http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/globalText?textName=CUSTOMER_AGREEMENT&jspName=footer/customerAgreement.jsp&textName=CUSTOMER_AGREEMENT&jspName=footer/customerAgreement.jsp said:Your service is subject to our business policies, practices and procedures, which we can change without notice. UNLESS OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WE CAN ALSO CHANGE PRICES AND ANY OTHER CONDITIONS IN THIS AGREEMENT AT ANY TIME BY SENDING YOU WRITTEN NOTICE PRIOR TO THE BILLING PERIOD IN WHICH THE CHANGES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR SERVICE AFTER THAT POINT, YOU’RE ACCEPTING THE CHANGES. IF THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE.
So basically you just have to call up and say that these changes have a material adverse effect on you and you would like to leave without an early termination fee.
I actually did the process in reverse, I ported my number to AT&T Wireless and then after the ETF was charged to my account, called Verizon to have it reversed. They will make every argument that you have to live up to the contract and pay the $175. They will say that the 5 cent change isn't going to have a material adverse effect on a occasional user of text messages like myself.
I only average two text messages a month so 10 cents a month were at stake. If my lite use of text messaging can qualify then anyone can qualify.
After 40 minutes of back and forth with a CSR I was able to get the ETF reversed. You just need to stick to your story and say that the definition of material adverse effect is not stated in the contract. The customer therefore has the right to decide what would have a material adverse effect on him or herself.
Note they first offered to cut my ETF in half. I told them that wouldn't be acceptable. The CSR said that is the best they can do and then asked how would I like to proceed. I said it seems like the next step is arbitration according to your contract. She said, well I could provide you the information on how to go that route but let me talk to my supervisor first. After about 10 minutes on hold they agreed to waive all ETF fees.
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Hmm... wonder if I call and change my family select plan (unlimited texting) to the basic plan (pay per txt), then call a few days later to cancel the contract because of the price increase for text msgs? I really didn't know the price was going up. Need to cancel anyway because I have a SERO line for myself, and now that I know it's decent coverage here, plan to switch the other 3 lines... I have 17 mos left on my contract - that would save me a ton of money if I didn't have to pay ETFs!
Yup - Im back - the supervisor from verizon wireless customer care. Hate to inform you all - argue all you want - we wont release an etf. Scream, cry, tell me your dog ate your cat. - You want out of a contract for a .05 change??? LOL - yeah right. Wont happen folks. Company wide memo states - no etf to be waived for a .05 increase - period.
Do the reps a favor and ask to speak to a supervisor right away when you call if you call for this reason. Rep can't waive the fee and supervisors won't.
Red me all you like, at least I'm honest and maybe save some of you from a high blood pressure moment.
BTW - I have prepay - no contract, overage fees or headaches!
I saw this at SD a while back, but yea, it does work. They'll try to offer you credits (only $5 in my case for a few months) or offer to waive the fee for the 250 txt plan for a few months.
I actually was trying to get a new phone for one of the lines on my family plan, because the current phone is POS. The best they offered was a phone at the 1 yr contract price, but those prices were ridiculous, super lower end and over $100 for a phone that had less features than the most basic phone on my plan now.
I have it noted that I can port out without an ETF, but not sure if I will...
And to those with prepaid, great that it works for you, but cell phone companies suck for making us stick to 2 yr contacts, they use to only be 1 yr. They use the contracts to screw you (well not really, it's their business to make money) so if you can use it to your advantage, then why not?
GeekyOne said:Yup - Im back - the supervisor from verizon wireless customer care. Hate to inform you all - argue all you want - we wont release an etf. Scream, cry, tell me your dog ate your cat. - You want out of a contract for a .05 change??? LOL - yeah right. Wont happen folks. Company wide memo states - no etf to be waived for a .05 increase - period.
Do the reps a favor and ask to speak to a supervisor right away when you call if you call for this reason. Rep can't waive the fee and supervisors won't.
Red me all you like, at least I'm honest and maybe save some of you from a high blood pressure moment.
BTW - I have prepay - no contract, overage fees or headaches!
I am not sure how you can be confused on the simple idea of signing a contract... People sign a contract so that they have guaranteed features for a specified period of time. When one side unilaterally changes the conditions/features, that generally voids the contract. That's not weaseling out of anything, that's how a contract works. Same with your rent agreement and mortgages. Or do you recommend that people "pre-pay" their mortgage in full as well?
