Forcing customers to pay for a phone and/or data package they don't want or need
By their practices Verizon is forcing customers to pay for more than what the customer wants or needs, and at the same time giving the customer less of what they want or need.
I've been a Verizon Wireless customer for years. Everytime my 2 year upgrade is due I check what phones are available. It seems that as time goes by there are less and less Basic Phones with a qwerty keyboard, music player, good camera, and video. Now, there are only 3 phones to choose from that don't require a data package: none of them have a camera over 1.3 megapixels, none have video, and ALL had HORRIBLE customer reviews. Those reviews tell me I'm not the only disgruntled Verizon customer.
I've had Verizon phones that I liked in the past; right now I have a Blitz. I settled for that one because it was the best of the few bad choices available at the time. My most recent 2 year contract has been over for 5 months so now I'm on month-to-month with no contract, which is awesome. But my phone, which I like for the most part, doesn't work right.The problem is the earpiece speaker quit working as soon as my contract was up (maybe a software timebomb to force me to get a new phone?) so I took it to a repair shop to get it replaced. They replaced it but that speaker died after 2 months and since the phone has been discontinued (grr!), there is NO chance of getting a new speaker. That wouldn't be such an issue if the Bluetooth function had ever worked, which it never did. I recently broke down and decided I'd settle on something, so I tried the KinTwo (one of my 3 choices) but it sucked immensely so I sent it back.
So now I'm forced to buy a phone (with Some of the features I need, because it's obviously impossible to get ALL the features I want/need in One phone) that I don't like; AND pay for a $10 -$30 data package which I don't want or need, and can't afford; AND forced to sign up for a new 2 year contract. I'd rather go with Pay As You Go because I barely use any 'minutes' (I do more texting than talking, which is why I need a good qwerty keyboard) but I'd have to pay over $350 for a fairly decent phone.
HEY VERIZON, How about providing more than 3 choices of phones that don't require a data package? And how about making those phones GOOD QUALITY and not the garbage you're providing for sale now?
I'd like to stay with Verizon because they DO have the best service area compared to the other Big wireless phone companies . I've been with AT&T and the service area is really not as good. I even did comparison research for a college course's Final Project because I wanted to know which company had the more truthful claims about their coverage area. I live in the Sierra foothills and reception is a big issue with a lot of people here. I've talked with customers of the other companies and they all agree I should stay with Verizon. But if Verizon can't offer any good phones then I might as well switch to another carrier who may have more concern for their customer's needs. Even after giving us few choices of devices, charging high prices, and gauging us at every opportunity, they give us less incentive to stay a loyal customer. At least AT&T has roll-over minutes, Criket has 'no contract' service, and TracPhone has no contract/Pay as you go service with inexpensive phones.
So please excuse me while I go to the other carriers' websites to see what they're offering...
JF2mad wrote:
Marilee
You are spot on. Verizon wants to squeeze every dollar it can from it's customers and customer service can take a DISTANT back seat to greed. I have a Chocolate Touch which I got a few years ago(before it REQUIRED a data package). I had activated a different phone which I ended up not liking and when I tried to re-activate my Chocolate I got slammed with the required data crappage..er package. I had to fight to get the data BLOCKED and the phone activated again.
Wifi is all over but all the phones that have Wifi that Verizon sells require data packages too. I REFUSE to give Verizon $30 minimum for data when I have no need for it. If they had ANY CLUE about customer service they would simply allow you to buy whatever phone you wanted from them(or others) and activate them with data blocks.Until they do I guess I will either be stuck with my old phones or go provider shopping. Which I am sure Budone will find great satisfaction in.
On that topic. I am amazed that Versizon sits back and lets your apathy and disrespect of ANYONE who does not kowtow to the company line as they seem to. You are a "gold user" so clarly you are some sort of Verzion demi-god. Gotta say, there is not one word of disrespect in what I wrote. I do not puke on anyone, BUT I do present a different view than you or the OP may be willing to see with your, "Woe is me, have pity on me, and let me do what I want, if not involve the government to protect myself from myself attitude."
If you took time to look at posts of mine, I have had VZW in my crosshairs a few times, but they made it right. All in how you present yourself. Personally, I am willing to bet that corporate suck ups like you are the very reason many people finally DO make the break from Verizon. Your habit of puking all over people with legitimate complaints and the tolerance of same on this board lead ME and I am sure others to feel that your dismissive attitude is acceptable to, if not encouraged by Verizon in General. And yes, I have been edited in the past. But there was NOTHING in my prior post that has anything you state in it. You just dont like what I said. That is not towing the company line, that is knowing it costs a Ton of money to get a new deivce to market and data plans helps recoup the cost and allows upgrades and LTE to be deployed. You would be upset if you could not use your phone where there is NOT any WiFi.
