Over the past 24 hours, the concerns regarding unlimited talk and text on Verizon MVNO Page Plus Cellular have begun to outrage the community. Specifically, Page Plus has been disconnecting users for talking too long on their “Unlimited Talk & Text” plan.
In the past month alone, users have encountered issues with activating certain Verizon Wireless phones. Page Plus has said through unofficial channels that this was due to data provisioning issues on Palm OS devices, and that ESN-based HTC, BlackBerry and Palm devices could no longer be activated. Because this issue only affected older ESN blocks (serial number ranges), MEID-based Palm and HTC phones can still be activated, though BlackBerry devices cannot.
However, the latest effort described above has the community the most outraged. Users are being disconnected for having too many calls, as well as consuming too many minutes on their unlimited plans. Customers report being disconnected via text message, with no warning. Upon calling in to customer service, customers are told that their accounts cannot be reviewed, and that they cannot escalate the matter to a supervisor.
Worse, customers are being given conflicting information, some are told they can downgrade to the $29.99 Talk & Text plan, which offers 1,200 airtime minutes, while others are told they must port out. Some of these customers report low usages, but spiking to one hundred calls or minutes per day over the course of a couple or few days.
Page Plus has also been reported for losing multiple customer phone numbers during some of these instances, claiming it is impossible to reactive the mobile number, and that it is lost forever.
PhoneNews.com has attempted to contact Page Plus Cellular in regards to this article. Representatives from Page Plus commented that they were not able to refer us to any media contacts in the company. Page Plus has not offered any formal response to any of the situations in this article.
Update: Page Plus has dismissed our report, but responded to the article formally during CTIA, which we’ve posted in a follow-up article.
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WOW, if pageplus continues these actions, im sure someone will start a class action lawsuit. either way, i am afraid, i have opened five stores across my state, and became a master dealer. if this type of business practice continues, then i will be forced to remove pageplus from our product line.
Cutting off true abusers is OK but dropping them in the middle of a prepaid month and not offering a prorated refund, as appears to be happening is theft.
If that happened to me I’d be filing an FCC complaint, contacting the Cleveland (PP’s headquaters city) BBB and the Ohio and my state’s AGs!
Plus I’ve heard that some used have been cut off for as few as 3000 minutes/month (less than 2 hours a day) which really isn’t much on an unlimited plan. I wonder if Verizon increased what it’s charging PP and putting the MVNO between a rock and a hard place? If that’s the case, the right thing to do would be to let customers complete their current month, then either raise the unlimited plan price or turn it into a 3000 minute plan.
Sorry but unlimited talk is unlimited talk. These types of actions are appauling and Page Plus derves to go out of business! If other MVNO operators like Straight Talk were smart, they would attach while the iron is hot and bash Page Plus on this. Give those potential new customers some perks to join them. Market their unlimited plans as “A True Unlimited calling & Texting”.
I Used to be a customer of Page Plus and there so called unlimited plan, and as of of 4:50am on 3/19/09 my cell phone was turned off by them with out warning or notice, this months bill was paid on 3/9/10 when I called them this am, I was told that I had abused the unlimited talk paragraph 6 of there Terms of Service which the I did not the first line reads and I quote “Page Plus Unlimited Plan services are provided solely for live dialogue between two individuals for personal use.” and thats what I did I called mainly one number the most and talked a lot after all I am paying for an “Unlimited” right? The customer service rep told me on the phone that the corporate office made the decision and it was not reversible, I asked to speak with thir supervisor and was told I could not, then I asked for the corporate office phone number and they would not give that to me either.
Page Plus in my opinion needs to be brought up on charges of Breech of contract and Breech of Trust, because then the did this to my phone terminated the service they did not notify me or anything and they allowed me to use my phone till the remaining $6.00 was used up.
I have all the paper work, call logs, there TOS, and payment records printed out and I am ready bring a lawsuit against them because what they are doing is wrong. I am currently seeking legal council for my case and I hope to bring a lawsuit against them very soon.
I encourage every one who has been stiffed like I was by this company to seek legal action because we need to make these company’s realize that if they say its unlimited then they had better be darn sure thats what it is.
I welcome anyone from the Media to contact me by email and maybe we can get this story to go public and show them we the American people will not stand for this!
Wow that is crazy! Glad I am not using Page Plus.
I on average use between 1500 to 2500 minutes a month and found my service shut off on January 22nd with no warning not even a text to tell me. To add insult they would never release my number and even the VZW Porting department got all circuits busy and could never get through. I have filed a complaint with the California Public Utility Commission and would suggest everyone that has been wronged do the same in their state. They got the $80 ballence in my account plus being out another $86 in cost to getting a new phone and activation with VZW. If they went under tomorrow I would have to go out and celebrate.
My usage was nowhere near 1500 minutes a month and I was cut off. I’m going back to my previous prepaid provider, NET10, they were much better anyway. Never had any problems with them in the four years I used them. I just fell for the allure of ‘unlimited’.
Should have known it was too good to be true…
And that is the oddest thing about this. Straight Talk on Verizon and Boost on Sprint both offer unlimited talk for similar price ranges. Unlimited is not an allure you need to fall for. Other companies have no problem offering it.
For any one who has had there service terminated by page plus goto the Better Business Bureau of Ohio at this link http://toledo.bbb.org/Find-Business-Reviews/ enter in the following info:
Business/Charity Name: Page Plus
City: Holland
State/Province: Ohio
Postal Code: 43528
after that find the page plus address that they have on there web page for a conatct us which is:
Page Plus Cellular
1615 Timberwolf Dr.
Holland, OH 43528
then click file a complaint and enter what happened to you! After that you will find your case against page will be filed against them at the following business info:
Name: Page Plus
BBB Member: NO
Contact: Pete Hopkins
Address:6135 Trust Dr
Holland, OH 43528
Phone: 419-865-8053
Fax: 419-865-8053
Website: pagepluscellular.com
I have filed a complaint as of 3/19/10 with the BBB and I encourage all who have been done wrong by page plus to do the same, if we can continue to get these complaints in, just maybe it will help us draw attention to what page plus is doing and maybe we can get some sort of satisfaction out of this not to mention it will help us us build a legal case against page plus the more complaints we can get in against them.
