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01-19-2018, 12:58 PM
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#1
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Rivet Master
2012 25' FB Eddie Bauer
Vintage Kin Owner
Virginia Beach
, Virginia
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,801
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Verizon -sneaky Rate Increase
Verizon has gone from monthly to 28 day (4 week) billing. Now the same thing has been happening in many industries for years. In theory the consumer benefits by getting less fluctuation in interest charged and goods or services used, but in fact where most consumers are paying for unlimited calls and internet.... (very inexpensive computer time as opposed to very expensive human labor) we all just got switched from 12 bills per year to 13 AT EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE RATE FOR THE LONGER BILLING PERIOD.
$100 x 12 = $1200
$100 x 13 = they hope you won't notice
Hidden inflation is everywhere. Toilet paper sheets are smaller than they used to be and there are fewer sheets on a roll.
I HAVE reached the age where going off on my own isn't prudent, so I am off to sprint or tmobile before the next bill comes... or maybe even one of the real bargain providers.
I CAN afford it or It is only $30 more.... SURE... BUT I would rather spend the money on really good insurance for the trailer. There isn't any particular extra value in the big V for me.
Paula
__________________
Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.
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01-19-2018, 01:15 PM
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#2
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Moderator
2017 26' Flying Cloud
Alamo Heights
, Texas
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,500
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Are you in a Verizon wireline market? Or are you referring to Verizon Wireless? I have a Verizon Wireless account. I received a notice this month that the day of the month on which my bill is due is moving up 3 days, but nothing about it being billed more often than monthly. They'd need a name for the 13th bill... in their system the bills are named for the month in which they're sent, with the days covered. For example, my current bill is labeled "January (12.14.17 - 1.13.18)" and thus covers 31 days.
__________________
— David
Zero Gravitas — 2017 Flying Cloud 26U | WBCCI# 15566
He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. — Sir Winston Churchill
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01-19-2018, 01:20 PM
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#3
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Moderator
2017 26' Flying Cloud
Alamo Heights
, Texas
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,500
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IF you don't have esoteric needs for your wireless service, I found Straight Talk to be reliable. I used their "bring your own phone" SIM service because the phones they sell directly start at 3rd tier and go down from there. At the time I was using them you were technically prohibited from tethering and that became an issue for my work so I'm not using them presently, but they resell Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T service (depending on your market) and the T-Mobile and AT&T services are available with bring-your-own-phone SIM service.)
__________________
— David
Zero Gravitas — 2017 Flying Cloud 26U | WBCCI# 15566
He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. — Sir Winston Churchill
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01-19-2018, 04:19 PM
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#4
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Registered User
2016 25' Flying Cloud
Fairfield
, California
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 905
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Foiled Again
Hidden inflation is everywhere. Toilet paper sheets are smaller than they used to be and there are fewer sheets on a roll.
Paula
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All this time I thought it was butt getting bigger.
Sigh of relief,
Matti
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01-20-2018, 12:43 PM
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#5
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Rivet Master
2014 23' Flying Cloud
Fair Oaks
, California
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 717
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OTOH, I recently found out about a good deal from AT&T, who provides my cell phone service. In the past, when I have traveled away from the US, I have called AT&T and they have sold me a plan for while I was away from the US for maybe $60 so I could still use my cell phone without paying international rates. This time I went to Mexico and called to get a plan, and they told me I could get a plan for unlimited calling from Mexico. Cost? Zero! They just needed to tag my account that I was on the plan, and that was that. I kind of held my breath while I was in Mexico and didn't make many unnecessary calls or Internet, because it sounded too good to be true, but I just received my phone bill for the period I was in Mexico and it is the same as usual, so I guess it worked. However, it's good I called, because you aren't automatically on that plan; you have to ask.
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01-20-2018, 03:04 PM
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#6
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Moderator
2017 26' Flying Cloud
Alamo Heights
, Texas
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,500
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Quote:
Originally Posted by McDave
OTOH, I recently found out about a good deal from AT&T, who provides my cell phone service. In the past, when I have traveled away from the US, I have called AT&T and they have sold me a plan for while I was away from the US for maybe $60 so I could still use my cell phone without paying international rates. This time I went to Mexico and called to get a plan, and they told me I could get a plan for unlimited calling from Mexico. Cost? Zero! They just needed to tag my account that I was on the plan, and that was that. I kind of held my breath while I was in Mexico and didn't make many unnecessary calls or Internet, because it sounded too good to be true, but I just received my phone bill for the period I was in Mexico and it is the same as usual, so I guess it worked. However, it's good I called, because you aren't automatically on that plan; you have to ask.
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Verizon works similarly in Canada and Mexico these days, though there's a 0.5gig/day limit to high-speed data and then it slows down. For normal use that's probably enough, but people who stream lots of video or use their phone as a hotspot may hit the cap.
__________________
— David
Zero Gravitas — 2017 Flying Cloud 26U | WBCCI# 15566
He has all of the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire. — Sir Winston Churchill
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01-20-2018, 05:17 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
2008 25' Classic
Full Time
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,309
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We have VZ unlimited. I have arranged to have my bill paid automatically on the 6th of every month. So far the bill amount has been the same for two iPhones and an iPad. For the last two months over the Thanksgiving/Christmas and New Years holidays we stayed at a RV park and we have streamed Netflix overnight for at least 2 hours each night via my iPad and so far no issues with bandwidth.
