A question for the experts
My current monthly billing period commenced last Sunday, January 23, 2005. On that date, I changed plans from the old AC 400 minute plan to the new AC 450 minute plan. Each of those plans cost $39.99 per month. I then checked with Verizon personnel to ascertain how many anytime minutes I get during this monthly billing period (January 23, 2005 through February 22, 2005). I received two conflicting answers from two different persons. They are as follows:
1. I receive such number of minutes as can be ascertained from the following formula:
(a) Divide 450 by 31. Then round off the
resultant number. (She was uncertain
whether I'm to round it to the next
highest or next lowest number, so the
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1. I receive such number of minutes as can be ascertained from the following formula:
(a) Divide 450 by 31. Then round off the
resultant number. (She was uncertain
whether I'm to round it to the next
highest or next lowest number, so the
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if you changed the pp on the first day of your bill cycle (regardless of what day of the week it is) you are billed for and receive your full 450 minutes.
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The first Verizon customer service rep said this is not the case because any change in plan is deemed effective as of 12:01 am the following morning.
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Unfortunately this is one of those things that may vary by market. I can only comment on the midwest.
What the VZW rep told you about the change becoming effective as of 12:01 am the next day is accurate--at least in the billing system we use in the midwest.
The weekend has nothing to do with the equation. It is formal mathematical proration based on the number of days you have the new plan. But not every billing cycle has 31 days. In this case, 31 is correct.
It is not really calculated as a certain number of minutes per day. It is calculated using a ratio that I believe is taken to four decimal places. But the "minutes per day" approach will give you a very good estimate, and it is easier for some people to understand.
In your ...
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What the VZW rep told you about the change becoming effective as of 12:01 am the next day is accurate--at least in the billing system we use in the midwest.
The weekend has nothing to do with the equation. It is formal mathematical proration based on the number of days you have the new plan. But not every billing cycle has 31 days. In this case, 31 is correct.
It is not really calculated as a certain number of minutes per day. It is calculated using a ratio that I believe is taken to four decimal places. But the "minutes per day" approach will give you a very good estimate, and it is easier for some people to understand.
In your ...
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So is the answer, then, 450 x 30/31, or is it (450 divided by 31, rounded) times 30? If it is the latter, then is 450 divided by 31 rounded up or down to the closest whole number, is it rounded to the lowest whole number, or is it rounded to the highest whole number? The answer makes a significant difference.
I am in the Midwest.
Thanks.
I am in the Midwest.
Thanks.
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Let me add that, as a consumer, it is frustrating that I cannot readily obtain an accurate answer from Verizon to what should be a simple question so that I can budget my minutes for the current billing period. I am bound by some formula (i) that even the Verizon customer service reps I talk to cannot agree upon, and (ii) that I cannot find anywhere. If someone could just tell me where I can find the formula, I can figure it out for myself. I am not mathematically illiterate. while comparisons to when you pay the rent in moving into or out of an apartment may be a way of explaining the concept in general terms to some neophyte, it does nothing to clarify the formula or to tell me the precise number of minutes I'm entitled to for my money.
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With that being said, I will concede that the system easily creates confusion. A customer who calls and requests a plan change on the first day of the billing cycle will remember that he "changed the plan on the first day of the cycle." But that's not what happened. He called on the first day of the cycle. The plan was changed on the second day of the cycle.
So if you want the plan to change on the first day of the cycle, you have to call on the last day of the cycle.
When you do it every day, you get used to it, and it starts to make sense. But for customers, it's Alice in Wonderland.
But when you think about it...
How does anyone ever move into or out of an apartment without paying extra rent? You have to move out...
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So if you want the plan to change on the first day of the cycle, you have to call on the last day of the cycle.
When you do it every day, you get used to it, and it starts to make sense. But for customers, it's Alice in Wonderland.
But when you think about it...
How does anyone ever move into or out of an apartment without paying extra rent? You have to move out...
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what area are you in? in vision, price plans are changed at the beginning of the day you ask them to be changed on.
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This is true for I2K West - price plan changes go through at 12:01 am the day after the request. I wish we could all just be on the same darn system sometimes no matter what area we're in!
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That just seems wrong to me. Cust requests to have their price plan changed on the 25th and u say sorry I can't change it today?
