verizons 1000 mobile to mobile is crap

I agree that the MTM minutes being used up on weekends makes absolutely no sense. Verizon is just plain wrong on this issue.

 

Unfortunately, to my knowledge and from emails I received: it actually depends on the kind of plan that you are on. You may feel you are correct but here's the way it works. Verizon Wireless has a think the computer calls "hierachy of minutes"...it is the way the computer deciphers what do bill what, when, where, and who.

If you're on a regular consumer plan or primary family share plan with the 1000 mobile to mobile promo: the computer will deduct from your pool of minutes in this order:

First: Unlimited nights and weekends
Next: 1000 mobile to mobile
Then: Peak minutes

translated into English, this means if you are talking to your friend during the an off-peak hour it is NOT coming off of your mobile to mobile minutes CONTRARY to what was previously stated or what the customer service call center has told you (alot of people are not clear on this). For example, all of your mobile to mobile minutes are used up then it will just deduct from whatever time you are calling- whether it be peak or unlimited off-peak minutes.

HERE IS WHERE IT GETS STICKY!! If you're on the secondary family share line which receives 250 mobile to mobile minutes free in addition to sharing the peak minutes, ($20/month line) the computer uses a different "hierachy of minutes":

First: 250 mobile to mobile
Next: Unlimited nights and weekends
Then: Peak minutes

so translated into English again, although you are sharing "unlimited nights and weekends" talking to your friend who has Verizon Wireless during an off-peak hour, IT IS STILL DEDUCTING OUT OF YOUR 250 MOBILE TO MOBILE!! I feel THAT may be a little shady, not what another member stated abouve with the 1000 mobile to mobile...but then again, this secondary shared line is NOT technically a "full" plan. It's a shared, add-a-line...another thing I mean by not being a "full" plan is that the primary line on the account is the only one eligible for the $100 credit to purchase new equipment if you signed the 2-year agreement..................hope this clarifies alot!! Peace all...

 

Let me clarify one point:

*67 or per-line-blocking does NOT affect MTM billing. Even if your outbound CID info shows "PRIVATE" or "ANONYMOUS" the central billing system DOES know your number, and the number you called. It's from there that MTM is determined.

It also makes no difference if you are blocking your number, or receiving a blocked call. If the two lines are VZW, the system knows it, and both parties will receive MTM designation for the call.

The only time you should NOT get proper MTM billing is if you receive a call on your cell and it just says "CALL", "INCOMING CALL", or anything else that indicates a total lack of CID information. Similarly, if you MAKE a call and the receiving party sees what was just described, no MTM will happen.

Bottom line is this:

All VZW switches pass CID through to the receiving party. If you choose to block, so be it. Since there are no "OUT OF AREA" cellphones, rest assured that the switch HAS to know your number or the call would not complete. Blocking has no effect on MTM.

I know this for a fact, as I have per line blocking on both of my cellular lines, and have seen others' bills showing calls I placed to them

 

What's the likelihood of Verizon changing the way they bill MTM minutes on weekends if they receive enough complaints?

 

Whats the likely ood of them recieiving enough complaints?

 

That's what I thought too. That was the only reason I didn't go with Verizon. The big problem is finding out how it really works. People at the store don't always know the right answer, but they have to say something...
Another thing is how nights & weekends work on Verizon. They are based on the time you started your call. For example if you place you call at 8:55 and talk for 60 minutes, all 60 minutes will come out from your peak minutes (not 5 from peak and 55 from off peak). (at least that's how it used to be). Here's something else (from the website) - on incoming calls, charges may begin prior to the phone ringing and before you press “SEND” to receive the call. Charges end when the call disconnects from the system, which may be a few seconds after you press “END”.

 

Wow! they are really getting tricky at finding ways to make your bill higher.

 

Wouldnt that fall under express warrantee, because if someone sells you M2M minutes, and it doesnt work, you can under the law, request a full refund in court.

Yet another reason why i keep away from big Verizon. The network may be good, but customer service is lame.


Could we say,

Customer service is only as good, as our need for customers ?

 

I can back up Bud on this, from my own experience. I am on AC400 plain old single-user consumer plan.

 

True, this is quite stupid, who knows maybe they are trying to change it, maybe it is a computer thing, though I doubt it. I just want to know why this is so important it has to be in every forum,

 

To tell you the truth, this is the first discussion of it that I have seen in these forums. Even going back a good 10-15 pages I never heard anything about the MTM night and weekend sham.

 

It's legal, because you do use em. You just happen to use them at times where your calls would be free anyway. Isn't that convenient?

 

I find the whole idea hard to believe. Because assuming that a computer program determines the heirarchy of what minutes are used; how unbelievably simple is it for the program to have as its first if statement "If it is between 9 PM and 7 AM OR it is between 9 PM Friday and 7AM Monday, then use night/weekend minutes".

