Verizon backdoor - beware

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Smoky

Smoky

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Verizon is finally starting to shuit down their backdoor on a case by case basis.  Here is some information that came out yesterday on the Yahoo Internetbycellphone group.  It tells you how they find you, what they do to you, and how to get back on if you get shut down.  Getting back on will cost you at least a month of datacard, and then canceling by Internet, not by a live person either in a store or on the phone.  the golden rule is never ever tell a Verison employee you are using the National Enhanced service for Internet, and using only "My Account" web page to do your work.  Apparently it is human intervention that polices this and it is not automated.

The full story was posted on InternetByCellphone 9/13/06 under the subject BEWARE, Verizon has a new trick.
 
Yeah this has been going on for a while now.
I got a new phone back in June and lost access to ExpressNet. I still have Quick 2 Net - I think because when I signed up with Verizon they were advertising data access to Q2N as part of the Americas Choice plan.
That was not a backdoor deal at the time. Later they changed that but I think those of us that had it originally were grandfathered in.
I know that when I mentioned to a Verizon service tech that I had Q2N as part of my contract way back when, he made an affirmative response. So did a tech at the local Verizon office.

It is of course possible to hack the phones software but that voids the warranty.

In any case I wasn't willing to go back to the slow 14 k connect speed of Q2N, so I broke down and bought an Aircard. The broadband access is down to $59 per month if you have a voice plan with Verizon.
We pay bills and do our banking on-line, so we just consider it a cost of doing business.

 
I had a somewhat similar experience when I terminated by Verizon Data Plan last May (because I had good wifi for the summer and saw no reason to pay he $60 data fee). Sure enough, I lost backdoor access as well and also lost the ability to use Ge-It-Now (GIN) and even to send text messages. After awhile I figured out that I was missing "National Enhanced Services Access" on my account, so I emailed Verizon Support to complain that I could not use GIN & Text Msg. They promptly restored National Enhanced Services Access and I was good to go again. I did not have any of the problems that Don of IBCP cites (and have discussed it with him too). No flack and no reluctance at all - they even apologised for my inconvenience.

When we left Suncrest three weeks ago I re-activated my data plan so I would have 24/7 data access while traveling cross country.  Once again, National Enhanced Services Accesss disappeared from my account when the National Accesss Unlimited Data feature was added. Apparently those two feaues ae mutually exclusive!  I expect to terminate the data plan again at the end of October when we reach our home base and have little further need for cell data access. Will check thereafter to see what happens to the rest of the services and what it takes to get them restored again.

So the jury is still out. Rumors of "closing the back door" abound but every time it has turned to to be highly exaggerated. Yes, some people have lost access, but it is still isolated cases and mostlly a rsult of calling Verizon and asking the wrong questions . The golden rule is still "avoid talking about data access to Verizon reps" unless you are actually asking for a paid data plan subscription.
 
Gary:

Keep in mind that the guy who posted yesterday is the forum MODERATOR AND IT HAPPENED TO HIM.  This appears to be more than a rumor now.  Happening to lots of people.  He advises doing the cancellation on the web instead of over the phone.
 
You know, if one looks at it from Vorizon's point of view, using the "Back Door" is theft of service so for them to lock said door to prevent unpaid (And thus unauthorized) entry is actually a good thing.

Vorizon, if memory serves, was formed from a group of companies which included GTE (General Telephone and Electronics, officially, Generally terrible electronics in my lexicon) I have dealt with that company more than once and was seriously impressed by their customer non-service.  The fact that I got service is a testament to my negotation skills and knowledge of just what to say to get a Telco-type to soil their underware.

Thus, I avoid Vorizon,

Now, Cingular (Another thread somewhere talks about price increases) here in Detroit closed all their payment offices, thus you either had to go to a agent and pay a fee or you had to use a credit card or some other type of electronic payment,  Law says a dollar bill is legal tender for all debts public or private and they refused to accept a dollar.

Thus I cancelled my cingular accounts

T-Mobile gives me about 2x dial up on my cell phone with cable,,, when I can find the cable, 20/month

Hughes is more expensive, but 790 down and 250 up is not uncommon  (That is K by the way)
 
John:

I retired from Verizon after 30 years of service, beginning with the part of the Bell System that evolved into them.  Their more immediate parent was Bell Atlantic which took over Nynex and then later GTE.  Finally the name was changed to Verizon.  The cell phone company was spun off the original Verizon, and retained a 50% share.  Lately they have been buyhing back shares.

