I recently upgraded to a DROID RAZR MAXX and shortly after getting it, it got broken. When I got a replacement & installed "Go SMS" (for text messaging) I began receiving these annoying messages from 6250 "VZWNMN:#".
After plenty of google searching, experimentation, and then talking to customer service, this thread has it nailed! I am so &^$#@##$ at Verizon.
Verizon is a business, and they want your money, but they also want your contacts too! Our world today is one of games with legal TOS (Terms of service) tied to or attached to yet more TOS >... this is wherein lies the rub of discomfort. When they share your information with third parties, those 3rd parties have their own "policies". This the same as opting in to an app on Facebook... you're giving that app open door access to the permissions you told Facebook to adhere to and restrict. It's pure BS, and worse on our PAID Verizon service.
Verizon can benefit if they store your phones data online as well as on your phone. When you have to hard reset with tech support, or you lose a device, or upgrade in 22 months, etc, they can conveniently offer you a simple way to import your contacts to your new or reset device. Its a benefit to both you and Verizon - it saves you both time and money. Verizon currently calls this service "Backup assistant plus", "Backup Assistant +", "sync and connect" etc. This is the core of the issue.
Backup Assistant/sync & connect has a TOS. You must accept this TOS to "fully use the features it offers", and it's FREE! YAY!!! ... Nope, not yay, Why? Because Verizon has implemented technology the way IT wants to, not necessarily the way YOU want to. This includes a scheme where, in the past few years Verizon has "forcibly" implemented Backup Assistant on your devices and done so in a manner making removal or opting out nearly impossible.
My kids Cosmos Touch was the first time I saw this insane idiocy. It would kill their battery begging them to set it up. And, you have to be 13 years old or older to accept it, which they are not, and you have to accept it to disable it!
It turns out this is true for my RAZOR MAXX as well. Even though I
specifically chose not to accept the TOS for backup assistant plus (I skipped it) my phone still configured my email accounts up on verizonwireless' webserver without my permission or consent. If you go into the RAZR's accounts setting you can see it setup, and you cannot uncheck it. They did this as a convenience for their "data push" services. Their default email application uses their web servers to check your mail and notify you via their own custom normally "hidden" SMS message to your phone. Their default application UNDERSTANDS the 6250 message. Custom SMS/message applications DO NOT. This is their message to say, hey, "you've got mail" and this is how many messages:#.
I find this to be very uncouth. I'm not fond of cloud computing, facebook, and general small invasions of privacy in every aspect of my life, and I'm certainly more annoyed when it happens without my knowledge by someone I pay money to!
I agree with the poster on page 1, I think we have a lawsuit against Verizon. In fact, when I went onto the Verizon site I found that I had also been OPTED in to yet ANOTHER invasion of privacy, on
Cell Phones - Smartphones: Cell Phone Service, Accessories - Verizon Wireless under "PRIVACY SETTINGS" they opted me into "Business & Marketing Reports" and here is waht it says!!!!:
Code:
Verizon Wireless may use mobile usage information and consumer Information for certain business and marketing reports. Mobile usage information includes the addresses or information in URLs (such as search terms) of websites you visit when you use our wireless service, the location of your device ("Location Information"), and your use of applications and features. Consumer information includes information about your use of Verizon products and services (such as data and calling features,device type, and amount of use) as well as demographic and interest categories provided to us by other companies (such as gender, age range, sports fan, frequent diner, or pet owner). We will combine this information in a manner that does not personally identify you. We will use this information to prepare business and marketing reports that we may use ourselves or share with others. We may also share Location Information with other companies in a way that does not personally identify you. We will allow these companies to produce limited business and marketing reports. See our [URL="http://support.verizonwireless.com/faqs/Account%20Management/business_marketing.html"]Frequently Asked Questions[/URL] for more information about these reports.
You have a choice about whether we use your information for these reports.
If I had a choice, why wasn't I clearly notified before I was opted in? Why would I or anyone else ever really want to opt into this? What is the point in marketing to me, if you cant tell them who I am? This is clear BS. It's illegal! and I had to MANUALLY choose to turn it off since it was on "automagically".
So..... diatribe over... this is step by step how to solve it:
- Remove your gmail Yahoo hotmail etc. accounts feom your phone (you MUST do this first)
- Log onto Cell Phones - Smartphones: Cell Phone Service, Accessories - Verizon Wireless
- Go to "Backup Assitant" (or whatever Verizon is calling it when you read this)
- Accept the TOS, [EVEN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO] This is the most unacceptable part- VERIZON!
- Delete all Mail accounts and Contacts listed (Presuming you don't want Verizon to store this on their servers)
- Once all accounts are gone, go to your DEVICES, then features/services and look for the wonderful FREE SYNC/BACKUP service. ... REMOVE IT.
- Call Verizon and tell your tech support rep you want them to log a complaint. We need to let Verizon know that while we may like or benefit from these features, they need to let us decide and provide full disclosure. Additionally they should provide full API's to developers who provide apps for their devices so that they can provide a reliable product to their user base.
- Experiment and use an alternative EMAIL application(s) from the market or other sources and avoid the stock Verizon embedded application on your device. You can manually setup the accounts with the stock app, but I sincerely suggest you just ignore its presence. Please note that if you remove or screw with this app, you will most likely screw up the email functionality.
You CAN continue to use the default mail app (on the Droids with 2.3.4 at least), provided you setup the mail accounts MANUALLY!! Otherwise, the problem will reoccur. You can look up the server info online.
Good luck!