And here we go...Share Everything plans

[AntimonyER]

The key clarification that needs to be made is whether you can upgrade your phone at the discounted price and still stay in the current tiered share plans. I can finally let go of my unlimited data as long as I am not forced into this "share everything" system.

In my situation, I have 5 lines (2 smartphones, 3 basic). The two smartphones are on unlimited data, but one is my wife's and she does not need unlimited. So I was hoping to upgrade hers with the discounted price (which would move her to a tiered data plan, but that's ok). And then I would just buy my phone at full price or use another lines upgrade to keep my unlimited data. But if I'm forced into this share everything system, I'm looking at a price increase of at least $50 mo because the 3 basic phones do not need texting and use little voice.

We need to know for if the current tiered shared voice plans are still an option with individual data plans? Are we sure?

Verizon has made it very clear that they are not ending any existing plans, the only thing that is ending is unlimited grandfathering if you sign a new contract. All the existing family plans and individual plans will remain.... For now.

 

[IOWA]

After running the numbers this will raise our bill by $30 a month, but that will also put my girlfriend back into a smart phone and give us unlimited talk and text. Since we only have 700 minutes now and no text it isn't that bad. While I will miss unlimited data, I don't use more than 3GB a month normally anyway.

Just as a comparison between a few carriers take a look at the numbers. If you wanted a plan for 2 smartphones with unlimited talk and text and 2GB of data a month these are your current options:

Verizon (current):
Unlimited talk and text with 2GB per line: $119.98 + $30 + $30 +$30 = $209.98 + Tax/Fees

T-Mobile (Classic):
Unlimited talk and text with 2GB per line: $139.98 + Tax/Fees

T-Mobile (Value):
Unlimited talk and text with 2GB per line: $99.98 + $20* + $20* = $139.98 + Tax/Fees
*the extra $20 is for "financing" the non-subsidized phone for 20 months.

Sprint:
Unlimited talk and text with Unlimited data: $189.98 + Tax/Fees

At&t:
Unlimited talk and text with 3GB per line: $119.98 + $30 + $30 + $30 = $209.98 + Tax/Fees

Verizon (New):
Unlimited talk and text with 4GB of data shared: $40 + $40 + $70 = $150 + Tax/Fees

In the end it works out that T-Mobile is cheaper than all of them for the unlimited features, but Verizon's new pricing plans are falling more into line with the other carriers. And really, the t-mobile plan is only $10 cheaper than Verizon now.

I have to point out a pretty big flaw in your plan, which is Sprint, which offers any mobile to mobile is a huge factor. For 2 lines, I've used an average of 5 minutes per month for BOTH lines for the last 12 months. This is because any mobile I call is unlimited, as well as nights and weekends are unlimited. I pretty much already have unlimited minutes.

So my two lines with Sprint cost me $150/mo AFTER taxes, and I pretty much have unlimited everything.

 

[PeninaD]

I just sent this to VZW:
I have used the online calculator, and discovered that these new unlimited/bucket plans will end up costing $40-50 MORE per month.
We never went over 700 minutes even with 5 lines, why should we pay so much more for unlimited talk that we wont use? Most of our lines have been upgraded recently, so I know I can keep my current plan with unlimited data (Which I rarely come near even 2GB as I use wifi whenever possible), but if the situation does not improve, I will be changing companies in the future. What a shame, as I have stayed through NYNEX/Bell Atlantic and all the other name changes, as well as with a move from XX to XX.
I am sure that I will get a canned response, but I cant stand by and not add my voice to customers who feel they are being taken advantage of and stabbed in the back after sticking with Verizon Wireless through much much more than a decade.

 

[gloriousnumber1]

I have two regular lines we use, mine and my wife's. We upgraded her last November, but she doesn't have unlimited since she didn't get a smart phone until then.

My upgrade wasn't available until mid April. I thought my OG Droid was dying in January, so we got a ghost line to get a Rezound. Had I known this was coming and had more time to see if it would keep working, I might have waited and not done the ghost line.

