VZW Does NOT Pro-Rate if You're Breaking Your Contract

**EnderTheThird** · 11-27-2012, 07:46 PM

I'm sure I'm not the only one on this forum doing this, so I thought I should give you guys a heads up. I called VZW today to ask about what I need to do to cancel my contract and port my number to Straight Talk. The CSR I talked to was really nice, and even said "I don't blame you" for wanting to leave after the crappy update situation with the GNex and the fact that I'm paying double what I'll pay for ST. Anyway, she informed me that if you're breaking contract with VZW, they will NOT pro-rate the remainder of your billing cycle when you leave them. Of course, I still owe the pro-rated ETF of $240 per line, but I should be able to make that up by selling my GNex.

I totally lucked out by calling them today and reaching this nice and very helpful CSR, because the last day of my billing cycle is tomorrow. And, lucky again, my N4 is scheduled for delivery tomorrow. Hopefully my brother's does too, otherwise he'll be without a phone for a day or two until he gets his, but it just doesn't make sense for us to pay an extra $160 for the entire month of December when we don't need to. I plan on starting the porting process tomorrow before my phone gets here so hopefully everything is complete by the time my phone is delivered.

Anyhow, seeing as I'm breaking the contract, I guess it shouldn't be THAT surprising that they don't pro-rate the remainder of the billing cycle, but I'm very glad I found this out today. So keep that in mind if any of you guys are planning on breaking your VZW contract too.

**J T M** · 11-27-2012, 10:03 PM

So it's best to cancel towards the end of the billing cycle then, before the new one starts, right? That way you pay only the ETF, your last month of service, and nothing else.

I'm in a similar boat. My ETF is $160, and i'll be leaving VZW to go to TMobile as soon as my N4 gets delivered.

**Amy wineBerry** · 11-27-2012, 10:08 PM

Sprint also doesn't prorate the monthly bill when you break contract. Don't know when the policy changed. So yeah, wait until the end of the billing cycle to abandon ship.

**EnderTheThird** · 11-27-2012, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by J T M

So it's best to cancel towards the end of the billing cycle then, before the new one starts, right? That way you pay only the ETF, your last month of service, and nothing else.

I'm in a similar boat. My ETF is $160, and i'll be leaving VZW to go to TMobile as soon as my N4 gets delivered.

Yeah. You should be able to see when your billing cycle ends if you log in to My Verizon. I would also call VZW some time before you get your phone to make sure you have all the info to port your number (phone number to be ported, account number, and account PIN/access code).

I knew my billing cycle ended on the 28th by looking at when my minutes and data usage would reset in the past, but until I talked to the CSR, I had just assumed they would pro-rate my service charges for the remainder of my billing cycle after I ported my number out. Not the case, and I'm super glad I found that out today instead of on Thursday, which would be the first day of my next billing cycle!

**Amy wineBerry** · 11-27-2012, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by fabulas

They do prorate. They deduct $10 for each month you've had the service.

- - - Updated - - -

They do prorate. They deduct $10 for each month you've had the service.

Yes, they prorate the ETF. Not the monthly bill.

**EnderTheThird** · 11-27-2012, 10:12 PM

Originally Posted by fabulas

They do prorate. They deduct $10 for each month you've had the service.

- - - Updated - - -

They do prorate. They deduct $10 for each month you've had the service.

They prorate the ETF, but not your monthly service charges.

**fabulas** · 11-27-2012, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by Amy wineBerry

Yes, they prorate the ETF. Not the monthly bill.

Yeah, I misread the post.

**bobjohnson201** · 11-27-2012, 10:19 PM

Originally Posted by Amy wineBerry

Sprint also doesn't prorate the monthly bill when you break contract. Don't know when the policy changed. So yeah, wait until the end of the billing cycle to abandon ship.

they don't? damn...

**bunique4life05** · 11-27-2012, 10:27 PM

T-Mobile did when left them back almost 2 years ago. The funny thing I leave VZW to go back to T-Mobile. I regret ever leaving them for VZW LTE. Once I get a N4 I will go with TM's no annual contract 4G Monthly plan and save a $1000 a year over VZW. TM

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

**Kaenon** · 11-27-2012, 10:31 PM

VZW pro-rated mine for me.

