oh... i heard about that this morning... was hoping it was something bigger 🤨

doesn't effect us lower level voice plans any

but there are only a couple phones you can go with and not have to put a data plan on correct?

I don't know... just listing what is on BGR

That's right. Even the 8360 has to have a data plan.

Difference is BGR is largely anonymous, phone scoop posting can be tracked back. I know a lot of the people who post here who work for the company I used to (and they never told me their names on here) I'm sure the same could be said about corp reps.

This stuff is under lock and key, and reps can lose their jobs for releasing info early.

It's total BS because where the Connect plan now gives you unlimited data you will now only get 25MB! That's assuming you want friggin data to begin with! What horrible plan changes!

if you want the unl you will have to add 29 to each phone

I waiting to see how many customers vzw loses

^ That's why I think there is some other shoe we haven't seen yet. Verizon's done some boneheaded things before.. but they typically arn't downright stupid about it

True. They have never been this bold before. This is a really arrogant move.

well if you don't want data to begin with you do have other options.... even with Verizon

yea get a knack

if you are defending this move you are the ultimate fanboy

well... if you've read my other posts and done some research.. you'd see im not a fan of it, but ultimately I have to put up with it....

i merely told you that there are other option... feel free to go complain to someone else if you don't like it....after all, i wouldn't take you for a penny pincher

im not a penny pincher but I dont like getting hosed. and I dont think others will either. im simply saying vzw is going to take a hit on this one customer wise.

ya know.. it might even force people to get the right device for them... ever thought of that...

stop being such a negative nancy 🤣

Seriously. Do you think an LG-VX8360 SHOULD require a data plan?

nope

so we are in the business of forcing customers to go with certain phones now. what about a dad getting his teen a phone and does not want them using data at all even if it was free

verizon is moving away from what people want!!!

People want options. Not being to get a ridiculous data plan for basically any phone with a keyboard. Data is already way over priced, and now they are mandating data on pretty much any halfway decent phone.

I dont like this at all, and they made no plan changes to any of the other voice plans. Most people dont need unlm min, so again, they are trying to force feed you something that you dont need. I usually stand behind verizon, but I can't get behind this at all.

Chris

i agree, I dont like this move it all

Good to see there are some employees who are not towing the company line. As a former employee I know that there is nothing you guys can do but when guys like 611 go off on customers for not dropping to our knees and praising VZW that ish is irritating.

lol...

I feel more like i'm bending over at the waist instead of falling to my knees 🤣

I'm going to cancel one of my lines on my bill cycle date and switch my 8330 to one of my dumbphones. That will cut my bill to $200.

Well...to be fair to the VZW employees they don't have much choice in the matter. Maybe not commenting at all would have been better than agitating you further but... *Shrug* It is what it is. I can't imagine too many VZW employees are going to be crowing over this, but you never know.

Yup I agree but it's verizon you want unlimited data on your env3 that is 29.99!!!!!

no the fair thing would be to not make a customer buy something if they dont want it

its like saying if you buy a phone from my store you have to buy a car charger because the phone is capable of charging of a 12 volt source even though the customer does not have a car

I used to do this.. but it was only on a couple of phones where the person wanted me to match a price that I couldn't match and still make a profit on.. so I would say "I'll match that price if you get ___" and if they said no,I would let them walk.. at least then I wouldn't lose money..

That's the other thing that will suck, for reps not customers.. is that this most likely means non-smartphones are going to get a heck of a lot cheaper, aka much harder to profit on.

I don't see a reason to buy a so-called multimedia phone. Might as well go with a smartphone.

Oh I agree.. I just dont see how a env3 can be called a multi media phone... it's so limited.

or they could have included nav for free...

Who would buy an ENV touch and pay $30 a month over an android or BB?

this is the part that confuses me the most... if they are going to charge 30 for unlimited dumbphone data... why sell dumbphones?

Just posing a theory but....What if that is the agenda?

New Mexico? HAHA!
AT&T is mostly Roaming there if you didn't know.

LMAO......you are not gonna be a part of a company that does this......by the way AT&T just annouced the same plans and pricing to start on 1/18.......have fun.

AT&T matched Verizon on unlimited plans...

BUT AT&T doesn't *FORCE* data packages onto contracts.

*HUGE* difference.
*ASTRANOMICAL* difference.

If AT&T forced these kinds of data plans onto an Impression, Xenon or Solstice user... or a Motorola Razr... they would get the same response.

Dictionary.com:

No results found for ASTRANOMICAL:

Did you mean ASTRONOMICAL?

Dictionary:
# ASTRONOMIC(AL)
# ASTRONOMICALLY
# GASTRONOMICAL
# ASTRONOMIC

AT&T's dumbphone data plans are $15 for unlimited and they are not (yet) requiring 3G messaging phones to require a data package. Face it. VZW is out on an island on this data deal. I said "yet" because of all the carriers, anything that Verizon is able to execute successfully, AT&T is more likely to copy. This includes $350 Advanced Device ETF and the mandatory data plan on 3G messaging phones. They are going to sit back and watch. If Verizon is able to remain profitable with these changes then I expect AT&T to mimic them.