The OG Droid is ok, it's rooted running CM7 and I'm selling it now. I used my upgrade last friday and got the Maxx, paid for it by billing, then sold my Rezound and will sell the Droid to pay for it.

I have unlimited for two more years, not sure if I have the discipline necessary to save up a little each month so I can pay full price in two years, we shall see!

I think this policy is meant for people who want to wait for anything past the SGSIII, causing them to go tiered or pay full price. Plus, nothing else on the horizon guarantees that!

 

[YankeeDudeL]

I just don't see how, unless as a family you don't use much data and you have lots of devices. That seems pretty unlikely to me. If you use more than 1gb per every two phones, I haven't come up with many scenarios where this saves any money.

OTD pretty much said enough, but I'll just reiterate as a cell phone salesman. We are not just a minority, but a vast minority. We literally are 5% of consumer base. To be quite honest, most people just want a smartphone for the better specifications (the larger screens, better cameras, etc..) or they realize that WiFi is just about everywhere. The biggest place I think we'll see an upgrade is with parents with kids in adolescence, and the elder demographic that like the idea of these phones, but recognize they're hardly going to use any of the internet or connection features.

If I had no special promotions on my plan (I pay $50 for 5 lines of unlimited data instead of $150, and receive a 19% discount), my bill would be about $350 (currently pay about $225 a month after taxes and surcharges). Four of the lines use maybe 4GB (being very generous) total, but I can use as much as 5 or 6GB (even though 2 or 3GB is more the average). If I go with a 10GB package, I'd be at $300, so probably about $333 after taxes and surcharges, and would get more minutes (even though I truly don't need them). So it really would work better for probably the majority of those 95%. Just not for the most of us, the very vocal minority.

 

[AntimonyER]

OTD pretty much said enough, but I'll just reiterate as a cell phone salesman. We are not just a minority, but a vast minority. We literally are 5% of consumer base. To be quite honest, most people just want a smartphone for the better specifications (the larger screens, better cameras, etc..) or they realize that WiFi is just about everywhere. The biggest place I think we'll see an upgrade is with parents with kids in adolescence, and the elder demographic that like the idea of these phones, but recognize they're hardly going to use any of the internet or connection features.

If I had no special promotions on my plan (I pay $50 for 5 lines of unlimited data instead of $150, and receive a 19% discount), my bill would be about $350 (currently pay about $225 a month after taxes and surcharges). Four of the lines use maybe 4GB (being very generous) total, but I can use as much as 5 or 6GB (even though 2 or 3GB is more the average). If I go with a 10GB package, I'd be at $300, so probably about $333 after taxes and surcharges, and would get more minutes (even though I truly don't need them). So it really would work better for probably the majority of those 95%. Just not for the most of us, the very vocal minority.

But if you have even one dumbphone mixed in, the savings are gone. Also the new plans reduce the value of your corporate discount, so that has to be taken into account. (if I got no discounts, the difference in the plans for me is new plan is 5 more, but due to discount calculation change, I would actually pay 15 more under the new plan). I would say the majority of customers will not be better served by this plan. To be perfectly honest, it's not the new plans, but the end of unlimited data that's the problem. If they hadn't done that, no one would have cared, since the existing plans aren't going anywhere.

 

[IOWA]

OTD pretty much said enough, but I'll just reiterate as a cell phone salesman. We are not just a minority, but a vast minority. We literally are 5% of consumer base. To be quite honest, most people just want a smartphone for the better specifications (the larger screens, better cameras, etc..) or they realize that WiFi is just about everywhere. The biggest place I think we'll see an upgrade is with parents with kids in adolescence, and the elder demographic that like the idea of these phones, but recognize they're hardly going to use any of the internet or connection features.

If I had no special promotions on my plan (I pay $50 for 5 lines of unlimited data instead of $150, and receive a 19% discount), my bill would be about $350 (currently pay about $225 a month after taxes and surcharges). Four of the lines use maybe 4GB (being very generous) total, but I can use as much as 5 or 6GB (even though 2 or 3GB is more the average). If I go with a 10GB package, I'd be at $300, so probably about $333 after taxes and surcharges, and would get more minutes (even though I truly don't need them). So it really would work better for probably the majority of those 95%. Just not for the most of us, the very vocal minority.

