VZW unlimited global data going away

[turnpike]

we all need to create some way of official petition to get verizon to bring back the unlimited overseas data plan. i know that they will loose much more money once people start realizing the fine print of $20 a mb once they go over

 

[mariongiant]

The New York Times had this article about excessive data roaming charges that European customers pay when they leave their home countries.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/technology/15roaming.html

It appears Verizon decided to get on board with what the European carriers were already doing.

I've complained twice to VZW about their new plan, but I'm not optimistic that they'll change it back. The only real option now seems to be unlocking and using a local sim card. It's a pain but Verizon's current rates effectively render the phone useless.

 

[tjm999]

I got my D2G a week ago, but now I'm considering sending it back for the Droid X and keeping a second GSM phone in my pocket again.

 

[kptphalkon]

The New York Times had this article about excessive data roaming charges that European customers pay when they leave their home countries.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/technology/15roaming.html

It appears Verizon decided to get on board with what the European carriers were already doing.

I've complained twice to VZW about their new plan, but I'm not optimistic that they'll change it back. The only real option now seems to be unlocking and using a local sim card. It's a pain but Verizon's current rates effectively render the phone useless.

Great find with that article. At least (hahahaha) other countries are trying to leverage this damage. It looks like in the long run having a second phone for overseas use is going to be the cheapest alternative.

Sent from the Blue Falcon cockpit on my Fission 2.4.3 D2G

 

[Slipshod]

Why a second phone instead of just using local SIMs?

 

[kptphalkon]

Idk...in case you still want to retain (the semblance of) your warranty...rooting is reversible, sim unlock is not.

Sent from the Blue Falcon cockpit on my Fission 2.4.3 D2G

 

[Slipshod]

Idk...in case you still want to retain (the semblance of) your warranty...rooting is reversible, sim unlock is not.

Sent from the Blue Falcon cockpit on my Fission 2.4.3 D2G

Right... But you get your unlock code from Verizon directly. And the 30 second disclaimer they read you is all about them not being responsible for the charges you will incur on somebody else's network. The Verizon Global Services Rep who gave me the code didn't say anything at all about it having any affect on my warranty, and I don't see how it could.

His biggest concern seemed to be that I didn't have the foreign SIM with me, so he had to have me write down the process instead of walking me through it right then. (Like it's that hard).

 

[freightdog]

we all need to create some way of official petition to get verizon to bring back the unlimited overseas data plan. i know that they will loose much more money once people start realizing the fine print of $20 a mb once they go over

I agree, I sought someone to talk to or an email address to send my complaints to and was basically given a run around. I ended up with a snail mail address to send a letter to, if that doesn't say bug off in this day and age, I don't know what does. The thing that really burns me about the whole thing is that there is no plan whatsoever available beyond Europe. Enjoy your verizon global phone but don't use it beyond Europe or you will need a loan to pay your bill. Last I checked the other major US carriers had global plans, and while they may not be great plans, at least they consider the world is a lot bigger than North America and Europe.

 

[manoman]

I just called verizon wireless to switch over to the global data plan, and indeed, the rep told me its been REMOVED. I am so pissed because the whole reason I signed up for VzW was for the unlimited global plan (I had originally asked to be signed up for it, but the rep explained that I could stay on the normal data plan until I leave the country, so I opted out of it).

Also I signed up 1 month and 15 days ago, so I'm just outside of when I could have canceled for free. The rep did mention that anyone who had the plan PREVIOUSLY would be able to be placed on the plan now. Has anyone been able to get back on the unlimited plan? Is there any way I can get out of my contract if I can't get back on the global plan?

 

[tjm999]

Why a second phone instead of just using local SIMs?

Without a decent global calling plan to go with the D2G for when I travel it did not seem worth having my primary phone be limited. I'd rather be able to more fully "mess" with my phone and have ROM choices etc, so I sent the D2G back today. X is on it's way.

This group should make an effort to have mass mailings to Verizon complaining about the global plan. I'd join in on that.

