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Verizon to Initiate $30 Device Upgrade Fee on April 22
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So every two years I will just change carriers.
What kills me is that if I go to Rat Shack or another reseller, Verizon or whoever pays them a commission (pretty big by the way) to sell me the phone and the plan. It's the same price as buying from Verizon directly. So they pay a reseller a $300 commission, but they have to charge me $30 to change phones?
Next time we're moving on and away from Verizon. AT&T sucks, so I guess we'll try Sprint. Then move back to Verizon. With three phones it will save us $90 every two years.
Screw them and their fees.
What kills me is that if I go to Rat Shack or another reseller, Verizon or whoever pays them a commission (pretty big by the way) to sell me the phone and the plan. It's the same price as buying from Verizon directly. So they pay a reseller a $300 commission, but they have to charge me $30 to change phones?
Next time we're moving on and away from Verizon. AT&T sucks, so I guess we'll try Sprint. Then move back to Verizon. With three phones it will save us $90 every two years.
Screw them and their fees.
If you think a reseller gets $300 commission for a single 24m connection then you're sadly mistaken.
That sounds normal for someone from outside the country. If they couldn't assess your credit, they didn't know if you were worth the risk or not...
That's what I have been told by two different individuals working for resellers. The salespeople are not paid that, but the retailer is by the cell provider. They did say it varied a little up or down depending on the provider.
I don't know much about the mobile carrier market in the states, but reading the comments they sound rediculous. It sounds like the market is primed for a European style carrier, even though their thriving so and so's they sound like charities in comparison. Free sims, texts included as part of a package, only paying to receive when overseas, the ability to downgrade a contrac halfway through and no activation/upgrade fee. Although its not likely to happen, from what I've read on here Americans would love the deals European providers offer. I'm genuinely sorry for you guys, they're really screwing you over, and unless there's a company offering an alternative there isn't a lot that can be done as not enough people would go without to make a point to the carriers.
They'll just hit you with an "activation fee" each time you switch carriers. It doesn't matter what they call it, they'll still get your money. It's B.S.
outcray
Simply an idiom-
they have us by the balls gentlemen ! they are slowly cooking us like lobsters - we dont feel the pain slowly turning up the heat.
Simply an idiom-
they have us by the balls gentlemen ! they are slowly cooking us like lobsters - we dont feel the pain slowly turning up the heat.
Google needs to buy T-Mobile (i.e. G-Mobile) and turn cell pricing on it's head by lighting up all that dark fiber, adding more towers and fast LTE across the country, with cheap monthly plans and fast connections - all phones welcome including the iPhone. Watch how quickly everyone leaves their current carrier!
Only t-mobile charges less per month if you bring your own device. Everyone else is beyond greedy! Unfortunately t-mobile coverage isn't as good in the areas I travel or I'd have never left. Equipment upgrade were pricey but my monthly was very low. and most carriers waive the activation fee for new customers. I've never paid it.
Cheers,
T-Mobile doesn't charge as much as the other carriers.
T-Mobile also doesn't make enough money to buy the spectrum it needs to expand its network coverage, or to roll out new technology like LTE. If they didn't get that 4 billion dollar "breakup fee" (and spectrum) from the failed AT&T merger, they'd be royally screwed at the moment.
Coincidence?
I'm not saying other carriers aren't greedy. I am saying that there's a downside to T-Mobile's business plan of charging so little.
Usually when one upgrades they sign a new 2 year contract... this should be more than enough to cover these so-called expenses the carriers are enduring... This SUCKS
Big cellphone companies like AT&T and Verizon are always trying to find ways to rip us off.
Indeed they are, unfortunately that greed seems to pay off in having better tech and coverage than the other lower cost providers.
I left T-Mobile because of coverage issues and while Sprint's voice coverage and call quality has been great any time I'm outside the 4G WiMAX areas their service is very slow on 3G. Also, as a CDMA carrier the lack of simultaneous voice and data even with dual radios can be annoying.
Luckily I also carry a Verizon iPad
I guess we like to complain but unless another carrier materializes out of thin air with great coverage, performance and pricing I think we're all stuck!
Cheers,
Now wait a second everyone, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint are charging "Upgrade Fees" for new phones on new plans.
If I walk into an Apple store, they're going to sell me an iPhone for $199, and transfer over my existing plan. AT&T doesn't care what phone I have.