Eh, we might be the vast minority, but there are a handful of factors that run in our favor. First off, we're the people our friends and family look to for advice.. this carries a much larger impact than we think. Secondly, people are starting to wise up with this kind of pricing due to a variety of factors, which include us, bill shock, and simple common sense.

To me, this is a very clear ploy to pull all the wolves off Verizons network, just so they can milk all the sheep for what they're willing to pay. Underhanded, but profitable.

 

[OfTheDamned]

Just an FYI for those with corporate/federal discounts.......

As usual, I have heard two different stories on what actually gets discounted on the new plans. Some reps are reporting that there is only a discount on data so the $40 or $30 for the line is not discounted and just the shared data is. Other reps are saying that the line access fee for the phones is the part that is discounted and there is no discount on data.

In most cases the difference between the two discounts is only a few bucks, but for those of you with several basic phones on your account the difference could be pretty big.

 

[YankeeDudeL]

But if you have even one dumbphone mixed in, the savings are gone. Also the new plans reduce the value of your corporate discount, so that has to be taken into account. (if I got no discounts, the difference in the plans for me is new plan is 5 more, but due to discount calculation change, I would actually pay 15 more under the new plan). I would say the majority of customers will not be better served by this plan. To be perfectly honest, it's not the new plans, but the end of unlimited data that's the problem. If they hadn't done that, no one would have cared, since the existing plans aren't going anywhere.

Yeah, but that's been what all carrier's have been pushing toward. The goal is to get as many smartphones out there as possible. It's why the amount of feature phone offerings have been dwindling incredibly. And at the same time, the specs for these phones have been stagnant for quite some time. Hell, I had a 5mp camera phone at least 4 years ago (maybe 5), and now we don't sell a single feature phone above a 3.2mp.

But where I think a lot of people on here are getting lost is that the majority of consumers do want smartphones, but don't want to pay for data. We sell a lot more 200MB (T-Mobile) and 300MB (AT&T) packages than we do the 2GB and 3GB offerings as it is. And most people are savvy enough to realize they can use WiFi. And I can't tell you how often I've heard people ask if there are family shared data packages available.

This package will cost me more money, as it will the majority of us on this site. But everyone has heard about it (we had a big writeup in our local paper) and we were answering questions about it all day yesterday (keep in mind, we've yet to receive any official training or word from Verizon ourselves). There's even a comparison tool in eROES (Verizon's system) and the vast majority of the people we talked to who want smart phones will save money based on how much data they will actually use.

Eh, we might be the vast minority, but there are a handful of factors that run in our favor. First off, we're the people our friends and family look to for advice.. this carries a much larger impact than we think. Secondly, people are starting to wise up with this kind of pricing due to a variety of factors, which include us, bill shock, and simple common sense.

To me, this is a very clear ploy to pull all the wolves off Verizons network, just so they can milk all the sheep for what they're willing to pay. Underhanded, but profitable.

Oh, it's def to make more money, no doubt about it. You could also go all conspiracy theorist and say that it's a way to make us more easily tracked, or more easily reached for forced commercialism.

Just an FYI for those with corporate/federal discounts.......

As usual, I have heard two different stories on what actually gets discounted on the new plans. Some reps are reporting that there is only a discount on data so the $40 or $30 for the line is not discounted and just the shared data is. Other reps are saying that the line access fee for the phones is the part that is discounted and there is no discount on data.

In most cases the difference between the two discounts is only a few bucks, but for those of you with several basic phones on your account the difference could be pretty big.

I receive a 19% discount on my 1400 min plan, which goes on the $89.99 price of the first two lines voice plan. If I go to the new plan, I would have to have at least the 8GB option, so mine would stay the same if that winds up the case. But yes, as most people will be using less data, their discounts will most likely decrease. I've voiced my opinion on this topic (well, in the neighborhood of this topic) in another thread.

