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Stop & think!

B

brian_d

Lurker
STOP & THINK PEOPLE!

Who says that a person who uses more than 2 gigs of data a month is a "data hog"? Where did this come from?? Why are some of us as consumers so accepting of this arbitrary number/notion?? The big 2 (& T-mobile) have done an excellent job conitioning us to think that Joe public is a bad man because he uses 6 gigs of UNLIMITED data. Why?

These companies have marketed & sold us a service where almost evertything we do with their product requires data. But don't worry - data is unlimited. Apps running in the background, pulling data at will, virtually out of our control. No need to worry - unlimited! No room for your music that you just downloaded using data? No problem - store it in the cloud! Then use your data again (& again) to listen to it. You have unlimited data right? Want to back up those precious pictures? "To the cloud!" Want to view em? Data. Want to keep with your friends thorugh social media? More data. Get the point? Data is like crack!

Then they pull the rug out from under us... One. Step. At. A. Time.

Stop & think

No more unlimited data plans for new customers. Most of us breathe a sigh of relief. "I'm grandfathered WHOHOO!"

Now Verizon is tightening the noose/ taking away a little more crack, with their latest plan which may or may not cost you more money. Stop & think. Would Verizon make a plan that takes less money out of your pocket? They know that most of us are going to choose the smallest data plan that we "think" we need. And then wait for the overages to pile up, making more $$. "Free Wifi tethering included". That's mighty fine of Verizon. They know that browsing on your laptop consumes ALOT more data than on your mobile. As an example, just look at the difference between a typical mobile page & the same page on you laptop/home PC. The difference is usually startling. Verizon bean counters are wringing their hands in anticipation of you using "free" included teathering!

"I'll keep my grandfathered unlimited data by buying my next phone unsubsidized". Stop & think. You are now without contract, month to month. How long do you think Pig Red is going to let you stay month to month unlimited before they say "Uh uh. We need you to choose one of our (GREAT!) new plans" or "based on your usage, here's the plan "we think" best suits you"... Without a contract, they can tell you to pony up or beat sand. SO, I hope you just spent $600 plus on an unsubsidized phone that you can take to a different carrier.

"I don't use/need big data/I use free Wifi at home/work".
Stop & think. I guarantee you - EVERY SINGLE ISP IS WAITING TO SEE WHAT TRANSPIRES WHEN VILE-RIZON IMPLEMENTS THIS! Do you think that every other ISP, be it mobile or landline, will continue to offer unlimited data if Verizon can charge per data usage??? Do you think your work will continue to let you use their newly tiered data for your personal device? Where are you going to get your free crack when your home ISP charges per usage/exceeding data caps? It's already happening - look at Con-cast.

EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US, whether you are a Verizon customer or not, should be absolutly furious about these changes being foisted upon us. I dosen't matter if you don't have to "choose" this plan "right now"! Because, one way or another, this corporate greed is eventually going to affect us all. Every single one of us, Verizon or not, should make as much noise/ protest these changes as possible. And if that doesn't work, Yell in protest with your wallets & choose another carrier that will suit your needs without bending you over.
 
Amen:D brian_d,

Well spoken well said I've been saying this all along trying to wake-up the sheep.

Here's my response's to the earlier post titled (If the new Shared Data plan will save you money or is better for you, please post here).

You could save some money if you've got a full tilt family or business plan with 4 or more user's (paying for unlimited everything voice, text, data.) And you switch to new Shared Data plan and all user's on said plan are willing to cut back and monitor there data usage yea.
We just went through this last year with the New Tiered Data Plan's that was custom designed for saving's of course we lost unlimited data and who can forget the grandfather promise. Don't be a fool Marshall.
Fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.

OfTheDamned
Great idea pay for data and use wi-fi that's exactly what they want you to do.
------------------------------------------------
Stop Verizon from killing unlimited data plans for existing subscribers Economic Justice Petition: Stop Verizon from killing unlimited data plans for existing subscribers. | Change.org

These aren't the droids you're looking for.
 
I have about 18 months left on my contract, I believe I will be leaving VZW just on principle when it is over. I will let them price out 5 new phones & then advise them I'll need to check out the competition, since I lose by staying with them. When I changer over, I will visit them again too show them how happy they made me.... More than 10 & now they screw me.....
 