Howard,
If you look at your bills they will be dated with your bill cycle day. For example 12/23/2004. If its the 23rd then your cycle date ends on the 23rd and starts on the 24th. If you requested to change your price plan on the 23rd on the midwest billing system (based on what reps are saying) then your plan take into effect the very start of your cycle, therefore, no prorations. However, if you requested the calling plan change on the 24th then it will take into effect the next day, therefore, your peak allowance = 450 divided by the number days between 1/23-2/22 multiplied by the number of days t...
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Howard,
If you look at your bills they will be dated with your bill cycle day. For example 12/23/2004. If its the 23rd then your cycle date ends on the 23rd and starts on the 24th. If you requested to change your price plan on the 23rd on the midwest billing system (based on what reps are saying) then your plan take into effect the very start of your cycle, therefore, no prorations. However, if you requested the calling plan change on the 24th then it will take into effect the next day, therefore, your peak allowance = 450 divided by the number days between 1/23-2/22 multiplied by the number of days t...
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So are you saying that the answer is 450 times 30/31, and not 450 divided by 31 (rounded to either the next highest whole number or next lowest whole number or to the closest whole number) multiplied times 30? If it is the latter, in which manner is the resultant number rounded?
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Also, aren't I entitled to 1/31 times 400 minutes for the one day I'm on the old plan, in addition to the number of minutes I'm entitled to under the new plan? If so, and since I switched plans on Sunday, Jan. 23 (the first day of my new billing period), then by when must I have used the minutes allocated to the old plan (since I am on the old plan only for the one day that falls on a Sunday, which is an unlimited nights and weekend day)?
This all becomes quite arcane unless someone can tell me where I can find the actual applicable formula so that I can figure it for myself, since there seems to be no agreement among the Verizon reps as to precisely what the formula mandates.
This all becomes quite arcane unless someone can tell me where I can find the actual applicable formula so that I can figure it for myself, since there seems to be no agreement among the Verizon reps as to precisely what the formula mandates.
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Yes you do get a 1 whole day worth of minutes for that one day you used on the old plan. The formula like I stated is 450 divided by the number of days between cycle dates then multiplied by the number of days you are going to use the plan; i.e., (450/31)*30 --->this is an example, if you want to calculated it out you first need to obtain how many days there between 01/23-02/22 (do count the 23rd and the 22nd). The rounding of minutes is the same way we all have been taught to round numbers.
Based on what you stated (cycle date is the 22nd, therefore the cycle starts on the 23rd) the proration for the OLD plan would be irrelevant because it's the weekend, however it would still be relevant for the new plan.
Based on what you stated (cycle date is the 22nd, therefore the cycle starts on the 23rd) the proration for the OLD plan would be irrelevant because it's the weekend, however it would still be relevant for the new plan.
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There are many ways to round numbers. I suggested three possibilities in my prior post. Which way does Verizon use in its formula? That shouldn't be a military secret. Does it round to the closest whole number, the next highest whole number, the next lowest whole number, to four decimal places, to two decimal places, or in some other way? What does the formula dictate? Sayign that rounding is "the same way we all have been taught to round numbers" tells me nothing.
Also, as for the one day on the old plan, are you telling me that I receive no minutes for that one day? Does that make sense?
Thanks.
Also, as for the one day on the old plan, are you telling me that I receive no minutes for that one day? Does that make sense?
Thanks.
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Im saying that the 1 whole day you were on for the old plan was a Sunday (like you said) therefore its unlimited in minutes-->the proration of minutes for the one whole day is irrelevant.
It rounds to the closest hole #. It wouldn't round to any decimal places because we bill in full minute increments.
It rounds to the closest hole #. It wouldn't round to any decimal places because we bill in full minute increments.
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I'm sure Vision users and customers have no difficulty processing plan changes on the same day the change is requested. I recognize that on some level, the system works.
What I don't understand is this: if I call CS at 1:00 PM and request a plan change that same day, when does the new plan become effective? Is it "retroactive" to 12:01 AM that same day?
Or does it take effect at 1:00 PM when the rep processes the change?
This is not a silly question, because it affects the proration calculation. The issue is this: when I call to change the plan at 1:00 PM, and you change the plan that same day, how do you account for the 38 minutes of peak airtime that I used that morning?
Bear
What I don't understand is this: if I call CS at 1:00 PM and request a plan change that same day, when does the new plan become effective? Is it "retroactive" to 12:01 AM that same day?