Even though I have had issues with Verizon's service and corporate paradigm(especially the companys determination to exthort every penny it can from me), almost every Service Rep I have spoken to has been considerate, friendly and helpful. There have been one or two who, when I broached the possible need for finding a new provider, seems unconcerned, but in general I have been made to feel valued by the people I have spoken with. {please keep your posts courteous}
As for the demi-god comment, maybe I can get a MOD or ADMIN to change me from Gold to that!
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I am traveling in Chile, South America. I purchased an Entel sym card and I can make and receive phone calls, but the internet only works on WiFi. Do I need to region unlock or what? I willl only be here for A month and a half so I don't want to buy a phone. Any suggestions?
Most of the current Apple Intel based computers are comparable in CPU speed. I don't think it is so much the model of laptop as it is the memory, and storage capacity of the machine. If you are going to use FCP on a regular basis, perhaps as a professional or semi-professional, then you should think about the maximum memory and a very large capacity internal disk drive. For instance, one hour of finished compressed video will take up about 1.5 to 2Gbytes of disk space. If you add up the raw footage and still imagery and audio, you'll use up your disk drive capacity real quick. So a hard disk on the order of 750Gbytes @ 7200rpms might be good for video editing. 5400RPMs might be slow to rendering times. Rendering a video might take up a lot of memory so more memory is better e.g. 8Gbytes.
As a rule of thumb, once you get to about 80% of your disk drive or memory you'll see degradation of performance.
You can check out macsales.com. THey have a menu system that will allow you to pick and choose from various alternatives. BTW, it's been said that although Macs are typically spec'd at a certain memory size, macsales.com found that Apple computers will actually support higher memory levels. That is, if 4Gbytes are spec'd, some machines support 6Gbytes. macsales.com will provide the guidance for you.
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What is the best family plan option. Currently have one smart phone with 30gb of data and 3 basic phones. Also have home phone for $20/month. Current plan is 700 shared minutes and unlimited texting. My bill is close to $200/month, looking to lower if possible.
On a tablet- pse forgive typos....
Great Advice given earlier by SuzyQ - I believe the question not asked of you is ---what do you want to pay for the services that you need. I think that it would narrow the groups suggestions if you could narrow your needs.
For example: I need talk and text on 4 phones and some data say, 2 Gig, on only one of the phones. what plan is the best cost for me? You may also need to ask what the cost may be to switch to a different plan. I suspect that there will be no cost within Verizon-but ask anyway.
I do not think that you can have a smart phone on any Verizon plan unless you agree to buy data for that phone. Also, you said that wifi is often available-however, I do not believe that Verizon allows talking over wifi without consuming airtime minutes-only data over wifi avoids your allowance to be impacted.
As most here already know, several other service providers offer wifi-friendly service (talk/text/data) that will provide home/business/restaurant service without impacting your allowance- just not here.
After getting some suggestions here, call 611 and confirm availibility and price.
Best of luck in your research. -
Adobe and the Academy of Art University are in the process of canceling thousands of registered copies of the Adobe Master Collection - v. CS6 without warning, notice, or legal grounds. Be warned.
It's a direct violation of the licensing agreement, and both parties are blaming each other for the theft. I know they are canceling the serial numbers in batches, and I think it is an attempt to dampen the public perception. I am also pretty convinced they are doing it at other universities. I am going to organize a class-action lawsuit. This is theft, and coercion, of the highest order. The think they can force us to use Cloud, and pay them for eternity for the privilege, by stealing our property directly off our laptops.
Adobe is attacking their precious newbies, students, and recent graduates. They are harming the very people who would have supported them in future years, and they should be held accountable.
facebook.com/adobesteals
Please join us. We will only make waves in numbers. Get the word out.Before the big announcement about our licenses, which is supposedly happening today, I wanted to do a recap of facts that we have gathered over the last three weeks so we can easily review our position as a group.
1.) Between May 2012 and August 2014, the Academy of Art University granted students permanent licenses, for CS6 Master Collection. We have documented proof that we were told, in writing, that these licenses would never expire and all forms of professional and student work were permitted. In fact, we have several sources for this claim, and it is not in dispute.