NoMoneyInMyWallet said:Feel free to red me, but ...
Why do people willingly sign contracts, then weasel their way out on technicalities?
If you don't want a contract, there's a thing called "pre-paid".
GeekyOne said:Yup - Im back - the supervisor from verizon wireless customer care. Hate to inform you all - argue all you want - we wont release an etf. Scream, cry, tell me your dog ate your cat. - You want out of a contract for a .05 change??? LOL - yeah right. Wont happen folks. Company wide memo states - no etf to be waived for a .05 increase - period.
Do the reps a favor and ask to speak to a supervisor right away when you call if you call for this reason. Rep can't waive the fee and supervisors won't.
Red me all you like, at least I'm honest and maybe save some of you from a high blood pressure moment.
BTW - I have prepay - no contract, overage fees or headaches!
Not true at all. I got out of my Verizon contract last time they increased their prices on texts. They argued with me for over a half hour about it. So i sent them an email and made it known to them that i would be CCing a copy of it to the Attorney Generals Office of Washington State AND the FCC because the contract did state that any change done to it would void the contract and allow me to leave without any ETF. Two days later got an email back from Verizon saying they would be more then happy to let me out without an ETF and then tried like hell to keep me..... So yes it can be done, all i know is Verizon sure runs for the hills when you get the FCC and Attorney General involved so they must be doing something wrong...
sportmom said:Hmm... wonder if I call and change my family select plan (unlimited texting) to the basic plan (pay per txt), then call a few days later to cancel the contract because of the price increase for text msgs? I really didn't know the price was going up. Need to cancel anyway because I have a SERO line for myself, and now that I know it's decent coverage here, plan to switch the other 3 lines... I have 17 mos left on my contract - that would save me a ton of money if I didn't have to pay ETFs!
It would probably work best if you canceled your text plans like you said and waited a few days to call, but it could still be argued that the increase will affect you even if you are on the text plan. You could potentially go over the plan limit which would make the changes have a material adverse affect on you.
GeekyOne said:Yup - Im back - the supervisor from verizon wireless customer care. Hate to inform you all - argue all you want - we wont release an etf. Scream, cry, tell me your dog ate your cat. - You want out of a contract for a .05 change??? LOL - yeah right. Wont happen folks. Company wide memo states - no etf to be waived for a .05 increase - period.
Do the reps a favor and ask to speak to a supervisor right away when you call if you call for this reason. Rep can't waive the fee and supervisors won't.
Red me all you like, at least I'm honest and maybe save some of you from a high blood pressure moment.
BTW - I have prepay - no contract, overage fees or headaches!
All that's not true. It worked for me, just had to stick to my basic argument that the changes will have a material adverse affect on me. My lawyer friend told me that since "material adverse affect" is not defined anywhere in the contract it is up to the customer to decide what would have a material adverse affect on them. If Verizon would like they could decide to take each case to arbitration, however I don't think that would be a cost effective solution for them.
The other incorrect part of what you said is that the customer must talk to a supervisor for this to happen. Not true. I never directly spoke with a supervisor, but a supervisor did in fact have to approve the waiving of the ETF. I was put on hold for about 10 minutes after which the CSR said the supervisor agreed with me and the fee was waived.
The other tip I have is to stay calm. Allow the CSR to make his/her argument without interruption. But, be polite yet firm in your argument that the change in text messaging fees would have a material adverse affect on you.
RushnRockt said:I am not sure how you can be confused on the simple idea of signing a contract... People sign a contract so that they have guaranteed features for a specified period of time. When one side unilaterally changes the conditions/features, that generally voids the contract. That's not weaseling out of anything, that's how a contract works.My point was that most people that are getting out of these cell contracts is because they changed their mind (found a better deal, etc.), not because a $.05 text increase. People flat out admit that the change has no material impact, but they want to dump VZW and go elsewhere.
On the same token, do people cry "breach of contract" when VZW lowers the fees? Yes, Virginia, that has happened.
GeekyOne said:Yup - Im back - the supervisor from verizon wireless customer care. Hate to inform you all - argue all you want - we wont release an etf. Scream, cry, tell me your dog ate your cat. - You want out of a contract for a .05 change??? LOL - yeah right. Wont happen folks. Company wide memo states - no etf to be waived for a .05 increase - period.
