dirty pool

As I mentioned a while ago, I sent my previous cell phone through the washing machine in a pair of pants – needless to say, the phone in question did not survive the experience, and I had to procure a new phone.
Given the somewhat strange pricing of used cell phones, I was able to pick up a Windows Mobile phone, complete with wifi capabilities, for not a whole lot more than another version of my old phone would cost, and i went ahead and jumped at the opportunity. My old laptop bit the dust a while back, and when I travel, I am completely cut off from the internet (oh noes!!11!). Granted, this cell phone’s battery life is not spectacular when its wifi antenna is turned on, but that is the price you pay… and that, as well as a review of the phone in question, is a topic for another post.
What is the topic of this post is Verizon‘s questionable business practices.
Given our geographic location, Verizon is pretty much the only option for us, which is somewhat unfortunate, given their older-technology networks, feature-limited phones, and generally-pricy service plans. However, life is life, and we have not been too upset with them over the past few months. Well, once I got this newfangled phone, I immediately went into its settings, and cancelled, deleted, and appropriately adjusted all of the features necessary to turn off its wireless data capabilities, leaving its wifi features untouched, but keeping it from using Verizon’s network to download any data – as I said, their plans are more than a little pricy, and the only choice we have out here is a $45-a-month unlimited data plan. Sorry, no.
Depsite doing that, after using the phone for a few days, I wanted to ensure that I was not actually using Verizon’s data system when I thought I was using wifi, so I logged into our family account and took a look at the usages. My phone showed “Data Used” of zero, but then it also showed a “Data Limit” of “Unlimited”. Bit strange, that, given that we never bothered to order a data plan for our old phones (they were scant more than just phones), and I did not order a data plan when I hooked up my new phone. So, I hopped on over to the online listing of my service plan, and under “Additional Features”, there was “Unlimited Data Access”, listed in plain English. Ok, now this is just wierd. The monthly access charge was unchanged from the $9.99 a month it costs me to act as a family plan rider on Better Half’s account, so I was thoroughly confused.
A phone call with Verizon Service later explained the situation to me – since I hooked up a phone capable of taking full advantage of Verizon’s data plans, they figured I should go ahead and have one of those data plans, and they gave me one – without me requesting one, without my knowledge, and without my assent. Needless to say, I cancelled the data plan, and my account will not be charged for it (and even if it were, I would not pay for it, given that I did not order the services), but is that anywhere even near legal? Can cell phone companies simply attach features to your plan, without your knowledge or agreement, and then try and charge you for them? Again, there is no way I am paying for something I did not request, but that just seems shady to the extreme.