I guess by New Mexico you must mean Albuquerque only. That state is the perfect example of why Verizon had such a successful "There's a map for that campaign". AT&T's 3G coverage in New Mexico is attrocious. It is literally Albuquerque and Las Cruces. Not even the state capital, Santa Fe! If you live in New Mexico you know you travel outside of Albuquerque or Las Cruces. There is a reason that in New Mexico AT&T has less 50%.

Wrong...jerk.

I am not gonna let some greedy, shoddy company deter me by means of a bogus 9.99 charge to force me into getting a piece of crap cheapie phone. FANBOY!!!!

Yup it was only a matter of time before someone was stupid enough to say that.

you're the one that is stupid, verizon fanboy

What? I think you're confused I'm letting my wallet speak for me and taking my business elsewhere. I already have 4G with sprint and a Boost unlimited plan. I will taking my other two primary numbers to Sprint after I ride out my existing contract.

I never thought I'd see someone accuse YOU of being a fanboy.

What is it lately? If you make any statement other than "I hate Verizon..." you must be a fanboy.

You are a fanboy and sipping the hatorade at the same time... How about THAT epik!

>.>

Of course, you have to be a fanboy to not hate businesses.

I moonshine my own kind of hatorade, right outside in my shed.

It seems to me that in order to qualify as a "fanboy," you have to accept just about every aspect of the thing you're "fanboying" regardless of logic and common sense. So, in that sense, a lot of the people on this board wouldn't even qualify as fanboys. I'd say that most of us who regularly contribute to this part of the forums generally prefer and even support Verizon, but we're not so unrealistically supportive that we can't see when something doesn't make sense.

Who here is overwhelmingly excited about the new data requirements? Most of us are supportive of the price plans changing - they're overdue, really. But I don't think I'd find one regular contributor who fee...
(continues)

oh.. just a question for you about new plans... with prepaid.. wouldn't they be cheaper after post paid after taxes and surcharges are taken into effect? that seems to be what the leaked stuff is pointing too.

I agree with you about Palm though. I can't stand them.. but just like the glyde, I'm sure they'll sell like hotcakes.

I figured this out with a calculator.

Let's assume we're talking about the 450 minute Nationwide Talk plan. In this area, you pay taxes on post-paid plans on your bill, and you pay sales taxes on filling up your prepay plan. Let's assume about 15% in surcharges and taxes on post pay, and about 6% sales tax in your area.

Postpaid: $39.99 plus tax is about $45.99
Prepaid: $44.99 plus sales tax is about $47.69

The two are almost identical.

I can assure you, however, that you WILL be paying more for the phone. Aside from the prepay map being the "National Enhanced Service Area (Verizon-owned towers, not including extended network) and the phone selection won't be as broad as it is on post-paid plans, there's little cost differenc...
(continues)

Ah.. that's where the difference is.. around here is it 18-20% added on your normal wireless bill.

Even where I live those percentages aren't correct, I just used an easy to use example. However, where my taxes are higher, the differences are still within a dollar.

When someone buys a prepay refill in your area, do they pay a special tax, or do they simply pay sales tax?

When they get a prepay refill they jsut pay sales tax. 6%

So if the 450 $39.99 plan has 20% added in taxes and whatnot, the plan would be $47.99 monthly.

The 450 $44.99 prepay plan has 6% in sales tax, the plan would be $47.69 monthly.

30 cent difference as I calculate it.

Yeah. I really like the idea of the new prepaid plans. When I was in the store, there was a lot of people who wanted verizon, but they had a 400 deposit and the old prepaid options were too confusing for them, or with their usage, would be far more expensive.

EXACTLY. Sure, Grandma who wants to make three calls a month at two minutes each and 25 cents a minute will continue to use something like TracPhone (lets face it, they don't use Verizon for that very often). The real winner with Verizon's prepay is the person who's credit stinks for whatever reason. Sure, they won't be getting a Droid this time around, but they can at least get good coverage and a decent phone without the extra $125 or $400.

The funny thing is, my reps aren't too happy with their commission on the new plans. Before, they got $5 toward their sales dollars quota when they sold a prepay. Now, they get 25% of the face value of the plan. So while the $44.99 plan now gets them $11.75 toward their quota, Verizon is making...
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Yeah, it will be interesting to see how my old company handles it. They would pay a flat amount GP on prepaid activations, and a flat one for month to month contracts. Hopefully they'll increase the commission for these new prepaid activations, or reps won't mention them, even though they are a boon for the customer. This could also help people who wanted to get their kid a phone, but they want the ability to take it away from them

It could be a benefit or a bust.

I'll use a hypothetical scenario here.

Let's say my store does six prepays a month, total. Reps have been required, since the dawn of time, to sell four a month, but just can't find anyone willing to invest in a confusing prepay plan. Oh, wait, that's entirely true...

Any way, assumed with this scenario are the three security deposits we see each week. Deposit amount doesn't matter, but let's assume (correctly) that no one wants to fork over additional money just to start service.