Verizon knows about the back door.  It is complex.  People like me had a written contract allowing use of the backdoor, though it was not called a back door at that time.  It was their official service offering.  Then they introduced other products including the air card and they began to realize they were eating their own lunch.  Thus they are trying to exclude any additional influx.  Verizon has become very predatory and sometimes I am ashamed to say I retired from them.  I worked in the days when we were proud of serving customers in the best way possible,.  Others here on the forum also were Bell employees and knew what the "Spirit of Service" really meant. 

There is nothing illegal about the back door, it is more that Verizon does not know how to manage their own technology and honor old contracts without screwing up other services like "Get it Now" and "Mobile Web".  I pay $5 a month for Mobile Web so they have to give me the back door for Mobile Web to work.

The Yahoo Internetbycellphone group has all the history on this and openly and publicly helps people who want to use this approach to Internet communications.
 
According to the moderator of the forum I quoted the message from (see first message in this thread) he lost his Q@C along with the national Enhanced network.  But that was only after he played the game of getting an air card and then canceling when he traveled out of air card coverage area.  He explains in that message that he believes it is a human intervention thing if you are foolish enough to discuss your Internet interest with a live Verizon rep.  They are trying, on a case by case basis, to move people to their air card.  No formal policy on it.

For now it appears that people are OK if they lay low and don;t discuss these things with Verizon employees.  And if you make changes it is best to make them yourself on the Verizon web rather than with an employee.  His message pretty well explains what to do and what not to do.

I am starting to look at Sprint again because while their coverage is slightly less, they do not play these silly games.
 
Thanks Smoky. I'm currently on WI-Fi and out of range for Verizon, although I can get it a few miles down the road. I'm going to check it out in the next few days and make sure I still have internet access before we move on in a few weeks. If I have a good thing, I tend to lay low:) Worked for a manager once who subscribed to the idea of: "don't ask the question, if you can't stand the answer."  ;)
 
Smoky said:
Verizon has become very predatory and sometimes I am ashamed to say I retired from them.  I worked in the days when we were proud of serving customers in the best way possible,.
Click to expand...

Smoky,

I think you should tell Verizon how ashamed you are and tell them to stop sending you retirement checks.  :)

PhilB
 
I have Verizon and have in past used the "back-door" process. However, on this past summers 4 month 7000 mile journey I found I didn't need it even in very small towns. Two examples. Creede, CO is a town 4 blocks wide and 12 blocks long in a very large county 96% owned government entities and less than a 1000 people in entire county. This town had at least two free high speed access locations that I used - a restaurant called the #1 Firehouse and an old hotel. Charma, NM is a lot like Creede only slightly more population and it too had free access at least two locations. One is the NM Information center on edge of town and a restaurant in middle of town which I think was called Miriam's. So, I sort of yawn when I see all the concerns expressed about Verizon blocking service. I have other alternatives for cell and Internet, so as I look at Verizon needs me more than I need them.  :p
 
Alltel is evolving into a serious player in the cellular market. There own network is concentrated in a couple of regions, but they have partnered with both Verizon and Sprint, which effectively gives them true national coverage. An Alltel data plan gives you acess to both Verizon & Sprint data services as well. If you get mad at one of te big guys, consider Alltel.  For data services, look under "Business" (not Personal) for Internet Access. Prices are te same as Verizon Wireless.
 
Phil:

LOL!  Actually I already did that.  I cashed out my retirement benefit and re-invested it back in 1993.  I also sold all my Bell Atlantic stock I had accumulated over the years and re-invested the proceeds.

Now they DO pay my medical expenses... and I plan to keep on making them pay and pay and pay.  ;D
 
Are ya'll talking about the program you buy called office mgr. or something? I bought the program and use it with my cellphone cost's minutes except,weekends and after 9 pm. it's free
 
I'm not familair with Office Manager but you don't need to buy any software to use Verizon for data access. All the software you really need (other than a driver for your phone) is already in Windws and you can get dialer software for free from Verizon if you want to have it for convenience.
 
Hey Smokey, just retired out from VZ this past June with 34 on the clock. You're dead right, over the last ten or so years the "idea" of providing service to the customer really died out. I had to stay with it to get my retirement, but when they cancelled the pension plan last December, that was the last straw for me. ;D
 
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