Dear ABC News Fixer: Not-So-Unlimited Data From Verizon
Dear Sanjiv: By the time you got the bill, it was too late...
May 7, 2013 — -- Dear ABC News Fixer: We signed a two-year contract with Verizon Wireless in July 2011 when we got two iPhones. We got an unlimited data plan.
Last year, while updating her phone, my wife lost her contacts. Verizon advised us to bring the iPhone and her old phone (which still had the contacts) to any Verizon store and they'd be able to help.
She took both phones to the store on March 30, 2012. The employee worked on them, then said the problem was fixed.
Fast-forward one year. Last month, we received an alert saying my wife had reached half her data limit. Since we had unlimited data, we never paid attention to our usage and we usually never use that much data anyway.
Well, it turns out that when the man transferred the contacts from the old phone to the iPhone, he had to change the line to the old phone to retrieve the contacts. When he switched the line back to the iPhone, he apparently forgot to put on the unlimited data plan.
Verizon never notified us. Now they won't do anything because it's been a year since it happened.
- Sanjiv Desai, Parlin, N.J.
Dear Sanjiv: The ABC News Fixer looked into this, and it turns out Verizon did send you a notice about this mistaken change, way back on your April 2012 bill. (Thank you for giving us a reason to remind everyone to always read the fine print!)
However, you still would have been out of luck: You were told that under their rules, you would have had to speak up about this within two weeks. By the time you got that bill, it was too late.
The good news is we got Verizon's New York public relations person interested in your plight. She must be some sort of superhero, because overnight, the phone company reinstated your wife's original unlimited data plan.
-The ABC News Fixer
Got a consumer problem? The ABC News Fixer may be able to help. Click here to submit your problem online. Letters are edited for length and clarity.
