What Are My Data Options for Droid 2? What About Texts?

Question

I'm looking over the available plans and I'm really confused.
I've had the same plan pretty much for the past 15 months but I started with a Blackberry. Now I have a Droid 2 and I REALLY need to find a way to shave off some money from this bill.
My bill is always $118 and change with never goes above $119.
I have 900 minutes, was gonna take it down to 450 but viewing my usage I have been around 431-445 the past 3 months. I also have $10 for texts which I hate, I thought there was a $5 text plan?
Insurance, yes, have to because I can't afford a landline and don't have a house to put it in anyway.
I tried to get out of my contract with Verizon when I first became really sick. They were having none of that. I have been sick since September 2010 (symptoms 3 years) and the doctors have been running tests to find out what's causing the problem.
The tricky part is I cannot work anymore, used up everything I had in savings, and even sold my car to have money to pay for medical bills. Now I'm stuck trying to get state health insurance and am without a place to live.
I don't have income from any source but a lot of debt.
I wish Verizon would work with me as even when I can't buy food, I make sure bills are paid because I need that phone on so I doctors can reach me.
I'm not sure how long I'll be unable to work and when I can not sure how long it will take to find work.
I asked them if they could take the Droid 2 back and let me have a regular phone with no data and they said "no, you'll have to pay full retail price for the phone". I believe that was over $500 (no mention of the $179.99 I paid for the broken Tours)
Now here is the back story which really **bleep** me off that they could have screwed me twice:
The only reason I have the Droid 2 is because when I upgraded after my 1st year with Verizon, I got a Blackberry Tour. That phone had so many problems I had to keep taking it in every month for a replacement. Verizon refused to exchange for a different Blackberry.
I even called RIM and they said they had "design" issues with the Tour and it's being taken off the market with the phone carriers, they said Verizon should be allowing you to get a replacement phone of same or lower cost (another Blackberry).
Well that never happened and I had to file an FCC complaint before corporate finally called to help me. I even told them the "NEW" Tour I paid for when I signed a new contract was refurbished because when I tried to send the info in for the rebate, I got an letter stating that particular phone already received it's rebate.
I should have stopped it right there, given them their used phone back and walked away but I'm thinking they are working with me and gave me the rebate ASAP, it will be OK.
WRONG!! 6 months into the contract with the **bleep**ty Tour not working and 6 replacements, they agree to give me another phone for $50. I said drop dead, no more money from me for your issue.
Then they said OK we'll give you a phone of the same value at no charge. So not knowing how the Bold was gonna work yet, I went with a Droid 2 as the Droid 1 had been out awhile and bugs worked out.
Now here is the real kicker in the whole story. After they mailed me the new Droid, I was online paying my bill and noticed Verizon re-set my contract start date from January 2010 to August 2010.
No one told me that and I couldn't get anyone to help fix that mess, they said you got a new phone, what else do you want?
What do you think happened about 2 months after I get the Droid 2??  Yes, Verizon changed the policy and replaced the Tours with the Blackberry Bold for no charge and no contract extension.
Had they told me that, I would have used my old Blackberry for 2 months and gotten the Bold and be closer to getting out of this stupid contract.
I don't know, they make it so hard for honest people who have hit hard times and dealt with bad phone after bad phone to just get a fair break.
I asked so what happens if I just want out of the contract and they said it would cost like $350. If I had $350 I wouldn't be typing this. I suppose I can fake my own death and get out of the contract that way. They make no concession for persons who become disabled and can no longer work. I don't know how long I'll be "disabled" or if I ever won't be "disabled" but I like to think things will get better.
Any ideads would be great. I did talk with someone at UCAN, they help people in CA get out of cell contracts when they have extrordinary circumstances and they gave me a number for a lady at Verizon.
I called that women for 4 months every single day, 4 times a day. She never answered her phone or called me back, ever!
So guess I work on becoming dead since that's my only option. I will never, ever, ever sign a cell contract as long as live, if I live.
I don't mean to sound like such a bitchy customer, I really feel I was screwed from the start of this contract and the screws keep coming!

Answer 1

Not sure why you posted this in the iPhone forum but sorry you're having such a difficult time. With that being said, unfortunately, VZW isn't obligated to assist you in difficult financial times although it would be great if they did. As far as you wanting to get into a non-smart phone to lessen your bill...you will have to look into alternative ways to obtain one if you want to avoid paying full retail. Do you have any friends with Verizon? Check and see if any of them have an old phone that they don't use. Lower your plan to less minutes and actively monitor your usage. Save non-essential personal calls until after 9:00 pm on weekdays if you're calling non-verizon customers. Even without a house phone it is not difficult to get by on a 450 min plan without going over your minutes. My mother did it for 5 years and never once went over her minutes nor did she have a landline phone to use. Text when possible to avoid using minutes. If you stay with the Droid then try to find texting apps or widgets that can help eliminate the need for a text plan. You can also check into services like Skype that can allow you to make free calls to other users...some of your friends may gladly subscribe to those services so that you can communicate and use less plan minutes. You should also talk to VZW to see what lower plan options you have.