Upgrade fee: What a load of crap, Verizon....

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Sandman333

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Verizon currently has a special whereby you pay no activation fee for a new phone. That's a $35 savings. I transferred my upgrade to a dumb phone line and then selected the MAXX to upgrade to (unlimited data plan on my current Razr MAXX). Then, in TINY little print at the bottom just under the "Add to Cart" button, I see there is a $30 upgrade fee. Ridiculous. Stop playing games, Verizon. I'm just this close to finding another carrier. Tired of getting fee'd to death.

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pappy53

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

Activation fee is different from upgrade fee, but is still a fee.


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Sandman333

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

I guess what pisses me off is the attempt to hide it with the tiny print. Clicking on the question mark says it's for getting a new device and extending your contact for two years. Excuse me? Where's the reward for remaining a loyal customer?

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mvp4him3

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

It is sad.... These companies really don't care about loyal customers anymore. It is turning into all about the money.

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Cozume

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

Verizon currently has a special whereby you pay no activation fee for a new phone.
No, you are wrong. An activation fee is paid only on a NEW LINE.


I transferred my upgrade to a dumb phone line and then selected the MAXX to upgrade to (unlimited data plan on my current Razr MAXX). Then, in TINY little print at the bottom just under the "Add to Cart" button, I see there is a $30 upgrade fee.
That's correct because you were UPGRADING TO A NEW PHONE, not adding a new line. There is ALWAYS an upgrade fee. Activation fees are sometimes waived, upgrade fees are NEVER waived.


Ridiculous. Stop playing games, Verizon.
they are not playing games; you just don't understand the difference between an activation fee for opening a new line ($35 and sometimes waivable) and an upgrade fee for getting a subsidized phone on an existing line ($30 and never waivable). Now with my explanation, you know.


I'm just this close to finding another carrier. Tired of getting fee'd to death.
Where are you going to go where you will get truly unthrottled, unlimited data? Um, nowhere. So you will either stay right where you are or downgrade your service to something lesser. Verizon will be glad to see you go, too. They want to get rid of all of the UDPs. So bye-bye, Verizon wants you gone.

Not trying to be mean here, but the difference between an activation fee and an upgrade fee is not game playing and the reality is that if you have an UDP on Verizon, you are lucky. If you want to give it up, that is your choice, but I would advise you to sell it as they are that valuable that people will buy them from you. Verizon wants you to leave if you have an UDP so they won't be crying over you finding a new carrier.
 

rlmesq

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

When we went to the VZW store to get my girlfriend's Mini, we got a hard sell to buy an accessory package.

"No, just the bumper case. I don't like screen protectors, and we've got lots of car chargers and wall warts."

"But newer phones draw more power on charging."

"Everything we have is two amps."

"But it's not a good idea to use an old charger with a new phone."

We almost walked out.
 

Cozume

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

When we went to the VZW store to get my girlfriend's Mini, we got a hard sell to buy an accessory package.

"No, just the bumper case. I don't like screen protectors, and we've got lots of car chargers and wall warts."

"But newer phones draw more power on charging."

"Everything we have is two amps."

"But it's not a good idea to use an old charger with a new phone."

We almost walked out.

they are SALES associates. Just doing their jobs, which btw, works on most people. Just not people who post here (but we are in the minority).
 

Ry

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

No, you are wrong. An activation fee is paid only on a NEW LINE.


That's correct because you were UPGRADING TO A NEW PHONE, not adding a new line. There is ALWAYS an upgrade fee. Activation fees are sometimes waived, upgrade fees are NEVER waived.


they are not playing games; you just don't understand the difference between an activation fee for opening a new line ($35 and sometimes waivable) and an upgrade fee for getting a subsidized phone on an existing line ($30 and never waivable). Now with my explanation, you know.


Where are you going to go where you will get truly unthrottled, unlimited data? Um, nowhere. So you will either stay right where you are or downgrade your service to something lesser. Verizon will be glad to see you go, too. They want to get rid of all of the UDPs. So bye-bye, Verizon wants you gone.

Not trying to be mean here, but the difference between an activation fee and an upgrade fee is not game playing and the reality is that if you have an UDP on Verizon, you are lucky. If you want to give it up, that is your choice, but I would advise you to sell it as they are that valuable that people will buy them from you. Verizon wants you to leave if you have an UDP so they won't be crying over you finding a new carrier.

I know people that have gotten their upgrade fees credited back though.

