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.
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...
mike212
Member
posted: Feb. 24, 2008 @ 9:47a
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.
mike212
Member
posted: Feb. 24, 2008 @ 9:58a
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.
So now your story has changed. Nice one......
mike212
Member
posted: Feb. 24, 2008 @ 5:15p
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.
jascorp
Thrifty Member
posted: Feb. 24, 2008 @ 10:39p
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?
Thanks!
mike212
Member
posted: Feb. 25, 2008 @ 9:57a
jascorp said: 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?
Thanks!
It would probably make your argument easier if you remove the plan before you call about the ETF.
ctaul
Senior Member
posted: Feb. 25, 2008 @ 11:35a
"Is there a Text Messaging increase for International Text Messages? The price for sending International Text messages will remain the same at $0.25 per message. Effective March 2, 2008, the price for receiving Text messages from customers of foreign wireless carriers will increase from $0.15 to $0.20 per message."
even if you have a text plan they are raising the prices to receive international messages so that should let you get out of contract 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".
I would agree that this statement does cover a lot of FW'ers in a many cases - but if they do change the rules after you signed your contract then they SHOULD allow you to get out of the contract without a penalty.
We are on the family plan that includes unlimited text to anyone - the only plan than makes sense with two kids on the plan texting away - so this will be of no help to me should I want to get out of the contract. I can see someone that does not have such a plan or pay for one of the text bundles getting hosed by having to pay more and wanting out of the deal.
The bottom line is that if VZW wants everyone to honor the contracts they sign then VZW should not change the term of use in mid-contract.
All the cell companies should be shot for not including the "regulatory fees" with their prices anyway. If you sign up for a $79 per month plan you end up paying $95 or something for the service after they add all the taxes and fees they left out of the price. Heck, even VoIP companies are doing this now - advertising one price for a month or year then tacking "fees" on top of the advertised rates.
mike212 said: jascorp said: 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?
Thanks!
It would probably make your argument easier if you remove the plan before you call about the ETF.
I would just call and argue on the international text rates going up for all customers. If you remove the text plan, they will see it and say you are agreeing to the new changes, did you want to add the text plan back on?
sportmom said: 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.
What text messaging plan did you have?
I had 250msg/$5 on both lines, and cancelled them online the day before I called. That didn't seem to be a factor though, I got no arguments.
froggyhumi
New Member
posted: Feb. 25, 2008 @ 5:43p
Thanks OP! I needed to get my cousin out of his contract (long story), and this worked perfect. I guess they've been getting a lot of these calls because the CSR only put up a fight for 1 minute before saying that he'd waive the fee due to me canceling because of the increase in text fee -- I didn't even have to specifically request the waiver.
kevinkevinkevin
Senior Member
posted: Feb. 25, 2008 @ 8:27p
Thanks OP. I like my Verizon service and my phone, but I just want to get out of the contract for fun. I like yelling at CSR's.
sordswinga
New Member
posted: Feb. 25, 2008 @ 8:30p
Thanks OP, I talked to michael at the rochester ny office after talking to some woman with an accent originally, I canceled with a $70 ETF charge and I will get the $70 credited back to my account. My contract was up in may, but my phone is 4 years old and my 1 year old son played with it too many times and the screen is all broken and only works when I power the phone on and off about 4 times and the sound is messed up where I can barely hear the other person, so this saved me the last 2 months worth of billing for a phone I basically wasnt using. I did this when they had the initial price increase a year ago when I had a 2nd phone on the plan, they allowed that other phone to be canceled because it had some text message usage but the phone I have now didnt have any text usage at that time so they gave me a hard time and only cancelled one phone back then. Now both phones are cancelled and my service ends on march 6th. You saved me about $90. I gave you some green.
I used the key words "material adverse effect" even though michael said Ive only had about 6 text messages per month the last 3 months and tried to keep my business by saying I had a $100 credit which I told him I would have to sign a new 2 year contract to use that credit. He played the game, but he didnt play hardball like the supervisor I dealt with last time. I talked to the original rep for about 1 minute and to michael for about 5 minutes and about 3 minutes of total hold time.
I'm a lurker so dont have many posts and not sure if I'm allowed to say, but there is a great thread on sds on this same topic with 40 or so pages... lots of info!
Anyways, called today after much hesitation (im chicken) and the rep was nice, sounded like he heard the speech a hundred times before... i mentioned that they were raising prices on texts and he immediately knew what i was up to... waived the etf on my last two family plan lines still on contract!
