Why are we paying over $300 a month for a family plan that doesn't include call blocking or decent voicemail services?

Question

I am a member of a shared family plan which as I see it posted our bill is over $300 a month, which does not include unlimited data, family protection (which allows you to permanently block numbers vs there 30 or 90 day limit if you are not covered) <---- this requires you to constantly be on alert of something so ridiculous that it shouldn't be concerned with, and finally they do not offer an upgraded voicemail service.  So my voicemail asks me to enter pin than right to messages.  It does not tell me the following:  The date the call was made, the time the call was made, nor any other pertinent information regarding the call aside from the number and than the message.  It's frustrating because I miss a lot of calls these days due to volume controls and silent modes and ring tones that aren't loud enough that I need to know when calls are received.  I don't ever remember having to pay for an upgraded voicemail service, that's like hiring a firm to handle all my incoming calls.  I want my answering machine back.  I have many other issues to include Verizon's online chat service which has at least one major issue.  I won't bring that up here.  The question is how much more money can they get for a simple cell phone plan?  For christ's sake.
Message was edited by: NoMoreOriginalNames Grammar corrections

Answer 1

The free voicemail is basic which gives you the date and time of the message. If you want more you should pay for more. Also, some Android phones with KitKat have free Visual Voicemail.
Thank you for your feedback, but my phone gives me no choice and it most certainly does not state the date and time that the message was received.  The only way for me to know that is if I happen to check exactly the phone log around the same time that the message was left, else it is buried underneath other more recent and answered calls.  And seriously man, the whole pay more idea is getting a bit far-fetched.  There is no reason why I should be able to buy a portable mini answering machine for a one time payment of $14.99 with a reusable blank tape, they don't have these and we'd look ridiculous carrying them around with everything else, but the point is we are giving permission to charge for some ridiculous things that should not be paid more for.  My old answering machine worked just fine, and more importantly I have never paid for an "upgraded" voicemail service.  As I mentioned if I want that I can hire a service to do that, but I don't need that.  I hope you can understand my growing concerns.  We pay for every little in-app purchase, we are being programmed to pay for everything that should already be includedfdasf in an initial price, brought home and enjoyed for its duration.  Instead wesdfsdf are paying monthly fees and dues on objects that aren't covered by warranties or insurances which eventually break and leave people struggling to pick up the pieces.  These are serious issues because people now rely so much on their phones (of course this is all my opinion) that we've become depandent on them.  Anyway, thanks, appreciate all the feedback. 
As for blocking this is what it states on my plan under the blocking feature tab:
You can block calls and message from up to 5 phone numbers at no charge. 
Expiration. Blocks expire after 90 days. Be sure to reapply the block if you wish to continue the service restriction. To permanently block numbers, subscribe to FamilyBase*.
Limitations.
You cannot block numbers within your account or non-10 digit numbers such as 911,411 or #MIN (checks minutes used).
Apple® iMessage® won't be blocked. Messages from this service can be blocked by disabling the iMessage feature from within the Settings>Messages menu of your Apple device.
Unblocking. To unblock a number, highlight and delete the number, then click "Submit".
So there's the limits, but even worst is they don't include a simple field where I can put the name of the individual I am blocking.  So when it comes time to maybe rotate one out (this should be an unlimited number), one of the many 5 I can choose to block, I might not remember who is who or what is what.  I have a lot of responsibilities in my life, this is not one that should be pushed on the consumer.  It's ridiculous.