__________________
2008 Classic 25fb "Silver Mistress"
2015 Ram 2500 6.7L Cummins. Crew Cab, 4x4, Silver
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01-20-2018, 06:02 PM
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#8
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Rivet Master
2021 25' Globetrotter
Jamestown
, Rhode Island
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 1,720
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I just left AT&T for T-Mobile for different reasons. Both Verizon and AT&T are awful companies to work with. I have been with both for years as we always keep a phone on one and a tablet on the other to get the broadest coverage as we travel. It has only been about 2 months on T-Mobile now but I have been very pleased with the coverage. Of course the fact that the bill is about 60% of what I was paying before is simply awesome...
Bruce
__________________
Loving our 2021 Globetrotter 25 and our 2022 Ford F-150 King Ranch 5.0!!! Plenty of payload, not even close to axel limits and it drives and rows beautifully…
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01-22-2018, 05:29 PM
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#9
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Rivet Master
2012 25' FB Eddie Bauer
Vintage Kin Owner
Virginia Beach
, Virginia
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,801
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Verizon wireless.
First notice that they moved your bill date back 3 days.... but didn't reduce the regular charge to adjust for the three day overlap. I paid for the 7th, 8th and 9th of the month on my last bill... and now I am being told to pay dor those same days again?
Next, I asked the rep if they were converting from monthly to 28 day billing... who wiggled but finally said yes.
I used to own an answering service/call center. Many of those bill on a 28 day cycle - and it makes sense because the biggest cost is operator labor which is not variable on a 28 day cycle. Customers do routinely pay a premium when their usage of operator time goes up. A snowstorm that causes an office to close for 3 days... well a call center is an "instant temp service". A 31 day month... customers pay a bit more than they do in Feb.
Verizon wireless is not billing for labor, only computer server and antenna capacity. Those costs continue to go down, though all cell providers have to upgrade those systems. If you pay 100 bucks a month its 1200 per year. If you are still paying 100 for 28 days it comes out to 1300 per year.
When our company contemplated going to 28 day billing we figured the daily rate and multiplied it by 28 to get the bill CYCLE rate. Of course we almost instantly realized that going to email/fax billing would save more in postage than any 28 day scheme would generate.
Paula
__________________
Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.
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01-22-2018, 05:31 PM
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#10
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Rivet Master
2012 25' FB Eddie Bauer
Vintage Kin Owner
Virginia Beach
, Virginia
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,801
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Toilet paper... not speaking for YOU but it could be both...
__________________
Today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.
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01-22-2018, 10:11 PM
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#11
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Registered User
2016 25' Flying Cloud
Fairfield
, California
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 905
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Foiled Again
Toilet paper... not speaking for YOU but it could be both...
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Both, please leave me to my delusions. [emoji12]
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01-22-2018, 10:21 PM
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#12
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Rivet Master
2007 22' International CCD
Corona
, California
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 9,180
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I could have sworn the paper was getting narrower...
__________________
Rich, KE4GNK/AE, Overkill Engineering Dept.
'The Silver HamShack' ('07 International 22FB CCD 75th Anniversary)
Multiple Yaesu Ham Radios inside and many antennae sprouting from roof, ProPride hitch, Prodigy P2 controller.
2012 shortbed CrewMax 4x4 Toyota Tacoma TV with more antennae on it.
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01-22-2018, 10:46 PM
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#13
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Living Riveted since 2013
2016 Interstate Lounge Ext
Green Cove Springs
, Florida
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 8,201
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I just spoke with VZW customer service about this. I asked them straight up whether they were switching from billing me monthly (12x per year) to every 28 days (13x per year), which would be a sneaky hidden rate increase. They assured me I would still be billed monthly (12x per year).
I encourage everyone to make the same call and ask the same question.
__________________
Rocinante Piccolo is our new-to-us 2016 Interstate Lounge 3500 EXT
(Named for John Steinbeck's camper from "Travels With Charley")
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01-23-2018, 05:49 AM
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#14
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Rivet Master
2007 Interstate
Normal
, Illinois
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 18,067
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Looking at my past billing, current billing, and projected billing for the upcoming month, my new billing cycle has and continues to begin on the 16th of every month.
Maggie
__________________
🏡 🚐 Cherish and appreciate those you love. This moment could be your last.🌹🐚
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01-23-2018, 08:10 AM
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#15
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Rivet Master
1991 34' Excella
Princeton
, New Jersey
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 7,070
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Verizon still wants the public to think of them as Ma Bell, a company that cares for you. That is not the case. They are one of the most underhanded companies currently operating in the US. As a profit center they will NEVER REMOVE a canceled feature unless you follow up and request it be removed from your bill.
When the phones became my responsibility at work I discovered over $12,000 per year in billing errors. Lines that had been canceled years before, wire maintenance contracts that were never ordered, and extensions that did not exist. If you don't watch them you are at their mercy. After over 20 years the Universal Access Charge, charged to give free phones to the less fortunate, is still going up even thought the masses have phones. Could some of that money be making it to the bottom line?
If you get a 28 day bill see how it compares to your old monthly bill and if not less by that proportional amount ask why or consider contacting your states public utilities committee.
__________________
WBCCI 12156 AIR 3144 WACHUNG TAC NJ6
2004 Excursion 4x4
1991 34 ft. Excella +220,000 miles, new laminated flooring, new upholstery, new 3200 lbs axles
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