I am furious, but there's not a lot that all 10 of us who are not accepting this can do. Too many people are too content with" its how business works" "the data hogs are the reason" (data hogs being those who use unlimited like unlimited) "unlimited data is a thing of the past" ........

Why is it a thing of the past?

Because people are too comfortable bending over so big companies can shove pitchforks in our @$$3$ and make us vomit more $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.


It sucks.
 
brian_d said:
How long do you think Pig Red is going to let you stay month to month unlimited before they say "Uh uh. We need you to choose one of our (GREAT!) new plans" or "based on your usage, here's the plan "we think" best suits you"... Without a contract, they can tell you to pony up or beat sand. SO, I hope you just spent $600 plus on an unsubsidized phone that you can take to a different carrier.
Click to expand...

This has worried me from the start of their "your can keep unlimited if you pay full price for your phone" statement. There's no telling how long this will remain their policy. I'm uncomfortable with the idea of foregoing a phone subsidy in exchange for being allowed to keep my unlimited data plan for an unspecified period of time.

kool kat2 said:
Too many people are too content with" its how business works" "the data hogs are the reason" (data hogs being those who use unlimited like unlimited) "unlimited data is a thing of the past"
Click to expand...

Data hogs are an easy target, and sometimes I shoot at them myself. But IMO, the benefit of unlimited data has always been that you'll always know what your bill will be (within reason) since there won't be any overage charges. I never looked at it as a faucet I could leave open 24/7. I've seen people claim in excess of 100GB of data use in a single month, and they claim this as if it's a badge of honor. I haven't used 100GB in the past 3 years, so I can understand when people lay the blame for our current situation on these heavy users. Given enough customers with extreme usage (when compared to average), any business would take action to reduce the effects of these customers on their bottom line.

euph_22 said:
That 2gb is not arbitrary. Nielsen studies also back it Average U.S. Smartphone Data Usage Up 89% as Cost per MB Goes Down 46% | Nielsen Wire
Click to expand...

I glanced through this and didn't see anything that lead me to a 2GB threshold, but I remember this as being a number that 95% of customers didn't exceed. It could be argued that the "data hogs" are responsible for this number, but in a good way. If it weren't for the data hogs, that 2GB could actually be lower.

That said, I'm sure Verizon sees the writing on the wall - voice calls and messaging are on the decline, and data use is on the rise. That 95% will only get lower, pushing more customers into higher-priced data plans, while they continue to pay for unlimited voice and messaging they don't need, or even want.
 
Forget the "That's how business works" and make it "That's how the economy works." Inflation causes prices to rise on everything. The cost of the radios and all parts that go into these phones gets passed onto the manufacturer and then onto the carrier and ultimately to us, the consumer. When labor costs rise, that gets passed ultimately to us the consumer. ALL costs get passed to the consumer. Minimum wages rise and who do you think eats that cost of doing business, the company? NO, the consumer. Because ALL costs of doing business are passed on to the purchaser. If a company doesn't pass these costs on they eventually go out of business for lack of profit.


I remember when I was selling cars back in 1971 (yeah, I know that was 40 years ago, but my point is,) I could sell a brand new car with full 5/50 factory warranty for UNDER $2,000.00. And that was the sticker list price, so after dealing the price was even less. Can anyone come anywhere near that to day? Of course not. Some of the price increase is government regs, but it's also labor costs, raw materials, individual parts assemby, etc.


You people who have been in the work force for 10 years or more, are you making more salary or dollars per hour now than when you started? Most likely you are. Did the company you work for absorb that cost? No, they passed on that expense to thier customers.


Prices, in general will always rise. There will be dips when a new process comes along where they can make something faster and cheaper. But inflation will always cause prices to rise.


Now all that I said above doesn't mean we all should bend over and take it but I'm just saying in the overall, longterm picture, prices rising is enevitable.


The good thing here is we all have choices. I mean it's not like the electic company where you have no choices. We can switch to another carrier. We can learn to get along with less data. i.e. don't stream music on your phone, turn on a radio or dig out your old CD player. Use wifi when you can. Watch movies on your TV at home, not on your phone. 10 years ago we all got along with none of what a smart phone offers us today.