 

[rui-no-onna]

The shared family plans are atrocious. We're currently on AT&T Family Plan and I was considering switching to Verizon but these new plans are just awful for low voice and text users.

Current AT&T (700 minutes shared, have >4,000 rollover minutes):

• Line 1 dumbphone, Voice/Access: $60, Messaging: $0, Data: $0
• Line 2 dumbphone, Voice/Access: $10, Messaging: $0, Data: $0
• Line 3 smartphone, Voice/Access: $10, Messaging: $5 (200msgs, only use around 100/month), Data: $45 (4GB with hotspot)
• Line 4 smartphone, Voice/Access: $10, Messaging: $5 (200msgs, only use around 50/month), Data: $15 (200MB)
• TOTAL: $160/month

Verizon's Share Everything:

• Line 1 dumbphone, Access: $30
• Line 2 dumbphone, Access: $30
• Line 3 smartphone, Access: $40
• Line 4 smartphone, Access: $40
• 4GB Shared Data: $70
• Total: $210/month

What I don't understand is why both the shared data plan and per line access fees for phones cost so much.

Verizon is also introducing shared data-only plans for data-only devices such as tablets, hotspots and modems and pricing for that is much more reasonable:

4GB: $30 (vs $70 w/voice)
6GB: $40 (vs $80 w/voice)
8GB: $50 (vs $90 w/voice)
10GB: $60 (vs $100 w/voice)

Per Device Access Fee:
Mobile Hotspot/Notebook/USB/etc: $20
Tablet: $10

Obviously, part of the $30/$40 access fee for smartphones and dumbphones go to phone subsidies. Let's take out $10 as access fee for phones (same as the access fee for unsubsidized tablets) and we're left with $20 for dumbphones and $30 for smartphones. A typical contract is 2 years or 24 months so that gives us $20 x 24 = $480 (dumbphone) and $30 x 24 = $720 smartphone. Most dumbphones I see at online retailers are under $100 (heck, I've bought a few for $20). Low-end Android devices, you could buy for $100-150 without contract. The Galaxy Nexus is $400 and the iPhone, carriers only subsidize $450 at most.

It would be good if Verizon could give customers options with regards to voice and messaging, too, like they did with the data plans. With fixed minutes, there's no reason for the per phone access fees to be that high.

Another thing, instead of outright subsidies, they could have the phones on installment so the actual cost for service is separate from the device cost. After you fulfill the contract terms/paid off the device, then your monthly bill goes down. I bet they could get a lot of people off the iPhone if folks know exactly how much it's costing them.

 

[AntimonyER]

Just an FYI for those with corporate/federal discounts.......

As usual, I have heard two different stories on what actually gets discounted on the new plans. Some reps are reporting that there is only a discount on data so the $40 or $30 for the line is not discounted and just the shared data is. Other reps are saying that the line access fee for the phones is the part that is discounted and there is no discount on data.

In most cases the difference between the two discounts is only a few bucks, but for those of you with several basic phones on your account the difference could be pretty big.

I saw somewhere a corporate datasheet online, that spelled out clearly that only the data bucket is discounted. I currently have $120 in charges that are eligible, under new plan, $70, so with a 20% discount no longer applying to $50 worth of charges, that is $10 extra.

 

[OfTheDamned]

The shared family plans are atrocious. We're currently on AT&T Family Plan and I was considering switching to Verizon but these new plans are just awful for low voice and text users.

I hope you aren't too shocked when At&t does something similar. Every carrier is going to be going to the unlimited talk & text plans and data is only going to get more expensive. They've all seen were the money is and they know data is the source. Once they all make the switch to full LTE we will probably all be paying for buckets of data that will include talk and text too.

I saw somewhere a corporate datasheet online, that spelled out clearly that only the data bucket is discounted. I currently have $120 in charges that are eligible, under new plan, $70, so with a 20% discount no longer applying to $50 worth of charges, that is $10 extra.

I wonder why the reps are reporting it the other way. Maybe they don't know yet or there are specific discounts set for specific customer groups.