Do the reps a favor and ask to speak to a supervisor right away when you call if you call for this reason. Rep can't waive the fee and supervisors won't.
Red me all you like, at least I'm honest and maybe save some of you from a high blood pressure moment.
BTW - I have prepay - no contract, overage fees or headaches!
I don't blame you for not wanting to be in a contract with Verizon, they suck.
I find it very funny that an employee of Verizon will not go into a contract with them.
It worked for me last week. Spoke to a rep for about 10 minutes, she said she would have to read the contract and speak to a supervisor. Oddly enough, I didn't get any offers to stay or antyhing.. I got a call back about an hour later approving my request. Unfortunately, it seems like all text/pic messaging is now blocked on both of my lines. Not a big deal, I'm porting to TMobile next week.
I had been with Verizon for 4 years (less than 30 days from contract end date). Now, I want a smartphone for less than $300, which Verizon doesn't offer. Their coverage is great, but plans/phones suck.
missnic said:It worked for me last week. Spoke to a rep for about 10 minutes, she said she would have to read the contract and speak to a supervisor. Oddly enough, I didn't get any offers to stay or antyhing.. I got a call back about an hour later approving my request. Unfortunately, it seems like all text/pic messaging is now blocked on both of my lines. Not a big deal, I'm porting to TMobile next week.
I had been with Verizon for 4 years (less than 30 days from contract end date). Now, I want a smartphone for less than $300, which Verizon doesn't offer. Their coverage is great, but plans/phones suck.
Even if you have a text plan, like I do on mine. The international text rate for incoming messages is increasing for ALL customers, so you can use that as a reason.
mike212 said:GeekyOne said:Yup - Im back - the supervisor from verizon wireless customer care. Hate to inform you all - argue all you want - we wont release an etf. Scream, cry, tell me your dog ate your cat. - You want out of a contract for a .05 change??? LOL - yeah right. Wont happen folks. Company wide memo states - no etf to be waived for a .05 increase - period.
Do the reps a favor and ask to speak to a supervisor right away when you call if you call for this reason. Rep can't waive the fee and supervisors won't.
Red me all you like, at least I'm honest and maybe save some of you from a high blood pressure moment.
BTW - I have prepay - no contract, overage fees or headaches!
All that's not true. It worked for me, just had to stick to my basic argument that the changes will have a material adverse affect on me. My lawyer friend told me that since "material adverse affect" is not defined anywhere in the contract it is up to the customer to decide what would have a material adverse affect on them. If Verizon would like they could decide to take each case to arbitration, however I don't think that would be a cost effective solution for them.
The other incorrect part of what you said is that the customer must talk to a supervisor for this to happen. Not true. I never directly spoke with a supervisor, but a supervisor did in fact have to approve the waiving of the ETF. I was put on hold for about 10 minutes after which the CSR said the supervisor agreed with me and the fee was waived.
The other tip I have is to stay calm. Allow the CSR to make his/her argument without interruption. But, be polite yet firm in your argument that the change in text messaging fees would have a material adverse affect on you.
For all of you saying you got out of an etf - there are factors we have in front of us that have to be considered - first off - anyone living in the north eastern us - no credits no waivers - comes down from the big dogs of the company.
Those in the midwest - you're starting to get a lot more deniability when it comes to credit and waivers. Thank all the people out there who know nothing of personal responsibility.
Anyone who has a text pkg on their account - you will be denied - again - hate me if you want to. Anyone who is an occasional text user - you will be denied. We have the ability to block text messaging - no adverse effect.
As for Verizon taking a bunch of cases to court - come on - any lawyer will tell you it would go in to a class action suit. Anyone joining in will get a very small settlement. Enjoy your 2.00 and the 5 - 7 years it will take to settle. Which by then you'll have switched to another carrier and be complaining how horrible they are. Come on people - personal responsibility. Put your credit cards away, pay off your debts, work less hours, be less stressed.
As for a csr waiving a fee - little tip for all of you - a csr can request to waive a fee if its higher than theyre allowed to waive and then inform you the fee has been waived - however - this doesnt make it true. Ask to speak to a supervisor if you want certainty that fee has been waived.