I guess I'm just saying, I don't like paying more for things anymore than the next person, but sometimes it can't be helped. How many of you are paying more for gasoline than you were a year ago? Some of you can call it corporate greed or whatever you want. It doesn't matter what you call it, it's ineveitable. At least you have options. If you don't want to pay the increases, don't sign the contract.


Like I've said before, Best of luck to all of us, and..... I'm patiently/impatiently waiting for the Razr HD.

P.S. sorry for the long post, I got started and couldn't stop
 
My concern is not what is now, but what it will become. We will incur more & more data usage in the future, some beyond our control. VZW sees voice & text moving to data & wants to make us pay. I understand that, but for me to switch to there new family tier plan today, it will cost me more than $50 more per month & I would lose my unlimited data. If I am going to get screwed, then I will change service, but keep my #'s, every two years. Let the new guy work for my business. VZW has become too big & uncarring. Their businiess practices have always implied they should be #2 or 3, I'll help the make that happen.
 
ylexot said:
Can you give me an example of data usage beyond your control? :confused:
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Everything can be done online nowadays. I'm sure there are some but the places I've been to apply for a job have said I would need to go online and do the application there. I know, not the best example but I imagine many more things will start doing this. Especially those of us who have a full schedule, doing everything from paying the bills to Christmas shopping is easier, more convenient, and in some cases the only way we get around to it.
 
kool kat2 said:
Everything can be done online nowadays. I'm sure there are some but the places I've been to apply for a job have said I would need to go online and do the application there. I know, not the best example but I imagine many more things will start doing this. Especially those of us who have a full schedule, doing everything from paying the bills to Christmas shopping is easier, more convenient, and in some cases the only way we get around to it.
Click to expand...

But is any of it REALLY out of your control? You could shut down your data connection, or for less severe measures, there are a lot of settings in android, and ICS in particular to track and reduce data usage. While it is unfortunate that the carriers are going the route they are, Google is really stepping up to fill a need in that respect.
 
To the OP: Why should you get unlimited data? Do you get unlimited electricity, water, or gas?

What carrier are you going to change to? If verizon is successful, all will follow suit. If vzw loses too many clients, they will back off the plan. I am not sure they will ever get back to unlimited, but you might see in a year that the price for 2gb is now the rate for 4gb.

When the iphone 5 hits with LTE, and when all new phones next xmas all have lte, data will be used at a much faster clip. If you are not cognizant of it, it will affect the network for everyone. Either vzw builds more network (more cost), or users cut back a bit.

The market will come up with the most efficient solution.
 
In the past calls and text were pretty common so that is what the cell companies metered and charged more for. In the days of the Treo and original BlackBerries it was a hard task to use more than a gig a month. Now, people have stopped calling and even texting. They email and IM from their phones and use more data because it wasn't being metered.

The carriers aren't blind or dumb. They saw that more and more data was being consumed. That is one of the reasons all of these networks started to be built up and why the speed race started. It is also the reason they started giving smartphones away.

We all spent a lot of time learning to control out minute usage and out watch our texting limit. Since most of us were unlimited on data we never paid any attention to it. Now, we are just flipping it. No more concerns on texting or calls and we have to keep an eye on the data meter. It became second nature to pay attention to how many minutes we've used and it will be the same with data eventually.

Call it business or call it a rip off. Either way, it is what it is.


ImgBurn said:
OfTheDamned
Great idea pay for data and use wi-fi that's exactly what they want you to do.
Click to expand...

I pay for the data either way. I pay for the network in my house and the 4G I use outside it too. So I will use my wifi when I am at home and I will use my 4G when I am not. If I am somewhere that has "free" wifi, I may just use it, but even then the cost of that wifi is incorporated into the business I am doing there somehow. There is no free lunch and not even the buffets you go to are really unlimited.
 
boatman said:
To the OP: Why should you get unlimited data? Do you get unlimited electricity, water, or gas?

.
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Would the Same question be asked when it was available? Also, some of us chose the more expensive carrier based on that unlimited data offer. Excuse us for being butt hurt when the pitchfork gets jammed in. We also don't pay $50 a gallon for water. If that happened imagine how pissed everyone who relies on water would be.


