My cell phone (flip phone) is a little more than 2yrs. old. It’s almost ready to retirement. Our Verizon family plan was up for renewal last August. So, I figured it was time to turn in my flip phone and get a basic replacement phone. I’ve done this in the past without any problem. Bring in the old phone, pick out a new phone, transfer the contact list…done. No charges, not hassles. Not this time!! Verizon wants to charge $30 to transfer to a new phone!!! I walked out of the store! $30 for what??? They call it an “upgrade” fee! I’m not upgrading anything, I want to switch from one basic flip phone to another. Anyone have any feelings, ideas about this?
We’ve been with Verizon forever and have had no problems before. I just don’t like the idea of a $30 fee for phone transfer.
They lost me 3 years ago when I wanted to add a 3rd line for my son. They kept pushing data plans that I did not want and then showed me one piece of crap phone stating that it was the only phone they had that would work without buying a data plan. Went to T-Mobile, got 3 new (nice) phones and 3 new lines with talk/text which is all I wanted and it was less than what we had been paying for 2 lines at Verizon. The problem is, with so few choices anymore, they are all getting too big for their britches. Same with cable companies.
I solved my Verizon problems like DF did. it was a very satisfying day for me . I was with the same carrier from 1995 until 2012. it felt great reminding them of that as I walk out the door
id try best buy mobile. the verizon office at home sucked but best buy mobile in north charleston has treated my wife and i just fine (still with a verizon line) although we have definitely considered switching providers as long as we can get good reception my next duty station seeing as i can get unlimited everything with T mobile (also available at best buy i think) for the same price as text, pics, and no internet with verizon. $30 extra a month a line for internet? ive lived my whole life without phone internet so for that much i think not!
They had an article in the newspaper about 8 months ago. They explained the $30 fee was to make up for the smart phone age. They sell $600 smart phones for $99 with a 2 year contract. That is the reason for the new $30 charge. They claimed smart phones were putting a major dent in thier profits. It does suck. I was thinking about trying one of the pre paid non contract phones. I have a few friends who did this and they complain about coverage alot. We get a 20% discount from Verizon because of my wifes job. Guess I will keep going with them.
They sell $600 smart phones for (**() close to $600 after the contract is fulfilled. They just want more money. Learn about phone subsidies and contract terms. If you think even that basic flip phone has been free all this time, you are sadly mistaken. Verizon (and AT&T, I think) are now also charging upgrade fees when you replace a phone and renew your contract, and these fees are in addition to the percentage of your monthly charges that have always gone to pay for the “free” phone.
Even worse, if you ever skipped a phone upgrade, you were giving them money for nothing for every month you continued to use your old phone without upgrading. You may fulfill your contract and essentially pay off that “free” phone, but the subsidy fees remain.
Look at T-Mobile’s current pricing to see what removing the phone subsidy does to the monthly bill. They’re now calling that up-front $99 what it really has been all along … a down payment. The difference is, you don’t have to keep making payments to T-Mobile after the contract is up unless you want a new phone.
They sell $600 smart phones for (**() close to $600 after the contract is fulfilled. They just want more money. Learn about phone subsidies and contract terms. If you think even that basic flip phone has been free all this time, you are sadly mistaken. Verizon (and AT&T, I think) are now also charging upgrade fees when you replace a phone and renew your contract, and these fees are in addition to the percentage of your monthly charges that have always gone to pay for the “free” phone.
Even worse, if you ever skipped a phone upgrade, you were giving them money for nothing for every month you continued to use your old phone without upgrading. You may fulfill your contract and essentially pay off that “free” phone, but the subsidy fees remain.
Look at T-Mobile’s current pricing to see what removing the phone subsidy does to the monthly bill. They’re now calling that up-front $99 what it really has been all along … a down payment. The difference is, you don’t have to keep making payments to T-Mobile after the contract is up unless you want a new phone.
I'd rather pay more and know I have a signal when I need one. My sister has T Mobile and it is horrible. You get what you pay for. Verizon is a Caddilac T Mobile a Daewoo.
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I'd rather pay more and know I have a signal when I need one. My sister has T Mobile and it is horrible. You get what you pay for. Verizon is a Caddilac T Mobile a Daewoo.
Arguably, but that comparison doesn’t hold up when you compare anything but simple coverage area. T-Mobile’s HSPA+ network operates significantly faster than Verizon’s LTE. If you are a smartphone owner dependent more on data speed and spend most of your time in urban environments where T-Mobile’s network is generally very good, T-Mobile holds the edge. If you’re still using a flip phone and utilizing more voice minutes than anything else, Verizon will win on everything but price, and they’ll lose big on price.