On Monday I am gonna contact the AG’s office in Ohio and see what I have to do to file a lawsuit against them for Breech of agreement/contract. false advertising, theft of my payment since I paid $39.99 (on 3/9/10) for a month of service and only got service till 3/19/10 which was only 10 days. (Wow expensive 10 days huh). After I talk to the Ohio AG’s office I will come back here and post the info they give me for other to use!
We can not just roll over and let page plus get away with staling our hard earned money if we don’t stand together and fight this they will continue to do it!
You guys need to be filing complaints with the FCC. One of you page plus customers should look into that and post all of the info on how to do it. You should make one informative post with info on how to file with the BBB, the FCC, and the Ohio AG. All 3 of those organizations should be hearing from every single page plus customer that was affected by this.
And then copy that same post and post it all over the net- get the word out.
Oh I plan on it , I’m not letting this drop, FCC is next on my list and the Ohio AG and I will be posting everything I can find so that all page plus former customers that this happened to can file complaints. If we band together we can bring page plus to there knees and show the rest of big business that “WE THE PEOPLE” have the power not them!
What you should do is make a website. Just a simple page that hass all of the info on how to file with the FCC, BBB, and Ohio AG. Then go to all the phone websites and make a post that tells all the current and former page plus customers to click that link for instructions on how to file.
Also make a short youtube video explaining your situation, and include the address to your website in the video. Once you start passing that youtube link around it will spread all over the net.
Bottom line is you need to consolodate the info so that every relevant piece of info is together in one simple and easy to read location with easy to follow instructions. And then you need to get that info out to the public.
Oh I already started some of that I have called several major new media outlets, I am planing the you tube video this weekend, and I am gathering as much information I can dig up on them, as long as I present the facts and public info then they will have no resource to come at me because everything I post will be able to be backed up with written proof.
People who do business like this need to get what they deserve if there gonna treat there customers this way!
I just wish I had some spare cash I could use to run a huge media campaign against them but who knows maybe there rivals will do it for me.
BTW I just filed my complaint with the FCC about them and there FALSE Advertising so maybe we can get them shut down and fined for stealing our hard earned money!
To file a complaint with the FCC just go here:
http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm
and you can file it on line like I did!
Page Plus has gotten away with victimizing enough people both dealers and users. Smartphone ban. Prepaid phone ban. Random phone ban. All withoug warining. Unlimited plan ban is the last straw. With that gone , there is NO reason to use them. File a report, kick them to the curb and get Straight Talk or another unlimited that gives you more then 1500 minutes a month.
I reset my timer on my phone on March 15 and have used 73o minutes so far. I probably average between 2800 to 3500 minutes a month. I have never had a problem with pageplus. All of these stories are beginning to make me feel uneasy about my service. I’m planning a backup plan if my phone suddenly quits. What a way for someone to run a business. They won’t be in business long with these kinds of moves.
When they did to me I had been a customer for 5 months and all was fine till March 19, 2010 then bam it happened to me they removed me from the unlimited plan (with out my knowledge or permission) which caused my $6.00 credit balance to start being used on a per min basis for calls, and as soon as that was up disconnected my call in progress and sent me a text saying I had $0.00 on my account and to send them more money… I guess they thought I was stupid and would reload my phone with more money so they could “STEAL” more money from me!
And yes Hans I would get a Different cell provider as quick as you can I would NOT tell my worst enemy to get a page plus phone.
If I have my way Page Plus will be going out of business when I am finished with taking legal action against them, and alerting the public to what they are doing!
Heres the Ohio Attorney General Address and phone number:
Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray
30 E. Broad St., 17th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Help Center
(800) 282-0515
Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
I will be contacting them monday morning I also have contacted the FCC about Page Plus’s deceptive ads and there Illegal/criminal activitys.
Just a tip. Make sure your phone is not using data 24 hours a day. It will even use data with the phone turned off. Remove battery when you have your phone turned off. I am thinking that may be cause of the people getting kicked off. 24 hours of data would be considered overuse. A lot of phones have software update that you can’t turn off, so be careful of those.
I do think Pageplus should tell you what caused the over usage and give people a second chance.
Greg, phones that are powered off do not use data. I have no idea where you came up with that notion… but it is very much incorrect. Data has nothing to do with Page Plus terminations. Data is actually quite profitable to Page Plus when you use it, as data is not included in their unlimited plans.
Page Plus monthly plans come with between 20 and 50 MB of data. If you have a webOS or Android phone on Page Plus, you are notified of software updates and can download them over Wi-Fi typically.
Data is limited on Page Plus plans to prevent abuse, if you use more than the paltry amount they provide, you are charged per-MB out of your additional prepaid balance (if you have any, most people just reload the monthly voice package so that typically isn’t even something that can be drained). Your voice and text balances are not affected.
Again, data has nothing to do with this issue.
Data may not have an issue with the pageplus disconnects.
Data can still be used with the phone turned off. This comes from reliable pageplus dealers not me.
Gerg,
“Reliable Page Plus Dealers” are mis-informed. A phone that is powered off has no contact with the network whatsoever, it can not use data. The FCC would never approve a phone that transmitted anything when turned of during aircraft take off and landing, for example.
From a hofo poster. In the pageplus forum.
I’ve noticed I’ve gotten some data charges when the phone is off.
Just because some company rips you off and charges you for data while the phone is off, doesn’t mean you are actually using data while the phone is off.
You’re wrong Greg, phones do not use data while they are turned off. Period.
As another poster said- the FCC would absolutely never approve a phone that used data while it was turned off. Anyone who has ever flown on a commercial aircraft knows that they make everyone turn their phones off during the flight. If the phone didn’t really turn off- or used data while it was off, then there would be no point in even turning it off.
So you can go back to howard forums and post that the people over here said it is not possible for a phone to use data while it’s turned off, and if they disagree they can come over here and debate it with us.
According to the Ohio Attorney General’s office They have received a lot of complaints about this same issue from consumers. I encourage everyone who had had there “UNLIMITED” Text and Talk plans revoked by Page plus to contact the Ohio Attorney General’s office and file a complaint and to file with both the FCC and the BBB.
