Verizon Wireless Raised my Bill by $100 more per month for declaring BK7 - Question

[Flamingo]

Nope the previous payment was made 2 weeks before its due date, (due date was Nov 1st and we filed on Nov. 4th) in the 6 years we have had Verizon we have never ever been late. No changes were made to this account in the last 7 months. The next billing cycle should had our due date be Dec. 1st, instead Verizion changed the billing cycle and raised the bill $100 plus this month.

OK, you state December 5th above as your filing date. You have November 4th here. So your last payment was made mid-October and no payments since that time, correct? If you did not make your next payment that is why the change in your bill. If you were current on your contract/billing you would not have any debt to owe and could not include Verizon in your filing. So it is obvious you missed a payment and that is why your bill went up along with whatever else they included due to it being late. You must have owed them something to include them in your filing. Otherwise if your account with them was current you could not include them in your filing as there is not debt. Also, since you included Verizon in your filing it may be difficult if not impossible to get a contract with another major carrier - you will probably have to resort to the pay as to go services.

[Fallonedward]

Let me clarify:

1. We filed Nov. 4th (BK7)
2. We paid our Nov 1st Verizon bill on Oct.21st
3. On Nov. 11th we received notification from Verizon that they were changing our due date from Dec.1st to December 30th.
I went in to our local Verizon store to ensure that I could pay my $175 bill on Dec. 30th (since they changed the due date not me) and was assured by the rep I spoke with (got her first and last name, per my attorneys suggestion) that yes I could and at that point she could not tell me why the due date got changed.
4. On Dec. 24th received Verizon bill that stated due date of Dec. 30th (in the amount of $288) it stated services from Nov. 5th to Dec. 5th. Nothing about this bill being late, nor any late fees added to this bill.
5. Went into Verizon store tonight to speak to one of their employees and was told that the increase in my bill was because I declared BK

OK, you state December 5th above as your filing date. You have November 4th here. So your last payment was made mid-October and no payments since that time, correct? If you did not make your next payment that is why the change in your bill. If you were current on your contract/billing you would not have any debt to owe and could not include Verizon in your filing. So it is obvious you missed a payment and that is why your bill went up along with whatever else they included due to it being late. You must have owed them something to include them in your filing. Otherwise if your account with them was current you could not include them in your filing as there is not debt. Also, since you included Verizon in your filing it may be difficult if not impossible to get a contract with another major carrier - you will probably have to resort to the pay as to go services.

[helpmeout]

I have Verizon Wireless and my monthly charge is the same. But then, I didn't list them as a creditor as I was current on my bill. Chances are they raised the rates because you had overdue charges dismissed in your BK. I plan on finishing this contract (I only have a few more months) and then just using a prepaid.

There is a law that allows the phone number to follow you.

[tobee43]

I have Verizon Wireless and my monthly charge is the same. But then, I didn't list them as a creditor as I was current on my bill. Chances are they raised the rates because you had overdue charges dismissed in your BK. I plan on finishing this contract (I only have a few more months) and then just using a prepaid.

There is a law that allows the phone number to follow you.

what and where is that law please???????

[shark66]

There is (I believe) a FCC rule regarding the portability of one's number, for both land lines and cell phones.

That being said, you must be current with your current provider in order to transfer the number.

Good luck.

[wsy]

LNP - Local Number Portability, But you will need to get Verizon to agree to let the next carrier "port" your number.
It is called an LOA - Letter of Agency for your new carrier to go ahead and use the existing number.
Verizon might give you a hard time but may want their money before releasing your phone number.
The extra 100 dollars you are paying is most likely due to the fact they moved your due date 29 days from 12/1 to 12/30.
They are charging you an additional month.
They cannot change your service price because of BK, their only recourse is to warrant a deposit so the bozo you spoke to is probably in an Indian Call center (no disrespect)
Virgin Mobile is a good service since they use Sprint's network...Good luck and Happy New Year!

[tcreegan]

Hi Fallonedward,

You mentioned keeping the same # in your first post....we switched to Cricket and they imported our number from Verizon (who had imported it from Qwest) We changed right before we filed, included Verizon in the BK, no problems.

