who thinks this couldn't be grounds to sue verizon doesn't know the legal system very well.

I want my money back. I want back on my Alltel plan, or I want Verizon to return my balance when I switch to some other carrier.

[acraftylady]

If alltell didn't require you to add money every month you should have kept it, should have researched before clicking that button.    I know of no other prepaid service that does not require you to add money every month, how else are they going to make money if you don't?  As someone else said if you want it just for 911 emergencies any phone that is fully charged will do that at no cost.  $10 for 90 days is a great deal.  I guess the lesson learned here is do your home work first.   Sorry it happened but that's life sometimes.  Mary

[crimedoggies]

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TheresaK wrote:

Actually, I switched from Alltel, and so  NOT aware of the fact that I had to keep making payments or they would cancel my account. All I did was click a button on a website. My old Alltel plan just let me carry the minutes over until I used them.I WANT BACK ON IT.

Furthermore, the idea that maintaining the account of someone who doesn't use their phone for ONE MONTH is such a burden to Verizon that they have to do this is purified distilled bull.

There are LOTS of people who may not use a prepaid phone for a month or two and then need it for a road trip. 

As in: Anyone who goes camping or travelling less than once a month, or spends less than $15 in minutes when they do. That is what I use it for, mostly. Every 2-3 months, I'll go backpacking or camping, and I use it to communicate with others on the road to coordinate our stops and keep my boyfriend informed when I arrive home safely.And call AAA if I have a breakdown.

This is totally a ploy to COERCE prepaid customers into spending more money on their verizon account than they naturally would. The fact that they take your money unless you keep making LARGE PAYMENTS is COERCIVE. And if the payments are more than you normally would use in a motnh, that counts as LARGE in my book.

And yes, the state can invalidate unfair contracts.

And class actions lawsuits have been brought against cable companies for changing cancellation fees, which is also ostensibly legal, so anyone who thinks this couldn't be grounds to sue verizon doesn't know the legal system very well.

I want my money back. I want back on my Alltel plan, or I want Verizon to return my balance when I switch to some other carrier.

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If you are so totally cognizant of the legal system, why don't you sue Verizon and fix this for everybody?  Verizon didn't force you off of the Alltel plan, you CHOSE to go off of it when you bought a new phone.  If the phone was used so infrequently, why did you need a new one?  Verizon doesn't owe you a thing.  Somebody as fully knowledgeable of law should know to read an agreement before entering it...........don't you think?

[acraftylady]

Well looks like you will have to sue to get your money back.  It's really not verizon's fault you didn't investigate before switching so why blame them?  Mary