 

Well Bud, I think almost everyone would agree with you. Good luck with any attempts with them.

 

I have also had recent discussions with Verizon CS regarding the flaw in how M2M minutes are deducted first. In my most recent conversation, the Verizon rep agreed that the current way of how all M2M calls come out of the M2M bucket, is how it should work. She went on to say that that this is the way it should be -- all M2M calls come out of the M2M bucket first.

I let her have her say and then I shot back at her, carving out precise information and examples to show why it is flawed -- she basically was at my mercy and agreed with me that M2M calls during N/W should come from my Unlimited N/W bucket.

My wife on the secondary line as 250 M2M minutes. If I speak with my wife (on a M2M call) quite often during the N/W (I travel a lot and so am away quite often) then we are basically "eating up" all of our M2M minutes. My wife's M2M minutes would easily be flushed down the drain. Why? Because I already have Unlimited N/W minutes and by talking during the N/W period, we've essentially killed all of her M2M bucket of minutes. So if I'm paying $5/mo for the Unlimited N/W package and Verizon is offering a wonderful M2M package for the family plan -- whereby M2M minutes get eaten up unnecessarily during the N/W periods, it's easy to point out the flaw.

It's almost along the lines of a used car salesman in Miami, giving a customer living down there a free promotional set of 4 spare snow tires. How useful is that??? Yippee!!!

 

The only thing I have to say is pay attention to your bills and the billing "key" on the last page (if you were lucky enough to sign up before May 1, 2002 and have to pay extra for detailed billing)...it classifies all calls, such as MW for mobile to mobile/weekend, MA for mobile to mobile allowance...because the computer will always list what calls are mobile to mobile, but essentially are you getting charged for it?? Does your bill read "Included" or "$0.00" for the charge or whatever?? Another good page to look at on your bill is the minute summary on the first page (summary billing people, this would probably be your only page)...it looks like a small Microsoft Excel file showing you how many minutes were used during what times, what you were charged extra for, etc...

For example: One of my friends got pissed at me because I signed her up for the AC300 plan with the unlimited nights and weekends and 1000 mobile to mobile over the summer. Her bill came out to $197 and it's only supposed to be $39.99 + tax...I looked at her minute usage (and no it was not a prorate month) and noticed her peak minutes was approximately 1635...customer serivce told her exactly what you all are talking about above with mobile to mobile being anytime...but when I saw it, 1635 peak subtract 300 peak = 1335 then subtract 1000 mobile to mobile (which she does alot of) and you're left with about 335 x $0.45/min = $150.75 and then add on the $39.99 =190.75 + tax...................she still thinks 400 minutes is good for her (new holiday promo) but she's been doing OK minute wise recently...peace all

 

Folks this is not diffcult, Johnny boy Rogers is Correct if YOu carry a AC PLan with 1000 M to M Mins just look at ur billing in the summary section where it breaks down the mins used, hence you will notice off peak column will display 0 m2m Thus proving that if u make a mobile call during off peak hours it uses ur off peak time first. To conclude the 1000 m2m is used up during peak hours!!!

 

Hey bud how long you had this plan? Also *67 has no effect on usuage.

Note if your phone displays "Extended Area" the M2M is not applied.

 

G3XP, you are wrong...you can't make a blanket statement like that. This issue has been discussed a lot in various forums without a definite conclusion except for the fact that it appears that there are differences between markets. For example, in some markets the Automated System can give you a break-down between M2M, N/W and Peak minutes -- however in some markets (like mine) I can ONLY get a breakdown between Peak and N/W (offpeak) minutes. So the "Peak" bucket is not a true value because it contains some M2M minutes. Again this is the case in some markets.

 

What market are you Located in ? If anything, its not fair if some markets are setup this way while others are not!!!

 

I'm in the Chicago market -- I have spoken with a dozen different Verizon reps about it including a Supervisor. Others in the Chicago market (on various forums) also indicate the same thing. Our M2M mobile minutes always comes first no matter when the call is made. Chicago also does not have the newer billing system. So right now we also cannot even get a breakdown of minutes between M2M, Peak and N/W minutes from the automated system.

This is the very reason why the original poster (Bud) left Verizon and they spoke to Verizon about this very same problem.

 

Anybody know how the New England market's minute hierarchy works? Is it M2M first, even on Nights and Weekends? Thanks

 

Verizon should just offer unlimited m2m minutes and then all the problems would be solved.

 

You know, Joe has a really good point here. M2M minutes are offered in the first place because they basically cost the carrier nothing (except a slice of bandwith) to connect these calls. No landline connection, no long-distance, nothing. It all goes over the carrier's network. Why not just make it unlimited if they're going to have such a confusing policy of minute hierarchy?

 

Exactly, and of course that's what T-mobile and Sprint PCS is offering right now -- Unlimited M2M calls.