Question for Verizon customers (or cellphone aficionados)

[Pocketa]

So, I'm on Verizon, thinking of getting the $5/month plan to send unlimited texts to Verizon users. For $5, I can either get 250 texts or unlimited V2V texts, so I'm going with the latter.

Anyways.

The question is...

Is there a way to block the texts to my number from non-Verizon users?

I don't care if I have to get it done in a Verizon store, I'd have to go there anyways with my mom to get the texting added on.

Because I'd get charged for those, and seeing as I use my cellphone alot, once word gets out I got texting again, I'll get too many and end up getting charge a ton (~$15/month was the average and then my mom b& texting from my phone).

Sorry I'm posting this on GitP, it's just that people here tend to be more serious/factual/intelligent than the posters on 4chan, which is great for funny pictures, not so much for semi-serious teen life decisions. And Yahoo answers did not help, and I don't have a Yahoo account.

[Keld Denar]

I have verizon cell service. I actually just looked into something like this. There are only 2 ways to block incoming texts at all. The first is to disable ALL text exchange. This is not what you want. The other way is to block specific numbers. You log onto your account on the website and you can enter up to 5 numbers to block. You can get another 10, IIRC, but it'll cost you like, $3 a month, and for that you might as well pay the extra $5 per month for unlimited. Also, numbers you block that way stop all CALLS and TESTS from that number. This is what you do to keep your stalker exgirlfriend out of your life, not what you do to keep your overzealous friends from texting you "lol" every 15 seconds.

Sorry, probably not the answers you want, but your options are pretty much smitting your friends with a DO NOT WANT lecture on txt messaging or bucking up and getting unlimited. TRUST me when I tell you you don't want to go over on data charges. At $.10 a text (incoming OR outgoing), those puppies add up to the $5 difference REAL quick and its much worse from there.

Luckily, adjusting your data plan is REALLY easy. The trick (and its kinda a pain) is to watch your data usage with with the #min function or by logging onto the website and if you see your usage going over 300 texts around the time your billing cycle ends, call them and ask to be upgraded to unlimited. That way, you won't be charged more than $10 for that month. Then, after the bill goes through, call again and adjust your data plan back down to 250 a month, repeating the cycle as needed month to month. If you find that you are constantly going over, it might be worthwhile to leave it at unlimited.

If you want to verify any of what I've said, you can call them toll free from your handset. Just dial the #min or #pmt functions, wait for the voice prompt, and mash the 0 button till someone talks to you. I've NEVER had bad customer support over the phone (in person store customer support is often terrible though, IME).

Hope this helps! Any other questions?

[Pocketa]

Yeah, totally not the answer I wanted, but I'll hit up the Asian mall and a place in the Valley. People there are great, don't get a ton of business, know a ton of tricks, and can get great deals. Like, they blocked my phone from upgrading itself (it would upgrade unconsensually and charge me a ton for the download and the data) for stupid stuff like new icons (totally unnecessary). So, hopefully, I can get a deal at one of those places.

[Keld Denar]

Sorry I couldn't help. I'm serious when I said that I asked if I could do exactly what you asked (block texts from all non-network numbers) and according to the sales, tech support, and service plan people I talked to, that is not possible. Its a bummer, I know, but tja, thats life..

Alternatives? Don't get text messaging, get unlimited text messaging, smite your friends for texting you too much, or see if another carrier will be more generous.

Anyway, I wish you the best of luck. The thing I'm most POed about my phone service is that there is no way to take text messages off my phone and save them on my computer. If I forward them to my email, I lose the recieved number and timestamp, which, due to legal reasons, I need to preserve. So yea...I have 96 pieces of text message evidence on my phone and can only have up to 100 before I stop getting texts period...very ****ty.

[Pocketa]

I don't know about your phone, but I've got the env2, it's a whatever phone, it was free, anyways, expandable memory with a microSD card, I'm pretty sure it's able to expand my texts memory, but I'm not sure. Plus, USB cables, I guess?

Also, if I go with one of the plans (I'm think the 1500/month because it's just 5 bucks extra, so if I went even 50 texts over my limit, it would just be cheaper to have upgraded), do the texts include pictures and videos? It said it did, but are there any upload fees, etc.? Are pictures and videos and sounds covered under Unlimited Verizon to Verizon texting?

[skywalker]

Part of the problem with trying to advise you is that even tho I'm on Verizon, they have different plans for different locations. So my TN-related experience is probably very little use to you in... I'm gonna guess California (from clues like Burning Man, etc).

I like the "smite your friends" option. Maybe I'm just less social than you, but the people I know who don't have unlimited texting, I know, and I don't text those people unless it is extremely important that I talk to them. A lot of my friends have gotten unlimited by now, tho. One friend sent 6800 messages last month!

[Keld Denar]

Again, I encourage you to call them (hit #pmt and mash the 0 key till someone says hello) and go over these questions with them. I know my plan (250 txts/month), all messages are created equal. If I send a picture, its 1 txt. If I get a picture, its 1 txt. If I send a movie, its 1 txt. If its to another verizon person, it doesn't count against my limit. I've checked. Try something out once, if you are really curious. Go to the website, log in, and check your data usage. Then send a picture txt to a verizon friend. Wait a few minutes, then refresh the site. It should be relatively instantaneous, and you'll be able to see the difference. Then txt a picture to a non-verizon friend. Again, wait a couple, and refresh. I know when I look at my account on the website, I can toggle it to show my in-network messaging, out of network messaging, and total messaging. Just keep an eye on these and see if pics or videos or sounds or anything charges you for more than 1 txt. It shouldn't, mine doesn't, but like skywalker said, some things are different.

Also, I'm on an America's Choice plan, which means I don't roam EVER. This is nice because I spend a lot of time in Alaska, outside of verizons calling area. I do lose a lot of data features while up there though, and I'm thinkin that if I didn't have an America's Choice plan, I'd probably get hit pretty hard for texting outside of normal service areas. You can check coverage maps online as well.

Seriously though, just give em a ring. VZW call support people are seriously about the 2nd most friendly helpful support people I've ever talked to (behind Alaska Airlines...those guys ROCK!). I've NEVER had a problem they couldn't fix if it was within their power, but sometimes you just gotta admit that some things ARE outside of their power, and according to EVERYONE I've talked to there, there is no way to block only out of network text messages while still getting in-network texts.

Sorry.

[Pocketa]

@ Skywalker: Yeah, Berkeley, CA, hence why I went to the Berkeley GitP meetup

@ KD: Thanks for all the advice. I've decided to give up on trying to find a way around it for now, ask the connections for help, and just block anyone that sends me chaintexts (because if I forward it to 20 people, the amount of people that send it back to me is totally going to be the number I get for the next week whenever I roll a d20, right?), which shouldn't be a ton, and make sure to have considerate friends. Probably going with $15/month because I won't be using that many texts, but if I do get texted 550+ times on a 500/month plan, it makes sense to avoid the overages and just pay $5 flat.

Now, to convince the mother...

[THAC0]

Verizon is evil.

That is all I have to say.

[stm177]

There isn't a way to block texts from other cell phone carriers. Basically, when you call in, there is a list of things called provisioning that the customer support guy can turn on or off. Some cost money, others don't. You can block all premium texts or data usage on your phone, but it is not carrier specific.

There should still be a $10/month unlimited texting plan (not sure if its still offered on Verizon Wireless). That doesn't include picture messages.

Your mom can also go on the website verizonwireless.com and see what is offered herself and actually add and delete provisioning there.