Tom in Colo

[Flamingo]

Let me clarify:

1. We filed Nov. 4th (BK7)
2. We paid our Nov 1st Verizon bill on Oct.21st
3. On Nov. 11th we received notification from Verizon that they were changing our due date from Dec.1st to December 30th.
I went in to our local Verizon store to ensure that I could pay my $175 bill on Dec. 30th (since they changed the due date not me) and was assured by the rep I spoke with (got her first and last name, per my attorneys suggestion) that yes I could and at that point she could not tell me why the due date got changed.
4. On Dec. 24th received Verizon bill that stated due date of Dec. 30th (in the amount of $288) it stated services from Nov. 5th to Dec. 5th. Nothing about this bill being late, nor any late fees added to this bill.
5. Went into Verizon store tonight to speak to one of their employees and was told that the increase in my bill was because I declared BK

It's obvious an entire pay cycle was missed due to the due date change which they can do at any time - just pull out your contract and review all the clauses and fine print. They did not raise your rates because you filed BK - you had additional days added to cover the missed portion due to the date change which the BK may have triggered since you included them in your filing. Your larger bill that you received reflects the missed charges for the missed cycle - remember your last payment was October 21st and you have not made one since. Your next payment due would have been the normal amount. Why did you include Verizon in your filing if you were current at the time of filing? Was it to break your contract and avoid the early cancellation fee?

[tcreegan]

Hi all,

I don't think the previous provider can refuse the port, even if you owe them $$

Check this out from the FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/cib/consumerfacts/numbport.html

Tom in Colo

[wsy]

Hi all,

I don't think the previous provider can refuse the port, even if you owe them $$

Check this out from the FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/cib/consumerfacts/numbport.html

Tom in Colo

Yup , its the law..but Verizon owns the number in the LATA..maybe they will allow you.

[RichM]

I'm sitting here scratching my head trying to understand your attorney's advice.

Firstly, I've never heard of Verizon raising someone's rates simply because they filed BK, and I'm somewhat familiar with that business. (I have a younger friend -- sort of an adopted nephew -- who has a cell phone store that I help him run.)

Secondly, I'm not at all sure that VZW could legally raise someone's rates unless they were included in the BK, either because of past-due payments or to get out of the early cancellation fee. If they were not included in the BK, then it seems to me that the contract would continue to be in force until normal expiration.

Thirdly, I'm not sure what the advantage of raising the rate would be for VZW. It's practically begging the customer to leave. In addition, a rate increase on a current account (unless due to new taxes, fees, surcharges, etc.) usually excuses the customer from the early cancellation penalty because it materially changes the contract.

So in essence, I really don't understand your lawyer's advice, nor why VZW would make it a practice to raise everyone's rates who filed BK, nor whether they could even do this legally unless they were included in the BK. Maybe it's due to some peculiarity of the law in your state.

All that being said, I can offer the following observations about cell providers in general:

• Boost Mobile runs on Sprint's network for CDMA phones only. iDen Boost phones run over Nextel's network. Unless you need PTT capability with Nextel users, there is no reason in the world why you would want an iDen phone.
• Boost Mobile offers an unlimited, prepaid BlackBerry plan for $60.00/month, which goes down $5.00 every six months if the bill is paid on time, until it bottoms out at $45.00/month. If you need voice, text, web, and mobile email, then the Boost BlackBerry plan is probably the best deal you'll find.
• Virgin and many other prepaid carriers run their service over Sprint's network, which actually is very good.
• Sprint itself will extend credit for a Sprint-branded, postpaid cell phone account to almost anyone with a detectable pulse, usually without a deposit, but will require that you pay the discounted cost of the phone when the contract is signed.
• Both TracPhone and Straight Talk are owned by the same company (along with Net10 and a few other brands). They operate on various networks, which may include AT&T, Verizon, USCellular, and possibly a few others, depending on the handset and service. Disclaimer: Both TracPhone and Straight Talk (actually the same company) are advertisers on some of my sites.
• The last time I looked into them, Cricket and MetroPCS ran their own networks and had piecemeal arrangements with various other local carriers. Both companies use Verizon for roaming. The number of roaming minutes varies depending on the level of service (that is, the monthly price). Lower-cost plans include no roaming at all. Unless you have extra money in the account, the phones will simply stop working (except for 911) once you leave their coverage areas. Frankly, I wouldn't recommend either of these companies unless you live in -- and rarely leave -- one of their service areas.

