If I came into a Verizon store with an unlocked Omnia, could they just switch my phone number over to it and not force me into a data package?

For that type of phone you would be required to get the data plan regardless of where you got the phone from.

It always seems like Verizon Wireless is the bad guy no matter what they do. They allow people to get these devices without data plans(phones launched before the 14th of November, excluding blackberry), people rack up insane data charges, then when Verizon does not credit, they are the anti-christ cause they charged you usage that you incurred. Then they decide to make you have a data plan (obviously for profit among other things) they are the anti-christ again. I have been reading these forums for a long time and just recently decided to post replies. I maybe missed it, but when AT&t decided to mandate it with the iphone, I didnt hear as much backlash as Verizon is getting. I am just one of the people who cant see having a phone like this without a data plan. I dont want to make any enemies for my comments, again we all have opinions, but I just see things a little differently. Verizon is a business and is here to make money. Obviously they are pricier, but I get what i pay for....signal everywhere I go, and interent and email at fast speeds. We live in a country where we have a choice. We can choose any carrier. If your not happy, give another carrier a shot, they will always be glad to take your business. Just my two cents.

I can't agree with your post anymore. (i think i have said the same thing at least once before.). and to your point if you (meaning those who don't want data) aren't using it to connect via VZW's network for Data, get a better device.

I have to disagree. PDAs were around before PDA phones and were/are very useful with wifi and pc internet sharing. Furthermore Verizon can control access to their broadband network so. I like Verizonbut y wife jump hip becaus she likes my Omnisciet but does not need a data lan because she has wife.

Someone please post a link from verizon website with new data plan requirement.

Thanks.

If you go to their website and select any PDA/smart phone and select a plan you will eventually get to the screen that requires you to select the data plan.

That page makes it clear:

Attached Thumbnails

 

yes that I know. Where do they say specify that on their website with terms and condtition.

In my opinion if they implemented such a change it should only applied to new customers and to customers that contract has expired.

If you someone signed a contract a year ago or few months back they should still be allowed to activate any phone or any pda-phone without data plan.
In that contact there was no requirement or obligation to get data plan.
So Verizon per law should not be alllowed to force this on anyone!

We ought start calling and complain...but there is an option to use wifi.

it does only apply to NEW customers or New Contracts. if you get a New phone smartphone now, you MUST have a dataplan. those who bought last month did NOT require. I believe the 14th of November was the cutoff. so if you had a PDA prior to that date without a dataplan you are grandfathered in.

Again, if you change anything on your plan that extends your contract, the new terms apply.

I pretty much agree with Deeter. Vzw like all phone companies is a bit of a monopolistic, inefficient, insensitive bureaucracy but one dealing with some folks who will cheat them in every way possible, e.g. trashing their phone at the opportune moment to collect a better phone upgrade via insurance, etc. And so it will go. The phone company always trying to extract as much money as possible given what competition there is, the customer always trying to pay as little as possible.

It's a contract and a business. The only way to teach Vzw anything different if you don't like it is to take your business and walk. Somebody has to pay for all those guys and gals who show up behind the Vzw guy in the commercials and Vzw's plan, when you're taking a data-capable phone, is to charge everyone an extra $30 a month to help pay for all those REV.A-capable towers they put up.

-Jim-

Thanks for agreeing with me Jim and Dangerous as well. Again, I understand this is only our opinions and there is no right and wrong in the argument. I thought about something else as well and figured I would add to my two cents. Lets say Verizon did unlock gps and full functionality on all the phones they released (use your own ringtones, etc), and didnt require a data package. That means there would be a lot less money going to the company every month. Which in turn would mean less coverage, less REV A towers/maintenance, and even less money for roaming agreements and new towers. I know it sounds like a stretch, but look at the earnings year over year that get reinvested into the business. Its more than the other companies by far (last I checked). And if Verizon didnt have the money to reinvest, there would be a smear campaign on these forums about poor service, slow speeds, etc.
So is Verizon taking full advantage of the network and structure they have in place? ABSOLUTELY! THEY ARE A BUSINESS HERE TO MAKE MONEY$$$ But in turn, read Consumer Reports every year, and Verizon wipes the floor with the competition. Verizon is far from perfect, but when I call in my issues are typically solved right away, and thats more than I can say about other carriers I have had in the past. To me its worth the extra money each month for what I get.....I guess this now makes it my 3 cents.

Deeter, To add to you comments, VZW spends over 40 Billion a year on upgrading their equipment. it's amazing. also, VZW posted a 1.6BB Quaterly profit on something like 26BB in revenue, up 30% from the same time last year (in an Deflationary economy). Sprint posted a 333MM loss on 8BB revenue.
Every month our company looks to reduce it's Cellular bill, we could switch providers, but VZW is the best (or as the polls state, they s-uck the least) and that means a lot.