Just be nicer!

**KwietStorm** · 11-27-2012, 10:33 PM

Lol wow so many people leaving Verizon for T-Mobile with their Nexus. It could be their iPhone if they could keep the damn thing stocked.

**Go Ogle** · 11-27-2012, 10:36 PM

Tmobile doesn't prorate either. If you cancel within the first few days of your billing cycle and moan about it long enough they will though.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

**bobjohnson201** · 11-27-2012, 10:37 PM

now what if your not on contract anymore? my contract expired and im sprint, and dont plan on staying for one full month (maybe half?)

**EnderTheThird** · 11-27-2012, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by tjm9007

VZW pro-rated mine for me.

Just be nicer!

If I had found this out after-the-fact, I might have been able to get them to do that for me. Probably depends on which CSR you get. But I think it's much easier to know this information before you port your number so you can plan accordingly. I'd rather not have to hope for a nice CSR or battle with a supervisor if the CSR isn't willing to do it. If you're leaving their service and no longer giving them money, they don't have much incentive to help you out aside from trying to keep you from bashing their service when discussing it with someone else.

Being nice helps, but being informed and prepared leaves less to chance! :-)

**DirkBelig** · 11-27-2012, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by Amy wineBerry

Sprint also doesn't prorate the monthly bill when you break contract. Don't know when the policy changed. So yeah, wait until the end of the billing cycle to abandon ship.

Does this matter when you're NOT under contract? I've been free since June, so whenever I finally bail from Trudge, will I get pro-rated? I'm planning on maintaining my Trudge line, forwarding my Google Voice number to the N4 while I evaluate services, but I've got a third of a month offset between when I'd be ready to move and my cycle end date. Thanks.

**bobjohnson201** · 11-27-2012, 11:49 PM

Originally Posted by DirkBelig

Does this matter when you're NOT under contract? I've been free since June, so whenever I finally bail from Trudge, will I get pro-rated? I'm planning on maintaining my Trudge line, forwarding my Google Voice number to the N4 while I evaluate services, but I've got a third of a month offset between when I'd be ready to move and my cycle end date. Thanks.

trudge? i basically have the same ? as u

**DirkBelig** · 11-28-2012, 12:10 AM

"Trudge" is what I call the utterly misnamed, wireless dial-up service others call Sprint. Sprint is a word that indicates speed. Trudge is the word that describes what sort of speeds I've endured. All the whining over the lack of LTE never impressed me because merely getting respectable 3G speeds, much less HSPA+, will feel like warp speed.

**Amy wineBerry** · 11-28-2012, 02:19 AM

Originally Posted by DirkBelig

Does this matter when you're NOT under contract? I've been free since June, so whenever I finally bail from Trudge, will I get pro-rated? I'm planning on maintaining my Trudge line, forwarding my Google Voice number to the N4 while I evaluate services, but I've got a third of a month offset between when I'd be ready to move and my cycle end date. Thanks.

Now that I'm not sure. I know when I spoke with the CSR, she told me to ensure that I ported my number within the next few days because I would be charged for the full month if I waited until after the start of my next billing cycle. What's interesting for me is that I was technically at the start of a "new" contract. (My profile had been rebuilt and reprogrammed. That started my contract over but kept my original contract end date.) Since it looked like I had just started a contract and cancelled it within thirty days, my bill was prorated.

The CSR explicitly told me that if you let the billing cycle start, Sprint "cannot" prorate. So whether you leave the first day or the last of the billing cycle, you're charged the same amount. She also said that if I want to avoid paying two cell bills for the month that I should leave by the end of the billing cycle.

I had also got into a fuss with Sprint over charging me for 3G data when my device was incapable of activating cellular data, so I could not get data to work AT ALL. I was basically told since it was an Everything Data plan, I paid for everything, regardless of whether I used it. I could possibly get a credit for the issue with the data, but it was impossible for them to breakup the plan charges. I call BS on that because when I left an old SERO plan back in early 2010, my monthly bill was definitely prorated.