FYI when you call in, at that time, an outage may not have been called or recognized. If it hasn't been, then the tech you speak with won't know there's an outage. As for unlimited, if you have the Cox App on your cell phone or tablet, and open it up, there's a link to data usage. If your usage is consistently less that 1.280 gigabytes, then yes, and unlimited plan isn't necessary. If you use less than 1.780 gigabytes, than the add 500 plan is better than the unlimited plan, saving you 20 bucks.
Lastly, when you call in, if you call in from a number identified in the system and and Verify through the automated system, then the agent you speak with should recognize that and acknowledge that by thanking you for verifying through the automated system, but the won't re-verify your information, as you have already been verified.
