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What happened to free basic phones?

saxus

I've been with Verizon for a little while now and have been happy with my service for the most part. My contract is about up and foolish me thought I would just get a new phone free like last time. But that doesn't seem to be going to happen. There are no free basic phone at all online from Verizon. Of course there are "free" smart phones that will put a person back $30+ a month but I don't want a smart phone at the moment.

Has Verizon abandoned the basic phone user and trying to make us go with smart phones? It's very frustrating and I'm seriously thinking of going with another company. Anyone else feel this way?

Comments

tikibar1

Yes, there are others that feel the same way. You may want to search for those threads; quite a number of them.

SuzyQ

saxus wrote:
... Has Verizon abandoned the basic phone user and trying to make us go with smart phones? It's very frustrating and I'm seriously thinking of going with another company. Anyone else feel this way?

No exactly "abandoned" basic phone users, but definitely moving the direction of encouraging smartphone use, and one of the more expensive options for basic phone use. If you use a cell phone just for some calling and maybe texting, and you are a single user (not a family plan, or with multiple devices) then shop around - pre-paid or another provider may have more economical options for you, not to mention a better selection of "basic" phone models.

My husband does NOT want a smart phone, loves his LG VX 5400 flip phone and we are going to have difficulty finding a suitable phone for him when it finally dies. He's played with my Blackberry, does not like it, has played with the kids' iPhones, does not like them either. Just wants a simple phone that calls and texts - he doesn't even take many pictures with his.

LandonLandoff

It's not verizon, but the wireless industry as a whole that are pushing for smartphone usage. Yes you pay more for a basic phone now, and are not getting anything newer or more advance than what you had to begin with, but there has never been the guarantee of a free phone with service. You may want to check other retail parties like best buy, walmart, or amazon for a cheap or free basic phone with your verizon plan... this is essentially the same as buying from verizon however you are EVENTUALLY going to have to pick up a smartphone on one of the major carriers whether you would like to or not because that is the progress of this industry on a global scale. If you wait to long then you are going to be stuck with the likes of prepaid service and/or regional carriers which will slowly be doing the exact same thing but with much less service coverage. Change is the progress of all electronics, if you stay stuck in one general type of technology you will be outdated and more anxious, hesitant, and generally irritated when its time you eventually have to change.

Verizon_Support

Hi saxus,

I can understand your desire for a bigger selection of basic phones. You are a valued customer and I definitely want you to stay with us for years to come. While we continue to offer some basic phone models, manufacturers are more inclined to produce devices that have higher demand and in today's technological world, Smartphones are certainly in much higher demand. We do have a couple of basic phones that are marketed as free on our website, please check the links below for more information or to order online. Please remember that online promotions are not available at stores.

http://is.gd/Jest2

http://is.gd/Cosmos2

AntonioC_VZWSupport

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VZWSupport

HiTekRedNek2112

It is the blatant slap in the loyal customer's face of the $30 upgrade fee, and the fact that Verizon's sister-company, Altell, will give you a free basic phone for signing up. Charge what you must for a basic phone, but to gouge the customer because we will not buy what Verizon wants us to buy (smart phone with outrageous data plans) is no way to do business! I will spread the word to other Verizon and non-Verizon customers of the corporate greed that this company is arrogantly attempting to force its customers to pay to upgrade!

unknown

DVB2112 wrote:
It is the blatant slap in the loyal customer's face of the $30 upgrade fee, and the fact that Verizon's sister-company, Altell, will give you a free basic phone for signing up. Charge what you must for a basic phone, but to gouge the customer because we will not buy what Verizon wants us to buy (smart phone with outrageous data plans) is no way to do business! I will spread the word to other Verizon and non-Verizon customers of the corporate greed that this company is arrogantly attempting to force its customers to pay to upgrade!

A company can attempt to force you but you have the option to say no. Just find a carrier and phone that is more to your liking. That's the great thing about competition, you have choices and the right and ability to make one. Go for it.

boys

Verizon has become all about fees. Their customer service reps are more interested in their sales and/or profit off the customer than really taking care of our needs.

In July 2012 I added an extra line to my plan. I was hit with several charges and a bill of over 400 dollars. It has taken me several contacts to customer service to find out little by little why I was not properly informed.

1) I was never told that changing my plan and adding another line would add so many fees. I was told that the changes would lower my invoice. NOT TRUE. BIG LIE.

2) I was never told that having 6 lines will not allow me to change to my family share plan. The all share plan is all about fees and paying extra for services that one is not using.

I asked all these questions before changing the plan and i was never told the truth.

An now charging a fee to upgrade your phone, that is unheard of. What is the matter with verizon. Isn't it enough to have the service with verizon and paying the phone bill too? now you have to pay a bill to upgrade your own phone.

HiTekRedNek2112

I will find another carrier and leave you to defend this piece of corporate crap that you apparently love so much!

dawn1469

I like my basic phone. I decided to switch to Prepaid, as they have the basic phones not necessarily for free, but at least you can buy one from a store -(check them out when they're on sale) as low as $15, Many of the phones come with a package that includes extras like a car charger, ear buds and all come with a free $10 card. (my recommendation).

Verizon has them online for $20.00 and up..

I researched two basic phones on Verizon online. I looked at a 2 year commitment, and the other on prepaid.

I was appalled to see that the same phones with the 2 year commitment were significantly higher in price than the ones you can purchase on prepaid.

If you don't like the thoughts of having to buy minutes every month (or every 3 months +, depending on the card), Verizon has their unlimited talk/text/data plan for $50.00. You can have it set up that Verizon will charge your debit/credit card each month for the $50.00, thus eliminating the hassle of prepaid cards.

Or, if you don't want to spend $50.00, the easiest way that I have found is to go to Pinzoo.com. I researched many options, and they are the best. I have used them for years with no problems.

Their prepaid cards are discounted, you don't have to pay tax, and you can either have them send the amount directly to your phone, or they will send you a PIN. They have recently started to offer automatic refill for whatever amount you want; say for example, if the balance on your phone reaches $5.00. That way, you don't have to worry about running out of minutes. You can use either a debit/credit card or Paypal.

There is one downside to prepaid cards; assuming you don't want to shell out $50/month for unlimited; you have to pick a plan. The good thing is that you only get charged on the days you use your phone. The bad is that depending on how you use your phone, it can end up costing more than the $50.00. If you use your phone to only call Verizon to Verizon, you can choose the 99 cents plan, which allows unlimited use for 24 hours on the days you make a call. Non Verizon calls in that time period are 10 cents a minute.

If you want to go unlimited use, at this time it is $1.99 on the days that you use it. This is for calls only. If you text more than you call, you can get unlimited VZ to VZ and 250 texts to non-VZ for $10/month. You can change your plan during the month if you find out that the one you are on doesn't work for you. On either plan, you can access the web from your phone for 99 cents for 24 hours. There are also other plans than those I mentioned. Check out the prepaid section for all of the details.

~If you have a monthly phone that you still want to use but don't want to shell out the money for 450 minutes, most basic phones can be switched to prepaid. On the flip side, a prepaid phone can be switched to a monthly non commitment plan after it has been used as a prepaid for 6 months.

I hopes this helps!

boys

Thank you

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