Now, with the likes of eBay and mom and pop wireless stores - I agree - phone prices are too high -but you can get a good used phone or bid on a new phone. (I just got a new phone from eBay and paid a third of what it would cost me at a store or through a csr) People, please don't whine when your phone falls in the toliet - I didnt put it there - but you do have other options and you can purchase insurance in case of such an event. Your insurance is not through verizon so we dont have control over what type of phone they send you.
Now this will be my last post on this topic. Feel free to bash and hate. I need to work and earn a living too. Red me for being personally responsible.
GeekyOne said:mike212 said:GeekyOne said:Yup - Im back - the supervisor from verizon wireless customer care. Hate to inform you all - argue all you want - we wont release an etf. Scream, cry, tell me your dog ate your cat. - You want out of a contract for a .05 change??? LOL - yeah right. Wont happen folks. Company wide memo states - no etf to be waived for a .05 increase - period.
Do the reps a favor and ask to speak to a supervisor right away when you call if you call for this reason. Rep can't waive the fee and supervisors won't.
Red me all you like, at least I'm honest and maybe save some of you from a high blood pressure moment.
BTW - I have prepay - no contract, overage fees or headaches!
All that's not true. It worked for me, just had to stick to my basic argument that the changes will have a material adverse affect on me. My lawyer friend told me that since "material adverse affect" is not defined anywhere in the contract it is up to the customer to decide what would have a material adverse affect on them. If Verizon would like they could decide to take each case to arbitration, however I don't think that would be a cost effective solution for them.
The other incorrect part of what you said is that the customer must talk to a supervisor for this to happen. Not true. I never directly spoke with a supervisor, but a supervisor did in fact have to approve the waiving of the ETF. I was put on hold for about 10 minutes after which the CSR said the supervisor agreed with me and the fee was waived.
The other tip I have is to stay calm. Allow the CSR to make his/her argument without interruption. But, be polite yet firm in your argument that the change in text messaging fees would have a material adverse affect on you.
For all of you saying you got out of an etf - there are factors we have in front of us that have to be considered - first off - anyone living in the north eastern us - no credits no waivers - comes down from the big dogs of the company.
Those in the midwest - you're starting to get a lot more deniability when it comes to credit and waivers. Thank all the people out there who know nothing of personal responsibility.
Anyone who has a text pkg on their account - you will be denied - again - hate me if you want to. Anyone who is an occasional text user - you will be denied. We have the ability to block text messaging - no adverse effect.
As for Verizon taking a bunch of cases to court - come on - any lawyer will tell you it would go in to a class action suit. Anyone joining in will get a very small settlement. Enjoy your 2.00 and the 5 - 7 years it will take to settle. Which by then you'll have switched to another carrier and be complaining how horrible they are. Come on people - personal responsibility. Put your credit cards away, pay off your debts, work less hours, be less stressed.
As for a csr waiving a fee - little tip for all of you - a csr can request to waive a fee if its higher than theyre allowed to waive and then inform you the fee has been waived - however - this doesnt make it true. Ask to speak to a supervisor if you want certainty that fee has been waived.
Now, with the likes of eBay and mom and pop wireless stores - I agree - phone prices are too high -but you can get a good used phone or bid on a new phone. (I just got a new phone from eBay and paid a third of what it would cost me at a store or through a csr) People, please don't whine when your phone falls in the toliet - I didnt put it there - but you do have other options and you can purchase insurance in case of such an event. Your insurance is not through verizon so we dont have control over what type of phone they send you.
Now this will be my last post on this topic. Feel free to bash and hate. I need to work and earn a living too. Red me for being personally responsible.
GeekyOne said:For all of you saying you got out of an etf - there are factors we have in front of us that have to be considered - first off - anyone living in the north eastern us - no credits no waivers - comes down from the big dogs of the company.
You keep making things up. Last I checked New York is in the North East. I have a New York phone number and a New York billing address. I did in fact receive a full credit of the ETF ($175) after a long discussion with the CSR.
I also called back Verizon Wireless today to make sure the credit was on my account and to pay off my final bill. My account was correctly adjusted, the ETF fee had been reversed.
I have a 3 phone plan with Verizon. One of the phones has unlimited text for $5/m. Does anyone know if that will effect my chances of getting out of my plan?
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