Verizon Will Start Charging a $30 Upgrade Fee Starting April 22nd

[DoctorDeDroid]

What else do you expect from businesses run by empty suits that only understand how to make a profit by cutting costs... sticking it to their customer base... and understand in no way shape or form what the word value means or how to provide it to their customers.

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums

 

[npro1464]

We should bomb their Facebook. Worked for HTC....

https://www.facebook.com/verizon?ref=ts

 

[jerkwad]

We should bomb their Facebook. Worked for HTC....

https://www.facebook.com/verizon?ref=ts

agreed! only when something is made public and they fear backlash will they take anyone/anything serious. The following is my rant and will be sent to VZW customer relations...feel free to poach/borrow/massage to your liking.

Verizon Wireless can't be serious when they think that current and, most importantly, LOYAL customers will accept this "Upgrade" fee without question. Sprint, AT&T and Verizon have all had my service, over the years, starting in 1995. In all that time, I've called customer support ZERO times for help with my phone and only used a corporate store three times. How can Verizon possibly expect me to pay for something I VERY rarely use? Instead, Verizon should be charging ONLY those customers that use their services. It is truly insulting to see Verizon's "reasons" for this upgrade and the treatment of their long-time customers.

Every experience in a Corporate VZW store has ended in aggravation, disappointment, and regret that I wasted my time there. I've experienced wait times over 40 minutes for VERY simple support, I've experienced employees who have been unable to correctly install screen protectors, and I've experienced customer service change my plan and reduce my services that I was paying for! In fact, I've never experienced WORSE support and LESS knowledgeable staff than VZW employees whenever I have walked into a Verizon Wireless Corporate store.

Let's breakdown the given "reasons" per the VZW website:

1. "This is a one-time charge to cover increasing costs associated with upgrading to new equipment"
There is NO way that it costs VZW $30.00 to upgrade a phone by entering the MEID information into a computer system. This takes less than 5 minutes to accomplish. Does VZW pay their employees $600/hour ($30/5 Minutes)? Did VZW all of a sudden realize that after ALL these years that they are losing money on those that come into their stores and PURCHASE a NEW phone and sign a NEW TWO YEAR contract?!

2. "Devices are more sophisticated than ever before and we provide many services which include Wireless Workshops, online educational tools and consultations with experts who provide advice and guidance on devices"
This, in simple terms, means that VZW can't afford to pay their employee salaries who work in the Corporate stores who provide that "guidance and advice". These individuals know FAR less than many of those that walk into the store. I've personally witnessed it EVERY time I've walked into the store. Their inability to differentiate between two Android devices is embarrassing. Additionally, just because Verizon provides wireless workshops and online "educational tools" (laughable) doesn't mean I want or need them and certainly do NOT want to pay for them. Why should I pay for a service that someone else needs? Why should my hard earned cash benefit someone else? Let THOSE, and only those that need help pay for these services.

3. "Additional services we provide are backing up your contacts, email, and voice-mail setup, demos, as well as ensuring apps, music, pictures, and videos remain accessible from your new handset"
As an Android user, Google backups up my contacts and email. Additionally, Google restores my apps, automatically, on a new device once my Google account is associated with it. My music, is ALSO synced by Google and/or stored on my (removable) SD-Card that is used in my next phone. My Pictures and Videos ALSO reside on my SD-Card. Verizon is not providing me ANY of these services, nor do I want them to. This is simply stealing from the consumer and leveraging Google services to do just that!

4. "While the upgrade fee is not unique to us, our fee is over 15% lower than our two largest competitors"
VZW service also costs MORE than those other competitors for the same level of service/plans. VZW can not quote a "savings" on the upgrade fee without also acknowledging that each and every month their users are paying MORE than the competitors.

5. "Most devices can be traded in with our "green friendly" trade-in program ... to offset the fee completely."
This is a classic "robbing Peter to pay Paul" scenario. This provides NO help to consumers, it simply shifts the cost/fee. It is very insulting to see VZW try these tactics!

You are taking ONCE LOYAL customers, including myself (with multiple accounts/lines) and jeopardizing their contracts/upgrades and provide NO incentive for them to upgrade. This will only hinder someone's desire to upgrade. VZW should be working towards ways to ENCOURAGE new users AND existing users to upgrade their phones, not give them reasons to hold onto the ones they have. This flies in the face of respect towards your existing customers and logic in marketing and user retention.

