Monthly fee for having smartphone on dumb phone line?

[SallyC]

I have a friend who has a dumb phone with text messaging but no data on the plan. I gave her my Razr thinking she could replace her dumb phone and still wouldn't have data (which she doesn't want to pay for) but could still use the apps when she's on wifi. When she went to Verizon to get a sim card and make the switch, she was told that there would be a $10/month charge just because it was a smart phone - even though there's no data associated with the line.

Is that correct or does she need to talk to another person?

 

[dezymond]

I was always under the impression that if you had a smartphone on an active line that a data plan was applied.

 

[SallyC]

You could be right. I've never tried to do this but I can't understand why there would be that restriction. If she has no data she shouldn't be charged more just because of the phone's potential. They are not offering any services above what she already has, just charging $120/year.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

 

[dezymond]

You could be right. I've never tried to do this but I can't understand why there would be that restriction. If she has no data she shouldn't be charged more just because of the phone's potential. They are not offering any services above what she already has, just charging $120/year.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

An extra $10/mo charge seems bogus, let's call it a "potential fee" because I really don't know what else to call it. Her Razr has more capabilities than any dumbphone, so are they charging her for her potential use of wifi that they don't even provide? If I were your friend I'd call and get this sorted out, that's $120 a year which could be spent somewhere else. I bet Verizon would come up with some bogus excuse like "$10/mo to show the system you have a smartphone and don't want the data", if that were the case they would have thousands, maybe even millions, of customers following her example, that's a ton of $$$$$$$$$$ for Verizon to be losing out on. Long ago they allowed smartphones with no data plan before they became mainstream, but now it's another way to cash in.

I never heard of a case where the smartphone was on an active line with no data.

 

[lloydstrans]

It is my understanding that the 10 dollars gives you a small amount of data "pie", If you had no data, one errant email and you would have to pay the $20 overage fee. Its like 50megs or something.

Sent from my XT1080 using Droid Forums

 

[SallyC]

I don't get that. Right now if someone tries to send her something requiring data they can't because she doesn't have a data plan. She's still not turning that feature on so why pay anything for it?

 

[lloydstrans]

I understand that point, once the phone acquires her gmail address Google will bombard it with emails. Another potential for unplanned data usage is, let's say a weather app. The potential lies in more irate customers receiving fees for data usage than irate customers for the fee. Also they would love to upgrade that line for her.

Sent from my XT1080 using Droid Forums

 

[SallyC]

As long as she accesses email via wifi, there's no data useage. It's like having an iPod Touch. Same with a weather app. If data is not active on the line, are you saying she can't use wifi? Because I used the phone at home on wifi before I gave it to her, but after I had removed the sim card and put it in my new phone. In that case it not only had no data, it also had no cell plan - it really was like an iPod. She wants to have the same cell and text plan she has now, but no data. Is that not possible?

 

[lloydstrans]

Bottom line Verizon wants the 10 bucks. I used my old phone the same way til I got my nexus 7. Once Verizon's computers find a smart phone on a line the tack it on.

Sent from my XT1080 using Droid Forums

 

[kooshie]

The way the plans work now dumb phones are $30 a month with a minimum of a $10 data plan the smartphones are $40 with a $10 data plan so even the dumb phones require data now. If she is on an old plan the $10 might be the difference in cost of the plans. Verizon changed the their data requirements some time ago to make them required for all smartphones.