If someone buys a PDA phone, then doesn't get the data plan, are they fully Converged? Isn't that what this whole site all about? hmm..

Our business recently received an additional discount off the monthly fees. Not sure if that was an across the board discount for all like businesses or what, but it did reduce the amount.

Also, Crackberries are not supported in our business environment. We don't support email on Crackberries.

Most users have MotoQ or smaller non-pda phones. I'd say less than 10% of the IT staff uses PDA based phones and they all have had data plans for years.

It is effectively a non-issue as we can't use our phones without data plans as WiFi is not allowed within the building for security reasons.

I'm hoping haza12d's experience (calling and getting the data plan waved) is for real. I've been carrying PDAs for years - a couple of Sony Clie's, then a Treo 600 and now my i730. I have a PDA phone because I don't want to carry 2 devices but I want to sync my contacts and run a couple of PDA apps. I don't need or want the web or email on my phone (in 2 years I've only connected to wifi a half dozen times) I just don't want to carry 2 things.

I guess I may milk the old i730 or pick up a pda and get a new phone.

__________________
salguod
salguod.net

For those that are upset by this policy, I suggest going to www.verizonwirelesssurvey.com and fill it out. I did this at first thinking it'd probably get swept under the rug and ignored but at least I'd get to vent. My survey basically said I was upset by the change and while I enjoy the phone service, I felt like this was an unneeded step by Verizon. Then two days later I got a call from one of the district (or regional, I forget) managers for my area. He informed me that Verizon is looking at the policy and how customers are reacting to it. We also had a nice discussion on why the policy was implimented (they dumped pay as you go because idiots who run up high bills and they dumped the no data because people would get that and then complain their phone's not as cool as they thought). It was a rather pleasent conversation (except the part where he said his hands were tied) and he even told me that he looked into any possible way around the system to get me the Omnia without a data package (stating that it was clear that I wasn't someone who was going to buy the phone w/o data and not know what I'm getting into). It may have been a bunch of smoke being blown at me, but the fact that they've had people in the company calling me and discussing the issue at length with me is at least proof they're looking at the situation.

And for those comparing this to the iPhone and Blackberry, I'd say it's different in one key way. At the launch of the iPhone platform and (as I understand it at least) the Blackberry platform, there's always been a data requirement. You know you'll need a data package the moment you jump into that platform. I entered the Windows Mobile platform without any sort of data requirement and have invested in software and whatnot on that platform. Now I'm being told if I want to continue to use the software I've bought, I either have to hope that my current phone doesn't fail beyond repair and deal with older technology or I have to pony up $30 a month. If Windows Mobile was released today and there was a data requirement, it'd be a different story to me.

Verizon in very bad situation now with these forced data plans ....they know it and they just do not want to acknowledge yet.

I would like to know who haza12d talked to. I am pissed that I have this brick called the i730 on my hip and I cannot get a better upgrade without buying into some stupid data plan I never intend to use. I have been with this same company since cellular one (1990), had the same plan since 1994, and have guided over a dozen people to verizon from their other carriers and this is the thanks I get. I dont want to be forced into buying a girlyman phone like the HTC Touch ( white? wtf were they thinking?!?!) but it seems as if that is my only choice. If anyone can help, or knows anyone..I will pay list price..I dont care, i just want the omnia without that damn data plan.

Good luck getting someone to do something like that. I'm guessing haza12d got it before the system got locked down. I talked to a regional guy in charge of data and he told me that he looked into doing everything to get me an Omnia without a data package with no luck. The way their system is set up now simply doesn't allow you to get that device without a data package. Best bet I'm guessing to get this policy changed is go to www.verizonwirelesssurvey.com and let them know what you think. They are clearly listening to the responses on this.

What makes you think that?

Looks like they are selling a lot of phones right now even with the poor economic conditions. The Omnia is a pretty hot phone many stores are out of them.

That does not appear to me to be an omen of being in a bad situation.

They guy in the commercial sure looks happy.

I upgraded my i760 to an Omnia on 12/26. While in the the store, three people turned aroung and left when informed that they needed to get a data plan with the pda phones. And two other people were teed off about other CS issues. I seriously considered switching to Sprint and there unlimited 99 plan. Just couldn't pull the trigger though. Sprint still can;t provide good enough service in the areas that I need to use my phone. And until they can, then Verizon will squeeze every ounce of $$$ out of me.

There needs to be a major uprising from the ranks of the VIP members of the VZW community.