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Back in October, Verizon settled a lawsuit regarding their unlimited data offering. It was advertised as just that — unlimited. However, many users were being stripped of their Verizon accounts because they were exceeding a “soft cap” of 5 GB per month. This wasn’t advertised anywhere, not even the terms of service. So a judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, and Verizon not only had to shell out over a million bucks, but they had to enter the soft cap in the TOS. It’s still there, but at least one user is still seeing “Unlimited MB Allowance” on his bill.

The image, taken from jkOnTheRun, says it all:

Yet, in the Verizon TOS:

Anyone using more than 5 GB per line in a given month is presumed to be using the service in a manner prohibited above, and we reserve the right to immediately terminate the service of any such person without notice.

Now, this was last updated on December 21, so the policy could have changed. But I don’t see that, especially since AT&T just got rid of unlimited data plans.

Plus, according to a Verizon rep I’m familiar with, the main reason for the cap is so users don’t tether their smartphones as modems. Verizon charges $15 per month extra for that. Verizon claims that the limit is set in place to curb “improper use,” but it appears they’re just trying to wring an extra $15 out of the most frequent users.

In any case, I can’t see this doing anything but opening Verizon up to another lawsuit.

[jkOnTheRun] via [Mobile Magazine]

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