 

[AntimonyER]

I hope you aren't too shocked when At&t does something similar. Every carrier is going to be going to the unlimited talk & text plans and data is only going to get more expensive. They've all seen were the money is and they know data is the source. Once they all make the switch to full LTE we will probably all be paying for buckets of data that will include talk and text too.




I wonder why the reps are reporting it the other way. Maybe they don't know yet or there are specific discounts set for specific customer groups.

Here is the document I saw...

Spoiler

 

[OfTheDamned]

Here is the document I saw...

Spoiler

Ok, I gotcha now.

I think they are making it confusing for even their employees with the whole "Monthly Account Access" and "Monthly Line Access". Why would they refer to that shared data as "Monthly Account Access"?

 

[IOWA]

I hope you aren't too shocked when At&t does something similar. Every carrier is going to be going to the unlimited talk & text plans and data is only going to get more expensive. They've all seen were the money is and they know data is the source. Once they all make the switch to full LTE we will probably all be paying for buckets of data that will include talk and text too.




I wonder why the reps are reporting it the other way. Maybe they don't know yet or there are specific discounts set for specific customer groups.

This is exactly what I'm afraid of, but I feel it's inevitable.

 

[1stAndroid]

What I don't understand is why both the shared data plan and per line access fees for phones cost so much.

Verizon is also introducing shared data-only plans for data-only devices such as tablets, hotspots and modems and pricing for that is much more reasonable:

4GB: $30 (vs $70 w/voice)
6GB: $40 (vs $80 w/voice)
8GB: $50 (vs $90 w/voice)
10GB: $60 (vs $100 w/voice)

Per Device Access Fee:
Mobile Hotspot/Notebook/USB/etc: $20
Tablet: $10

Obviously, part of the $30/$40 access fee for smartphones and dumbphones go to phone subsidies. Let's take out $10 as access fee for phones (same as the access fee for unsubsidized tablets) and we're left with $20 for dumbphones and $30 for smartphones. A typical contract is 2 years or 24 months so that gives us $20 x 24 = $480 (dumbphone) and $30 x 24 = $720 smartphone. Most dumbphones I see at online retailers are under $100 (heck, I've bought a few for $20). Low-end Android devices, you could buy for $100-150 without contract. The Galaxy Nexus is $400 and the iPhone, carriers only subsidize $450 at most.

rui-no-onna,

I'm really not trying to bash you in particular here but this post highlights one of the major mis-perceptions I have noticed in response to these new share everything plans.

Many times I have seen people look at the "Account Access Fees" for the mixed voice&data share everything plan, and have attributed that 100% as the "data fee" The truth is the reason the 10 GB of data "costs more" than in the data-only plans is because in the mixed plan the account access fee also goes to pay for the unlimited text and talk. Just because the only visual difference in the mixed plan levels is the data bucket you are given, doesn't mean that is all you are paying for.

Take a gander at the voice-only option in the new share everything plan. That has only 300MB of data, but has an account access fee of $70. "Account Access Fees" are definitely not synonymous with "Data Access Fees"

Your list actually highlights that nicely. The "price per data bucket" is $40 higher in the mixed plan at all buckets, and includes the same additional feature at all levels (unlimited talk and text). It is clear that VZW is valuing the unlimited talk and text at $40.

To expand on my explanation of "why are the prices so high?".... Its the unlimited talk and text. Sure VZW is moving to more cost-efficient ways of providing those services, yes they should pass along those savings to the customer, BUT they have pre-existing price levels for the unlimited talk and text service, and they will not willingly discount those prices and hurt their bottom line (greedy greedy greedy).

