Verizon is charging me minutes for Droid data use

[studiopeg]

Spoke with a Verizon rep tonight, and all I could get out of her was "I don't know" and "I'm not sure."

Here's the problem: I have a family share plan with 500 minutes. We use about 200 per month.

Got the Droid X 2 weeks ago.

Verizon is saying I have gone over the 500 shared minutes because of the data connection.

I now pay $29.99 per month more for "unlimited internet and email" access on the Droid, but Verizon is taking the connection time out of my Family Share minutes.

So what then does "unlimited" mean? The rep didn't know and admitted so. She just kept repeating "you have unlimited email and internet usage for the $29.99 fee a month that you pay, and your internet and email access has caused you to go over your alloted minutes."

Can someone help me understand what I am missing here?? Please?

Thanks.

 

[jaw4bama]

I Have no clue, I have never been charged minutes for data. Are you using any app that use your minutes like maybe google voice to make calls?

 

[studiopeg]

I Have no clue, I have never been charged minutes for data. Are you using any app that use your minutes like maybe google voice to make calls?

Nope. I don't even know how to use it yet for anything other than making a voice call (I made only 1 so far) and browsing the internet. The Verizon rep set up Google email for me which I have not even accessed.

Is anyone else out there charged minutes for internet and email???

 

[jaw4bama]

Thats just insane! Call back and maybe this time you will get a rep that has some sense!

 

[n813ca]

i agree. Call back. Thats crap

 

[tommyb38]

Spoke with a Verizon rep tonight, and all I could get out of her was "I don't know" and "I'm not sure."

Here's the problem: I have a family share plan with 500 minutes. We use about 200 per month.

Got the Droid X 2 weeks ago.

Verizon is saying I have gone over the 500 shared minutes because of the data connection.

I now pay $29.99 per month more for "unlimited internet and email" access on the Droid, but Verizon is taking the connection time out of my Family Share minutes.

So what then does "unlimited" mean? The rep didn't know and admitted so. She just kept repeating "you have unlimited email and internet usage for the $29.99 fee a month that you pay, and your internet and email access has caused you to go over your alloted minutes."

Can someone help me understand what I am missing here?? Please?

Thanks.

Impossible. Are you tethering?????????? Phone may be dialing while tethering. I have heard of it before. But there is truly no way you can be charged for minutes for data. Billed totally separate, totally separate billing system.

 

[onmyway]

Rep surf. Should have asked for that persons manager...better yet ...real person, in a verizon store where answers like that would get your help with wrong answers educated or fired shortly after your exit for the short learning curve of customer service and inappropriate answers without correct responses.

I always say to a rep. When receiving a new phone, "now what kind of plan is this...a five hundred dollar phone bill surprise will make me your enemy fast. "

 

[dezymond]

strange, never heard of that before.

might wanna go into a verizon store to get that sorted out instead of over the phone.

 

[Jameshpatterson]

How much are you over, do you use google voice for voicemail and do you get a lot of voicemails? No clue if this relates to you, but i went over once and dug in to my bill and after many frustrating hours I found that every time you get a voicemail through Google voice you get charged 1 min of air time. I can't remember the specifics and it took several reps to explain it to me, but I did confirm it to be true. I know this probably didn't help but I remember the reps struggled to explain it to me and I got several "I don't know sirs". But some how the way google voice works through call forwarding it charges you air time.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[gadgetrants]

I Have no clue, I have never been charged minutes for data. Are you using any app that use your minutes like maybe google voice to make calls?

Nope. I don't even know how to use it yet for anything other than making a voice call (I made only 1 so far) and browsing the internet. The Verizon rep set up Google email for me which I have not even accessed.

Is anyone else out there charged minutes for internet and email???

This is gonna get resolved one way or another. I see a few answers:

(1) The rep was reading your account activity incorrectly. What caused you to call them? Was it your latest bill? Did you check activity online? Perhaps they simply don't know how to break things down.

(2) The fact that you have a family plan is a potential "red flag". Any kids? Perhaps the unexpected charges are not due to calls, but texting. Do you have a text plan (remember that's separate from email/web)?

(3) It's simply not possible for data (email/web) and phone minutes to overlap. They are two entirely different radio systems on your phone. Have you seen a per-call breakdown? Can you verify that you are in fact under your total minutes?

(4) Note that in addition to looking at call activity online, you can also review your data usage. If you can, log in and try to review dates and transfer amounts. I bet it'll be informative.

Please post back if you learn any more!

-Matt

 

[Shibbey]

Chances are that your plan was prorated which messes your blling up. Speak to a rep at a Verizon store NOT an authorized dealer.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[studiopeg]

More:

1) I have 3 phones on the family share plan, 500 shared minutes. Me, my husband, and my elderly mom

2) On-line I checked the DETAILED MINUTES USAGE of ALL MINUTES for the ENTIRE MONTH: Mom used 5 minutes, I used 177, and my husband used 73 for a total of 255 minutes, which is about what we use every month. Sounds correct.

3) We do not text or send pic messages, nor do I use Google voice mail

4) Verizon says we have used a total of 653 minutes. So I went over the DETAILED MINUTES USAGE with the rep for all phones, showing her the 255 minutes total.

4) Then I asked the rep "why then is Verizon saying I have used 653 minutes?"

5) "I'm not sure. It could be your data usage made you go over your allotted 500 minutes."

6) Then I asked, "then why am I paying $29.99/month more now for unlimited data usage?"

7) Rep answer: "Yes you have unlimited usage for that $29.99 per month"

8) "Then why is the data usage using up my shared minutes?"

9) Answer: "Because your data usage has put you over your allotted family share minutes."

Round and round and round and round it went.

I am going to the Verizon store today where I got the Droid 2 weeks ago with a printout of the minutes (the printout does break the minutes down into data usage and voice usage) and am going to ask them for answers.

 

[xliderider]

That is just messed up.

 

[EbE404]

More:

1) I have 3 phones on the family share plan, 500 shared minutes. Me, my husband, and my elderly mom

2) On-line I checked the DETAILED MINUTES USAGE of ALL MINUTES for the ENTIRE MONTH: Mom used 5 minutes, I used 177, and my husband used 73 for a total of 255 minutes, which is about what we use every month. Sounds correct.

3) We do not text or send pic messages, nor do I use Google voice mail

4) Verizon says we have used a total of 653 minutes. So I went over the DETAILED MINUTES USAGE with the rep for all phones, showing her the 255 minutes total.

4) Then I asked the rep "why then is Verizon saying I have used 653 minutes?"

5) "I'm not sure. It could be your data usage made you go over your allotted 500 minutes."

6) Then I asked, "then why am I paying $29.99/month more now for unlimited data usage?"

7) Rep answer: "Yes you have unlimited usage for that $29.99 per month"

8) "Then why is the data usage using up my shared minutes?"

9) Answer: "Because your data usage has put you over your allotted family share minutes."

Round and round and round and round it went.

I am going to the Verizon store today where I got the Droid 2 weeks ago with a printout of the minutes (the printout does break the minutes down into data usage and voice usage) and am going to ask them for answers.

This sounds like a bad Abbott and Costello routine...

Others have chimed in about this, but this has never happened to me or anybody that I know, but the radios are completely different so one does not impact the other-as long as we are talking about straight data.

For what it's worth, you can also view your data usage on Verizon's website, if your curious, but the reality is, this should be irrelevant to your issue.

 

[DF Smod]

Wow, after reading all of this I feel like taking a trip to VZW and giving them a piece of my mind...please post back and let us know the resolution