(Rumor) Verizon planning To End All Unlimited Data Plans By End Of 2014!

[Preach2k]

Class action lawsuits doesn't cost the person or persons suing anything. The attorneys always work on contingency, so whether they win or they get a settlement, the attorneys will collect a percentage of the settlement. Their goal isn't necessarily to get the case heard, but to make defending the case so costly to the company being sued that the company sees an out of court settlement as less costly. Case in point is the emachines class action suit. Someone sued emachines claiming that they manufactured computers with a faulty part that could potentially cause a user to lose or corrupt data when writing to a floppy disk. Acer (which owns emachines and Gateway) settled, and the attorneys got up to $50 million. Each of the five named individuals in the class action case got $25,000. And every covered person gets a choice of either $62.50 in cash or a redemption value of $365 toward a refurbished Acer, eMachines, or Gateway computer. In this case, the attorneys got nearly 50% of the settlement, as the settlement expects to issue 800,000 cash/merchandise vouchers, and the attorneys received an equivalent 800,000 vouchers that is redeemable for $62.50 each. Now the actual attorney's fees may be lower depending on how many vouchers they do issue. So if only 400,000 people file claims for cash/merchandise, then the attorneys only get $25 million.

I understand what you are saying. Verizon never promised to give us unlimited data out of contract when we buy it out right so what would be my case?

 

[jseah]

I understand what you are saying. Verizon never promised to give us unlimited data out of contract when we buy it out right so what would be my case?

Actually, they did. You would have a case because Verizon had said publicly that you "could keep unlimited data if you pay full retail for a device". In fact, most class action lawsuits stems from marketing claims or statements, whether blatantly obvious or implied. A few years ago, a class action suit was filed because Honda had marketed that the EPA highway estimates for their Honda Civic Hybrid was 48 mpg. Now this estimate was issued by the EPA when running the car under optimal conditions. Honda was sued because very few people could come close to attaining this mileage. They settled and issued everyone who purchased a Civic Hybrid either $100 in cash or $1,000 towards the purchase of a new Honda.

Sure Verizon could take the position that as a month to month subscriber, your price/service is subject to change, but that is contradictory to the assertion that you could keep unlimited data as long as you pay full retail. It does lend itself that Verizon did imply that you get to keep unlimited forever.

 

[huskur]

Seems like this will be a lawsuit waiting to happen. If I buy a phone at full price to keep unlimited, and then they take it away anyway? Yeah, I think I will be talking to a lawyer.

That is the whole point here......buying the phone outright to keep your unlimited data is a choice you make on your own not made by verizon. That is how the "month to month" works now. Verizon gives you choices and if you select theirs you are bound by contract. Purchasing outright is not contractual.

Now if Verizon takes my unlimited data away.....I will carry my tablet and hook up to wifi everywhere I go (that is what you will be doing with your phone) and carry a standard talk and text phone. Likely Straight Talk.

The ONLY reason I am with Verizon is their network and unlimited data.

 

[jseah]

If you look at this website, you can see a number of open, pending and settled class action suits that center around marketing claims.

https://www.consumer-action.org/index.php/alerts/articles/class_action_lawsuits

Alexia Frozen Potatoes - sued for claiming the product is "all natural" when it contained some artificial ingredients
Horizon Organic/Silk Milk - sued for advertising that evaporated cane juice was juice and not sugar
Naked Juice - sued for advertising their products as "all natural"
Haier - sued for claiming their freezers consumed less energy than it actually did
Barbara's bakery - sued for advertising their products as "all natural"
Kellogg's - sued for advertising the benefits of Mini-Wheats to a child's attentiveness and memory
Skecher's - sued for exaggerating the benefits of their Shape Ups shoes
Neutrogena - sued for advertising their products as "all natural" or "all organic"

 

[tech_head]

Verizon makes money off unlimited data. If you dont get the phone subsidy, they get an extra $10/month. If you dont use lots of data, it's a win for them. The number of people paying full price for phone is so small as to be insignificant. 99% or more will not pay full price for a phone.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

 

[jseah]

That is the whole point here......buying the phone outright to keep your unlimited data is a choice you make on your own not made by verizon. That is how the "month to month" works now. Verizon gives you choices and if you select theirs you are bound by contract. Purchasing outright is not contractual.

Now if Verizon takes my unlimited data away.....I will carry my tablet and hook up to wifi everywhere I go (that is what you will be doing with your phone) and carry a standard talk and text phone. Likely Straight Talk.

