Verizon Makes Customers Wait Longer for Upgrades

[Number 41]

Everyone should just get into the habit of paying full price. Never agree to another contract then see how these carriers act.

Never going to happen. We're a country of instant-gratification, especially the younger generations. You tell use we can have something for $99 instead of $500, we're going to take the $99 every time.

Plus, unsubsidized phones are huge expenses -- $650 - $850 for the iPhone 5. Most people would gladly choose to pay more over the long haul in exchange for not putting down a huge pile of cash up-front.

 

[laflores]

Verizon I am SICK of you. I get unusable 3G speeds every day in the afternoon and when it does work I get about .3 Mb/s down .05 up in my town. Now they are going to do THIS? I pay them good money every month for my service and I am SO ****ING DONE

You know, last time I checked this is MacRumors, not Verizon customer service...

 

[Luscious]

This is kind of dumb, if you ask me. One of the benefits for the carrier on allowing the early upgrade is holding a carrot in front of the user that will get them to re-up before their contract is up. Now, they're going to put me in a position to make my carrier decision without any hindrance of the contract.

Cutting their own noses off to spite their face, IMO

Exactly. Being eligible for an early upgrade has kept me with AT&T for my last two upgrade cycles. I want the new phone and am happy enough with my plan and coverage that I don't care about shopping around for another carrier even though I might be able to save $10-$20 bucks a month. If AT&T pulled this your darn right I'd be checking out Sprint, Verizon and now T-Mobile to see if I can get a better deal. Stupid move on Verizon's part.

 

[Karma*Police]

I'm so glad I left them. Screwed up my billing and overcharged me. All carriers are greedy but these guys take the cake.

 

[aajeevlin]

Never going to happen. We're a country of instant-gratification, especially the younger generations. You tell use we can have something for $99 instead of $500, we're going to take the $99 every time.

Plus, unsubsidized phones are huge expenses -- $650 - $850 for the iPhone 5. Most people would gladly choose to pay more over the long haul in exchange for not putting down a huge pile of cash up-front.

And Tmobile is addressing this by offering payment plan. There you go...

 

[cruisencode]

My interpretation of their news release is that subscribers tend to have more than one device (phones, tablets, etc), so they don't need those 4 months to entice you to renew; you are already locked into their service because your other devices also have contracts which have not yet expired.

This.

I have 2 phones and an iPad with Verizon. The iPad is MTM, but the 2 phones have contract end dates a year apart. I either have to wait a year to switch carriers or I pay a 1 year ETF.

 

[alent1234]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always figured the reason for the early upgrade at a subsidized price was to lock you back into another 2 year contract at a time when you were more concerned about getting a new phone than re-upping for another 2 years.

It seems that with this policy, they are making it easier for customers to just leave. If you are desperate for a new phone and the first time you are allowed to upgrade coincides with the end of your endentured servitude to your wireless provider, then why not shop around?

everyone is cheaper than verizon, but the service is not as good
sure i can leave AT&T in 2014, but what is the point?

Verizon costs a little more
sprint is crap. their network is dial up speeds
t-mo is fast but they have coverage issues. i've seen people inside NYC on EDGE

 

[darkslide29]

I see nothing wrong. I'll still be getting my iPhones around the release date.

LOL well if you see nothing wrong and it's confirmed you'll be getting your iPhone on release day, why did they even publish this article?
Mods, please delete the thread.

 

[alent1234]

And Tmobile is addressing this by offering payment plan. There you go...

so what is the difference?

i checked the prices t-mo and AT&T are the same price

 

[barkomatic]

Agreed 100%. Unfortunately, it's now only a matter of time before AT&T implements the same policy. That's usually how these things work out.

Yes indeed -- and a major reason why the Justice Department blocked the AT&T/T-mobile merger. As it stands there is far too much collusion between Verizon and AT&T--can you imagine if they were allowed to swallow up all the smaller carriers?