2.) We were given stand-alone, non-subscription based software, which appears to be the last possible independent version of Adobe’s software suite.
3.) License cancellation began in June 2014, occurring in waves, with the largest set of cancellations (and presumed final batch) occurring around August 3rd, 2014. There was no warning, and no one was prepared to endure the changes or impending costs associated with the theft. Many, in desperation to keep their jobs, were forced to pay the ransom and join Creative Cloud against their personal will.
4.) Adobe blames AAU for the cancellations, with no details as to why, except for a clear direction to only contact AAU about the issue as they will not assist us or explain their reasoning. We have a plethora of sources for this claim.,
5.) The acting school director of AAU told me, Sarah Ryan, directly, that she had “no previous knowledge this would happen.” She even went on to claim “shock” at the turn of events. Therefore while Adobe blames AAU squarely, AAU is claiming complete and total ignorance. I personally find this highly suspicious given the well-orchestrated plan to support Adobe in an advertising campaign, using AAU student work, and AAU real estate. This joint campaign was organized months before the cancellations took place. AAU and Adobe are in a public business relationship. It is self-evident and their joint campaign took preparation, well before the theft of our software, and subsequent push towards adopting the very product on the advertisements. This makes the claim of ignorance absurd, and insulting to all involved.
6.) The licenses installed on our computers make no reference to our software being time limited, revocable, or even student editions. We have read them, with lawyers. Again, written, documented proof.
7.) Adobe will not show us proof that the cancellations were valid. They will not produce any documentation or make any public announcements. In fact I have, in writing, from customer support at Adobe, that no such document exists to prove the time limitation of my software - because there isn't such language anywhere.
8.) AAU will not produce any documentation to support their position to force the adoption of Creative Cloud for current,or past students. They will not prove the terms of the licensing contract with Adobe either. The only public announcement that was made offered no details on how they would support us at all, let alone defend our consumer rights.
9.) AAU’s acting director, Sue Rowley, is publicly telling student reps that we, the students, need to support Adobe’s financial model. This is a direct conflict of interest. Her job is to lead our university and support students seeking higher education. She has instead publicly stated her allegiance and support for a billion dollar company’s marketing strategy. She empathizes with it, and went as far as to tell me I should "want" Creative Cloud. This conflict of interest deserves recognition and investigation.
10.) George Brown College also had their CS6 licenses revoked by Adobe in a similar turn of events. That college was able to have the license keys returned to students, after applying pressure to Adobe on behalf of their student body. AAU has been made aware of this fact, and has not replied to it.
11.) Friday August 26th, 2014 AAU was meant to release a statement about “options” for “alumni (only)” which was never released. Licensure was not dependent upon graduation status at the time it was conveyed, making this statement confusing. AAU canceled their plans to finally make a statement (after nearly one month of requests) and we are still left with no answers.
12.) A Creative Cloud subscription will cost 600$ annually, per person, with raises in rates yearly, for life. This unexpected cost is too much for many to bear, putting their livelihoods in risk.
In conclusion:
We had a contract. Adobe (and possibly AAU) broke it. AAU has done nothing to defend us, and may be complicit in our misfortune. Students are being fed information that is not rooted in the facts, or relevant to the simple issue at hand. AAU attempts to distract us with irrelevant topics and details.
We all had software, which people depend on to make a living, and earn an education. It was stolen without warning, and it has not been returned. It was deactivated from personal computers without their consent. People have lost time, money, opportunities, and in a few cases housing as a result.
Don’t get distracted by the spin, or the superfluous details. This is robbery and people have been massively impacted by it – financially, emotionally, and creatively. -
Wrong phone listed as returned and still paying for returned phone, how did I finally get a credit?
I went to the Rancho Santa Margarita store back in February. On the 16th I switched to the Edge program and added my boyfriend. We bought 2 phones under the Edge, however, we needed to return his phone the next day due to no service at his work.
The sales representative was great and returned the phone, however, on the receipt he listed my phone as being returned. I have been back to the store twice to get it fixed, called them multiple times as well and still no credit for the phone I no longer have in my possession.
I finally did a live chat with a representative online with Verizon and he said he would look into and take care of it. But recently, I received an email from him saying that there is no record that the phone was returned so I would need to go back to the store that apparently won't or can't help me either.
