Just a quick update to share what we've been hearing from folks navigating both taking over Verizon Unlimited Plans, and transferring their Millenicom accounts to Verizon.
Verizon Unlimited Data Plans
On Saturday we announced that we had heard Verizon representatives being told about an upcoming policy change that would make transferring an unlimited data plan (UDP) not possible effective November 13. To date, we have not seen anything official published from Verizon on this, but have heard several confirmations from folks going through the Assumption of Liability (AOL) process.
We've also heard some other interesting accounts that folks have been told by the AOL department of Verizon:
- There is no knowledge of a November 13 policy change coming.
- That the policy change exists, and may in fact become standard BEFORE November 13.
- That effective November 16, no changes to accounts will be allowed without losing the unlimited data plan. We don't know if that means no switching voice minutes, changing out devices or even something as simple as changing billing information.
Right now, we have no reason to discount the information we received on the November 13th policy change on transfers, despite a few representatives apparently denying knowledge of it. The rest, is unconfirmed buzz that we wanted to pass along in case anyone is trying to wrap up an acquisition of one of these plans. To be safe, we recommend having the plan acquired and assumed, and set up exactly the way you want it ASAP. If we receive any further confirmations, we'll pass it along.
If you are navigating this process - remember, there are no guarantees that once you jump through the hoops of acquiring a plan, that Verizon will keep the plans intact or make it easy to continue with the plan. Be prepared to 'stay in the know' of any future changes in terms of service they might make.
Related Information:
Verizon Unlimited Data Plans No Longer Transferrable effective November 13
Millenicom / Verizon Transition Update
Acquiring and Assumption of Liability (AOL) of a Grandfathered Verizon Unlimited Data Plan
Millenicom Plans
Those of us who opted not to switch our Millenicom accounts to a direct Verizon account have noticed that our Millenicom devices are still working, despite the previously distributed November 8 deadline Verizon announced. We don't know when Verizon will discontinue service, but according to an e-mail some customers received - they extended the deadline for switching due to the long wait times to get through on the special hotline they setup for the transitions.
So our suspicion is that as soon as call center volume decreases, we could see service shut off to non-transferred devices any day now.
In the meantime, the data keeps flowing.
Those some who did switch to Verizon's offer of $99.99/month for 20GB of data are noticing some anomalies:
- Their device and their Verizon online accounts are not tracking usage, and is just showing 0GB of 0GB. This of course makes it super difficult to track usage and know when customers might be facing overage charges.
- Some customers who switched before their Millenicom billing date (November 2), have noticed some overage charges showing up on their bill. To the best of our understanding, Verizon pro-rated service from the date the customers called into activate a direct plan until the next billing cycle.. and also pro-rated the 20GB.
If anyone in this situation finds resolution to these issues, please do let us know.
Updates:
In regards to the 0 usage on old Millenicom accounts, Verizon is apparently acknowledging the problem: "... they have a problem on there end and will have it fixed next month. In the mean time to call them to get your usage."
Given the possible overage charges, we advise caution if you're still considering switching to a Verizon plan, especially if you've been enjoying the free flowing bandwidth.
We've also received some recent reports of former Millenicom customers being offered $130/month for 30GB on a More Everything share plan when combing with another device, which is equivalent to their now expired October double data deals.
Related Information:
Millenicom / Verizon Transition Update
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