Hell, they wouldn't have ever known I upgraded to an iPhone 4 if I didn't change the little icon from the original iPhone 2G on their website. I still have a $40 data plan at 200mbs, a $20 minute plan of 250 minutes and rollover, and a $5 texting plan. I've never changed my plan, ever, and I've never been hit with any extra fees.
So why not just go to an Apple store for an iPhone? Am I really expected to pay $30+ for the privilege of walking into a wireless providers' store? Yeah, right. The check is in the mail.
If I walk into an Apple store, they're going to sell me an iPhone for $199, and transfer over my existing plan. AT&T doesn't care what phone I have.
Hell, they wouldn't have ever known I upgraded to an iPhone 4 if I didn't change the little icon from the original iPhone 2G on their website. I still have a $40 data plan at 200mbs, a $20 minute plan of 250 minutes and rollover, and a $5 texting plan. I've never changed my plan, ever, and I've never been hit with any extra fees.
So why not just go to an Apple store for an iPhone? Am I really expected to pay $30+ for the privilege of walking into a wireless providers' store? Yeah, right.
The check is in the mail.
I don't get it, if i'm buying a new phone once my contract expires and I upgrade to a new phone and sign a new 2 year contract i'm going to be charged $30 for upgrading to a new phone.....
Dollars to donuts the fine print in the contract says that Verizon reserves the right to change anything at anytime.
I don't know anything specifically about Verizon, but I can say that at least with AT&T, those fees are automatically waived for business accounts -- including IRU (Individual Responsibility User) lines. Depending on your company's size, check out your HR benefits website or ask whoever would handle that sort of thing. By tying your account to a business account (all they do is add a special number called a FAN), gets you monthly savings (varies by company), waived activation and upgrade fees, product discounts (not iPhones), and 24/7 business or enterprise customer care. I would assume Verizon's deal will be similar.
With AT&T, you can also do a quick check eligibility using your work email at: https://www.wireless.att.com/business/authenticate/
[Disclaimer -- I used to work for AT&T -- not trying to advertise for them though]
That's not really accurate. AT&T definitely knows what phone you have based on your IMEI -- it just isn't really tied in to the website in any way. And the plan you're describing is a newer iPhone plan (though not currently offered), not the very strange ones used on the original iPhone. There never was anything other than unlimited data offered on the original iPhone, unless you meant iPhone 2G as in iPhone 3G, in which case they would have had no reason to ever change your plan.
But if you get a new subsidized iPhone (you mentioned $199) from anywhere including Apple, you're agreeing to renew your contract. Unless your account has waived upgrade/activation fees, you will get hit with that charge on your next phone bill. They are supposed to tell you that, and it is on the contract you sign, but people often don't pay attention.
With AT&T, you can also do a quick check eligibility using your work email at: https://www.wireless.att.com/business/authenticate/
[Disclaimer -- I used to work for AT&T -- not trying to advertise for them though]
Now wait a second everyone, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint are charging "Upgrade Fees" for new phones on new plans.
If I walk into an Apple store, they're going to sell me an iPhone for $199, and transfer over my existing plan. AT&T doesn't care what phone I have.
Hell, they wouldn't have ever known I upgraded to an iPhone 4 if I didn't change the little icon from the original iPhone 2G on their website. I still have a $40 data plan at 200mbs, a $20 minute plan of 250 minutes and rollover, and a $5 texting plan. I've never changed my plan, ever, and I've never been hit with any extra fees.
So why not just go to an Apple store for an iPhone? Am I really expected to pay $30+ for the privilege of walking into a wireless providers' store? Yeah, right.
That's not really accurate. AT&T definitely knows what phone you have based on your IMEI -- it just isn't really tied in to the website in any way. And the plan you're describing is a newer iPhone plan (though not currently offered), not the very strange ones used on the original iPhone. There never was anything other than unlimited data offered on the original iPhone, unless you meant iPhone 2G as in iPhone 3G, in which case they would have had no reason to ever change your plan.
But if you get a new subsidized iPhone (you mentioned $199) from anywhere including Apple, you're agreeing to renew your contract. Unless your account has waived upgrade/activation fees, you will get hit with that charge on your next phone bill. They are supposed to tell you that, and it is on the contract you sign, but people often don't pay attention.
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