My advice to people who want a cell phone and have credit problems is, firstly, to determine which carriers have decent signal where they live and travel, both by checking their service maps and by asking around, and to make sure they check Sprint's coverage as one of the companies.

Assuming that they have a good Sprint signal and want prepaid, then I suggest going with Boost Mobile (CDMA), or Virgin, both of which use Sprint's network. There are other carriers who use Sprint's network, but Boost (which actually is owned by Sprint) and Virgin are the best-established.

If they want a contract (postpaid) account, try a Sprint-branded phone. In my experience, Sprint will grant credit to practically anyone -- as long as they haven't defaulted on a previous Sprint contract.

There really is very little advantage to having a Sprint contract versus a prepaid Boost (CDMA) or Virgin phone, however, unless you want a newer/fancier phone than what the prepaids offer, or want a phone with 4G data capabilities. The coverage and quality of service of Boost (CDMA) and Virgin phones is identical to that of Sprint phones, except that 4G is not available on Boost- or Virgin-branded phones.

If Sprint doesn't have a good signal where you are (or if you just don't like Sprint), then consider AT&T prepaid. Their network is very good, but their prices for prepaid are higher than Boost's or Virgin's.

A basic "unlimited" plan for AT&T costs $60.00/month, but includes only voice and text. Data plans are available as add-ons, but at considerable extra cost.

An unlimited voice, text, and data plan on Boost costs only $50.00/month ($60.00/month for BlackBerry) and goes down $5.00 every six months if you elect the "shrinkage" plan and prepay on-time every month. The Boost BlackBerry plan also includes unlimited email on up to 10 outside email accounts, in addition to the included BlackBerry email address.

The above is probably more information than you wanted, but maybe it will be helpful to you (or someone else) who needs a cell phone after BK.

Oh, by the way, I use a Boost Blackberry and am absolutely happy with it.

-Rich

[Chowder]

I'm going to Verizon right now so I can tell them to kiss my pottutty and off to Virgin Mobile to get a phone for hubby

Good for you. If Verizon was the only choice I'd use string and two cans. Something changed over there a few years back and their customer service changed to customer screw. Good coverage and all, but they all have good coverage these days.

[Chowder]

Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, .....

You know then about Verizon's history of over-billing. There's been multiple lawsuits about it. I agree it makes no sense to intentionally piss-off a customer, but oddly enough that seems to be their new biz model. It probably wouldn't have been so noticeable if they hadn't been to customer friendly prior to their quest for world domination.

Oh, by the way, I use a Boost Blackberry and am absolutely happy with it.

iPhone 4, rocks my sox.

[Bell30656]

As long as the phone service on that number is still active, you can "port" your number to another provider. I ported my number to Vonage which costs me $20 per month. Vonage is a VOIP home phone service but they have a feature that allows it to ring my new cell phone at the same time as my home number.

My guess is that the reason Verizon has jacked your rate is that you are no longer under contract. When they gave you the lower rate you were obliged to continue service for a certain period of time, usually two years. When you sign up for month to month with no contract you have to pay higher rates. By filing bankruptcy you killed that contract. Is it fair? Looking at it from both sides, I'd say it is. Look at it from their side, they just lost the ability to charge you a whopping cancellation fee if you decided to leave them but you got to keep whatever incentives you got when you signed up for service, i.e. lower priced or even free phones. Now you can dump them at a minutes notice and they can't charge you any termination fee unless you agree to a new contract.

Bankruptcy is a civil procedure that allows debtors to legally thumb their nose at the creditor causing them to take a loss. I think we'll be seeing more and more companies figure out ways to recoup that loss in the future. I'm not judging, I've been there and I've done it. Just for a minute, put yourself on their side of the fence.

Do you like Verizon? If so, start a new contract with them at one of their rates you like. If not, move on to another player in the market.

[shrews228]

Verizon Wireless is an absolute JOKE. I am so disgusted w/ them because they FORCE you to have a data plan @ 9.99 a month, even if you don't use data....with 5 phones that is 50.00 added on to our bill. We are going to include them in our BK7 (for cancellation fees) and are going w/ Sprint. Bye bye Verizon I think that verizon is going to lose a lot of customers because of this issue.

Lynda