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4G questions I asked Verizon

T

thewhopper

Newbie
My HTC Eris took a swan dive off my leg while I was sitting at a bench in Disneyland. The phone works but, the glass touch screen shattered! (NOOOO)

That, and the fact I was up for renewal got me interested in upgrading to a 4G phone.

Here is the list of questions I asked a Verizon sales representative (I went to an official Verizon store, no reseller) before purchasing the HTC Thunderbolt. To be honest, I know the iPhone is a better piece of hardware (overall quality) with apps far superior to Android….I just wanted to make sure I was locked into a unlimited data plan for 4G. I can always upgrade to a better phone in the future…..

1. Will I have an unlimited data plan for 4G (LTE)? YES

2. Will I still have an unlimited data plan for 4G when Verizon switches to tiered data plans in summer? YES

3. Will my ‘free hotspot’ trial end when Verizon switches to tiered data plans in summer? YES

4. Will I keep my unlimited data plan for 4G after the Verizon switches to tiered plans? YES

5. Will the unlimited data plan for 4G last the entire life of the 2 year contract? YES

6. After my 2 year contract (unlimited data for 4G) expires, if I don't renew the contract, will I still have the unlimited plan for 4G? Yes, you were be grandfathered in.

7. The rate I’m paying for 3G unlimited data is the same price I’ll be paying for 4G unlimited data. YES

8. If I’m on a 3G unlimited data plan contract and buy a Thunderbolt off Ebay or Craiglist, will I have 4G unlimited data? YES, if you have a 4G phone before the switch to tiered plans.

9. Will people already on the 3G unlimited data plan (contract) be ‘grandfathered’ into the unlimited data plan without buying a 4G phone? NO

10. Will any other future Verizon 4G phone be given the option to have unlimited 4g when purchased? NO, the next 4G phone (Motorola Bionic) won’t be released until Fall 2011.

11. So no other 4G phones on the Verizon network will be released until after Verizon switches to tiered data plans? YES

I don’t know about the last one (#11) as being accurate…..

I’ve read the Motorola Bionic will be released in mid-April. I opted for the HTC Thunderbolt because it’s proven. HTC android phones (Snapdragon processor is also proven) seem to hold their re-sale value better and are of higher quality than Motorola phones. (Very slightly of course…very..) Plus, I don’t know how long it will take for developers to re-code their apps to utilize the dual core processor which brings me to my next statement. I don’t want to be the guinea pig to the first phone running a dual core processor. I figure I could keep my phone scratch free then sell it once a better phone comes out.

Let me know if anyone else are getting the same answers from Verizon…please share!!!

I hope this helps!
:D
 
I really hope so. But when it actually happens we can only hope. To be honest, most customer service is kept in the dark until the last minute. They are also told to spin everything to make it look better.

We can hope.
 
I was also told I definitely had 4G coverage at my home (I stressed 4G several times and was told yes) and that it would cost me $199.99 to upgrade to the Thunderbolt with my NE2 price. Thunderbolt was also supposed to ship with a headset.

Both were false, I barely have 3G coverage at my house outside, DEFINITELY don't have 4G anywhere near my home, which I pretty much knew, I had asked about build out and was told my area was already done (lies).

My price on the phone was $124.99 with my NE2 discount.

The thunderbolt did not in fact ship with a headset.

I bring up these three things to point out that VZW customer service has a tendency to not be entirely correct a decent amount of the time. While a lot of what you got for answers are probably true I would take them with a grain of salt...
 
Here's what I'm wondering about the "unlimited" 4G plan, is your bandwidth throttled way down after you reach a certain amount of data? I'm downloading a paltry 200 kbps right now and I'm in a 4G area. Something's not right.
 
never ever believe what Verizon sales rep saying because most of the information turn out false.

I prefer for the info come from Verizon accounting/marketing/CEO directly.


As for now yes 4G is unlimited but it will change later this summer
 
thewhopper said:
My HTC Eris took a swan dive off my leg while I was sitting at a bench in Disneyland. The phone works but, the glass touch screen shattered! (NOOOO)

That, and the fact I was up for renewal got me interested in upgrading to a 4G phone.

Here is the list of questions I asked a Verizon sales representative (I went to an official Verizon store, no reseller) before purchasing the HTC Thunderbolt. To be honest, I know the iPhone is a better piece of hardware (overall quality) with apps far superior to Android
Click to expand...
 
I don't see how #9 could possibly true. Verizon's going to issue a press release saying, "If you bought a 4G phone you can keep your unlimited data, otherwise you can't"? That's preposterous. They've never made a move like that. They can't force you to change your terms, because a move like that would warrant you being able to break the contract (changes that drastic would trigger the clause that if they change their terms you can leave). That's why they always grandfather old plans in, but sometimes make you change plans in order to get a new feature (and lose the 'old' plan)... that way, it's your voluntary decision.
 
Since Verizon is following AT&T's lead with tiered pricing....

I'm willing to bet big - real big - that existing Verizon customers with the unlimited data 3G plan will NOT be grandfathered into the unlimited data 4G data plan.

My guess...only a guess...

1. 4G data will be sold as a premium/upgrade service thus making it separate from 3G. If 4G is meant to entirely replace 3G - rather than exist as a premium service - it will take years to complete the conversion entirely thus guaranteeing 4G data will be sold as a premium/upgrade service for a while. Verizon always makes sure they try to get their money's worth.

2. With 90 million customers already on their network, it would not monetarily benefit Verizon to simply 'grandfather' all 3G customers into 4G. By doing so, Verizon leaves itself with slim pickings such as AT&T/Sprint/Cricket/T-Mobile customers to switch over to 4G under a tiered plan. Why would someone want to switch to a tiered plan when over 90% of the customers have unlimited data for 4G? Again, potential customer base (cash cow) will be very limited if they do this. The phone companies are switching to tiered plans for numerous reasons, grandfathering people directly into unlimited data 4G undermines these reasons.

3. AT&T customers with unlimited data 3G will be required to switch to a tiered data plan if they upgrade to 4G.

AT&T Forcing New Plans for 4G Devices, No Grandfathered Data Plans Allowed..

Personally, I think these tiered plans is taking a step back in the mobile industry. It's like reverting back to mobile prices in the late 90s. Each month, the first 20 minutes are free, each additional minute is $0.20. I remember my parents having to buy me a pager since it came with unlimited paging....

"Manually" applying limits tends to hurt innovation....
 
number 3 is not correct. before the Thunderbolt, i bought an Atrix. i was coming from a Nexus One with unlimited 3G. when i bought the Atrix, they just transfered everything over and i still had unlimited data. of course, the 4G "speeds" i was getting compared to 3G was an entirely different matter.
 
RiverOfIce said:
I really hope so. But when it actually happens we can only hope. To be honest, most customer service is kept in the dark until the last minute. They are also told to spin everything to make it look better.

We can hope.
Click to expand...

RiverofIce; been reading your posts for awhile & IMO you appear to be very up to date on wireless technology. Would you hadzard a guess/wish as to if, then when, Sprint/Clearwire will commercially offer the approved IMT-Advance 4g (Wimax release 2)?
 
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