The only way we can get satisfaction for what Page Plus has done will be to band together, make sure you make printouts of everything from page plus (IE phone records, unauthorized changes to your account, a copy of there TOS, payment reciepts, etc), document everything you say and do. This way if this ends up as a class action lawsuit you will have all the paperwork to back up what you say!
I am working to further push this matter and to get Media exposure against Page Plus for what they have done and I will continue to do so and post what information I can find here for all to use!
Together we have the Power to bring Page Plus Down!
Found a Useless number and email for Page Plus Marketing, he seemed very UNCONCERNED about this issue! Almost to the Point that he didn’t care or give a rats (you know what) about the issue!
Page Plus Cellular
CONTACT: Denny Scher of Page Plus Cellular, +1-419-725-0380, fax+1-419-725-0376, dscher@pagepluscellular.com
Please, be careful what you post and make sure it is true. You can be libel if it is not true. Don’t use threating terms you can be libel there as well. You can still be traced if you hide your real name. Phone news would have to follow court orders.
Everything I have posted is true yes I have given my opinion of there customer service, IE not even sounding interested in mine and other people issues with them. I have copies of all my phone records, there TOS, and of there adds where they are claiming UNLIMITED. I have all the proof of what I say so libel is not an issue Other then my opinions of there customer service attitudes I am covered on all that. I thank you for your concern though.
I am no threating them at all though, I am doing what every American citizen should do in cases like this I am getting the word out on what they did to me and I passing info on to others so that the too can file complaints against this company, The power of many is better then the power of one!
We just cant let a business continue to steal Americans hard earned money and get away with it!
In America we have to stand up against this kind of business practices and let the business’s know we wont stand for this type of treatment!
Again I Thank You for your concern!
This is nuts. PPC is not doing anything that every other company hasn’t done – advertised unlimited with certain caps. The term “unlimited” with fair usage policies has been done in every market, by tons of companies. The only thing PPC did wrong here is they did not give people a bit of warning, and I do believe they owe refunds for the time people lost on their plans, or credits, however, PPC is well within their rights to enforce clause #6 in their T’s and C’s which everyone of you agreed to.
I think you are well within YOUR rights to go after the remaining credits/funds that you lost when disconnected from the plan, however, you are making a mountain out of a mole hill. I suspect, when it comes down to it, PPC and Verizon will be able to prove their case against each and every user as to which specific part of Clause 6 the person violated. If it comes to that.
I respectfully Disagree with them proving I violated there TOS, You buy a phone (with unlimited talk and text) to do what Talk on, They DO NOT advertise the plan as UNLIMITED *BUT YOU CANT TALK AS MUCH AS YOU WANT* they Advertise it as Unlimited talk as much as you want for one low monthly price……..
Now I would have had no issues If i was (but I was not and will use it like this example) using the phone as a telemarketer, or soliciting, or for any Illegal actions.
this month I got a whole 10 days of server for my $39.95 payment and now I have a phone I had power down cause they keep sending me TXT messages saying I need to send them money to have service…NOT A SINGLE text message says if you pay us your phone will charged on a per min basis from now one, they are sending me messages trying to get me to add money to use it, which in my opinion is trying to take more money from me then they already have gotten because I had a $6.00 credit on my account and after they took me off the plan they used up that on a per min basis with out even telling me they removed me from the unlimited plan now that is wrong.
At the very min this month alone they owe me the $39.95 + $6.00 credit I had on my account and last month my bill was up for renewal on 2/10 the tuned me off on 2/8 2 days before the renewal was due and I had to pay them early to get the phone back on.
They are not treating there customers right and that the big thing, Yea maybe $39.95 don’t seem like much to them but with the way american’s are having money issues its a lot to people like me.
Bottom line is if they get away with this then other prepaid company’s will start doing it and if we stop the practice in its tracks now and set an example that the american people wont stand for it then just maybe it will keep the other company’s from doing it too!
I sell you something and say it’s unlimited then you expect it to be unlimited no questions asked…. I’m sure you would expect it to be unlimited because I sold to you (saying its unlimted) that way.
Had I said Its Unlimited BUT you cant use it over this much, I am pretty sure you would not have bought it! Am I right?
Thats the main point I am making here!
If it’s not unlimited why do they state “… you get unlimited domestic voice minutes” and “Talk and Text all you want…”.
If there is a cap/limit or restrictions why are they not pointed out here, instead of misleading customers? Telling them to Talk as much as they want!!!
“Such uses would include, but are not limited to, machine-to-machine, telemarketing, autodialing, transmission of broadcasts or recorded material, and any and all other commercial uses.”
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Online%20Store/Minutes/Unlimited%20Talk%20n%20Text%20Card.aspx
the M2M and telemarketing autodialing I understand, but transmission of recorded material? Heck call some 800# be put on hold there’s recorded material (hold music) accidentally have some background music while you are on a call, oops… thats just ridiculous! What is this CB radio? From the 70′s?
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Terms%20and%20Conditions.aspx
“…if, for instance, you are placing an unusually high number of calls of unusually long duration. We reserve the right to respond to such abuse by placing you on a different class of service or, at our discretion, terminating your service….”
How can you place lots of long calls, if one makes one 8 hour call per day thats not very many but it’s ‘long’?
Why don’t they specify x minutes per month, or x calls per day max… or x minutes per call I don’t know but this is just dumb! If you don’t want people to USE their service then don’t offer “UNLIMITED”
If you weren’t making long calls what’s the point of unlimited talk? if they are all 1-2 mins long and you keep it to only 3 or 4 a day whoopee! This is stupid!
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Online%20Store/Minutes/Unlimited%20Talk%20n%20Text%20Card.aspx
“…The Unlimited Talk n Text plan… For just $39.95 per month, you get unlimited domestic voice minutes, unlimited domestic text messages, and 20 Megabytes of data transfer. Once activated, this plan will renew automatically every month. …”
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Plans/Unlimited%20Talk%20n%20Text.aspx
“…Talk and text all you want for only $39.95 a month! …”
Former Customer wrote: “At the very min this month alone they owe me the $39.95 + $6.00 credit I had on my account and last month my bill was up for renewal on 2/10 the tuned me off on 2/8 2 days before the renewal was due and I had to pay them early to get the phone back on.”
