I am writing a news article about cell phone data charges - many people accidentally hit the shortcut key to mobile web and are charged for it - even if they've been on for a millisecond.
Below is an excerpt from a piece in the NY Times that references a class Verizon reps are taking.
Verizon hasn't denied this, but they also haven't confirmed it.
Can someone agree to speak to me off the record on this, completely anonymously?
if so, email me at anonnewstips867@gmail.com
I AM ON DEADLINE - so today (11/16) is the day!)

At about the same time, I got a note from a reader who says he actually works at Verizon, and he's annoyed enough about the practice to blow the whistle:

"The phone is designed in such a way that you can almost never avoid getting $1.99 charge on the bill. Around the OK button on a typical flip phone are the up, down, left, right arrows. If you open the flip and accidentally press the up arrow key, you see that the phone starts to connect to the web. So you hit END right away. Well, too late. You will be charged $1.99 for that 0.02 kilobytes of data. NOT COOL. I've had phones for years, and I sometimes do that mistake to this day, as I'm sure you have. Legal, yes; ethical, NO.

"Every month, the 87 million customers will accidentally hit that key a few times a month! That's over $300 million per month in data revenue off a simple mistake!

"Our marketing, billing, and technical departments are all aware of this. But they have failed to do anything about it—and why? Because if you get 87 million customers to pay $1.99, why stop this revenue? Customer Service might credit you if you call and complain, but this practice is just not right.

"Now, you can ask to have this feature blocked. But even then, if you one of those buttons by accident, your phone transmits data; you get a message that you cannot use the service because it's blocked--BUT you just used 0.06 kilobytes of data to get that message, so you are now charged $1.99 again!

"They have started training us reps that too many data blocks are being put on accounts now; they're actually making us take classes called Alternatives to Data Blocks. They do not want all the blocks, because 40% of Verizon's revenue now comes from data use. I just know there are millions of people out there that don't even notice this $1.99 on the bill."

full article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/t...email.html?_r=2

Or you could just change the shortcut key (which is easily done on every phone that I am aware of) to do something else besides launch the mobile web, problem solved.

Many phones shortcut keys are non-reprogrammable.
My Verizon phone allows me to reprogram 3 of the 4 directional keys, NOT the one that goes to mobile web.

Which phone do you have you liar

Thanks for calling me a liar, classy.

LG VX 5500.

1. This is not the right forum for this.. I believe this forum is for agents/employees to discuss amongst their peers..
2. Block mobile web if you can't keep your finger off the buttons
3. This is the garbage that leads to mandatory data plans.
4. I've been saying for years that they should just give the first megabyte free.