I’ve got issues with T-Mobile as well, but I feel like they are certainly the more transparent of the major carriers these days. No hidden fees, no exorbitant data overages, no subsidies. For someone who has been buying phones outright for some time, they are certainly an attractive option these days. I have excellent data coverage in most of the areas where I spend any amount of time (with speeds often matching or surpassing even my at-home cable internet connection), and I generally have OK voice coverage in more remote areas. If I lived somewhere in the sticks, I’m sure I couldn’t say the same.
I think it’s silly to be a fan of something like a mobile carrier, though. They are all corporate pirates, and they all have their strengths and weaknesses.
I think it’s even sillier that most folks still don’t understand the subsidy model of mobile service and lament the extinction of the “free” phone. If you’re a basic flip phone user, you’re arguably getting screwed even more now that smartphones are the norm if you don’t move to a smartphone. You’re paying the same monthly fees as a smartphone user - the same inflated month
Since I’m a simple “flip phone” user, no data plans, no smart phone, are you all saying that I can buy outright a flip phone and then get cheaper monthly service plans? Do companies have cheaper plans if you don’t buy a discounted or free phone from them? Or are there 2 year contracts still the same?
I guess it is all in where you live. In Columbia I have no problems and never have in/around Charleston or Myrtle Beach. I did find out yesterday that T-Mobile no longer makes you sign a contract and, you can buy a T-Mobile compatible phone from somewhere else and they will activate it for free and you can use it on their system.
I guess it is all in where you live. In Columbia I have no problems and never have in/around Charleston or Myrtle Beach. I did find out yesterday that T-Mobile no longer makes you sign a contract and, you can buy a T-Mobile compatible phone from somewhere else and they will activate it for free and you can use it on their system.
You can do that with Verizon also. Bought my wife and MIL a phone off of eBay that was Verizon ready that were way less than in store and activated them on my Verizon family plan with no contract on either one. I have a smart phone and get 20% off from my job, so I’ll stick with them. Also live in the sticks and can actually get service inside my house now.
Since I’m a simple “flip phone” user, no data plans, no smart phone, are you all saying that I can buy outright a flip phone and then get cheaper monthly service plans? Do companies have cheaper plans if you don’t buy a discounted or free phone from them? Or are there 2 year contracts still the same?
The phones are never free. They never have been. The carriers subsidize the cost of the phone up front in exchange for a two year contract. They build the cost of the devices into their monthly rates, or require inflated data charges to make up the difference. This is why you face a huge ETF if you terminate the contract before they recoup the subsidy.
Prepaid companies and T-Mobile are all contract-free. Contracts and subsidies are mandatory with all the other postpaid carriers (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, etc.) unless you choose from their prepaid plans. The drawback of this is you have to pay for your device up-front. If you purchase a high-end device, that means an up-front cost of $400+. T-Mobile does offer no-interest financing, and while it does bring the monthly cost up to nearly where it would be as a result of a subsidy, the monthly payments for the device stop once the cost of the device is paid. This doesn’t happen with a subsidy - you just keep paying the same amount.
You’ll still be at a loss as a basic user, though. All the carriers have shifted their focus to mobile web, and you’ll be lucky to find a plan that doesn’t include and/or require you to pay for some sort of data package. The real problem there is that the cheaper plans are usually cheaper because they sacrifice voice minutes, not data. Look at Verizon’s prepaid plans - $35 for 500 minutes a month and unlimited text/data or $50 to bump that up to unlimited voice.
I left Sprint a while back, and opted for their pre-paid, no contract, option, Boost Mobile. I get the same service, for around a hundred bucks less a month. Since they’re shutting down the touch to talk towers, I had to buy a newer phone. I went with the Kyocera, Hydro. While it’s not technically a smart phone, it’s still a sweet phone that you can buy for between fifty and seventy five bucks on line. Their all inclusive plan is truly that, and starts at sixty bucks a month with insurance. It drops five bucks every six months that you pay on time, down to forty five per month.
…Politicians aren’t the “Oldest Profession”, but the results are still the same!!!
I couldn’t wait to leave Suncom/whoever they are now. Couldn’t get calls at my house in MP. Have had Verizon now for 5+ years and may have dropped 5 calls total.
With Verizon do everything online as compared to the stores and they waive those fees. You have to transfer your contacts etc but they can walk you thru it and it is really easy. I have also been able to upgrade earlier on line within a couple months but could not do it a day early in the store. Online and stores are two different operating structures and have different rules.
I’ve been using my little Samsung flip phone from Verizon for about 5 yrs now. $39 a month, 450 minutes & they charge me a quarter per text. I don’t like to text anyways, so no loss to me. The bad part is that I probably don’t use but about 100 minutes a month, if that. The phone’s been dropped buches of times and been in the washing machine once. I’ve only bought two batteries. The best part is that I’m smarter than it is.
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