The ONLY reason I am with Verizon is their network and unlimited data.

I agree with you, but one could also make an argument that Verizon stating that you can be grandfathered if you purchase outright is an implied contract in and of itself. I think that if Verizon really wanted to do away with unlimited, their best option is to use the "incompatibility" excuse, such as when they are only offering LTE-A devices and saying that LTE-A devices are incompatible with unlimited data plans. Then they can say that you are still grandfathered for unlimited data, but you need to find phones that are "compatible" (i.e. old phones that are no longer available except in the used market) with it.

*For full disclosure, I am not an attorney, so my posts should not be construed as legal advice, just my opinion.

 

[kodiak799]

If you look at this website, you can see a number of open, pending and settled class action suits that center around marketing claims.

Apples to oranges.

At the time VZW allegedly made such a claim, it was true. There is no standard that the "claim" remain true indefinitely, and the TOS have always had the right to change it. And you can be certain the TOS contains language along the lines of "this TOS is final and binding and voids all other claims, express or implied".

 

[jseah]

Apples to oranges.

At the time VZW allegedly made such a claim, it was true. There is no standard that the "claim" remain true indefinitely, and the TOS have always had the right to change it. And you can be certain the TOS contains language along the lines of "this TOS is final and binding and voids all other claims, express or implied".

I suppose we will all know for sure come November 2014. If Verizon is going to terminate all unlimited data plans at the end of 2014, they need to notify their subscribers at least one month in advance.

 

[kodiak799]

I suppose we will all know for sure come November 2014. If Verizon is going to terminate all unlimited data plans at the end of 2014, they need to notify their subscribers at least one month in advance.

Do you honestly think they are not going to? It's not good business to hit users with surprise overages or other fees. In my personal experience, VZW has never operated that way.

If VZW ever kicks the remaining folks off unlimited (I have serious doubts), I guarantee they will email, text, call and snail mail you multiple times well in advance of the change date.

Every time this subject comes up, people make-up and imagine these ridiculous scenarios VZW has rarely, if ever, demonstrated a potential to commit. And they use those crazy ideas to gin-up hate and just bash VZW.

This particular subject has basically become a way of trolling this forum. I'm not saying anyone is doing that, but after 3+ years of these unfounded, unproven rumors that never came to fruition it's time to put this subject in the troll category until there's actually something factual and verifiable to discuss.

 

[sharkattack99]

this sucks I wonder how they plan to do this.well att is the next best thing so if they do I will going to them.

 

[huskur]

I agree with you, but one could also make an argument that Verizon stating that you can be grandfathered if you purchase outright is an implied contract in and of itself. I think that if Verizon really wanted to do away with unlimited, their best option is to use the "incompatibility" excuse, such as when they are only offering LTE-A devices and saying that LTE-A devices are incompatible with unlimited data plans. Then they can say that you are still grandfathered for unlimited data, but you need to find phones that are "compatible" (i.e. old phones that are no longer available except in the used market) with it.

*For full disclosure, I am not an attorney, so my posts should not be construed as legal advice, just my opinion.

Great analogy. Personally, I think the few left with unlimited will remain untouched. My secretary was just told that using the "edge" option would do away with her unlimited data and they would give her 6GB monthly for the price of 1GB of tiered. Of course she is single lined. By the end of 2014 there will be far less unlimited data users. Those who wish to continue with unlimited and pay full price will still have that option...(of course this is just opinion also). I pre-ordered the note 3 and I "think" its a LTE-A compatible phone....(not that it makes any difference, I just used that since you mentioned LTE-A)

We will just have to wait and see..........

 

[TatDroid]

The difference between humans and just about every other animal on earth? Humans worry themselves to death over things they have absolutely no control over, and may never actually come to fruition.

 

[xeene]

This particular subject has basically become a way of trolling this forum. I'm not saying anyone is doing that, but after 3+ years of these unfounded, unproven rumors that never came to fruition it's time to put this subject in the troll category until there's actually something factual and verifiable to discuss.

/signed

 

[Preach2k]

I have a question. If Verizon does do this and get away with it do you think the other providers will follow suit?

 

[huskur]

I have a question. If Verizon does do this and get away with it do you think the other providers will follow suit?

"IF" it happens. Yes, they would follow suit....BUT it's doubtful. Alot of everyday users would probably say "f*** it" and go back to talk n' text. Any NONE of the providers want that!!