Millenicom customer base gets sold

[ksaltman]

Got this in an email today:

Dear Kxx Axx,

We are announcing the acquisition by Verizon of the Millenicom customers who use their service. There should be no interruption with your Internet connection, they will be in contact with you regarding plan options.

Please accept our most sincere appreciation for the opportunity to be your Internet provider.

Dennis Castle
Owner
Millenicom Inc.

So I gather the only real assets Millenicom had was their customers. Feeling like a #, anyone else?

[Titan Guy]

My wife has been trying to figure out how to make a little money on me. She will really be pissed when she finds out Millenicom sold me for cash.

[TNTBaker]

Wow, this is HUGE. I am not yet a Millenicom customer, and did note the NEW Verizon plans with a big reduction in cost. INTERESTING.

[Titan Guy]

What will be interesting is to see what our plan does. I am at $80 mo. for 20GB data.

[TNTBaker]

Wow that's cheap, NOTE! Verizon just announced a short time ago a "temporary" reduction in their large DATA plans! I called and got DOUBLE the data for LESS money every month. Only good until end of October, so if you are a VERIZON customer with a big data plan CALL THEM! You know they NEVER call you to say, "We have a cheaper plan for you!" I would drop dead of shock if they did.

[lwg]

There seems to be a sudden change in the data plan pricing for both Verizon and AT&T, guessing we're finally seeing an industry shift in pricing. More data for less money.

[TNTBaker]

I know there is a lot of posturing between the big companies as they continue to compete on the only thing that is left: DATA. Everyone offers unlimited texting and talk. (I still cringe from the days when you paid for texts and I had teenagers.... OY. One month: 13000 texts. I said, "WHEN do you have time to SLEEP?!!"

I am getting (I think) 30 GB now for $110. Anyway, make sure and check. It supposedly goes away soon.

[ksaltman]

I currently have the 20GB plan from Millenicom plus 10GB from AT&T shared between 2 iPhones and an iPad.

AT&T didn't call me but did send me a text about 2 weeks ago saying I could upgrade my data and get an additional 20GB (total 30gb) for an additional $30/month. I thought it was just a sort of scam as that worked out to be $1.50/GB for the upgraded data, you know that too good to be true thing, but perhaps I should do that now in case Verizon doesn't offer anything good.

AT&T offer only good until 10/31.

[brenkco]

Ken,
I use a Verizon air card and AT&T hot spots depending on where I am and the service available. I regularly change my data plan when needed. AT&T allows me unlimited changes during a month that back dates to the start of the billing period. I often change from my 2 gig to 10 or 30. Your right, the charge for 30 gig is only $30 more than 10 gig.

I think the expiration of 10/31 might be suspect....I have been making these changes at those rates for sometime now. Worth a call, however.

Verizon allows me to change too, but only allows 2 changes, back dated per month. As I'm burning through data with them, I watch it a bit more carefully.

Next week, were camping in an area where Verizon is poor and AT&T rocks. Several places we camped in Oregon last month, we had one or the other, not both.

Ken

[Dan]

Just had a "Chat" with Millenicom "they" don't know very much, I asked them if my account would be "transferred" over even if it's currently suspended they didn't know, I asked if they (Verizon) would honour the existing contracts they said the didn't know, its all up to Verizon. Gee I wonder if we will get screwed in this too????

[atom ant]

I just looked up Verizon - the new plans are called Edge, but it doesn't sound like I can change over until my phones are due for upgrade , which won't ever happen, with two daughters and mothers fascinated with that I-stuff. I think I have 23 months to go

[lwg]

Originally Posted by Dan

Just had a "Chat" with Millenicom "they" don't know very much, I asked them if my account would be "transferred" over even if it's currently suspended they didn't know, I asked if they (Verizon) would honour the existing contracts they said the didn't know, its all up to Verizon. Gee I wonder if we will get screwed in this too????

All of these details would have been laid out when Millenicom was in negotiations with Verizon. They are absolutely known items to their legal department. However for whatever reason they seem to be keeping it close to vest.

Unfortunately if I were guessing it will be up to Verizon to decide what to do based on the silence.

[ksaltman]

Turned on my Jetpack today and got a message from Verizon saying I should call 800-233-8974 to talk about plan options before 11/8 to avoid service interruption. Called twice today and stayed on hold for 40 minutes both times and never got to talk to anyone.

Has anyone heard anything from Verizon what the old Millenicom customer choices are?

[TNTBaker]

This is helpful information on Technomadia's site. They are really experts about all this stuff: http://www.rvmobileinternet.com/veri...com-customers/

[ksaltman]

That is very helpful. Thanks!

[atom ant]

You are lucky Ken - the new plans are about 1/2 what I am stuck with!

[0nTheRoad]

Millenicom is no more...at least not in the cellular data market. EVERY Millenicom 20G Hotspot customer should have received the email a couple of weeks ago notifying them that their account was being taken over by Verizon. The email I received on October 16th said...
Dear Chuck Treadway,

We are announcing the acquisition by Verizon of the Millenicom customers who use their service. There should be no interruption with your Internet connection, they will be in contact with you regarding plan options.

Please accept our most sincere appreciation for the opportunity to be your Internet provider.

Dennis Castle
Owner
Millenicom Inc.

Within the past couple of days many received the new message on their MiFi device from Verizon saying they should call 800-233-8974 to talk about plan options before 11/8 to avoid service interruption.

I didn't but I called Verizon myself...
The first time I called this morning I spent a little over an hour on hold, then was transferred to a message saying their system was down and the call was terminated. Called back and spent almost an hour on hold but finally got through to a rep. Here are the details...
Millenicom offered 20G of data for $89/mo, if you went over the 20G you got billed an additional $89 for another 20G, no incremental block was offered, so if you used 21G in a month you paid $179.
Verizon offered me 20G of data for $99/mo, $8 for each additional gB over the 20G. If you sign a one year contract they reduced the monthly charge to $89/mo, still $8 for each additional gB over the 20G. So basically the cost, at least for the first year, is a wash except I'll now have to pay the junk fees & taxes [Millenicom didn't charge them].

When you call Verizon you'll need to know the ten digit MDN [phone number] assigned to your MiFi device, mine starts with 484.

The deals being offered are only available to CURRENT Millenicom customers, no new accounts will get this offer.

So if you WERE a Millenicom customer you will need to go through the pain of calling Verizon before 11/08 or risk losing your service. Good luck...and find a good book to read while your on hold!

[atom ant]

hmmm, sounds a little more depressing than I thought. The Verizon packages for family plans are significantly better than we are paying now to Verizon, but didn't think about Millenicom.

[ksaltman]

OnTheRoad, the only question I have now is if I go w/ the no contract version and stop the service while I'm not using it will I be able to reactive at the lower rate or like "unlimited data" on AT&T once it is stopped never again will it be offered?

[0nTheRoad]

Ken, I don't know, I never had suspended mine while with Millenicom so I didn't even think to ask yesterday while on the line with Verizon...good question though, perhaps the next one who goes through the process of switching can let us know??? I personallt going to go through that painful experience again!!