This month, for the first time ever, each of our Verizon cell phone numbers were charged $1.99 for a data usage charge. After checking, a data charge of $1.99 is for connecting to the internet with your phone and using between 1B and 1MB of data. But we specifically asked to have internet blocked from our phones when we signed up. So that couldn’t be it.
Could be games downloaded (or even browsed for…did you know you get charged by Verizon just for browsing?). Okay. We don’t use games either. Period.
Nor do we text, send photos, or do any of the other things that would incur data charges. We simply talk on the phone—and we don’t do that very much. We never use all our minutes. Ever.
So I called Verison customer service and spoke with Patricia. She was very nice and eventually credited our account for the amount of the overcharge. It took 12 minutes to accomplish this but I have to admit, that’s better than driving to the far edge of the county where they’ve stuck the new store…and then waiting at least 30 minutes for customer service (that way you’re stuck looking around their showroom).
So while I was waiting the 12 minutes for Patricia to do her thing, I searched the web for “verizon data charge 1.99″ and guess what I discovered? 11,200 pages where folks are complaining about Verizon charging them for what they didn’t use. To be sure, I didn’t go through 11,200 pages but I could get the gist after reading several pages. Many were in the same situation as I, where the service they were charged for was blocked.
So how come the fees on (evidently) thousands of phones? I wonder how many additional thousands just pay the bills without a thought or complaint.
Verizon is terrible. And I guarantee they’re counting on your last sentence. Can you hear me now?
I’m so glad to know that I’m not alone! We too use our phones as phones only … NO extras at all, and we’ve had $1.99 charges on 2 lines, $2.24 on a third, and a whopping $20.15 on the fourth line! Ok, my son did download 2 ring tones to that one, but was told they would cost $2.99 each … not $20.15!! So, now I get to hang on the phone with Verizon CS for at least 12 minutes, I guess.
Hopefully people are not careless enough to not even ask about a bill!
When we upgraded our cellphones last year, I specially told Verizon to block internet access on our cellphones (5 of them). I was doing a spot check on my cellphone bill online today, I found out my youngest daughter has an extra $1.99 charge on a Data Usage (not voice, that’s internet usage). It turned out even though we blocked the internet access on our cellphones, but Vcast is still available if you by mistake choose the internet/vcast button on your cellphone, even if you press END to quit, sometimes it will be too late. Whether it is 1 minute or 1 second, Verizon still charges $1.99 for the mis-connection (by design not by choice).
Then I looked back some of my previous bills online, there was at least $1.99 extra charge on one of our cellphones every month. My youngest daughter made the most mistakes ’cause her current old cellphone has a Vcast/internet button so she could easily press that button by mistake where the rest of us has to go to the menu and sometimes still pick the wrong choice.
There were one month all 5 cellphones had the extra $1.99 charge, I guessed we all chose the wrong choice from the menu once in a while. I figure I probably paid at least $30 to $60 last year for these stupid charges that I didn’t even know.
I argued with Verizon customer support on the phone and told them how sneaky they are, if I had internet blocked, why would Vcast still available, he claimed Vcast is for a quick way of downloading video clips and ring tones… which is separated from the internet. I said that’s BS, since we don’t work for Verizon, how would the regular customers know the difference. I wonder how many other people got zapped with this “accidental charge” without their knowing.
Obviously Verizon only credited me $1.99 for last month but not all the previous months that I already paid. What a sneaky business practice.
I wish I could report this to some kind business bureau to warm Verizon that is so dishonest or wrong to charge their customer like that. Totally sneaky.
File a complaint with your State’s Attorney General. Some states are making VZN refund these charges, I see.
Many new phones come with icons that make it look like a game or application is already on the phone. But, if you click the icon, it connects to Get it Now. Even if you disconnect as soon as you see that’s what it is doing, it doesn’t matter..you are still charged a minimum of $1.99 for “browsing”.
Very deceptive, and the reply I got from customer service was totally unsatisfactory. To lure customers to click with an icon (that VZN put there as IF the app is already on your phone) and then charge for browsing” is entrapment, and a deceitful business practice. I’ve learned that some TX customers are working on a complaint for the attorney general’s office. I’m going to send them copies of my complaint as well.
.