Lets look at existing family share plans /w Unlimited Talk&Text vs. Share Everything Voice Only with unlimited Talk&Text. (im rounding to the nearest dollars

Existing Family Plans:

1. 1 Line - $120 + $30 = $150
2. 2 Lines - $120 + $30 = $150
3. 3 Lines - $120 + $50 + $30 = $200
4. 4 Lines - $120 + $50 + $50 + $30 = $250
5. 5 Lines - $120 + $50 + $50 + $50 + $30 = $300

New Share Everything Plans Voice Only

1. 1 Line - $70 = $70 ($80 CHEAPER!!!)
2. 2 Lines - $70 + $30 = $100 ($50 CHEAPER!!!)
3. 3 Lines - $70 + $30 + $30 = $130 ($70 CHEAPER!!!)
4. 4 Lines - $70 + $30 + $30 + $30 = $160 ($90 CHEAPER!!!)
5. 5 Lines - $70 + $30 + $30 + $30 + $30 = $190 ($100 CHEAPER!!!)

I hope this clearly shows the major segment that is benefiting the most from the new plans, as well as where some of the costs associate with the new mixed device plans are going.

It might not make sense to You, I, or anyone else who has never had unlimited minutes, but to Verizon that's how much that service is worth in the old system, and how much they are charging in the new system. They think we are getting a great deal because those prices are so much lower now, but they fail to account for those of us that have more basic minutes plans, with a $10 per line access fee, and not the crazy $50 per line access fees associate with unlimited minutes.

This explains why dumb-phones now have a $30 per line access fee (the per-line fee is $50 in existing family plans with unlimited minutes.

Keep in mind; if per-line access to the unlimited minutes alone is worth $30, then the $40 per line access fee for smart phones only actually sends $10 towards the cost of data, another reason why the price for the base plan may be higher than you expect given the data levels.

I think forcing unlimited talk and text is ridiculous, especially when they don't offer it at a decent price, but I can see that that is where Verizon is thinking these plans are justified.

When we are complaining to Verizon, and by all means we should complain long and hard and loud, we will be most effective if we fully understand where each $ they charge is coming from, and how they want to justify it. Arming ourselves with that knowledge will allow us to argue our points better and hopefully gain traction for a change in this silly new pricing scheme.

TL : DR
1. There is a common mis-perception that the account access fee in the mixed voice&data share everything plans only pays for the data, when in fact it is covering both data and the voice.

2. People seeing these new pricing schemes who have never had unlimited minutes before (including myself initially) don't realize that it currently costs a $50 per line access fee (as opposed to $10 per line access fee).

These two facts explain (a) why the new prices are what they are, (b) why data isn't necessarily that over priced in the new system (compared to multiple $30 for 2GB add-ons), and (c) why it is really deceptive and cheap and unethical for Verizon to be forcing unlimited minutes on all of these plans without a drastic drop in the prices they charge.

 

[xmr405o]

It might not make sense to You, I, or anyone else who has never had unlimited minutes, but to Verizon that's how much that service is worth in the old system, and how much they are charging in the new system. They think we are getting a great deal because those prices are so much lower now, but they fail to account for those of us that have more basic minutes plans, with a $10 per line access fee, and not the crazy $50 per line access fees associate with unlimited minutes.

This is the only part I disagree on. I do not think Verizon is failing to account for anything. They know exactly what they are trying to do. I do not think they are oblivious to the fact that these new plans do not benefit the majority of their customers. I don't think they are sitting around their boardroom and saying...."You know what, we are doing something awesome for our customers." while giving themselves a pat in the back for a job well done.

 

[dautley]

$100.00 a month for 10 GB of data? what are they smoking?

 

[1stAndroid]

@xmr405o

This is the only part I disagree on. I do not think Verizon is failing to account for anything. They know exactly what they are trying to do. I do not think they are oblivious to the fact that these new plans do not benefit the majority of their customers. I don't think they are sitting around their boardroom and saying...."You know what, we are doing something awesome for our customers." while giving themselves a pat in the back for a job well done.

I 100% agree with you. In deference to the fact that my post was gigantic I improperly simplified that section. It should read "Verizon thinks they can convince the masses that they are giving us a value, but they know that they are making out like bandits" Thank you for pointing that out.


@dautley

$100.00 a month for 10 GB of data? what are they smoking?

This is exactly the viewpoint I was trying to change, so that when we complain to Verizon we can call them out on exactly what they are doing.