To antimonyer, I also didn't say data usage was currently out of our control but it seems to be moving in that direction.
 
boatman said:
To the OP: Why should you get unlimited data? Do you get unlimited electricity, water, or gas?
Click to expand...
Yes I actually do have unlimited electricity, water and gas, but I'm definitely an exception. My current rent includes all utilities, and when I move next month my rent will include electric, gas, water and heat.
 
euph_22 said:
Yes I actually do have unlimited electricity, water and gas, but I'm definitely an exception. My current rent includes all utilities, and when I move next month my rent will include electric, gas, water and heat.
Click to expand...


Must be nice. I haven't had that since I lived with my parents. Do they just offset the rent by including it?
 
All, I'm actually ok with the tiered data plan for now. Now, you give us unlimited minutes and texts.

Also, seem to be wanting folks to go to 4G.

So far, so good..

Here's my paranoid thought, that VZW does to VoLTE, and then, it's all data, and everyone is tiered.
 
DILands said:
All, I'm actually ok with the tiered data plan for now. Now, you give us unlimited minutes and texts.

Also, seem to be wanting folks to go to 4G.

So far, so good..

Here's my paranoid thought, that VZW does to VoLTE, and then, it's all data, and everyone is tiered.
Click to expand...

Haha, that is a devious thought although I don't think Verizon is quite that.... Oh crap. :eek:

:D;)
 
DILands said:
All, I'm actually ok with the tiered data plan for now. Now, you give us unlimited minutes and texts.

Also, seem to be wanting folks to go to 4G.

So far, so good..

Here's my paranoid thought, that VZW does to VoLTE, and then, it's all data, and everyone is tiered.
Click to expand...

AntimonyER said:
Haha, that is a devious thought although I don't think Verizon is quite that.... Oh crap. :eek:

:D;)
Click to expand...

That actually is the goal and it has been since LTE was first discussed. Voip is still a ways from being perfected with LTE and LTE coverage isn't to the point that they can make the full switch just yet. It is coming though. Not this year and maybe not for a couple of years, but it is coming.
 
OfTheDamned said:
That actually is the goal and it has been since LTE was first discussed. Voip is still a ways from being perfected with LTE and LTE coverage isn't to the point that they can make the full switch just yet. It is coming though. Not this year and maybe not for a couple of years, but it is coming.
Click to expand...

Well I think he was implying that texts and voice would count against data, so basically they would take unlimited minutes and texts away too.
 
AntimonyER said:
Well I think he was implying that texts and voice would count against data, so basically they would take unlimited minutes and texts away too.
Click to expand...

What may eventually happen is that 4G will literally blanket the country. Between the top 4 carriers it will become the prominent technology in this country. Once that happens a switch could be made to full LTE service including talk, text and data. It would probably work out that they talk and text would be gone for good and data allotments would be sold instead. They would rate out number of minutes the same way they do now with the number of emails you send on their data recommendation charts.

Now, for this to work there will have to be multi-ban LTE radios and full coverage by the carrier in question. Some of this isn't too far away, but other parts of the equation are lucky still a ways off. If you have ever tried VOIP with a cell phone over Wifi, 4G or 3G you will understand that the tech just isn't there yet. It reminds me of the old bag phones they used to sell. You also have to keep in mind that Verizon's 3G towers would have to be rented or sold to another carrier because they aren't just going to throw them away.

There is a lot that will need to happen and it will take time for things to get to that stage. Our current phones are set up for it either. So we are talking a generation or two down the road before it really could possibly happen.
 
Wow, it actually does make sense, but I'm thinking that is at least 4 years away. They have to finish the LTE network, then roll out VoLTE dumbphones, and then give those on 2 year contracts time to expire (or else take a hit on ETFs, or allow a one time upgrade for all non-LTE lines...) But what a bummer to sell people on the unlimited voice and text now, only to take it away a few years down the road.
 
OfTheDamned said:
You also have to keep in mind that Verizon's 3G towers would have to be rented or sold to another carrier because they aren't just going to throw them away.
Click to expand...
I was under the impression that most if not all of Verizon's current 3G towers have simply been upgraded to 3G/4G towers by strapping on new antenna arrays and installing new base station equipment. Recycle the old tower by upgrading it.
 
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