Incorrect. At the very minimum they owe you the 20 days worth of service from the $39.95, which is $26.64 approximately. Did you pay for the $6.00 credit or did you get that $6.00 credit FREE when you signed up? If you got the $6.00 credit free, they don’t owe you that $6.00 credit since you didn’t even pay for it! If you DID pay for the $6.00, then perhaps they owe you that, but I suspect you did not.
Many other companies market products as “unlimited” and have restrictions and clauses in their terms & conditions. This is standard practice. When you signed up for service, you agreed to the Terms & Conditions of service. You may not have read them, but that’s your fault, not PPC’s.
I also suspect that we’re not getting the WHOLE story here from many of the people who were disconnected. When push comes to shove, you can bet PPC has data on your phone number to prove that you violated that clause. The transmission of recorded material thing is TRANSMISSION, not HEARING it when you call an 800 #.
I understand your argument, I’m just saying that… well, PPC owes you a limited refund or credit, but they don’t owe you truly unlimited service. They have clause #6 in their terms & conditions which legally, thoroughly, covers them in this situation. Now, should you either get your refund or credit for time you paid for? Yes, completely agreed. But if you think you are going to strong-arm PPC into letting you have ‘true’ unlimited, think again. Verizon would never let it happen, and PPC would never let it happen.
The most you will get is your $26.64 back, plus the $6.00, if indeed you paid for it. Beyond that, find another provider if you are not happy. PPC is within their rights.
Jameson, the logic that you are arguing ignores the fact that Page Plus Cellular refuses to comment on the situation at all. We’ve certainly tried several times to get a comment from them on each and every matter in the article. A simple phone call or email is all it would take to resolve this.
They’re choosing not to, and that’s very suspect.
Jameson
What about Straight talk or Boost. So far no one has been kicked off or reduced to another plan.
Verzion got in trouble with the NY AG for doing something similar.
Yes I know Boost is Sprint prepaid but Straight Talk is a Verizon mvno. Those seem to have a higher limit.
@ Jameson-
Just because some company puts something in their T and C doesn’t mean it is legal. Courts overturn that stuff all the time.
And anyway, from what I understand Page Plus spells out the specific examples of what could be considered abuse. If he (or the many other customers reporting this same issue) didn’t break any of those specific examples, then Page Plus IS legally liable.
If they are just cancelling accounts because they deemed that he was talking too much, then they will have to prove that either he is talking more than he has been averaging the past several months, or else prove that they warned him about it in the past.
Legally, if they allowed him to talk on the phone a certain amount of time and never warned him about it, then they can’t suddelonly cancel him for doing what they have always allowed unless they notify him that there will be a change.
They can’t legally say “we can determine what is considered abuse, at our sole discretion, without listing it anywhere” and at the same time say “We are cancelling you for abuse even though we have allowed it without warning for 6 months straight and it’s not listed as abuse in any of our policies.”
Once they allow it for several months, at that point it is understood to be allowed unless they notify him of the new rules ahead of time.
Boost is not even on Verizon. ST has a completely separate negotiated contract with Verizon, and locked down devices, so I’m sure there is a LOT less abuse on ST’s system than on PPC’s. I’m not saying that the way PPC handled this was right, because it wasn’t. I’m not saying they do not owe refunds or credits, because they do. I’m just saying that companies ARE ALLOWED to advertise an “Unlimited” product that is NOT truly unlimited. It happens all the time. And they can run audits anytime they wish – once a month, once every 6 months, once a year, whatever, and that’s that. Legally, I think you are SOL, but hey, I’m not an attorney and I hope you get the resolution you want — but, again, if you think you can strong-arm PPC into giving you truly unlimited, you are dead wrong. Because you can’t.
@ Jameson
You are wrong man. If they advertise an unlimited plan, then it has to be unlimited. If they advertise an unlimited plan that has certain limitations, then they have to list those limitations.
If they advertise an unlimited plan that has limitations that they can determine on the fly, then they are required to warn the so called abusers in a timely fashion.
There is actually a law that covers this exact situation. If a company allows something for an extended period of time, and it is not specifically written into the contract (or T & C), then it is assumed to be acceptible. If the company later decides that is not acceptible, it is their duty to notify all affected parties in writing in advance of the upcoming change. This is the law. So if what the Page Plus customers were doing is the same thing they have been doing for several months, then Page Plus is legally liable here. It was their duty to inform customers that it would no longer be acceptable.
Jameson
Explain why did verizon agreed to refund money then and pay fines then for a similar think?
http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/20981
There is no excuse for Page Plus cutting people off ( assuming that they were truly system abusers ) before their billing period ends the without warning them.And even worse keeping their money if the still had a balance in their account . I hope that they make things good or severely suffer the consequence of their actions ( mass defections of customer and/or legal action )
Bill,
What we believe happened was that people were removed from the unlimited plan, without any notice.
Then calls were billed at the standard per-minute rate, which drained their balances. Then they were cut off, and upon calling in to customer service, were then told they were taken off the unlimited plan.
It’s Page Plus’s convoluted way of accounting for keeping people’s money and not refunding it.
Clearly, Page Plus is not taking actions to refund people, and considering they refuse to even talk to us… we doubt that is going to happen any time soon. Over the weekend we put multiple calls in to Page Plus staff. None were responded to today.
Question is: Why isn’t PPC responding to ANYONE? You guys have left voicemails, emails, and I’m sure tons of other people have to … but they’re not talking about this, at all, except through scripted responses through their CS people? What the heck?
I am not on the unlimited deal, but the 1200/1200 plan. I am paid up, not even close to being over on my minutes and have been without service since Saturday 3-19-10 . I emailed with a repair ticket and have not heard back. I have no other way to contact them. My phone says “service required”. Anyone else in this plan experiencing this problem?
@ Patrik
What kind of phone do you use? If the people on the 1200/1200 plans are having trouble too, maybe it has something to do with the type of phone?
LG Dare….
RE: Patrik on March 23rd, 2010, 8:45 am
I am not on the unlimited deal, but the 1200/1200 plan. I am paid up, not even close to being over on my minutes and have been without service since Saturday 3-19-10 . I emailed with a repair ticket and have not heard back. I have no other way to contact them. My phone says “service requiredâ€. Anyone else in this plan experiencing this problem?