Called 2 times with no luck (including Supervisor). I have the txt package and because I have never received an international text message the change doesn't affect me. I claim it does and have since followed with an email claiming I am contacting the Attorney General and FCC for resolution. I want to go to SERO since my last VZW bill was crazy - rates can't compare for $49.95. Wish me luck!
Get someone overseas to send you a couple of text messages, then call back after you get your next bill and you have eliminated that excuse for not letting you out of your contract.
Of course, an honest person would just find a better plan on VZW and not have to pay whopper cell bills. Those over minutes at $0.40 or $0.45 are very expensive, it is much cheaper to pay for a higher priced plan if you talk that much. You could also track your usage free online or free on your phone via text message and just not go over what you are allowed in a month. Pace yourself thoughout the month and limit calls to those not on VZW to nights after 9pm and weekends.
Dennis
mike212
Member
posted: Feb. 26, 2008 @ 2:10p
3v1l said: Called 2 times with no luck (including Supervisor). I have the txt package and because I have never received an international text message the change doesn't affect me. I claim it does and have since followed with an email claiming I am contacting the Attorney General and FCC for resolution. I want to go to SERO since my last VZW bill was crazy - rates can't compare for $49.95. Wish me luck!
You could either have an international text message sent to you, or I think text messaging plans have limits for out of Verizon messages. You could email yourself text messages until you are over the limit.
Your email address is 1110005555@verizon.net (I think) replace those numbers with your phone numbers.
gofast
New Member
posted: Feb. 26, 2008 @ 5:08p
Just a heads up on this - I actually joined the formus to relay this....
A couple of years ago I did this exact thing when Verizon raised some rates on me - long story, but the rep checked with a supervisor and came back saying OK for me to get out of two lines with no ETF's. So I cancelled.
A few weeks later, I get a bill for $350 - I call them - the rep said that I shouldn't have been let out of the contract. I told them that's not really my fault, and they need to stand by their word. The rep actually READ BACK the previous phone call to me - the one in which I was told I would be released....and then said, "well that rep was wrong. you should have spoken with a supervisor".
At this point, it's like being in the twilight zone. I tell him, the last rep DID talk to a supervisor - you have the notes in front of you - you just read them back to me. Still the guy says tough - that I should have spoken to a supervisor. So I ask for a supervisor and get told no - still the person reads back the notes to me. I tell them that they are admitting they said I was out and aren't standing by their word, they tell me tough. This actually goes on for a long time - weeks in fact. During which time the report me to the credit agencies, causing my credit card rates to go up (one went form 1.9% for life of balance to 22.9%). My credit rating took a dump from high 700's to high 500's. We happened to be buying a house and got turned down for a mortgage (my wife had to finance it on her credit along). It was a disaster.
FINALLY I got a woman rep on like my 20th phone call that was appalled at what had happened to me. She fixed everything, including notifying credit agencies. She rocked. But in the meantime, I was at their mercy, which was the most frustrating, irritating, depressing thing ever. For that reason I will NEVER use Verizon again.
But I wanted to pass along that info so that those of you that go this route try to cover your butts to some extent. Like I said though, in my case they admitted they had told me one thing, but refused to stand by it.
Dwynne said: Of course, an honest person would just find a better plan on VZW and not have to pay whopper cell bills. Dennis
I am happy with verizon, just want a new phone and was going to wait till the end of the contract term... but like many have said before a contract is a contract, signed and agreed upon by both me AND verizon... why should I have to pay $175 to break the contract and verizon is allowed to break it any time they want?
It only makes sense that when verizon breaks the contract, we are no longer binded by said contract... it even has the clause in the contract that legally says we are free of it!!!
So I say even if your happy with verizon, call and get out! Why not? They would charge you $175 if you decided to change it!
You can get a new phone now without breaking your contract - that is no problem. You can log in to your account online and see the price (normally about the same as new customer's price) for yourself. If you have had your current phone > 1yr you could get an extra $50 off the new phone. Of course, if you have had it over 2 yrs you get $100 off. If you are on a family plan then that would have no effect on the contract dates of the other phones, just on the line that gets the new phone - it would extend to 1 or 2 more years from the date you purchase the phone and swap it out.
For example, on our family plan all of our phones could be out of contract then my daughter wants a new phone, so that line ONLY is under contract. Later, they offer the family plan with unlimited text messages to anyone so I moved all the phone to that plan. Now all the phones are under a 1yr deal EXCEPT my daughter's phone which extends to 2 years from when she got the phone. Then if *I* decide I want a new phone, my line would be under contract for 1 or 2 years from the date I got the new phone while the other phones would expire on different dates.