Or does it take effect at 1:00 PM when the rep processes the change?
This is not a silly question, because it affects the proration calculation. The issue is this: when I call to change the plan at 1:00 PM, and you change the plan that same day, how do you account for the 38 minutes of peak airtime that I used that morning?
Bear
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Okay, I've had math through calculus and I'm not exactly an idiot, but reading this thread has made me very happy that at TMobile when we change a rate plan in mid cycle, we only prorate charges, not minutes. It's a nice selling point, that the overage stops at the rate plan change, and the customer has all the whenever minutes for the new rate plan until the bill cycle closes. It's especially fun when there's only a couple of days, I like to challenge them to use all the minutes before the bill cycle resets! 🤣 *Some of them can do it, too! 😳 *
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Through Verizon, price plan changes go through at 12:01 am the following day after notification. Also, changes cannot go through the same day, because the system has to verify that the changes are correct and applicable (based on your promotion, contract information, etc). In addition, it keeps your pp from being prorated for part of a day, or else Verizon would have to prorate by the hour, instead of the day. This is to benifit the customer.
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It really depends on which customer service rep you talk to when you make the change. They seem to be flexible on when the change takes effect. If you make your request when you change plans, you'll usually find someone there to honor your special request. I recently changed my plan from 400 to 800 minutes about 2 days before my billing period ended. I was already up to 600 minutes of usage at that time. The customer service rep agreed to make the new plan retoactive to my last billing period at my request, so that I got the 800 minutes for that billing period, so I would incur no overage charges. She did tell me that the bill would originally reflect the overage charges, but would be adjusted for a few days later. And that is what happe...
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This route is not normally offered. Your correct in the assumption that you being a long term cust affected this situation. They basically were trying to make sure you, as a long term customer, did not become unhappy with your service, this change actually goes against Verizon regulations.
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Every time I've called, I've received a different answer to my original question. What's more, the customer service supervisor told me that the customer is not allowed to see Verizon's written policy as to how it prorates when a customer changes his price plan. When I pointed out why the method of proration they were telling me at the time was ludicrous (in this instance, it ended up with a number of minutes exceeding the higher number of minutes provided in the plan I was moving to), the supervisor went silent. When I called another time, the method the customer service person used shortchanged me considerably. Then, when I went to the closest Verizon store, they told me that there would be no proration, that if I'm charged based on prorat...
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formula is as follows:
Price Plan Minute Allowance/ Number of days in entire bill cycle X the number of days into the current bill cycle.
for Access fee, just replace price plan allowance with the access fee.
don't forget change happens following day at 12:01am to avoid hourly proration.
I hope that helps 😁
Price Plan Minute Allowance/ Number of days in entire bill cycle X the number of days into the current bill cycle.
for Access fee, just replace price plan allowance with the access fee.
don't forget change happens following day at 12:01am to avoid hourly proration.
I hope that helps 😁
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If you are in the Vision system, you get all 450 min. If you are in the I2K system, you will have 13 min for the last day on the 400 min pplan and 435 for the rest of the month. It depends on which system you are in. Could you tell me what state/city you are in? I am a former one bill rep and have used both billing systems nationwide.
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Oh and by the way... all vzw reps are requires to advise you of the prorates at the time of the change.
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Sorry about that, should have been done to avoid the confusion. I personally did on every plan change.
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The best time to change your calling plan is on your bill cycle date. Therefore, if your bill cycle date is the 23rd and this is the date you changed your plan, then you incur no partial billing or minutes & will have 450 minutes to use for your bill cycle.
Changing your price plan any day after your bill date causes partial billing and minutes available. Price plan changes are not effective until midnight (in I2K markets). Therefore, if your bill date is the 23rd and you call to make the change on the 24th, the new plan does not become effective until the 25th. Hence, you will incur 1 day of partial billing for minutes and monthly service (cycle runs from the 24th to the 23rd of the following month at midnight).
From what you have w...
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Changing your price plan any day after your bill date causes partial billing and minutes available. Price plan changes are not effective until midnight (in I2K markets). Therefore, if your bill date is the 23rd and you call to make the change on the 24th, the new plan does not become effective until the 25th. Hence, you will incur 1 day of partial billing for minutes and monthly service (cycle runs from the 24th to the 23rd of the following month at midnight).
From what you have w...
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