If VZW dares charge me $30 for the next phone, and i have to (again!) wait a long time in line to get the phone, only to have the sales person delete my unlimited data plan, only to have a different employee do a horrible job of putting on a screen protector, only to have ...well you get the idea - I'm going to email and call until that $30 is refunded. I will happily take my service elsewhere, regardless of their "upgrade" costs, as this is an issue of principal, not dollars for me, as well as many others. You better believe I will be expecting GOOD service if VZW starts charging me for said service.

 

[metalspring]

does this only apply when buying the phone from verizon or does it affect phones bought from 3rd party vendor (e.g. newegg, amazon, etc.) ?

I think it does, i remember when i got my phone off amazon, it gave a chart of different cell service providers upgrade fees that you needed to pay in addition to the phone price

 

[NattyBee]

This is absolutely ridiculous

Sent from my Razr Maxx using Tapatalk

 

[xmguy]

New users pay an activation fee of around that amount.

Don't jump ship yet. AT&T raised their upgrade fee to $36 in February. These upgrade fees have been around for many years.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

New users do. As I did when I opened a 3rd line of service to buy a Bionic (backup/ second to my Razr Maxx). I can understand that,...sorta. It does cost to add a new line more users on the towers, etc.

But upgrading a phone especially people like me who get free phones (when possible). Will now STILL have to shell out $30 to upgrade. That's nuts! In this economy charging more is NOT the way to garnish favor with loyal and (for some) very long term service with.

Sent from my Motorola (Droid) Bionic... out in the boonies of TN while picking on a guitar!

 

[Quicksilver7714]

Dear Verizon,

I refuse to pay a $30 upgrade fee. Especially when I know more about the phones you sell than your own reps. And that's coming from both the managers and reps at my local corporate store.

I should be charging you a $30 consultation fee for every time the reps, ask me a question.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[grgguy]

Dear Verizon,

Screw YOU.

Sincerely,

Jerkwad


PS - Burn in HELL.

Aaahahahaha +1

 

[olona]

I understand cell phone companies want to stay competitive,but I also understand good business..Verizon really does not need more money on there upgrades..Why do they feel like they need more & more & more??? People will leave if they keep trying to add charges to everything..If we all stop paying these extra charges they dream up,they will be forced to stop..

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using DroidForums

 

[grgguy]

New users pay an activation fee of around that amount.

Don't jump ship yet. AT&T raised their upgrade fee to $36 in February. These upgrade fees have been around for many years.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

We also pay an activation fee of $15 when we activate a new phone. So does that mean we'll be paying an extra $45 everytime we buy a new phone?

 

[Vulcan1600]

So, those jumping to Sprint - why? You will be paying $36 to upgrade the next time, plus if you're on the grandfathered unlimited data on VZW you lose it. C-ya. Hope you don't go to Sprint and come back here complaining when they throttle and limit data in the future too.

 

[johnomaz]

I'll go in when I want to get a new phone. If they don't waive the fee, I'll drop them. I'm sorry, but that is wrong.

 

[matthew2478]

Why is Verizon trying to be Like atnt.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using DroidForums

 

[liftedplane]

Several people have posted wondering whether this will apply at 3rd party like Best Buy, Amazon etc. I don't have a clue, but my guess would be no.

This is really nothing new for Verizon. They already charge $100 to $150 more than all of the third party vendors for phones. $300 phones at VZW are $150 everywhere else 2-3 weeks after they hit the market while still $300 at VZW. $100 phones at VZW are free everywhere else. I can't fathom why ANYONE would buy a phone at a VZW store. So I guess they will charge $130 to $180 more than everyone else now. If idiots pay that like they did previously, they will raise it again. There's a sucker born every minute

I haven't bought my last three or four phones from vzw, I stopped when I realized that Best Buy gave me much better options. It also helped that the VZW corporate rep in best buy at the time told me he too refuses to buy upgrades from vzw stores and has since convinced his whole family to shop at best buy or other places.

 

[Laur3nNewm4n]

I haven't bought my last three or four phones from vzw, I stopped when I realized that Best Buy gave me much better options. It also helped that the VZW corporate rep in best buy at the time told me he too refuses to buy upgrades from vzw stores and has since convinced his whole family to shop at best buy or other places.

Aside from better upgrade pricing, what are some of the other better options? (Genuinely asking, not trolling.)
When I was looking for the best deal on my Galaxy Nexus, it was honestly cheaper to upgrade through Verizon themselves.