Keep in mind the contract is for keeping that line in service for 1 or 2 years after you get the new phone. So if you are 6 months in and want a new phone, just get it and you only add 6 more months to your contract term.
You may be under contract because you switched to a better plan, but if your phone is > 2 yrs old you can get the "new every 2" discount price anyway.
Usually ordering online nets the same price as in store except the rebates are instant rather than mail in and they normally give free shipping.
On occasion (like when my daughter got her new phone) I got an additional $50 credit for buying the new phone since it had been so long since her line had a new phone. This I had to do with an rep over the phone - so we paid online price less instant rebate then had a $50 additional credit on the bill. The last time I added a phone I did the same thing - went through a rep who gave me an additional discount / one time credit to make the additional phone a real bargain.
Dennis
shopbabe
Member
posted: Feb. 26, 2008 @ 6:53p
gofast said: Just a heads up on this - I actually joined the formus to relay this....
A couple of years ago I did this exact thing when Verizon raised some rates on me - long story, but the rep checked with a supervisor and came back saying OK for me to get out of two lines with no ETF's. So I cancelled.
A few weeks later, I get a bill for $350 - I call them - the rep said that I shouldn't have been let out of the contract. I told them that's not really my fault, and they need to stand by their word. The rep actually READ BACK the previous phone call to me - the one in which I was told I would be released....and then said, "well that rep was wrong. you should have spoken with a supervisor".
At this point, it's like being in the twilight zone. I tell him, the last rep DID talk to a supervisor - you have the notes in front of you - you just read them back to me. Still the guy says tough - that I should have spoken to a supervisor. So I ask for a supervisor and get told no - still the person reads back the notes to me. I tell them that they are admitting they said I was out and aren't standing by their word, they tell me tough. This actually goes on for a long time - weeks in fact. During which time the report me to the credit agencies, causing my credit card rates to go up (one went form 1.9% for life of balance to 22.9%). My credit rating took a dump from high 700's to high 500's. We happened to be buying a house and got turned down for a mortgage (my wife had to finance it on her credit along). It was a disaster.
FINALLY I got a woman rep on like my 20th phone call that was appalled at what had happened to me. She fixed everything, including notifying credit agencies. She rocked. But in the meantime, I was at their mercy, which was the most frustrating, irritating, depressing thing ever. For that reason I will NEVER use Verizon again.
But I wanted to pass along that info so that those of you that go this route try to cover your butts to some extent. Like I said though, in my case they admitted they had told me one thing, but refused to stand by it.
Go with caution, and good luck!
Brad
sorry to hear about your ordeal. why did they report you to the credit agencies though? did you pay your bills? if so, can you sue Verizon for causing you to lose out on a mortgage or something?
im glad the OP posted this at Fatwallet and informed everyone! i just got the Palm Centro with the SERO plan from Sprint and I have about 13 months left on y contract. this sounds like a blessing.
gofast
New Member
posted: Feb. 26, 2008 @ 11:25p
They reported me for not paying the $350 ETF they sent me a bill for. But like I said, they told me and admitted that they told me I didn't have to pay it. I paid and pay all my bills on time - had perfect credit - but when you get a 90 day past due it's majorly bad - and since it took close to 4 months to resolve this it was past 90 days.
We got the mortgage, I'm just not on it - got it under my wife's name only. Verizon finally fixed it all like I said, or rather a customer service rep with a conscience did. The rest of the people I dealt with at ALL levels of their customer relations departments treated me like garbage. And BTW I had been a Verizon subscriber for about 10 years - all my business phones when I lived in NY were Verizon (before that Bell Atlantic and Nynex) and I had spent literally 10's of thousands of dollars with them.
Never again for VZN for me - and never again will I take a contract if I can help it.
codex57
Shopaholic Member
posted: Feb. 27, 2008 @ 10:53a
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".
Proper contracts are negotiable. They also don't let one side unilaterally impose changes and harsher terms on the other. Since things are clearly weighted against the consumer, I have no problems when someone tries to get out of the contract using "technicalities."
gofast
New Member
posted: Feb. 27, 2008 @ 10:59a
Amen.
Skipping 35 Messages...
destroebl
Tired Member
posted: Oct. 16, 2008 @ 2:45p
destroebl said: rizorith said: I heard rumors of another contract change in September. Does anyone know if they will waive the early termination fee? I signed up and am getting terrible reception at home so I need to get out one way or another. They refuse to let me out even though I miss about 1/3 of my phone calls and about one in 5 calls drop within 10 minutes.
Anyone know anything about this possible September change? Has anyone been able to get out of their contract recently?
Bump... has anyone been able to pull this off recently?
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