It's hard to believe there are people that actually believe that a lack of government regulation leads to *more* competition when in practice the exact opposite is true.

 

[Shrink]

You know, last time I checked this is MacRumors, not Verizon customer service...

But it's so much easier to throw a hissy fit here than actually to do something about one's impotent rage...

 

[Nabooly]

<---- Contract-less with unlimited 4G

Let's just hope VZW doesn't kick me where it hurts anytime soon.

 

[ghsDUDE]

Wait...so if I renewed in Oct 2012 I'm going to now have to wait until Oct 2014?

If they made this change for NEW contracts I'd understand...but for CURRENT contracts this is BS!

 

[Maschil]

PagePlus is the answer for Verizon Wireless customers. Only downer is no 4G, but aside from that, it is the same service at half the cost.

yep im using my iphone on it....

 

[Xenomorph]

AT&T and Verizon seem to really enjoy hurting people.

T-Mobile will be getting my money.

 

[darkslide29]

Wait...so if I renewed in Oct 2012 I'm going to now have to wait until Oct 2014?

If they made this change for NEW contracts I'd understand...but for CURRENT contracts this is BS!

I thought the same thing -- it says first customers affected are those who's contract expires Jan 2014 - meaning they signed up in Jan 2012! That's messed up!!

Am I the first to throw out whether this is a breach of contract, they are changing the terms, so one can leave ETF free?? Had to start sometime.

 

[aajeevlin]

so what is the difference?

i checked the prices t-mo and AT&T are the same price

5 lines unlimited talk/text + 2Gb of data (each phone) is $160 thats $30 per phone per month. I don't know if ATT is that low.

 

[alent1234]

5 lines unlimited talk/text + 2Gb of data (each phone) is $160 thats $30 per phone per month. I don't know if ATT is that low.

plus the phone payments. another $100?

 

[theanonymousbob]

The truth?

Oligopoly.

What people don't realize is that switching carriers doesn't actually do anything, nor does boycotting. It's all the same, just with different labels. You are simply switching to a different cabin on the same rotten ship. America!

Yep. The only way you have any power over the carriers is by owning your device up front and not being beholden to them through a contract.

I love my iPhone, but my contract is up next March and I'm tired of paying $160/month between my wife and I. The T-Mobile $50/month plan and buying a $299 Google Nexus 4 phone is looking awfully attractive.

 

[larrylaffer]

Why would they announce a change like this right after T-Mobile announces their new iPhone 5 support? Has the Verizon board lost its mind?

 

[Shrink]

I thought the same thing -- it says first customers affected are those who's contract expires Jan 2014 - meaning they signed up in Jan 2012! That's messed up!!

Am I the first to throw out whether this is a breach of contract, they are changing the terms, so one can leave ETF free?? Had to start sometime.

I haven't actually read my Contract (and shame on me!). Does it actually say, in so many words in the Contract that one can terminate the Contract four months early without an ETF??

Or has that been an unwritten policy, not a formal part of the Contract??

 

[alent1234]

Why would they announce a change like this right after T-Mobile announces their new iPhone 5 support? Has the Verizon board lost its mind?

i know people who buy iphones for their kids
no one in their right mind will spend $450 in cash to buy a phone for their kids. $0 on 2 year contract and $30 a month for the service is OK

 

[gri]

A bit anachronistic isn't it? Didn't T-Mobile just got rid of contractual binding?

 

[JayCee842]

I recently got an iphone 5 two months ago. I ATT does the same thing, I am leaving no matter what. I do not care if I have to pay a cancellation fee.

This is ridiculous. I will not be part of their selfishness and make them more rich!

 

[flux73]

AT&T and Verizon seem to really enjoy hurting people.

T-Mobile will be getting my money.

What happened was that they ripped off their customers by continuing to collect subsidies past the 2 year contract. So then they got used to the fat profits and their shareholders expected it. So now they can't do the right thing anymore without causing their share price to implode.