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Question about upgrade fees

Hoppypatamus

Does anyone else find it insulting that - after paying an ever-inflating amount of money for the honor to use an ever-deflating amount of data - that Verizon would then charge the customer an additional $30 "Upgrade Fee" for the privilege of staying locked into a contract for another two years?

Comments

unknown

Nope. I think getting a Galaxy S III or similar phone for $230 is still a good deal since it retails for $600. Also I know if I was a Sprint or an At&t customer I would have been charged $36 to upgrade.

Hoppypatamus

Two issues with that.

1) If it's going to be $230 then advertise it for $230 not $200.

2) You're not just getting a GSIII for $230. You're getting a GSIII for $230 plus a requirement to give up your unlimited data for a much more expensive share plan that you'll be stuck in for the next two years. Don't think for a second that Verizon isn't recouping that $370 and then some over the course of the contract.

CharmingPhlsphr

There are also issues with your two posts. To start, they absolutely do advertise the price of the equipment as the cost of the phone plus the upgrade fee. Having upgraded two separate times over the course of the last seven months, I am very familiar with the advertising on both the website and the typical store. The problem is not that they do not advertise it, but, instead, that people stop reading after they see the cost of the phone. Most employ skimming skills instead of adequate reading skills. Secondly, the fact that Verizon Wireless is out for greater profitability is irrelevant. They are a for-profit business and their desire to gain a greater profit should not be held against them unless they are seeking the greater profit by means of unethical business practices. Before you try to argue that they are doing just that, allow me to preemptively say that you are wrong.

As for the upgrade, you are not "paying for the privilege" to upgrade. If we are to believe what VZW has stated, the fee is meant to recoup costs associated with their support services. Per a recent conversation with VZW, their claim is that the fee is directly related to the expansion of their support services, which goes all of the way from the basic workshops that they offer to the comprehensive and growing support tool on My Verizon as well as their new ability to gain remote access to many of the newer devices being released. The reality is that you are going to pay this with other companies and it does get higher than what VZW charges. You can avoid the fee and the loss of the unlimited data for now, however, by paying full retail for your device. So, it does seem as if they are offering concessions for people like yourself who concern themselves with fees and the loss of unlimited data. Most people do not use nearly enough to justify keeping the unlimited data, though. I average about 42GB/month. How much do you use?

unknown

Hoppypatamus wrote:
Two issues with that.
1) If it's going to be $230 then advertise it for $230 not $200.
2) You're not just getting a GSIII for $230. You're getting a GSIII for $230 plus a requirement to give up your unlimited data for a much more expensive share plan that you'll be stuck in for the next two years. Don't think for a second that Verizon isn't recouping that $370 and then some over the course of the contract.

1) Because at&t and Sprint will advertise that they have it for $30 less than Verizon even though that is untrue and people will believe it.

2a) You seem to think everyone has unlimited data. Most don't. No one that didn't already have unlimited data could get it after June 2011. None of the 4 people on our family plan had unlimited data before June 2011 so we always had to pay $30 for 2 GB. And the vast majority of Verizon customers are the same way.

2b) you are not require to go to Share Everything to upgrade. I've upgrade 2 phones Since Share Everything started and neither time did we have to switch to Share Everything.

budone

Car is advertised at 25k, oops.. a delivery fee, there is a title, there is a license transfer fee.... sales tax....

Case of beer $24....oops, it is $26.40. Have to pay a deposit.

You can buy a phone from Ebay or Craigslist and not pay the $30 upgrade fee.

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