Verizon Bait And Switch Disconnects Unlimited Data Customers At 200GB Per Month
Verizon has begun notifying customers that are currently using on average 200GB or more of data per month that they will have to abandon their unlimited data plans. Quite frankly, 200GB seems like an obscene amount of data to use over a wireless connection for a single month, but these customers are simply using the service as it was advertised.
The new policy went into effect on January 5th, and these “data hog” customers will be forced to move one of Verizon’s newer data plans with data buckets starting on February 16th. And here’s the kicker; if customers don’t switch to a new data plan by the 16th, Verizon will take matters into its own hands and disconnect your service altogether. How thoughtful!
Back in September, Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo expressed his disdain for these customers, which he said "tend to be abusive” with unlimited data plans and added “you cannot make money on an unlimited video world.” He went to to add, "At the end of the day, people don't need unlimited plans."
We have the feeling that the number of Verizon customers that are regularly blowing through 200GB of data per month is incredibly small, but it’s still a bit disconcerting to see unlimited data not being treated as such. However, it’s understandable — at least from a business perspective — why Verizon wants to stick it to these customers. A quick trip over to Verizon’s website shows that the United States’ largest wireless provider will sell you 100GB of data for a whopping $450 per month under its current data plan scheme.
This isn’t the only punch to the gut that Verizon customers are feeling as we ring in the new year. Verizon chose last week, right during the middle of the hectic circus that is CES, to raise the upgrade fee for customers (device payment plans and full retail price purchases) from $20 to $30. The company has also completely axed two-year contracts, meaning that purchasing a device on a payment plan or at full retail price is the only way to go over at Big Red.
