Verizon Wireless Now Charging Upgrade Fee

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generalclean

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Mar 21, 2012
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Well I do believe that this move by Verizon might come and bite them in the butt. Hopefully they see their error in doing this. Why do us consumers have to pay to upgrade our phones if we are paying for the phones our selves.

Not right.
 

kinggremlin

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I don't understand who at Verizon thought this was a good idea. Eliminating the discount is one thing. But charging a customer a fee who has been with you at least 2 years to stay with you? That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why would any existing customer stay with them when it is likely that other carriers will be offering discounts for new customers? There is no way this policy will last long.
 

nhasibacsi

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Feb 3, 2012
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Thank you for this article. I was considering moving to Verizon from AT&T in the future. But it seems that Verizon has a track record for being unappreciative of its customers.
 
G

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Neat! This upcoming weekend I was intending to get a phone upgrade at Verizon. Instead, it's now cheaper and better for me to just switch carriers.

This is laughable. It's not exactly as if it's hard to switch carriers these days. In fact, it's seamless and the new carrier does everything they can to make your switch painless.

As a side note, I read an April Fool's joke back on the first that went something like this: "Verizon is an intelligent company....* cymbal crash*"
 

gorfmaster1

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What a joke, verizon sure thinks alot of themselves. if only they would pull there heads out of there asses and lower there prices so they can keep costumers instead of driving them away. i thought the bill was too high as it was, i hated how they got rid of there 3g phones so now you can only get a crappy phone you can afford or get s smartphone you cant afford.... wtf verizon
 

wildkitten

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May 29, 2008
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What a totally horrid move on Verizon's part. Guess they do not want customer retention.

And their excuses are obviously awful as well. Experts? Seems when I have called in about a problem, their "experts" know less than I do. All they do is want me to send back my phone to send me a "certified like crap" refurb one. Online edcational tools? Well, they can stop making these videos as there are better ones on Youtube made by other people. And the workshops? Went to one when I got my Bionic, learned nothing that the manual didn't already say and the last half of this "workshop" was a sales pitch for accessories.

If this stays in place, guess Sprint will be getting my business in a year and a half.
 

sykozis

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Dec 17, 2008
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Since nobody is forced to upgrade phones, how exactly is everyone equating an upgrade charge with being a contract renewal charge? Carriers want people to stop upgrading regularly....which is what this charge is really aimed at. If you keep your phone for more than 2 years, you won't have to pay the "upgrade fee".

[citation][nom]nhasibacsi[/nom]Thank you for this article. I was considering moving to Verizon from AT&T in the future. But it seems that Verizon has a track record for being unappreciative of its customers.[/citation]
At least Verizon doesn't have a "no class-action suit" agreement in their contracts like AT&T does/did....
 

dennphill

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Apr 12, 2012
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Lousy, lousy Verizon...but where to go? Hate AT&T, and long for great days with T-mobile in Europe when cells ("Handys") first started appearing en masse in the late 90s. T-mobile didn't make the Atlantic hop well, though. Have been happy with Verizon's family plan for the past half dozen plus years...without data plans; but it's time now for upgrades and Verizon is definitely out for me now.
 

zhangifan2017

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Apr 12, 2012
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Nice article!
g.gif
 

dennphill

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Just logged on to my Verizon Wireless account to send an email to them expressing displeasure...and I got a pop-up window (for chat) with a Kelvin who asked if he "could help me with my order." I fired off the email, expressing my feelings and stating intent to pass complaint/comment to FCC and regulatory agency in my state, pass info to my Congresspersons, and service comments to Consumer's Union, etc. Then i went into Kelvin telling him much the same. Bless his heart, but Kelvin told me they "have no such fees" and "even provide incentives for upgrades." I told him maybe he should check with his supervisors. I hope enough complaints from their (well, what is actually a pretty loyal) customer base will make them change back.
 

kinggremlin

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Guess what? My mom has been a "loyal" customer to the water and electric company - they don't give her shit.

Of course not, because utilities are usually a monopoly in whatever area they serve under gov't regulation to prevent gouging of their customers. You can't just click a mouse button a few times and switch to a different water company.

In almost any business it is known that getting new customers is far more expensive than keeping the ones you already have. Despite the fanatics and alarmist you see on a site like these, the vast majority of people don't really care who their wireless company is. All they care about is what phone they have and what they are paying for it. Barring some serious customer service issues, or significant savings from a competitor, most people won't bother to switch carriers just because their contract is up. If the carrier gives them special upgrade offer on a new phone, it is likely the customer won't even bother to see what the competition has.

What Verizon is doing here is just stupid, because they are giving a reason to the customers they already have to look at competitors. Why would a company want to replace customers they already have with new ones they probably had to provide upfront discounts to in order to convince them to switch?
 
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