It is obvious that the wrong phone was listed on the return receipt since I am using the returned phone listed on my receipt and still paying for it as well. The other phone I am paying for is not even connected to a phone number. So it should be common sense and obvious that the wrong phone was listed as being returned because how could it be if I am using still using the phone that was apparently returned and it is connected to my phone line.
I have spent hours trying to get this resolved and have now paid $275.12 on a phone that is in Verizon's possession but they won't and/or don't care to acknowledge the mistake on their part of listing the wrong phone returned.
How can I finally get this resolved and get my money back? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I have never had bad customer service until now and would hate to cancel my account, but am very close to that point.Ok so I am still perplexed by this situation and why Verizon chooses to ignore my pleas to help me get a refund for a phone that I no longer possess since I returned it to them the next day. I am still having to pay for this phone and am getting extremely upset at this situation.
To make matters worse since I posted about this situation at the end of January, I did have one person contact me from Verizon and ask me for more information. I provided that information and have not heard back as well as now all receipts related to this incident have been removed from my account. Well I did keep a copy of these on my computer and on several zip drives so I still have the proof of them continuing to charge me for two phones when it shows a receipt of one being returned even though they listed the wrong one.
I sure hope this was a mistake and not a cover up to try and eliminate all evidence of this mistake.
Should I go to the better business bureau with this issue? Has anyone else had a similar situation and if so how did you finally get it resolved.
Thank you in advance for your information and suggestions. -
I think i got ripped off by this verizon store , I got the 4 line $140.00 edge plan, which I had to pay for the phone in monthly payment, i did the math it was 268.00 total.. At check out this guy charge me $50.00 care package for each phone and sim card which was $10.00 , $25.00 set up with TCP and he said the rest was tax. I had to pay $474.36.. my brother went to costco and did the same verizon deal he didn't have to pay anything...
Welcome to this forum.
This is a customer to customer forum only, where forum members, who are only BT customers, can help each other with BT Retail products and services.
Anything you post here does not go to BT. Although the forum is moderated by BT, not all posts are read.
I have asked a moderator to provide assistance, they will post an invite on this thread.
They are the only BT employees on this forum, and are a UK based team of people, who take personal ownership of your problem.
Once you get a reply, make sure that you are logged into the forum, then click on their name, you will see a screen like this. Click on the link as shown below.
Please do not send them a personal message, as they may not be on duty for a long time, and your message will not be tracked properly.
For your own security, do not post any personal details, on this forum. That includes any tracking number you are give.
They will respond either by phone or e-mail within 5-6 working days.
Please use the tracked e-mail, to reply, not via the forum. Thanks
This is the form you should see when you click on the link. If you do not see this form, then you have selected the wrong link.
When you submit the form, you will receive an enquiry number, so please keep a note of it
There are some useful help pages here, for BT Broadband customers only, on my personal website.
BT Broadband customers - help with broadband, WiFi, networking, e-mail and phones. -
I have a new Samsung phone and I live in CT. Last month they charged me $38 on my bill for the sales tax for the new phone which was $600. I'm paying for the phone itself over 20 installments of $30 each. Now again I'm getting that same $38 charge. I can't believe that the monthly CT tax is higher than the payment for the phone itself. Does this make sense. Last time I spoke with them on the phone it was for 1 1/4 hours for something simple. I don't want to call unless I need to. The salesman told me nothing about any of this. Thank you for any help you can offer.
The bill from last month states:
CT state sales tax** $38.10
** In some states sales tax or surcharges are calculated on the full cost of the full retail price or VZW cost of the device you purchased and not on the discounted price you pay. The sales tax or surcharges charged on your device was based on $599.99 and appears on this first bill.
The current bill says the same.
Actually, now I'm realizing that last month's bill stated I was making the first payment toward the phone. Now this month also says it's the first payment toward the phone when it's really the second. -
I have an iPhone4, used and locked to the UK network. I need to pay for the phone to be officially unlocked.
In the meantime we used it as a device to check emails and games etc.. We put a pass lock and after many failed attempts we forgot what it is. Now the phone is Disabled and iTunes can not fix it since it can not update the Software without the phone being officially unlocked..
any idea how to do this?
Please advicegencml wrote:
We put a pass lock and after many failed attempts we forgot what it is. Now the phone is Disabled and iTunes can not fix it since it can not update the Software without the phone being officially unlocked..
any idea how to do this?