You know Patrik you might find this funny 3/19/2010 is the exact day that Page Plus cut off my phone service…..if you go look at your account on line I’m sure you will see something like this:
11:06 AM EST Mar. 18, 2010 0.00 6.00 Credit/Replenishment
11:06 AM EST Mar. 18, 2010 0.00 6.00 Life Cycle Updates
11:05 AM EST Mar. 18, 2010 0.00 0.00 Remove Bundle Subscription Successful
11:05 AM EST Mar. 18, 2010 0.00 0.00 COSP Changes
11:05 AM EST Mar. 18, 2010 0.00 0.00 Stop Bundle Renewal Successful
That is the Exact info found in my call records Showing that they did remove my phone from the Unlimited plan and when they did that my $6.00 credit was used on a per min basis for calls I made till it was used up totally.
ALL OF THIS WITHOUT ANY NOTICE TO ME!
and here is where I paid for my service this month:
Balance Replenish Date
$39.95 3/6/2010
So you not alone I strongly suggest you file a complaint with the:
Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray
30 E. Broad St., 17th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Help Center
(800) 282-0515
Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m.
They will take your complaint over the and I think they will also do it in righting, or by email.
They told me they have had a lot of complaints about page plus the more complaints people file the better chance we have of bringing legal litigation against them!
Just an additional note on Page Plus Customers accounts this is what it says for the UNLIMITED Talk and text plan:
Unlimited Talk n Text (Expiring 4/9/2010)
min txt data
Unlimited Unlimited 20.00MB
Now just looking at this customers page the Taking is UNLIMITED, the Texting is UNLIMITED, and the DATA usage is limited to 20MB!
It doesn’t say Talk Min Unlimited (up to X mins) or Text Unlimited (up to X number of messages)
So just looking at this I say it should be UNLIMITED no matter what! Am I right people! Again this is DIRECTLY FROM a CURRENT CUSTOMERS UNLIMITED ACCOUNT SCREEN!
This is what my acct summary says.. nothing abnormal with it as far as I can see.. I make my living using this phone, so I went to just try and process a payment for $29.95 for another 1200 minutes and it refused the payment. Not sure what to do now.
Talk n Text 1200 (Expiring 4/5/2010)
min txt data
869 1135 50.00MB
Replenishment History
Balance Replenish Date
$29.95 3/6/2010
$29.95 2/2/2010
$29.95 12/30/2009
$29.95 12/6/2009
Patrik go look at the call records that where you see if they removed you out of the plan bundle.
11317205456289 1 09:15 AM EST Mar. 23, 2010 0.00 0.00 Successful O/G calls
11317205456289 1 03:17 PM EST Mar. 22, 2010 0.00 0.00 Successful O/G calls
11317205456289 1 01:01 PM EST Mar. 22, 2010 0.00 0.00 Successful O/G calls
11317205456289 1 02:39 PM EST Mar. 21, 2010 0.00 0.00 Successful O/G calls
11317205456289 1 02:29 PM EST Mar. 21, 2010 0.00 0.00 Successful O/G calls
11317205456289 1 08:30 AM EST Mar. 21, 2010 0.00 0.00 Successful O/G calls
30392xxxxx 07:04 AM EST Mar. 20, 2010 0.00 0.00 Successful O/G calls
30350xxxxx 1 07:01 AM EST Mar. 20, 2010 0.00 0.00 Successful O/G calls
303xxxxxxx 2 06:13 AM EST Mar. 20, 2010 0.00 0.00 Successful O/G calls
0 0 05:24 AM EST Mar. 20, 2010 0.00 0.00 Data (SMS, Mobile Web)
Here’s the weird part…. I have had no service since the 19th, but the record shows outgoing calls and data that has been successful? IS this just a big joke? are they just playing games? I sent in another call tag to them to explain whats up, but doubt I hear back. The numbers with the xxxx are actual numbers that I do indeed call, but obviously did not call them according to these times… whoa
Hummm do a 40 entry listing and look for something like this:
Credit/Replenishment
Life Cycle Updates
Remove Bundle Subscription Successful
COSP Changes
Stop Bundle Renewal Successful
It may or may not be the same but look for anything weird or out of the ordinary in it, if you find it be sure you print it out or screen shot it so you will have proof that they did it…
I do not work for any phone company or reseller I am just a customer that they removed off the UNLIMITED Talk and text plan with out notice just to let you know that!
The only thing different and strange is the fact that these entries started showing up ALOT beginning on March 17th.. below is the first one, but then a ton after that date.. I NEVER use the phone for ANYTHING but making calls and texting… but no entries like you have referenced. I still have almost 900 minutes and 1135 texts left on my account good till 4-5-10 according to my account summary.
0 0 04:26 PM EST Mar. 17, 2010 0.00 0.00 Data (SMS, Mobile Web)
my only guess would be any picture messages that you have sent or received….. if you can borrow a phone id still call them to see what they say too.
I have never sent or received a picture message on this phone or plan. ever. didn’t even know it was included.
Normally those show up as (Data (SMS, Mobil Web) but with page plus you never know what there doing with the accounting stuff.
(PERSONAL OPINION HERE) I DO NOT TRUST PAGE PLUS ANY MORE!
Below is the message I just got back regarding my repair tickets.. I tried the *22890, but makes it kinda hard to dial out when there is no signal to begin with..
RE: service is required on my LG DARE PHONE/Ticket 43160 & 42727
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 3:35 PMFrom: “Bob Sadowy” Add sender to ContactsTo: : tickets@pagepluscellular.comThank you for your e-mail. The only suggestion that I can make is try to reprogram your phone by dialing *22890 and SEND.
Unfortunately, for several reasons, we are not able to provide any troubleshooting assistance through email.
You will need to contact pageplus customer service by telephone for troubleshooting.
If you have any further questions or concerns, or if we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact pageplus customer care by calling 1-800-550-2436 or by dialing #737 from your mobile device.
Our customer service agents are available Monday through Saturday from 9 AM – 10 PM, and from 12 PM – 8 PM on Sundays (all times Eastern Standard).
