This winter I traveled to Canada for a week starting January 29, 2011 ending February 5, 2011.

I contacted Verizon Wireless on January 12, 2011 to enquire about purchasing a service that would allow me to have service (voice, data, and sms) in Canada without incurring roaming charges. They told me that I could purchase their “Nationwide plus Canada” for $20/month more then my current plan and that would cover all roaming charges during my trip. I added this feature.

On January 29, 2011 while driving in Canada, I received a text message from Verizon saying that I had incurred over $200 of roaming charges. As soon as I arrived at my destination I called Verizon. They informed me that the “Nationwide Plus Canada” plan does not include data roaming. I then pointed them to their web site page:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=planFirst&action=viewPlanList&typeId=8&subTypeId=48&catId=930&sel=can

This link has information that contradicts or misleads customers concerning data roaming charges.

The Verizon service representative told me that they would issue me a credit for the existing charges and that I could buy 200 MB usage in Canada for $100. I agreed to this service.

After my trip I received my bill from Verizon with a $330 roaming charge. There was no detail on when the charge was accrued or what it was for.

I contacted Verizon and after several hours on the phone with them they could not explain the charges satisfactorily to me. They claimed that I was not covered for data roaming. They offered me half off of the $330 bill. I asked to speak to their supervisors and they said they would have their supervisors call me back within 48 hours. I did not receive a phone call but my I got a voicemail message from the representative I had been talking to – not the supervisor – saying nothing differently then they had told me before and than the charges stand - $330.

I clearly demonstrated to Verizon the intent to not incur roaming charges on my trip to Canada. Unfortunately, Verizon does not want to take responsibility for this charge.