Please advice
You need to visit Apple Store, and show ownership proof in case of forgotton pass code. -
I have an ipod touch but i don't have enough memory and 0I get an upgrade soon for my phone and i want the iphone but the thing is, can i have an ipod touch and an iphone on the same itunes account like can i use my money on my ipod account for my iphone
Your iPhone and iPod can share the same iTunes account. Apps can be freely shared and used by one or both devices. You can't use money in your iTunes account to pay for your phone, but purchased apps can be used by both the iPod and iPhone.
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Paying for line rental and broadband only
I have recently received my bill and want to stop using my landline phone and just use my Internet phone.
Is it possible to either;
cancel my call plan altogether
or;
just pay for line rental and broadband.
if either of these are possible how would I do it?
Thank youWhich calling plan are you currently on ? The evenings & weekends one is effectively free anyway.
Also consider the type of calls you make. When I last checked, many international call, for example, were significantly cheaper using BBTalk, but most of the calls that I make were priced the same as for landline calls.
Have you considered a call-through service, such as 18185.co.uk ? (not a recommendation - just a suggestion) -
Super Slow Internet paying for 75/35 and its slower than dial up
I switched from optimum to Fios to get the faster internet. It worked for a few days and then its almost impossible to even send and email.
I have switched out the router, had a tech come out and replace the ONT. the techs dont know whats wrong, i asked for credit since I'm not getting what Im paying for. When I told them this, they said they dont have a problem on their side so no credit. I really dont care about the credit I JUST WANT WHAT I'M PAYING FOR.
After 7 PM at night it's even slower. It crawls so slow, the service just stops and i get disconnected. Tech support never heard of this happening, but now another service tech is coming out.
I see alot of other posts on the web with customers having the same problem, so Verizon must know there is a problem,but doesnt have a fix. Am I wasting my time trying to get the faster speed???
Has anyone gone through this and had it resolved???? I sometimes have to go my local starbucks and send emails and work.
Is this rediculous.....Well if they cannot fix it, bye bye Fios.Hubrisnxs wrote:
Most people that use FiOS Internet get what they pay for and more.
Are you wireless and getting these slow speeds or Hardwired and getting these slow speeds.
Try running the Network Diagnostic Tool (NDT) while hardwired and then make sure to click the details and post them here.
Tried the NDT link to get familiar with the tool in case I ever need it. Got the following message.
An Unexpected Error has occurred.
Sorry, your request failed. A notification has been sent to the development team for investigation.
Exception ID: 302AF902 -
I'm installing the new OS and iPhone is asking for a password to "restore" my iPhone, but I've never used a password for the phone and don't know what it is! Can anyone help??
You selected Encrypt iPhone Backups in iTunes. Then you entered a password.
It would be that specific password it is asking for.
See here:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3284065?start=0&tstart=0 -
My kids now each have an itouch, should we all have different apple ids even if I am paying for all itunes and app store purchases? what about icloud? I would like to share itunes and app purchases, but not necessarily photos...help please!
The recommended solution for most families is to share the same Apple ID for iTunes and App Store purchases, so you can share your purchases, but us different IDs for iMessage, FaceTime and iCloud. With this arrangement, each person can automatically download purchases made on the shared ID (by turning this feature on in Settings>iTunes & App Stores), while keeping their FaceTime calls, text messages and iCloud data (including photo stream) separated. There is no requirement that the ID you use for purchasing be the same as the ID you use for these other services.
This article: http://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-5-icloud-tips-sharing-an-apple-id-with-you r-family/. -
I have Lightroom 6 (not CC) on a Windows machine. I'm prompted to log into Creative Cloud when I restart my computer (I don't have, use, or pay for Creative Cloud), and then when I launch Lightroom, it tells me to use the application I have to log into my Adobe account...AGAIN! And then to further add insult to injury, I'm prompted to enter in the license number of my product. I've gone through this process a dozen times now...SCREAM!!!
Paulou12 what type of a Creative Cloud Membership do you have? You can find details on how to update Lightroom using the Creative Cloud Desktop application at Install and update apps - https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/install-apps.html.
Finally if you are in a managed environment then please work with your I.T. department to apply the update. -
ITunes account to pay for gift apps and Apple Store items
Is there a reason why i cannot use my iTunes account funds to pay for gifted apps and Apple Store items?
it only make sense.You can use your iTunes Store balance to purchase from the Mac App Store, but not from the Apple Online Store.
From http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4463, "Note: If you have an existing credit balance on your iTunes Store account, that balance will be shared across the iTunes Store and Mac App Store."
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