Thank you for choosing Page Plus Cellular.
Tier 1 Support
1615 Timberwolf Drive
Holland, OH 43528
Toll Free: 800-550-2436
This is my response to Mr Sadowy:
I have no signal. how would I dial out to do this? But, I did attempt to anyway. I am aware of what is happening with several of your accounts on the unlimited plan, but why me on the 1200/1200 plan? WHY DID YOU CUT MY SERVICE OFF ON 3-19-10? I need an satisfactory answer and I need it asap. OTHERWISE, BE ADVISED: I will be contacting BBB tomorrow and FCC as well as Ohio attorney general.
Yep they Turn you off and then say to call them sounds like there Trying to hide from you so you cant contact them!!!!
If you can try to borrow a phone, use a neighbors or get to a pay phone can call them I’m very curious as to what they would tell you on the phone, a good idea would be to get a hold of a phone that has speaker phone on it and set a tape recorder next to it (in record mode of course) then tell them you are recording this call (so it can be used in court but dont tell them that part) ask why your phone is off and get there answer I’m sure they are gonna tell you something like you abused there TOS and it was a corp decision and can not be reversed. Not to mention they probably wont let you talk to a supervisor nor will they give you a phone number to the corp office or legal dept so you can file a lawsuit against them.
Thats what they told me when I called.
I’m hoping the News Media will pick up on what going on here and get some news stories out there so the Public will be alerted to what Page Plus is doing to its customers.
i have page plus since they start the unlimited talk and text and all my friends have page plus,we talk over 6000 minute a month without any problems,i love it and i recomend it to any one,i know more than 10 people have page plus,they love it
Following is the transcript with LG, regarding my “service required” message. Now it is a pointing the finger game.
Jose: Hello patrick hodge. Welcome to LG Electronics! How may I provide you with excellent service today?
patrick hodge: my LG phone has a message that says “service required”
patrick hodge: has had this same message since saturday
patrick hodge: I have page plus as my service provider
Jose: I am able to assist you with that.
patrick hodge: I am paid up and they have no idea of what to do for me
patrick hodge: I reset the phone to factory settings.
patrick hodge: now I have lost my phone number in the phone storage
patrick hodge: but still getting the message service required
Jose: Dare is a model that is supported by Verizon. You will need to get a software reload in your phone.
patrick hodge: I switched from verizon. I do not do business with verizon any more since last december
Jose: OK.
Jose: Well,
Jose: You will need to have your software reload. Try to see if the new carrier has the software.
patrick hodge: they don’t
patrick hodge: do you?
patrick hodge: the phone is 9 months old
patrick hodge: from my research, this seems to be a common problem with this phone. is this true?
Jose: We advise our customers to go to their Carrier to do this.
patrick hodge: is my phone under warranty?
Jose: Yes.
patrick hodge: can you explain what may have happened to cause this malfunction and the loss of my business calls for two days now?
Jose: It could be link with the way your new Carrier set the phone. This is a risk that you can always have whenever you change phones.
patrick hodge: the phone has worked fine for 4 months using page plus./
patrick hodge: what is your warranty replacement policy
patrick hodge: ??
Jose: I am going to explain you the LG Warranty.
Jose: Your unit has a one year limited warranty that begins on the date of purchase. This warranty does not cover physical, body, cosmetic, or moisture damages to the phone.If your phone does not meet all warranty requirements, charges will apply. Actual cost is dependent upon any found out-of-warranty damage and can not be determined until the equipment is assessed by our technicians. You will pay for sending the phone in and we will pay for sending the phone back to you. They will call you or email you to let you know the repair cost before doing the repair. I can tell you that if the repair is more than 100 dollars they will send the phone as it is and will not do the repair.
patrick hodge: come on, lets get to the point here. DOES the warranty cover this software malfunction that is reported all over the web by various users of this phone.
Jose: This is not a software malfunction.
Jose: This an error with the service configuration.
patrick hodge: so, are you saying I would be wasting my time by sending it in for warranty work?
patrick hodge: hello?
Jose: I would not say your will waste your time.
patrick hodge: what kind of experience have you had with the same incident?
Jose: Usually, customer go to the carrier and they fix this for them.
patrick hodge: I see. So I will forward this transcript to page plus and see what they say as a first step as they told me that I would have to contact the manufacturer.
Jose: Please have in mind that sometimes the phones have software updates and this updates could affect your networking as your networking is not the one that the phone was created for.
Jose: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
patrick hodge: I’ll also be posting this transcript on the blog sites that have numerous complaints about the exact same problem, of which many people had to end up buying a new phone since the “carrier” could not fix the problem
patrick hodge: What is by the way, your warranty replacement policy?
Jose: The warranty statement given previously is the one that rule all warranty process.
patrick hodge: ok, will be in touch
patrick hodge: thank you for the help
Jose: Is there anything else I can assist you with today?
Jose: Please share your experience with us by filling out the Survey at the end of this chat. Your opinion is important to us. Thank you for your kindness and patience enjoy the rest of your day.
Jose: We appreciate your time and would like to thank you providing us with this valuable feedback. Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us again. Thank you for choosing LG Electronics. We appreciate your business. Have a great day!
Page Plus uses the Verizon Network. Not sure why that LG guy said you were on a different network than the phone was created for, but your phone is actually on the network it was created for. You are just paying someone else (and they are paying Verizon).
@Patrick
LG Dare are bad phones. They have software issues. It is an internal problem you have because those are a defective model. Has NOTHING, repeat NOTHING to do with the abusing a plan. This is the wrong place for your post.
Problem has been resolved to my satisfaction. Even though my Dare was hooked up and worked for 4 months on the page plus network, I was finally informed that page plus does not support the phone and that is why it shut down due to a “software glitch”. I asked if they could port my number over to my old razr phone and they did just that and I am back in communication with the world. Once the problem was identified they handled it in an expedient professional manner.
RESPONSE from Page Plus on a Support ticket I put in on 3/19/10:
Please be advised that, due to Unlimited Plan Abuse as defined in our Terms and Conditions, your account has been moved to our Standard plan.
Page Plus Terms and Conditions (section 6):
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Terms%20and%20Conditions.aspx
We recommend that you port your number to a carrier able to provide the type of usage which you require.