 

[turnpike]

Has anyone been able to get back on the unlimited plan? Is there any way I can get out of my contract if I can't get back on the global plan?

i tired this route, because i was told by the store manager that i could get the unlimited data, i was told by global services that they could pro-rate me the first month at the 64.99..but it would not be unlimited, it would be the base 70MB...
vzn is starting to really pizz me off with this..
i picking up a signal on roaming while here in Kuwait, but at almost $3.00 a min..i'm scared to touch my phone

 

[BobSteel]

Do any of you with GlobalData use custom ROMs? The VZW SIM has a weird authentication mechanism which means somehow the ROM has to also send the ESN of the phone to validate for data. I'm dying to load a custom ROM but doubt that any of them have this bit of logic in them.

 

[tmg]

Another upset Verizon customer

Hi all,

Just found out about this plan being eliminated - had I known this I would have stayed with ATT or looked at other alternatives. This unlimited global data plan to me was the biggest selling point.

Just became customer this past November and had used it during a trip to the Philippines in December.

Upcoming trip to Japan next week and will be there for 1 month+. Just called Global Support this morning to activate the plan again only to find out it had been discontinued.

Has anyone found a way or had success getting out of their contract? I feel that I have been misled - the premise under which I agreed to a 2 year contract has now changed.

No way I am going to pay 20/mb for data. ( I had a big scare while in the Philippines with a text msg saying I'd incurred $2k in roaming charges and hadn't even been there 10 hours)

Since Japan does not use SIM cards (as far as I know anyway, I had purchased an ATT Nokia 6350 last year specifically for Japan because it was CDMA or WCDMA capable), does anyone that regularly travels there have any reasonable alternatives?

Is it possible to root the D2G or whatever and get a data package from NTT Docomo or one of the other carriers?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[silver6054]

Hi all,

Just found out about this plan being eliminated - had I known this I would have stayed with ATT or looked at other alternatives. This unlimited global data plan to me was the biggest selling point.

Just became customer this past November and had used it during a trip to the Philippines in December.

Upcoming trip to Japan next week and will be there for 1 month+. Just called Global Support this morning to activate the plan again only to find out it had been discontinued.

Has anyone found a way or had success getting out of their contract? I feel that I have been misled - the premise under which I agreed to a 2 year contract has now changed.

No way I am going to pay 20/mb for data. ( I had a big scare while in the Philippines with a text msg saying I'd incurred $2k in roaming charges and hadn't even been there 10 hours)

Since Japan does not use SIM cards (as far as I know anyway, I had purchased an ATT Nokia 6350 last year specifically for Japan because it was CDMA or WCDMA capable), does anyone that regularly travels there have any reasonable alternatives?

Is it possible to root the D2G or whatever and get a data package from NTT Docomo or one of the other carriers?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Probably hard to get out of the contract as this "feature" isn't part of the contract (or they couldn't have changed it). Some have had success having the plan reinstated, particularly if they have had it before. But then you cannot drop it and reinstate again, even if you do succeed.

The best solution is to get it unlocked if you haven't already and use a local GSM SIM. I don't know the local data rates, but I am sure you can do much better than the VZ $20 per MB

 

[tmg]

Thanks Silver6054,

All I've been able to find so far is SIM card rental through Softbank, problem is it's 1500 yen / day so that would be 45000 yen for the ~ 1 month I will be there which is $550. Ouch.

I'd be all for a petition if I thought it would do any good. Hopefully, given that this just changed last month and that it happened very quietly, there is still a very large number of occasional global data subscribers that don't know about it yet either. If everyone calls to complain/ threaten to terminate contract maybe they will get the idea and reinstate some sort of revised global plan. With plans only available now for Canada, Mexico and Europe and $20/ mb for everywhere else who are they kidding about being global? I just looked up my data usage for the last billing cycle and it was ~240 mb so in other words at $20/mb = $4800. Who in their right mind would pay this?

I had asked Global Support to look up the termination fees - again if they perceive that enough people are going to jump ship over this things may change. The way I'm looking at it now is I've been a customer for only 3 months so I am on the hook for $320 x 2 lines in early term. fees but they in turn will be losing 21 months of revenue at $200/ month for the family plan that I have.

If anyone has any other input as to other cost effective workarounds for Japan it would be greatly appreciated.

R/ tmg - "Owner of Droid 2 Global that's no longer affordable to use Globally"