There's a lot of blog types out there, and one of the most popular is the whining and bitching blog. The writer is upset over something and feels the need to vent about the subject. Sometimes it's a legit reason, like some political or social cause the author supports. Others it's something much more mundane like paying too much for a pizza. I've done a little of both, with the former written a long time ago and the latter being much more recent.
My latest gripe is somewhere in between. Yesterday, Verizon announced news to completely do away with its old unlimited data plans for its smartphones, and shift any customers still on those plans to its tiered data plans. I got my first smartphone in January 2010, and I had upgraded to a new one this past December. I got an unlimited data plan along with my first smartphone, and I was able to keep it with my current phone. Now, according to this latest news, whenever I upgrade again I will be forced to dump that unlimited plan and switch to tiered or shared data.
I should confess that part of the reason that I am upset over this is because I am a heavy data plan user. I know that the vast majority of smartphone users don't go over 2 GB of data every month, but I tend to go over between listening to the radio online or watching YouTube videos. Sure, I can (and do) switch over to Wi-Fi networks when they're available, but I should only have to give up my current data plan if I really want to. It's nonsense to force me into choosing a new something just because it's convenient for the other party.
I'd actually have less of a problem with this if Verizon came out and said something like, "Our 4G network is being overloaded with heavy data usage, and as such we are no longer able to sustain unlimited data usage on our phones." But no, their CFO actually said it's much more about moving those customers onto tiered and shared plans so Verizon can charge either A.) excess fees for those who go over their monthly alloted amounts of data, similar to exceeding monthly minute plans for talking, or B.) higher rates for larger amounts of data for customers.
Of course, there's also the fact that Verizon now also charges its customers a $30 activation fee whenever someone buys a new phone. They also dumped their "New Every Two" discount, so in addition to paying full price for a new phone and an extra $30 activation fee, I will be capped on the amount of data I can use on my phone every month. Verizon had also tried adding online bill pay fees for those who didn't permit automatic drafting from a checking account to pay for each month's bill, but fortunately there was enough customer backlash that killed that plan.
Verizon, like any major corporation, has a responsibility to its shareholders and investors more than anyone else. The company has to show how it's going to continue increasing its revenue every year and why they think it'll work. They have no reason to show their customers any sign of loyalty, even someone like me who's been with them for 14 years now. They also know they're the big boy on the block, and other companies like AT&T or Sprint can't come close to the level of technology or access Verizon provides.
So what option does that leave someone like me with?
I don't think there's any real answer to that question. I could go to Sprint, provided they still offer unlimited data when my Verizon contract ends next fall. But I know what I'd be getting myself into there, and it's unlikely leaving Verizon will help me much. And one customer leaving Verizon won't even be a drop in the pool, considering they have nearly 100 million customers.
I do know one thing: I will be writing a formal letter of complaint to Verizon about this topic. They may simply discard it in the trash, but I have a right to voice my displeasure. I don't often get this upset over something like a cell phone, but considering how Verizon has systematically made changes to upset their customers, something has to be done.
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