So Upsetting! Spoke w/VZW Rep...

[Gavin Smith]

Imo just pay full price and be done with it. This way anytime there is a new phone you want, you sell the old one, buy the new, overall the cost and ZERO hassle of wondering if your due for an upgrade or having to sign another contract etc... If the service sucks I can move to another carrier at will, I have the leverage when talking to someone about fixing an issue vs knowing your locked into a contract and they blow you off knowing you cannot do $h&t about it. Contract is $299 vs $699, I turned in an old Razr for $154 so out around $500 but they already sell on CL, Ebay and elsewhere for $500 or more. No ETF to deal with, no BS contacts to deal with. I don't think I'll ever buy another subsidized phone.

In the end my unlimited plan and no hassle, zero contract is worth every penny in the long run. Not to mention this Note 2 is simply the baddest smartphone I have used to date, LTE is blazing fast, excellent coverage and it's the best Android phone/tablet I have used to date.

 

[anon(394005)]

Imo just pay full price and be done with it. This way anytime there is a new phone you want, you sell the old one, buy the new, overall the cost and ZERO hassle of wondering if your due for an upgrade or having to sign another contract etc... If the service sucks I can move to another carrier at will, I have the leverage when talking to someone about fixing an issue vs knowing your locked into a contract and they blow you off knowing you cannot do $h&t about it. Contract is $299 vs $699, I turned in an old Razr for $154 so out around $500 but they already sell on CL, Ebay and elsewhere for $500 or more. No ETF to deal with, no BS contacts to deal with. I don't think I'll ever buy another subsidized phone.

In the end my unlimited plan and no hassle, zero contract is worth every penny in the long run. Not to mention this Note 2 is simply the baddest smartphone I have used to date, LTE is blazing fast, excellent coverage and it's the best Android phone/tablet I have used to date.

Haha, you've said what I'm always thinking every time I read these types of threads. Kudos good sir! It may not work for some though due to their finances, but if you're able to do it, it sure gives you so much more control over your options and keeps you fully in the driver?s seat. As long as I can, I'll continue to do it.

 

[phantomog]

Imo just pay full price and be done with it.

If we actually paid less for service for not getting subsidized, I'd be all for it as well. However, that is not the case. Regardless of whether or not you take a subsidy, the service costs the same. I hate contracts as much as the next guy, but it *is* financially smarter to take the subsidy especially if you don't hop carriers all the time. I signed up for my first cell phone with PrimeCo, which turned into Verizon. Since that time, no ETF has prevented me from leaving -- Verizon consistently has the best service and that is the reason I stay with them.

That combined with the fact that most phones are carrier specific (at least to be fully featured ie 4G), there is no way I'm paying full retail.

 

[GregMargie]

Imo just pay full price and be done with it. This way anytime there is a new phone you want, you sell the old one, buy the new, overall the cost and ZERO hassle of wondering if your due for an upgrade or having to sign another contract etc... If the service sucks I can move to another carrier at will, I have the leverage when talking to someone about fixing an issue vs knowing your locked into a contract and they blow you off knowing you cannot do $h&t about it. Contract is $299 vs $699, I turned in an old Razr for $154 so out around $500 but they already sell on CL, Ebay and elsewhere for $500 or more. No ETF to deal with, no BS contacts to deal with. I don't think I'll ever buy another subsidized phone.

In the end my unlimited plan and no hassle, zero contract is worth every penny in the long run. Not to mention this Note 2 is simply the baddest smartphone I have used to date, LTE is blazing fast, excellent coverage and it's the best Android phone/tablet I have used to date.

*****First off, perhaps most people cannot afford to lay out that kind of money in one lump sum these days, I know I can't for one phone, let alone 2 that I have, so there is no reason to come off with a patronizing attitude!.....Secondly, I don't really think you have all the control you think you do. Yes, you are not tied into a contract (which to me doesn't matter because I am more than likely always going to have cell service and if I decided to leave that phone is tied them anyway, AND if Verizon does decide to just pull the plug on Unlimited Data completely, you will be out of luck for being out of contract and after the fact of paying all the money for the phone.*****

If we actually paid less for service for not getting subsidized, I'd be all for it as well. However, that is not the case. Regardless of whether or not you take a subsidy, the service costs the same. I hate contracts as much as the next guy, but it *is* financially smarter to take the subsidy especially if you don't hop carriers all the time. I signed up for my first cell phone with PrimeCo, which turned into Verizon. Since that time, no ETF has prevented me from leaving -- Verizon consistently has the best service and that is the reason I stay with them.

That combined with the fact that most phones are carrier specific (at least to be fully featured ie 4G), there is no way I'm paying full retail.

I Totally Agree!

 

[karsdroid]

*****First off, perhaps most people cannot afford to lay out that kind of money in one lump sum these days, I know I can't for one phone, let alone 2 that I have, so there is no reason to come off with a patronizing attitude!.....Secondly, I don't really think you have all the control you think you do. Yes, you are not tied into a contract (which to me doesn't matter because I am more than likely always going to have cell service and if I decided to leave that phone is tied them anyway, AND if Verizon does decide to just pull the plug on Unlimited Data completely, you will be out of luck for being out of contract and after the fact of paying all the money for the phone.*****



I Totally Agree!

good grief....once again....its a personal choice and a lot of us feel the same way about keeping unlimited data and what we'll do to keep it while we can. lots of people don't think its worth the effort to keep it or don't care if they keep it....fine.... everyone makes their own decisions on that front. its just an opinion and no one is forcing anyone to keep their unlimited data.

 

[roberte1342]

If paying full price meant a $15/mo or more reduction in service costs then it would make all kinds of financial sense to pay full price.
Paying full price and continuing month to month for two years you are basically overpaying $300-$400 depending on how you purchase.
For it to make sense to me I'd need at least one other carrier to have as good or better coverage in the next two years. I just don't see that happening in the states I travel.

To each his own I guess.


Sent from my SG Note 2 [Tapatalk]

 

[dominick_7]

Wanted to add that if ANYTIME you HAVE to call a rep, make sure you do it at peak times (I'm thinking according to an Eastern time zone). Why? Because this usually means you get pushed to their third party call centers in the middle of the US or West Coast. Whenever I call, one of the first things I ask is what call center it is.. if they say anything on the East Coast, I hang up. They suck. They almost always don't want to help you and are more interested in saving money for the company, where as the mid to west coast call centers are more laid back, nicer and actually want to help you. Idaho, Ohio, California are some of the best. Can't say anything good about Washington though. While it probably sounds pathetic and sad, I might as well have been married to Verizon considering how long I've been on the phone with them, so take it as a heads up.

Third party company's as stated though are probably be better, as most Verizon Wireless reps are clueless. Some are great though, especially in the regions I mentioned. Wherever the call center is though I can usually tell within like the first minute or two whether they will help me or not.