1. google123's Avatar
    Someone please help me understand this. I was an Alltel customer that is now with Verizon. I used to have a Pearl 8130 that I got with Alltel when I first started with BB. I had the tethering added to my account for $10. It was working fine and dandy until yesterday, when I decided to go the local Verizon store and purchase a Tour. Now, my tethering no longer works. I call Customer service to check and it turns out that because my Pearl was an Alltel device, the tethering was only costing me $10 a month because thats how much Alltel charged. Now that I have been grandfathered into Verizon, it was still only costing me $10. That is until I purchased the TOUR, which is a Verizon device. Now I have to pay $30/month for tethering. WHY?????? If I'm still grandfathered in why do I have to pay the Verizon fee instead of the Alltel fee until my contract actually expires in June 2010??????? This is BS!!!!

    Its almost as if if now that I got the TOUR, i'm suddenly, an "actual" verizon customer and so now I have to pay the higher price. What gives?? If that was going to be the case, basically, an actual "new" Verizon customer, why then did I have to pay Retail for the TOUR. Seems like I got screwed here somehow. Also, if I take the TOUR back and get a refund and return to using my Pearl that I got from Alltel, I'm still gonna have to pay the $30 for tethering instead of the old $10 charge.
    08-30-09 09:12 AM
  2. LawP's Avatar
    That's pretty much how it works. You might want to give Alltel corporate a call but I highly doubt anything will change.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-30-09 09:48 AM
  3. jgallant77's Avatar
    Welcome to verizon. Grab your ankles...
    08-30-09 10:22 AM
  4. Dr.Sadistic's Avatar
    Welcome to verizon. Grab your ankles...
    That's not nice... But it is, in some degrees, true. However, that increased teethering fee will allow you to enjoy faster speeds in a vastly larger area. Its the difference between a pinto and a porshe, one is just... better.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-30-09 10:58 AM
  5. Itstakenovermylife's Avatar
    Doesn't an app like TetherBerry get around this? Verizon really doesn't "know" if you're tethering when you use a 3rd party app, correct?
    08-30-09 11:03 AM
  6. Sargent_Who's Avatar
    I use TetherBerry on my tour it works great
    08-30-09 11:11 AM
  7. Dr.Sadistic's Avatar
    Doesn't an app like TetherBerry get around this? Verizon really doesn't "know" if you're tethering when you use a 3rd party app, correct?
    Yes and no. See, teetherberry uses your data package to connect you to their servers, which connects you to the internet, the same process by which VZW's teethering works. However, if VZW notices a substantial increase in you data usage, they could scan your ip to see whether or not your using the BB to connect another device to the internet. The long and short of it is, if you don't go crazy with teetherberry, and stay around 3 to 5 gigs a month, you'll be okay. Any more than that will immediately send a red flag to VZW.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-30-09 12:18 PM
  8. JRFI's Avatar
    ...Seems like I got screwed here somehow. ...
    Sure feels that way, don't it.

    I don't mean to laugh but I see the humor in this. I agree you got screwed and you know you got screwed. The problem is you're left going in circles to figure out which one is worse, the full retail for the Tour or the $30 for the data.
    08-30-09 12:20 PM
  9. LawP's Avatar
    Call verizon, be nice, (it isn't the guy or girl you're talking to's fault) and see if they can do something, your probably not going to walk away with a free phone or 10 dollar tethering but they might give you a credit or something. Remember they don't have to do anything so again be nice, if any carrier is going to help you out it's verizon.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-30-09 04:10 PM
  10. Motorcycle Mama's Avatar
    Tethering on your Alltel plan was an add-on and not part of your main plan. Therefore, it's not grandfathered on Verizon.

    If you want to tether, you will have to pay Verizon's price.

    Only your main plan carries forward once you change to a Verizon device.

    May not be the answer you want, but it's what they told us from the beginning about the transfer to Verizon.
    08-30-09 04:50 PM
  11. google123's Avatar
    Well for the last two months it was fine. I had the 9.99 charge on my bill for data and they only changed the price once I bought the tour.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-30-09 06:43 PM
  12. alb123's Avatar
    Yes and no. See, teetherberry uses your data package to connect you to their servers, which connects you to the internet, the same process by which VZW's teethering works. However, if VZW notices a substantial increase in you data usage, they could scan your ip to see whether or not your using the BB to connect another device to the internet. The long and short of it is, if you don't go crazy with teetherberry, and stay around 3 to 5 gigs a month, you'll be okay. Any more than that will immediately send a red flag to VZW.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    Are you intentionally spelling "TetherBerry" and "Teetherberry"?
    08-30-09 06:47 PM
  13. Motorcycle Mama's Avatar
    Well for the last two months it was fine. I had the 9.99 charge on my bill for data and they only changed the price once I bought the tour.
    Exactly.

    Once you changed to a Verizon device, the things that were not part of your contract don't carry forward.
    08-30-09 07:34 PM
  14. davidnc's Avatar
    Well for the last two months it was fine. I had the 9.99 charge on my bill for data and they only changed the price once I bought the tour.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    When you got the tour did you sign any vzw forums like you was switching over to their plan ?
    08-31-09 08:34 AM
  15. google123's Avatar
    When you got the tour did you sign any vzw forums like you was switching over to their plan ?
    I don't believe so, I signed twice while getting the phone. Once to indicate that I understood nothing on my plan was changing only the devices themselves and again when I swiped my debit card. That was it.
    08-31-09 09:10 AM
  16. Motorcycle Mama's Avatar
    Tethering is not part of your plan, unfortunately.
    08-31-09 11:16 AM
  17. davidnc's Avatar
    google123:I don't believe so, I signed twice while getting the phone. Once to indicate that I understood nothing on my plan was changing only the devices themselves and again when I swiped my debit card. That was it.
    If that was me and I was wanting to be totally clear on the way my plan was I would call them up and polietly ask the plan details and the question you had and explain how you understood it to be.
    For example in my case I did not have a blackberry when I was with alltel but I did have a MotoQ(unlimited internet, unlimited txt/pic messaging) and it was like 10 bucks a month for unlimited internet .Now with vzw and a blackberry and the blackberry data plan(BIS) it cost 30 bucks a month.The rest remained same
    Last edited by DavidNC; 09-01-09 at 10:10 AM.
    09-01-09 10:08 AM
  18. atom427's Avatar
    hi im new here. this is actually my first post. i just got a bb 1830 for me and another for my gf. i am with alltel but will be with verizon soon. i was told that because it was in my contract i would have my thetering grandfathered. i hope this same thing does not happen to me :/
    09-04-09 11:37 PM
  19. Motorcycle Mama's Avatar
    If you have tethering currently and if you don't change devices, nothing will change on your account.

    If you switch to a Verizon device, you can keep your main access plan, but any additional add-ons such as tethering and messaging plans most likely will not carry forward.
    09-05-09 07:37 AM
LINK TO POST COPIED TO CLIPBOARD