Page Plus reportedly terminating unlimited Talk & Text accounts

Over the past few months there’s been a lot of hoopla about Page Plus Cellular. The company made headlines last year as it introduced a $40 unlimited talk and text plan, and then further expanded by adding a lower tier plan and eventually lowering its pay-as-you-go prices. Even lately there has been some positive, with the company offering its first brand new handset alongside a couple of refurbished models. It’s not all good, though. In January we learned that Page Plus would no longer activate brand new Verizon prepaid phones. While there have been complaints of deactivations, it doesn’t seem widespread. One issue that does figure to play prominently in the company’s future broke late last week. Apparently Page Plus has taken action against users who make use of their unlimited Talk & Text plan.

Reports of the terminations started circulating on Page Plus’s HoFo page. There have been many erroneous reports in that space, though, so we didn’t run with it immediately. But, when PhoneNews.com, a source we trust, reported on the terminations, we knew there was a story. It sounds like a complete stonewalling of unlimited customers. If they use more than some arbitrary level of minutes and messages, Page Plus sends a text message informing them of their delinquency. Once they call customer service, they find out whether they can switch to the Talk & Text 1200 plan, which provides 1,200 minutes and 1,2000 messages for $30 per month, or if they must port out.

That last bit causes a bit of confusion. Apparently different customers are told different things, so it sounds like an individual determination. Again, we don’t know how Page Plus is deciding who to cut, so we further don’t know why they allow certain customers to downgrade while forcing others to port out. It could be yet another arbitrary usage delineation.

As a personal take, if a company offers unlimited services it should be truly unlimited. If there are hard ceilings to what customers can use, it is not unlimited and therefore shouldn’t be advertised as such. I don’t see how it can be any other way without creating confusion, as we see with this story.

If you are among those cut off and Page Plus does not offer you a refund, you should contact the FCC and file a complaint.

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2 Responses

1. Page Plus raising rate of Unlimited Talk n Text | Prepaid Reviews Says
   

   [...] under criticism lately. It started in March, when a number of users reported that the company had terminated their accounts, citing an abuse of unlimited services. Page Plus responded a few days later, noting that this is [...]

   
   Posted on April 21st, 2010 at 7:31 am
2. Toufik M Says
   

   PagePlus its another failure company on the rise, they are cutting off their costumers, asking for more money, BTW their costumer service level is way on the dump, stuppid people working for them, with no education, nor manners.
   SWITCHING TODAY

   
   Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 11:27 am

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