VZW without data plan?

[djhcmd]

I couldnt track down a post directly relating to this subject but something tells me there is one.

Currently I am on VZW with the pay as you go data plan. I deleted the connection from my i760 and only use wifi. I have no need for anything but wifi as I live on a college campus and therefore always have wifi. I need to upgrade phones as my i760's screen is badly cracked. Verizon told me today that even if I bought a phone off ebay they would know what it was from the esn and would bill me for a data plan. Is this true? Is there anyone currently doing what I would like to do? I do not want to resign a contract and I really do not want to pay 30 dollars a month for something I wont use! Thanks

[bluruld]

Yes this is true. Verizon requires data plans with certain ESNs. Which they are requiring now on pretty much everything other than a simple phone.

I got rid of my home internet and just tether my phone to my computer now to justify the $30 data plan.

[djhcmd]

I dont mean to question you but how positive are you? If I simply buy one off ebay who are they to add services and fees to my contract without my consent? Also, What if I were to buy myself a new i760. I am not dissatisfied with my current phone, the screen is just cracked pretty badly. If I rebuy the same phone on ebay, will they add the fees when I activate the new one?

[bluruld]

I'm 100% sure that data plans are required on certain phones which is tracked by ESNs. There was a deadline that any smart phone or ppc released after a certain date would require a data plan. I forget the exact date but it was around Nov08.

The good is the data plan is attached to the phone and not your contract. Lets say I get into money issues and need to save $30/mo. You can change your phone to a non data required phone and get rid of the data plan.

I have a friend who slaves at one of Verizon's Walmart like stores. This is how he has explained it to me.

[jmorton10]

VZ absolutely requires data on any TP or TP2.

A guy I work with has an xv6800 with no data plan (he has WiFi 99% of the time) & he can't upgrade to a newer phone because of this (it makes no difference at all where you buy it from, they go by the ESN number)

~John

[djhcmd]

I dont think anyone has quite answered my question about the phone models though. If I were to purchase a used i760 off ebay would I then still be required to get a data plan when I activated it?

[bluruld]

I believe we have.

Obviously the i760 ESNs don't require a data plan as you currently don't have one. So any i760 you buy won't require one.

ESN is how verizon knows who you are in their system. When they pull up your ESN they see your phone model. If that ESN belongs to a TP2 WHAM you must have a data plan. Apparently i760 was released before they started requiring data plans so it is optional.

[djhcmd]

thanks guys

[apache500]

everything said above is correct. It is absolutely required. They started that with the TP1,omnia. etc. If u buy off ebay and try to activate it with *228 itll tell you to call customer service and theyll tell you its required. They told me there system wont let them activate a phone without a data plan. I already tried to talk my way out of it. I told them I had wifi all over too he said he was sorry but there system didn't allow it. Just my 2 cents.

[civichater]

Yes, All advanced devices like blackberrys and pdas that launched after nov '08 require at least a $30 a month data plan. Anything that is pre nov '08 does not, but if you don't want the plan the system will block national access from the phone. This means there will be no data in or out of the phone through the Verizon network. Wifi will still work.