Thank you
-
Nick Hilt
Page Plus Cellular
800-550-2436
Aint that a crock of S*&T now they bother to answer me 5 days after they do it! I still say they are a RIP OFF company!
My response to there email was:
Oh I see yall finally decided to reply to me 5 days later!
Well She dis not abuse the plan as in the Terms Of Service and I have filed against Page Plus because YOU STILL OWE us money for what we paid because you DID NOT notify us before removing us and we PAID for a MONTH of UNLIMITED.
Page Plus is FALSE ADVERTISING with the UNLIMITED Talk and Text Plan, and I will seek all LEGAL Damages that I am allowed to get by law!
YOU Breached the Contract by not notifying us before you took action and waiting till we paid for the month before cutting us off, thus you are also are in Breech of Trust because Page Plus owes us money because we did not get our full month that we paied for on 3/6/10
Rumor has it Phone News (this very site) interviewed Page Plus today and they will post the interview later…
I hope they asked the big questions like:
1. Why No one was Notified that they were dropping them from the UNLIMITED Talk and Text Plan
2. Why they didn’t do it BEFORE people paid
3. Since they DID do it after payments were made, Why the didnt REFUND Peoples money
4. Why do the advertise on there site for the UNLIMITED Talk and Text plan saying Talk as much as you want but then Turned people off for supposedly Talking too much. Isn’t that False Advertising
5. Why do they give a canned response instead of explaining there reasons and trying to work something out with there customers.
6. Why do they wait 5 days to respond to there emails
7. When asked to talk to a supervisor or get a number to reach some at the corp office did they say “You cant do that!”
8. Why do they Hide from requests for there Legal Dept’s info to give to an lawer
Thats just a few of the questions that should have been asked in my opinion! Feel free to add to that list guys!
[...] in researching and attempting to reach media contacts for the company. Mr. Yassine dismissed our initial article as lacking any merit. Mr. Yassine did admit that Page Plus lacks a formal media [...]
As noted in the trackback and update above, Page Plus has responded to our article, which we’ve posted in a follow-up:
http://www.phonenews.com/page-plus-responds-to-concerns-10659/
I was on the plane on March 18,2010 for 2 hours and 10m. When I go off the airplane to call my ride to let them know I was ready, my phone said insuffient funds. After spending 45 min at the airport, I use a pay phone to call my ride. After getting into their car I used her phone. repersentive told me for some reason my phone did’nt switch over to unlimited for some reason, she place me on hold. Came back to the phone and said my supervisor said you were place on straight plan for abuse. So I ask what abuse? She said she could’nt explain and the supervisor was busy. I said tell me how I abuse it, if I dont know what you’re calling abuse, it could happen again. She said thats all I can tell you and it can’t be reverse. I said ok thanks. Later that day I purchase another 39.99 card my phone said thanks for renewing your 30 day unlimited plan. So I used my phone for maybe 1 hour or less and it was off again. If I bought a card for $10 it would’ve given me 100 if I was on stright plan. I put 39.95 which sould’ve been 3900 min. of talk time. After reading these comments I will be filing a claim. I talk alot on my phone but they are page plus customers 97% of the time. Thank you’ll for the infomation because I just did’nt understand now I do understand it better after reading your comments.
Jaguar be sire you also read this other phone new link too: http://www.phonenews.com/page-plus-responds-to-concerns-10659/comment-page-1/#comment-38158
In it will make your blood as it did mine! MY suggestion is SPEND NO MORE MONEY WITH PAGE PLUS, and File COMPAINTS with THE BBB, THE FCC, and Ohio AG office! If you got a lawyer start a suite against them, I am still trying to find a lawyer so I can can show then just how NICE I AM GONNA BE to there pocket books!
Pageplus has been a “God sent” mobile phone service for me for a few years now. I use it for urgent matters and emergencies. I do not yak and text nonsenses nonstop and polute (creat congestion) the ‘airwaves’. People who wants and expects a fixed monthly fee for certain period of time in their short lives should go with those contracted services. For me, I want to stay frugal. People with intent to abuse, go do that to those voracious giants. Let Pageplus grow.
@ fruguru
You realize the only people getting their acocunts cancelled (and their money stolen) are people who paid for an unlimited account, right?
Are you saying people who pay for an unlimited account should not be allowed to “yak” and “text” as much as they want?
How is it abuse to talk and text after you paid for an unlimited talk and text plan?
According to a poster at hofo. The Ohio AG is looking into this. From reading his latest update. The AG is not concerned with the words unlimited. They are concerned with not pro-rating people accounts when dropped down to the standard rate. 39.95 would come to about $1.33 a day for 30 day period.
There is more info on this at http://www.phonenews.com/page-plus-responds-to-concerns-10659/comment-page-1/#comment-38398 if anyone wants to read even more that PhoneNews and its readers have to say about these issues.
Same thing happened to me today. My daughter’s phone was disconnected for using her “unlimited” voice and text. I have filed a completed with Ohio AG. Thanks for the information. It appears Page Plus is misrepresenting their plan.
Christina,
Did she get a pro rated credit for the rest of the month? From what I have read on hofo, the Ohio AG claims pp is suppose to give you credit.
Did they drop her down to the standard rate or totally disconnect her?
Greg I doubt she did, I still have gotten anything back from Page Plus, The only thing I have received from them is a CERTIFIED Return Receipt Requested letter from them with the EXACT canned Response there Customer Service Reps give on the phone, Hell the Letter was in response to Ohio AG inquiry and not one time did it mention anything about the money they (in my opinion) Stole from me and on top of that it was not even signed by anyone just a computer printed name. I sent the letter to the Ohio AG cause they were supposed to contact them not me.
Page Plus so far as I know has not given one penny out as a refund to any one!
And yet We see they are still up to there (in my opinion) Illegal tricks of stealing people money for there False Advertising of and UNLIMITED plan that is truly not unlimited.
There is more info on this at http://www.phonenews.com/page-plus-responds-to-concerns-10659/comment-page-1/#comment-38398 if anyone wants to read even more that PhoneNews and its readers have to say about these issues.
Even dropping down to the standard rate is a “bait and switch” tactic. They sell you an unlimited service, and then after you pay them they force you onto a more expensive plan?