So, we'll assume that now we can land each of those three extra adds each week, and now all my prepays are the $4.99 450 minute plan. My store had just gone from six prepays a month to 18 prepays a month. Before, th...
(continues)

I was talking to one of my old employees, he said that he wasn't sure how the new prepaids would work.. he said his new manager said something about them requiring a deposit to get it or something.. Sounds far fetched to me though, or why announce it like this?

I doubt you'll lose many postpay sales to prepay simply because, at least around here, people ALWAYS choose convenience over value. So yeah, as long as the quota's don't jump, this should be a positive change.

Ultimately, the phone subsidy will be better on a contract, and the phone selection will be minimal, which will put most people onto a contract.

Still, it had my reps concerned.

So how did you calm them?

In general, there's no calming the reps right now. Most of them are concerned that data requirements, and the reactions of many customers, are going to destroy their paycheck.

I would hate to be a front line rep in the store or at the call center this week. Cheers! 😁

no your stupid...
no your stupid..
no your stupid..

I feel like I am back in 5th grade..

You know for someone that is always belittling everyone and bashing people for spelling errors I find it funny you have stooped down to just calling people stupid.

I thought you switched to page plus anyway?

It is so funny when you call someone a fanboy that isn't even associated with Verizon Wireless.

Nice job there.

Co-sign. Can't believe I tried to defend employees yesterday explaining that even though they are not happy with policy they have no control over it. Now the number one cheerleader is turning my stomach with this garbage response.

As a salesman I can proudly say I have no control over it either...

But I do have control over the comparison between VZ Sprint & AT&T (Which I do carry as well).

We shall see how it pans out.

Marginally better network that REQUIRES expensive data plans... vs other, more than capable networks, that are gonna be hands down cheaper? lets see here...

Kriis

While I agree these plans seem stupid and counterproductive, your definition of marginally and my definition of marginally are VASTLY different.

This past year we've been hard-pressed to sell anything on Premium plans, and occasionally on Connect. The last brochures that were printed removed Premium plans from the mix, showing only Connect, Select, and Basic - and we still didn't sell much in Connect. If anything, it only served to further confuse people looking at smartphones thinking they could use them on Connect plans.

I'm all for the simplicity of removing Connect and Premium plans, I just wish Verizon had gone to an "a la carte" version where I could ADD unlimited web for $10, or ADD unlimited web with navigation and VCast video for $20 to ANY plan.

Ultimately, the problem with Connect and Premium plans wasn't that people weren't looking for that pricing, or that they t...
(continues)

i agree with this. I was able to sell a decent amount of connect plans (especially on new contracts and single lines) but in the two years I worked for that company.. I think the entire state maybe had... 4 premium plans?

When I first heard/saw hints of the changed price plans, I figured that they were just removing them from the material, because as you said, it could get confusing.

The loss of the connect plan (I honestly don't think premium was a big loss) is the biggest thing here, like you said.

From what I've experienced, the biggest benefit to Premium was VZ Navigator. If you already had Connect, it only made sense to go to Premium, if you could. Especially if you had a company discount.

Losing Connect would not be a big deal had they kept the Vcast Vpak $15 feature. AT&T still has their version and that is advantage AT&T in my opinion.

If one wants to use Outlook with an actual Exchange account which uses ActiveSync (rather than IMAP or POP), it requires the higher rate plan.

While not stated explicitly, I thought people here would understand what I meant. Of course, one could use IMAP, but I want ActiveSync of contacts, calendar, email, and tasks, and that requires the $$$ plan. And yes, I do have remote wipe set up.

Gregg

Actually no, that's wrong. You only have to have the $44.95 plan if you want to connect to Verizon's Exchange server. If you want to connect to your own or your company then the $29.99 will work fine. This has been discussed and proven over on HoFo. On a Blackberry you will need the $44.95 to connect to BES. Windows mobile and Android you do not.

Link, please!

Everything I find on VZW's site says otherwise.

Gregg

I agree, link please.

I've spent hours working with business customers - even last month - trying to connect to their company exchange server just for email while on the $29.99 plan, only to find the phone instantly starts working as it was intended once I switch to the $45 option (my customer was convinced it would work on the $30 plan because of something he saw online).

On my new TP2, when I went to the VZW site, I found a downloadable "Email and Web for Smartphones" app. Just for fun, I installed it, and all it shows is various personal accounts such as Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.

Now if I actually had only that plan, I don't know if the TP2's own mail setup would let me access my own Exchange server.

All it requires is an unrestricted Internet connection to port 443 of a properly-configured Exchange server and it works perfectly on plain old WiFi.

Gregg

The plan you're on gives you access to just about anything we've used this past decade, including anything used on the $29.99 plan. I could use a redirector on your computer to push your outlook to your phone. I could use an exchange server. I could use custom software. I could use Nokia's Wireless Sync Server software, which has been abandoned in the face of newer technology.

The $29.99 plan gives you access to two things: the built-in email program on the device, or the Email & Web program you downloaded. Anything synchronized above and beyond email would be handled by either plugging into a computer, or using some sort of third-party application.

I understand that. I asked for a link and so did you, but htat person hasn't coughed up one yet.

I was agreeing with you, just reiterating that the "Email and Web for Smartphones" plan is not for connecting to an Exchange server.

Gregg