Some Verizon customers say their data use (and fees!) has mysteriously soared recently

Q: When is the only time in life that you can’t wait to get older?

A: When you’ve used up all your cell phone data for the month and can’t wait for a new month to arrive.

I exceeded my monthly cell phone data last month, I believe for the first time ever, and paid an overage fee.  I took this as a personal failure, given what I do for a living. It was particularly painful because I *almost* made it through the final day of the month, but something went wrong with my WiFi/network data switch that pushed me over by by a measly half gig.  Which cost me $15.

Grrr. I lost the gotcha game that time.

I thought it odd, because I am pretty good at the game. But then the shocker came this month, when I used up most of my monthly allotment by mid-month. With 7 days to go, I basically turned off my phone’s data so I could limp to the finish line.  I didn’t think much of it — I was using a refurbished phone that had been behaving oddly since I received it, and figured it somehow screwed up the WiFi thing again.

Still, I thought it odd. Apparently I wasn’t alone.

There’s a series of excellent stories about sudden data overages in the Cleveland Plain Dealer written this month by Theresa Dixon Murray.  She started out complaining about her own surprise data overages, and then received a pile of complaints from readers who say their data usage is mysteriously up 50% or more.  That pile is now thousands from all around the country, and today, Murray reported that the incident has caught the attention of the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC confirmed that to me.

“We are aware of consumer complaints to the Commission on this issue,” said spokesman Will Wiquist. “We cannot comment on whether or not this might result in an investigation.”

Let’s be clear: The FCC is saying only that it reads the paper.  That could mean anything.

And let me be fair to Verizon:  My initial perception that my own data tally had spiked a lot wasn’t really right.  When I looked at the last 6 months, I saw my usage hovering around 13-14 gigs…and it was now 16-17. So, not exactly a surge.

Still, I am pretty good at monitoring usage and making sure I don’t put myself on pace exceed my allotment. I *do* feel like I have pulled up my usage meter far more often these past two months, and that I’ve gotten curiously bad at staying on the right side of my personal daily data allotment.  I’ve never shut down my mobile data connection before.  (I know this it’s a pretty good idea during the time of the day when you don’t need it, anyway).

In my head, I’d chalked it up to an increase in auto-playing video, or something similar.  I also imagined Verizon might have begun using some kind of new, potentially more accurate data metering tool.

There can be 1,000 reasons for data to get used up quicker than expected. During this past month, I got a new phone. Just by following the activation prompts, my phone started sucking down all sorts of apps and backup data. Before I could redirect the activation procedure to WiFi, it had used 1 of my 2 remaining precious gigs I had been holding back for an emergency (there was a little cussing in the Sullivan house over that).

I’ve asked Verizon for an explanation and was told the firm is looking into it. As you’ve perhaps picked up from my tone, I am not ready to accuse anyone of anything here. It seems plausible that some apps are downloading more data in the background (something you can stop in settings), or evil auto play video is eating up data  (ESPN, I’m looking at you.  Really, this MUST be stopped).   And I’m constantly amazed at how inelegantly smartphones switch from free WiFi to $$$ data.

I would bet that I could do a story at any time saying, “Are you mad about data overages?” and get lots of emails from consumers saying they have been unfairly charged.  Why? How the heck are you supposed to know how much data you are using walking around, clicking on email, and just generally doing mobile phone things. It’s a confusing arena, so that’s a potential explanation.

Still, something else might be going on. So this a very good time to revisit your phone’s options and settings to prevent bill shock. Android, for example, offer a nice tool that turns off data if you surpass a certain level. I set it to kick in every few days, even early in the month when it seems like I’ll never use all that data.  That helps me pace myself.  With 4G phones and HD video, it’s just so easy to run through those gigs. And pay those fees.

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