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Ry

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

Verizon currently has a special whereby you pay no activation fee for a new phone. That's a $35 savings. I transferred my upgrade to a dumb phone line and then selected the MAXX to upgrade to (unlimited data plan on my current Razr MAXX). Then, in TINY little print at the bottom just under the "Add to Cart" button, I see there is a $30 upgrade fee. Ridiculous. Stop playing games, Verizon. I'm just this close to finding another carrier. Tired of getting fee'd to death.

View attachment 103443

Do AT&T or Sprint charge upgrade fees?

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Cozume

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

I know people that have gotten their upgrade fees credited back though.
All first line Verizon reps have the ability to do a $30 credit if a customer has a legitimate beef about something. But that is what they call a courtesy credit, not a refund of the upgrade fee. If you have something to complain about, they can give you a $30 credit. I usually get one twice a year for some issue or another.

If you simply call asking for your upgrade fee to be credited back, they won't do it. But if you complain about something, even a sales rep being rude, they will give you a $30 credit. So if you want your upgrade fee refunded, just claim someone was rude to you and you will get it, but don't ask for the upgrade fee to be refunded because you won't get it.
 

Sandman333

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

No, you are wrong. An activation fee is paid only on a NEW LINE.


That's correct because you were UPGRADING TO A NEW PHONE, not adding a new line. There is ALWAYS an upgrade fee. Activation fees are sometimes waived, upgrade fees are NEVER waived.


they are not playing games; you just don't understand the difference between an activation fee for opening a new line ($35 and sometimes waivable) and an upgrade fee for getting a subsidized phone on an existing line ($30 and never waivable). Now with my explanation, you know.


Where are you going to go where you will get truly unthrottled, unlimited data? Um, nowhere. So you will either stay right where you are or downgrade your service to something lesser. Verizon will be glad to see you go, too. They want to get rid of all of the UDPs. So bye-bye, Verizon wants you gone.

Not trying to be mean here, but the difference between an activation fee and an upgrade fee is not game playing and the reality is that if you have an UDP on Verizon, you are lucky. If you want to give it up, that is your choice, but I would advise you to sell it as they are that valuable that people will buy them from you. Verizon wants you to leave if you have an UDP so they won't be crying over you finding a new carrier.

My son just upgraded from an iPhone 4 to 5 and was charged the $35 fee, so no, I am not wrong.

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Cozume

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

My son just upgraded from an iPhone 4 to 5 and was charged the $35 fee, so no, I am not wrong.
yes, you are wrong. The upgrade fee is $30. You can say it was $35 all you want, it wasn't. Those of us who have been verizon customers for awhile know what we are talking about. You are wrong.

Post a screen shot of the $35 upgrade fee. You can't because the upgrade fee is $30.

You do pay sales tax on the upgrade fee in many states, so if his sales tax rate is 16.67%, then the upgrade fee + sales tax would be $35, but where in the US is sales tax 16.67%?
 

Nicohlay

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

No, you are wrong. An activation fee is paid only on a NEW LINE.


That's correct because you were UPGRADING TO A NEW PHONE, not adding a new line. There is ALWAYS an upgrade fee. Activation fees are sometimes waived, upgrade fees are NEVER waived.


they are not playing games; you just don't understand the difference between an activation fee for opening a new line ($35 and sometimes waivable) and an upgrade fee for getting a subsidized phone on an existing line ($30 and never waivable). Now with my explanation, you know.


Where are you going to go where you will get truly unthrottled, unlimited data? Um, nowhere. So you will either stay right where you are or downgrade your service to something lesser. Verizon will be glad to see you go, too. They want to get rid of all of the UDPs. So bye-bye, Verizon wants you gone.

Not trying to be mean here, but the difference between an activation fee and an upgrade fee is not game playing and the reality is that if you have an UDP on Verizon, you are lucky. If you want to give it up, that is your choice, but I would advise you to sell it as they are that valuable that people will buy them from you. Verizon wants you to leave if you have an UDP so they won't be crying over you finding a new carrier.

This ^^ was incredibly rude and hateful!

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Cozume

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

hateful? please, you don't even know what that word means. We are talking about the difference between an activation fee and an upgrade fee and whether they are waivable or not. Calm down for goodness sakes.
 

rgeese

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

When we went to the VZW store to get my girlfriend's Mini, we got a hard sell to buy an accessory package.

"No, just the bumper case. I don't like screen protectors, and we've got lots of car chargers and wall warts."

"But newer phones draw more power on charging."

"Everything we have is two amps."

"But it's not a good idea to use an old charger with a new phone."

