Read this and tell if ya think this cell bill is a tad bit high >> http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20003930-71.html?tag=newsLatestHeadlinesArea.0
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The Staff of SOH
Do you think this is a high phone bill ?
- Thread starter hey_moe
- Start date
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Pretty outrageous, Mike. "Can you hear me now?" "No, because you shut off my phone for non-payment!"
Have been after Verizon to grant me an affordable phone plan that my fixed income can manage (less than a grand a month). In 2 years they continue to come up short... well short. They no doubt groan now when they see me coming back into their store every month to check.
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Pretty outrageous, Mike. "Can you hear me now?" "No, because you shut off my phone for non-payment!"
Have been after Verizon to grant me an affordable phone plan that my fixed income can manage (less than a grand a month). In 2 years they continue to come up short... well short. They no doubt groan now when they see me coming back into their store every month to check.
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K
Ken Stallings
Guest
I see fault on both sides. But, the key thing is that Verizon as a company is intelligent enough to realize that kids in families can sometimes do things like this. So, the main point is that a temporary and automatic cap should be in place and require the customer to contact the company to proceed further. Then, things can be handled in a mature manner well before it becomes a joke.
The bait and switch plans offering unlimited minutes are nothing less than a scheme.
Ultimately, the customers do have the clout becuase they can choose. What I would like is an immediate stop of the acquisitions that have shrunk the industry down to a few companies. The FTC should have stopped that a long time ago and kept a large number of competitors in the market to promote reasonable profits and prices.
When there is competition, then companies like Verizon either rationalize their policies to avoid such obvious billing problems, or they go out of business because they angered their customers.
Ken
T
tigisfat
Guest
If this verbage was in the contract, then the family is wrong. It's brutal and sad, but c'mon now. Don't stumble through life surprised when you get ripped off by something you did.
cheezyflier
Charter Member
in the fall of 2003 i had verizon phone service. the package had voice mail box, caller id, *69, and long distance service. i went into the hospital unexpectedly for a few months. of course not paying my bill while i was laid up they shut my service off. that's fair, no foul. i liked the service so when i got home i called them up, paid my bill, explained what happened and set up phone service again. i told them i wanted exactly the same plan i had before. the customer service lady looked at my acct, and told me my phone would be on in 2 days. great!
well, i continued calling my (then) fiance' here in toronto, from delaware, talking an hour or so every night.
at the end of the month i got a bill for $1300!!!! when i called verizon, they claimed i never asked for long distance service, and refused to budge on the issue. so i said, ok, well, i don't have that much money, how about if you set up my long distance service like i asked, and i will pay my bill every month, plus an additional $200 until it's paid in full? they said, no, that's not good enough, because after 90 days, i would still be another 90 days out. si i told them look, i'm trying to be fair. you can either take the deal i've offered you, and keep me as a customer, or you can refuse. if you refuse, i'll get phone service from another company, and never pay you a dime. they picked option B. i went with AT&T, it was $12/moth cheaper, i got a $35 signing bonus, and to this day i haven't given verizon a single red cent. they can kiss my big fat redneck...you know what.
well, i continued calling my (then) fiance' here in toronto, from delaware, talking an hour or so every night.
at the end of the month i got a bill for $1300!!!! when i called verizon, they claimed i never asked for long distance service, and refused to budge on the issue. so i said, ok, well, i don't have that much money, how about if you set up my long distance service like i asked, and i will pay my bill every month, plus an additional $200 until it's paid in full? they said, no, that's not good enough, because after 90 days, i would still be another 90 days out. si i told them look, i'm trying to be fair. you can either take the deal i've offered you, and keep me as a customer, or you can refuse. if you refuse, i'll get phone service from another company, and never pay you a dime. they picked option B. i went with AT&T, it was $12/moth cheaper, i got a $35 signing bonus, and to this day i haven't given verizon a single red cent. they can kiss my big fat redneck...you know what.
jmig
SOH-CM-2025
Data charges are where wireless companies now make their money. These data plans are still shifting as the companies find the best approach that will bring in customers and keep their profits where they need them to be.
As always the consumer must be aware of what they have and are being charged for. The data companies need to make sure they don't have unexpected "gotchas" that can trap a consumer. In cases like these, I don't think anyone wins.
I also know that every wireless service has cases like this one displayed through-out the internet. My own carrier AT&T is cursed by many for many reasons.
As always the consumer must be aware of what they have and are being charged for. The data companies need to make sure they don't have unexpected "gotchas" that can trap a consumer. In cases like these, I don't think anyone wins.
I also know that every wireless service has cases like this one displayed through-out the internet. My own carrier AT&T is cursed by many for many reasons.
A
abrussell
Guest
We recently returned from an extended visit to the US southwest. Having heard horror stories about Canadians who received bills in the thousands of dollars for roaming charges when they had their cell phones turned on in the US. Before we left I checked with Bell, our carrier, to determine if there was a way around these outrageous charges. For $40 a month I could eliminate the roaming charges, but the calls would be $2.50 per minute. Needless to say we kept the phone turned off with the intention of using it only for emergencies, which thankfully, we didn't have any.
Discovered Skype when we were in the US. $2.95 a month for unlimited calling in the US and Canada. The only way to go.
Bruce
Discovered Skype when we were in the US. $2.95 a month for unlimited calling in the US and Canada. The only way to go.
Bruce
Roadburner440
Charter Member 2010
To me this person should have read, and understood his billing obligations better. Just like a credit card all of your rates and everything else are there. It may be in the fine print but if you read into it enough it is there. This is why I take any contracts that I sign my name to very seriously, and I usually decline any type of incentives as companies attempt to recoup that on the backside. Going off of the article, it seems like the son was using the dads phone (presumably with permission). You would think they would have researched the cost of using the data capabilities of the phone before diving in. At 22 years old though I say the son should be held accountable and own up to the bill. After all if he ran it up he should pay it. Unfortunately by law his dad is the one hung out to dry on this one... I know with my carrier (T-mobile) you can block data/text messaging and such to avoid over charging but there is a lot of red tape involved in doing so.. So I just wound up getting the unlimited minutes/texting plan after getting caught up in it a few times, and blocking the data junk altogether. I wish the best for this guy though as I will go out on a limb and say his son pulled a number on him. Hopefully the bill will be forgiven, and the guy will learn that his 22 year old son should have his own phone/internet.
GT182
Charter Member
Sounds like he's got one hell of a bill to pay off. Makes "Read The Contract" the thing to do. I'd also say.... "son gimme yer money, yer paying for your part of the bill!"
Our cell phone is on the pre pay plan. And I very seldom have it in my possession. And it's only on when we go somewhere. :d
Our cell phone is on the pre pay plan. And I very seldom have it in my possession. And it's only on when we go somewhere. :d
M
MCDesigns
Guest
Agreed, a little knowledge and some parental responsibility goes a long way! I have been with Verizon for over 10 years and have never had an issue.
cheezyflier
Charter Member
hey the boy is 22. let him get a 2nd job and pay that bill.
As the "default" phone service provider for millions of people, and not being very well liked by their customers in the first place, Verizon might want to reconsider whether dunning this man for $18K is really worth the bad publicity. More and more people are dumping Verizon for other companies. This kind of story will just help their customers make the decision to change providers.
theres a lot to be said for "pay as you go"!
Yup! I have pay-as-you-go through VirginMobile, $30\month gets me 400 minutes, more than enough for what I use. Don't even have a home phone anymore, just my trusty little black cell.