1. right now 10GB on 5 lines costs $150. $30 for 2GB x 5
10 GB for $50 is only available all on a single line which shouldn't be using any sort of share plan. These plans aren't targeted for heavy data use individuals, but for multi-line plans with more than one data users that want to share data.

2. Where in this plan do you see $100 for 10GB of data? I see $60 for 10GB, or I see $100 for Unlimited Talking Minutes, Unlimited Texting, and 10 GB Data with tethering capability.

3. I agree these plans are stupid, bogus, and unfair but please lets get an accurate understanding of what we are being charged, where the charges are coming from, and what the most appropriate complaints are.

If you call VZW and say:
"$100 for 10GB of data is too much your plans sucks"
The person on the phone will calmly tell you that you aren't paying $100 for 10GB of data, explain what you get for $100 (see point 2 above), and will end your conversation feeling justified in their pricing plan, unlikely to change. You will leave the conversation feeling lied to, but you will be wrong.

If you call VZW and say
"You are increasing my plan's price by $XX, reducing my data by X GB, and charging me for Unlimited Minutes, Unlimited Texts, Data Tethering, and all these other PREMIUM SERVICES that I don't want. I refuse to use a plan with all the junk bundled together"
The person on the other line will either understand your complaint and help come to a solution, or deny everything and ACTUALLY be lying to you. Whether you get what you want out of that conversation or not, accurately calling them out on their deceptive practices will gain more traction within the customer support division, will be more likely to see favorable changes than blindly accusing them of different untruths while misquoting their pricing.

 

[AntimonyER]

This is the only part I disagree on. I do not think Verizon is failing to account for anything. They know exactly what they are trying to do. I do not think they are oblivious to the fact that these new plans do not benefit the majority of their customers. I don't think they are sitting around their boardroom and saying...."You know what, we are doing something awesome for our customers." while giving themselves a pat in the back for a job well done.

I agree, they included unlimited talk and text to justify that the new plans are a good value, but with mobile to mobile and family and friends, almost everyone gets by with 2000 minutes or less.

 

[IOWA]

Looks like this is making a bigger ripple than we thought.

Verizon defends new shared data plans | Mobile Technology - InfoWorld

Edit: This quote is interesting.

"I don't think these changes will cause Verizon to lose customers," said Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics. "All the existing Verizon customers don't have to change to Share Everything unless they are renewing to buy a phone with a subsidy."

So basically if you want a subsidy, you have to change plans.

 

[Thechidz]

high data use is the future and they know it and are capitalizing on people's ignorance. On VZW slow as hell 3g 2gb of data seems to be plenty but when people see exactly how much data they can fly through on 4g LTE shyte is going to hit the fan

 

[AntimonyER]

Looks like this is making a bigger ripple than we thought.

Verizon defends new shared data plans | Mobile Technology - InfoWorld

Edit: This quote is interesting.



So basically if you want a subsidy, you have to change plans.

Even that is not true. I have seen it again and again, but Verizon is NOT forcing you into the Share Everything plan, even with a subsidized upgrade... I don't know why these articles keep saying that. Verizon's PR group must have done a horrible job with the release that everyone seems to think that. The only thing Verizon is forcing anyone out of with an upgrade, is unlimited data, but that just means you transition to a 2GB plan, not a shared everything one.

 

[IOWA]

Even that is not true. I have seen it again and again, but Verizon is NOT forcing you into the Share Everything plan, even with a subsidized upgrade... I don't know why these articles keep saying that. Verizon's PR group must have done a horrible job with the release that everyone seems to think that. The only thing Verizon is forcing anyone out of with an upgrade, is unlimited data, but that just means you transition to a 2GB plan, not a shared everything one.

It was the marketing rep from Verizon that said that...

 

[AntimonyER]

It was the marketing rep from Verizon that said that...

Are you sure? This was an analyst from Recon Analytics, not the marketing rep:

"I don't think these changes will cause Verizon to lose customers," said Roger Entner, an analyst at Recon Analytics. "All the existing Verizon customers don't have to change to Share Everything unless they are renewing to buy a phone with a subsidy."