We almost walked out.

When I recently went into the Verizon store to purchase my MAXX, I also got high pressured to buy the accessory pack, and a battery pack. She didn't know that she was talking to a retired electrical engineer with vast computer experience. I just played dumb and pleasantly toyed with her. When I told her that I already had a couple of battery packs that would work (micro USB), she told me that I couldn't use them on this phone because it would burn it up. Then she told me that I needed the battery pack because the Droid MAXX would use a lot more battery than my old Galaxy Nexus. Just the opposite is true. The MAXX gets about 4-times the battery life. There was also a little "old man-young girl" attitude. I walked out with just the phone and a smile on my face. BTW, I paid the $35 upgrade fee.
 

Cozume

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

When I recently went into the Verizon store to purchase my MAXX, I also got high pressured to buy the accessory pack, and a battery pack. She didn't know that she was talking to a retired electrical engineer with vast computer experience. I just played dumb and pleasantly toyed with her. When I told her that I already had a couple of battery packs that would work (micro USB), she told me that I couldn't use them on this phone because it would burn it up. Then she told me that I needed the battery pack because the Droid MAXX would use a lot more battery than my old Galaxy Nexus. Just the opposite is true. The MAXX gets about 4-times the battery life. There was also a little "old man-young girl" attitude. I walked out with just the phone and a smile on my face.
While the level of ignorance the sales rep displayed is inexcusable, the verizon sales reps are under tremendous pressure from Verizon not to sell what they refer to as "naked phones."

A naked phone is one that gets sold without any accessories and the sales reps are pushed very hard to never let a naked phone get sold. The mark up on accessories at Verizon is huge.

Also, as far as the old man-young girl attitude, IME, most older people are technotards. IME pretty much only retired engineers of that generation aren't. And so many of them are resistant to even trying to learn. Not that there aren't plenty of technotards who are young, there are, but fewer so due to the simple fact that most of the younger generation have used computers and other electronics from a very young age.
 

doogald

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

That's correct because you were UPGRADING TO A NEW PHONE, not adding a new line. There is ALWAYS an upgrade fee. Activation fees are sometimes waived, upgrade fees are NEVER waived.

I have been with Verizon for a long time - since before they were Verizon Wireless. You are right - there has always been an upgrade fee. However, it wasn't until the last year or two that the upgrade wasn't waived in almost every case.

I suppose that there is a cost incurred for Verizon to update things when we upgrade - write and file a new contract; update computer records; audit to make sure that those things have happened. But surely Verizon could roll that in to their ongoing service fee if they really wanted to.

They charge this fee because they can - because people will pay it rather than leave the carrier. Let's all hope that companies like T-Mobile and prepaid carriers start becoming successful in drawing new customers from Verizon and AT&T, because that's the best chance we all have that crap fees like this go away for good. When Verizon has to work for our business we'll all be better off.
 

Cozume

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Re: What a load of crap, Verizon....

I have been with Verizon for a long time - since before they were Verizon Wireless. You are right - there has always been an upgrade fee. However, it wasn't until the last year or two that the upgrade wasn't waived in almost every case.
yep, but when that policy was put in place and it has been about 2 years now, they will not waive the upgrade fee for anyone. No exceptions.


I suppose that there is a cost incurred for Verizon to update things when we upgrade - write and file a new contract; update computer records; audit to make sure that those things have happened. But surely Verizon could roll that in to their ongoing service fee if they really wanted to.
of course they could, but I think most people would be upset to see a price increase for a grandfathered plan. This way, the upgrade fee was always something that they were expected to pay, not an increase.


They charge this fee because they can - because people will pay it rather than leave the carrier.
yep. If I could leave my cable company, Comcast who I hate, I would do that, too, but I can't. I tried the dish but where I live we have severe storms in the summer and you simply can't use the dish reliably for several months. So I am stuck with Comcast.

Since I have truly unthrottled, unlimited data on Verizon and can't get it anywhere else, I am stuck with Verizon.


Let's all hope that companies like T-Mobile and prepaid carriers start becoming successful in drawing new customers from Verizon and AT&T, because that's the best chance we all have that crap fees like this go away for good. When Verizon has to work for our business we'll all be better off.
Hip hip horay for capitalism!!!! Only thing is that capitalism doesn't work too well when there are oligopolies and not at all when there are monopolies. Long term I see the wireless industry having to be more heavily regulated as the utility it has become. Wireless phones are no longer a luxury, they are considered a necessity, so much so that the government gives low income people free cell phones.
 
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