Verizon Starting to Make Contact with Millenicom Customers

Millenicom customers who still have their SIM card in their hotspots awoke this morning to a text message from Verizon that reads:

"Free VZW msg: We want to discuss plan options for keeping your Verizon Wireless Service. Please call us at 800-233-8974 to avoid service disruptions on 11/8/14."

and Millenicom has followed up with customers with this e-mail:

“Dear customers: Please be advised that the plans sold by Millenicom will no longer be supported by Verizon Wireless as of 11/8/2014. Verizon Wireless is in the process of contacting customers. Customers can call Verizon Wireless at 800-233-8974 (8 am-8 pm EST, Monday-Friday) to discuss plan options in order to avoid disruption in service. As a reminder, Millenicom will no longer have any role concerning your account and Millenicom does not now nor will have any relationship with Verizon Wireless. Thank you.”

We've heard so far of a couple of folks being on hold for 30-50 minutes by calling that line before getting through to a representative.

For context:

• The old Millenicom deal was 20GB (with no overages) for $89.99/month inclusive of all taxes and fees.. and no contract.
• A direct 20GB plan with hotspot on Verizon sells for $130/month plus taxes and fees with $15/GB overages.

In a Nutshell: It appears the deal being offered is $89.99/month for 20GB with a 1 year contract with $8/GB (or $15/GB?!?) overages (update: 10/30: which seems to now be infrequently offered). Or you can continue without a contract for $99.99/month. Taxes & fees are extra. You have until November 8th to make a decision, which means all Millenicom customers are getting a week of free service to give them time to make the transition. However, if you want this deal - you will need to call the number in the TXT message, this offer is NOT being made in Verizon stores or in other departments.

Customers calling in also have the option to switch to a More Everything plan and combine their existing Verizon lines taking advantage of this month's 'double data' deals - which you can also do without needing to call the special Millenicom line above and waiting in line. Remember, to snag a double data deal, you'll need to do that by October 31.

Our recommendation: There is no need to wait on hold for nearly an hour today, unless you're ready to jump on the deal offered right now. However, your billing will become active with Verizon effective today. This means that it is in your best interest to wait until at least October 31, as you already paid Millenicom for service until then. Or wait until closer to November 8th, when Verizon has said they will 'disrupt' service to accounts not switched over... you effectively gain a free week that way.

Field reports:

From a poster on the Escapee's Forums:

They were offered $99/month to keep the 20GB per month, plus a $10 discount - bringing it down to $89.99. However, taxes and fees would be charged.

"We can suspend the account and either extend our contract (if applicable) or pay a monthly fee"

From some of our MIA Members:

"They are offering Millenicom customers only same deal $89.99/month for 20 gig if you sign a one-year contract. If no contract, then it's $99.99/month. Once year contract is over, it goes to $99.99/month." ... "Overages are $8/GB"

And another:

"I called, and was on hold for almost an hour.....Our options are:
Stay with 20 GB, for $99.99/month for a year--with a discount of $10 off each month for the first year, then continue until change plans--at $99.99/month plus $20 line access for jetpack. All was done at the end of the phone call--no need for a SIM card--all was "changed over" at the conclusion of the call.

And another:

"I just heard back from Verizon and confirmed the $99/month doesn't require a contract. Also employer discounts cannot be used with their offer since it's already discounted."

And another:

"We weren't offered a rate lower than $99 and the guy was actually pretty snarky with his responses about Verizon doing Millenicom customers a favor."

(We have now heard several reports of the $89.99 deal not being offered. Some customers are able to push for and get their representative to offer it, but many are saying even after asking multiple times, some representatives are denying knowledge of the $10 contract discount.)

 

From an RVillager:

"Because we are current Verizon customers, they will not offer that to us. In order to get something close, we have to go to the Share everything plan and get 30GB per month for all of our phones and our internet. "

From various reports:

10-29-2014: Several folks have reported that after lengthy hold times they either reach 'we are experiencing systems problems.. please try back later' or being re-routed to non-Millenciom Verizon reps who have no access to these accounts. Should you get re-routed to someone who doesn't know about the Millenicom deal, it's best to discontinue the call and try getting back into the Millenicom queue. The only thing general Verizon reps can do for you is setup a More Everything plan.

Our Experience:

We spent 57 minutes on hold before reaching a Verizon rep.

When you talk to them, they will need the phone number associated with your Millenicom Hotspot. To find this on a Pantech MHS291L you can use the on-device menu - look under "About Jetpack" , then select "Jetpack Info". The number is the first line on this page, for example: "Mobile: 484667xxxx".

The basic offer is $89/mo (plus taxes and fees) for 20GB of data, and you will become a Verizon customer instead of a Millenicom customer. To get this deal you have to agree to a one year contract, the offer is $99/mo without contract.

There is NO option available for people who used to get 40GB from Millenicom, other than signing up for the regular "More Everything" plan. Of course, to get the double data deal, it requires at least one voice phone line to be on the account as well.

Millenicom plans were inclusive of taxes and fees - the new Verizon plans have them tacked on. When I asked for details, I was told that the plan had a $0.88 "regulatory fee", and that taxes would range from $0.18 - $0.25 depending on the state our address is located in. So the worst case taxes appear to be barely over a dollar, not bad at all.

The Verizon rep then told us that overage charges were $15 per GB, NOT the $8/GB some other have reported. I asked about the $8/GB price, and she had no details on that. We will try to get to the bottom of this discrepancy.

Other key details - there is no activation fee required to take advantage of this new offer. BUT - when you activate with Verizon, your service starts immediately. This means that it is in your best interest to wait until closer to November 8th to take advantage of your remaining days of free and essentially unlimited service.

If you wait a week, you will probably not need to spend an hour on hold either...

MIA members - if you get offered anything different when you call, let us know in the comments.

We'll keep this posted update as we confirm any other information, or hear any conflicting information. Keep checking back!

Related Articles:

• Alternative Options to Millenicom
• Millenicom Update: November Billing & Service Questions
• Millenicom Update: Still Waiting For Options
• Millenicom Customer Accounts Acquired by Verizon

 

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