Verizon released a statement looking to clarify six incorrect perceptions about its recently altered My Verizon rate plans
Verizon Wireless is attempting to alter the message around its move earlier this week to alter pricing and data allotment on its My Verizon rate plans.
In a follow-up to the rate plan changes announced July 6, Verizon Wireless released a statement on July 7 attempting to clarify what it deemed news reports “incorrectly reporting this as a ‘price hike,’ which couldn’t be further from the truth.”
The carrier laid out a half-dozen “myths” it claims have misrepresented the price adjustments, with its own “reality,” which also look to tackle social media-based barbs thrown at the carrier from its rivals.
The first myth tackled involved claims of a price increase, with the carrier noting the reduction on per-gigabyte pricing to back its reality of the move not being a price increase. Customers are still paying more per month on the new plans than the old plans even if they are getting more data.
Verizon Wireless then goes on to tackle the myth that it was copying rivals with its “Carryover” feature that allows customers to keep unused data for up to one month and its “Safety Mode” feature that looks to curb overage charges. To this, the carrier seems to dodge the tenants of the myth by deftly claiming: “No other wireless company can offer the entire package. We bring together options customers tell us they want, in a new plan with incredible value – and a new My Verizon app that puts you in control – all on the best network.”
T-Mobile US was the first nationwide carrier to bring back the ability for consumers to keep some of their unused data allotments, first with the ability to keep all unused data for up to one year, which was then trimmed to a maximum of 20 GB of unused data. AT&T Mobility last year relaunched its Rollover option, allowing customers to maintain their unused data allotment for up to one month.
T-Mobile US and Sprint both launched a feature that slowed network speeds for consumers who went beyond their data bucket allotments instead of charging overages. Verizon Wireless at one point looked to institute such a program for its unlimited data plans under the guise of “network optimization,” before ditching the effort.
The Safety Mode feature also was central to the next two myths, which the carrier noted included the claim the service is speed “throttling” and that it was a “new unlimited option for customers.”
Verizon Wireless claims the feature is not speed throttling because the carrier offers that customers can select to enable the feature and the ability to purchase more data, while “the discount carriers automatically slow you down when you reach your data limit.” A Verizon Wireless spokesman discussing the Safety Mode feature said if enabled and a customer goes over their data bucket without purchasing additional data they would see their LTE connection speed limited to 128 kilobits per second. The carrier claims its LTE network provides “download speeds between five and 12 megabits per second, and upload speeds between 2 and 5 Mbps, with peak download speeds approaching 50 Mbps.”
In countering the myth of Safety Mode being an unlimited data option, Verizon Wireless notes the feature “is not available all the time and indefinitely. If you’ve selected Safety Mode and used your data for the month, you automatically connect with 4G LTE speeds at the start of a new month.” In describing Safety Mode in its online “FAQ,” Verizon Wireless notes it’s “an optional feature of the new Verizon Plan that lets you keep using data at reduced speeds after your data allowance is used up for the month. You can stay online without worrying about overage fees.”
The next claimed myth is that the carrier’s network will not be able to handle the increase in data usage and thus speeds will be reduced. Verizon Wireless counters by stating that is “false,” and that its network “is engineered for predictable excellence and we continually invest in our network to meet our customers’ future needs.”
The final myth tackled is that all customers will be forced to switch to the new plan, which the carrier said is untrue, and that “if you’re happy on your current plan, just stay where you are.” This was also noted in the carrier’s initial release, though it did note if customers wanted access to the new features they would need to switch to the new plans.
Bored? Why not follow me on Twitter
