A switch over to the VOLT E/ 4G LTE from the old 3G network has introduced a new problem for Ting Mobile users who don’t use mobile data at all.
When Ting mobile informed us the old 3G network was closing down, and we’d be forced to upgrade our SIM cards to use this new, better, VOLT E/4G LTE network, while inconvenient, it wasn’t a big deal.
We have a 3 line phone plan and, since we hardly ever need to use mobile data, the $10/month per line Flex Plan +$5 per shared GB was a no-brainer.
After a bit of a rough switchover switching over to T-Mobile’s Volt E towers upon Ting Mobile’s recommendation, we eventually got 3 sim cards that connected to Verizon’s 4G LTE network.
My goal with the Flex plan is to use absolutely no data (0 MB) to keep our phone bill as small as possible.
Even using 1 MB of data triggers that +$5 per GB and, at that point, I have to find excuses to use 900+MBs of mobile data when I don’t really want to.
If I accidentally used 1 MB and am now on the hook to pay for a whole 1 GB, might as well use the entire GB, right?
While switched over to this new Verizon 4G LTE network for the entire month of service, I made sure to NOT to use data…at all. That means I turned off mobile data capabilities on the other two phone lines and made sure I never turned on mobile data on my phone.
Yet, when I checked my monthly statement, I was surprised to see I was charged $5 for less than 5 Mbs of data usage.
I made sure to NOT use mobile data, so I was confused.
I chalked it up to a fluke but, the next month, I got charged for tiny amounts of mobile data…again!
Annoying.
I contacted Ting mobile over chat and learned that, with this new VOLT E/ 4G LTE network, your phone uses tiny amounts of mobile data even though you have mobile data turned off.
Lo and behold, an examination of my bill’s data usage shows the lines using tiny amounts of data every so often. .01MB here, another .2MB there, it adds up to whole MBs you’re eventually charged for.
There’s nothing on my end that I’m aware of that I can do to rectify it.
The workaround, I’m told, is to contact Ting customer service ASAP, right after your monthly cycle ends, and to ask them to give you a $5 credit.
That way, your bill, and credit is both applied when the card attached to your account is automatically charged.
If you wait too late, you’re charged for the full amount and any credit you ask for is applied to the next bill.
I guess if you’re OK being late and having two months worth of credit subtracted from your bill the next month, that’s OK, but, if you like to have a nice, clean bill with the relevant credits subtracted, contacting Ting Mobile ASAP is the way to go.
Here’s what my bill looks like with no mobile data used every month.
Since my billing cycle ends on the 1st of the month, I contact Ting mobile via chat and ask for a $5 credit.
I do that every. single. month.
Here’s what my billing history looks like because of that.
And I’m not the only Ting customer that noticed this.
Here’s a Ting mobile customer on Reddit going through the same thing.
Since my phone bill is so small, I don’t mind doing this every month.
But, I bet, there are hundreds or thousands of Ting mobile customers getting hit with this $5 extra GB bill of no fault of their own.
Hopefully this is a temporary thing I have to do and perhaps Ting, from now on, only starts counting mobile data usage after 10 MBs or something (the first 10 mb of the first GB are not counted.)
Regardless, if you’re getting charged for mobile data you know you don’t use, this is what’s happening.
Just contact Ting Customer service at the end of your billing cycle ASAP and ask for a credit covering what they charged you.