Even if they pro rate the difference, they still “baited and switched” to get you using their service.
It’s not like you can just go out and get another phone, and another carrier, without missing a single call or text. You will be out of service for a while. Even in the best case scenario- which is not going to happen, but the best possible scenario would be Page Plus notifies you immediately that your plan changed, you already know abouyt another carrier that will activate your existing phone, and you port your number to them right that second. The porting process would take at least a few hours (or days), plus the activation process. How many calls and texts do you miss in the mean time?
Like I said, PagePlus has been a ‘God sent’ cellphone service to me. How can we be sure that this whole thing is not an attempt to crush Pageplus by it’s “competitors”. I’ve read one comment blaming Pageplus for ‘banning’ Blackberries, prepaid handsets, Treos, etc. Why would Pageplus like to ban those? Pageplus could have made mistakes in their advertisements dicisions. But I still think Pageplus is still the ‘Least evil’.
@ fruguru
So are you saying Page Plus competitors are making Page Plus cancel people’s “unlimited” accounts without refunding the difference? Or are you saying the people filing complaints with the FCC, BBB, and Attorney General are all lying and are really Page Plus competitors?
Some are genuine. Some are fake. Some are content. Some are ravenous. It’s the planet Earth. I just like to stay froogle. Pageplus helps me.
fruguru
BBB & AGs verifies complaints. So, it won’t be posted by mistake. In fact, if you lie to the AG about a complaint, that a criminal offense.
In this great land of ours, we the people are innocent until proven guilty. Pageplus should (and will) take this as an (another) opportunity to shine. It will come out a winner and change it’s name to PagePlus-Phoenix. For me, I just want to stay Froogle.
You are innocent until proven guilty, yes. and in the court of public opinion, Page Plus has been tried, convicted, and is in the process of being executed.
The comments by Page Plus Executive VP were pretty much the nail in the coffin.
Staying froogle is one thing, but you have to get what yo pay for. I don’t care how cheap it is if the company doesn’t actually provide the service you pay for. And even worse, if they don’t refund your money after they fail to provide the service…
All of the reports to the BBB, Attorney Genral, and FCC can’t be wrong.
[...] pre-paid company called Page Plus that has been in the news in the past weeks for removing an unlimited talk and text plan without warning because “people were abusing it” by talking too much (isn’t that the point of [...]
I read something about this on a class action website. Check it out: http://www.classaction.org/page-plus-cellular-unlimited-talk-and-text-plan.html
[...] Plus did not say that the changes were in any way related to the groundswell of complaints that led to the controversial interview with PhoneNews.com at CTIA this year. Some have speculated [...]
Check this out for a better option than page plus:
http://www.phonenews.com/virgin-mobile-new-beyond-talk-plans-and-new-phones-this-month-11148/
START WIRELESS, INC dba PAGE PLUS CELLULAR has reached an agreement with the Ohio Attorney General!
I received a letter dated November 4, 2010 that stated this and I QUOTE this:
“Re: In Re Start Wireless, Inc dba Page Plus Cellular
EAGO No. 410096
Restitution Eligibility Notice and Claim Form
Based upon consumer complaints, such as yours, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office initiated an investigation into the business practices of tart Wireless, Inc dba Page Plus Cellular. Our office and Start Wireless have reached a settlement agreement that requires Start Wireless to make significant changes to its business practices, including clearly and conspicuously providing consumers with the terms and conditions regarding its products and services and improving its customer service. Additionally the settlement agreement included a payment of a fine to the state of Ohio and customer restitution.
We have determined that you are eligible for a restitution payment in the amount of $200.00 based upon the complaint you filed with the Attorney General & Better Business Bureau. If you wish to receive this restitution please sign and date this letter in the space below and return it in the enclosed envelope before November 30, 2010.
If you have any questions, please feel free to call the Investigator Erin Hall at (419)-245-2548″
Well its looks like we won a small fight against big business but maybe now we have sent a message out to big business that we the American People are not gonna stand for Under handed business practices any more!
Make sure it is not a scam before you sign anything.
Its not I personally spoke with the Ohio Attorney General’s office I looked up there number and talked with them personally
This is funny. This has happened to me as ealy as 2009, back when the unlimited plan was $34.95. I had a Blackberry Storm activated with PagePlus Cellular in 2009. Halfway into my PRE-PAID month of service they turned my phone off. They told me that I downloaded a bunch of songs, ring tones and pictures and had gone over my data allowance which took me over my PRE-PAID limit and I actually OWED THEM MONEY! Now of course I’m pissed. I’m a grown a$$ woman with children, I don’t download songs or ringtones and if I did I’d cop to it. Of course I download pictures but not so many that they would take me over my data limit. The rep thought I was lying! He told me maybe my kids did it. Again, I’m a grown a$$ woman who paid $200 (refurbished) for this phone, I don’t let my kids ‘play’ on or with my phone…..sorry. He finally stated Blackberry’s continuously attempt to connect to the Internet…blah blah blah because I had no idea what he was talking about. Bottom line was, whatever he was trying to get me to understand made ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE, but it was the reason my account was in the RED and disconnected. So he told me they were no longer allowed to activate Blackberry’s, took the overage charges off my account, but would not reactivate my phone unless I paid for another unlimited plan!
My husband had the exact same phone and he never had to deal with that. But one day he called to pre-pay for the unlimited plan and two days later his phone was turned off. We were traveling at the time and the PagePlus rep said when we paid $34.95 it went towards ‘roaming charges’ and the rest went towards ‘minutes’ which he had used up. So we had to pay $44.95 to get the unlimited plan and to get the phone turned back on (the unlimited plan cost had changed within a matter of days). Talk about being PISSED!!
I have since cut PagePlus off but my husband stayed with them because he needs their coverage. (VERIZON, ALTHOUGH ABNOXIOUSLY EXPENSIVE, DOES HAVE THE BEST CELLULAR COVERAGE HANDS DOWN). He has switched phones though.
I hope there is some type of class action bought against them, they’re stealing people’s money. And will somebody, ANYBODY, PLEASE tell me how you can abuse an unlimited talk and text plan?????? Just askin’…..