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Pre Orders were a waste of time

I feel abused on this one. I pre-ordered my iphone 5 and your making me wait a week to get it over the idiots who stood in line to just turn around and sell them on ebay, then ya'll took away my unlimited data and started charging me $30 for only 2g. Next you gave me a $50 renewal discount but then you took $30 of that back by charging me to do an upgrade. I have been with Verizon for about 10 years but I am considering changing. I went to verizon originally because of their good service but that seems to be changing.

Comments

JakeNelson

First mistake was buying an iPhone 5. They are already behind technologically compared to some of the android phones that have been out for months now. Secondly, you knew the wait when you pre-ordered, so you shouldn't be surprised that there is a wait. As far as your bill changing, stop upgrading every time an iPhone comes out, and buy the phone full price therefore keeping your old plan in tact. Also, don't knock the savvy people who purchased a phone in store. They are only capitalist much like Verizon, and are taking advantage of simple minded people willing to pay for a gadget that is outdated right out of the box. I would do the same.

kaebfly

Although JakeNelson went out of their way to be snide on the comment related to your choice in phone (just because YOU don't agree with a choice in product you are of no authority to declare others desires as a mistake. It was really pointless to throw that jab in there), they do have a few points. I assume you ordered later than 3:00 am EST....those that ordered at the time the pre-order opened don't agree with pre-orders being a waste of time as they (for the most part) are currently using their device or have it in their possession...or will on 9/24 based on some postings. They didn't take away your unlimited. You could have chosen to keep it, BUT you may not have liked the terms necessary to do so. But it wasn't taken away from you if you had it...you just opted to give it up in order to get the device at the subsidized price instead of paying full retail to keep it. You were (or should have been) aware of the upgrade fee they implemented (announced at the same time that they stated unlimited plans would be loss with upgrade unless you chose to pay full retail to keep it...at least that was when I was made aware of it). If your $50 discount was a NE2 then you did get something that a lot of people lost the last time they upgraded (when VZW did away with the NE2 program). If you switch companies you will pay fees...and last time I checked AT&T charges upgrade fees/activation fees on their current customers also...if others also do it you switching won't save you on that. And as far as what any one else does with their iPhone, it doesn't matter and has no baring on the customer service VZW has provided you. You could have opted to stand in line for hours (or days) to buy one on release day, but you obviously decided that this was not something you wanted to do. That is fair. But if someone that DID choose to do it decides to sell their phone on Ebay or anywhere else...or even tape it to their forehead as a fashion statement versus using it, you have absolutely no right to complain about it or feel like something unfair or unjust has occurred. They stood in line, paid their money, and did what they needed to in order to obtain the phone. You had the same opportunities, but chose differently. Just like you had the same opportunity to stalk the websites at (or before) 3:00 am EST so did the millions of others that preordered...and if you didn't do so then you willingly accepted the risk of not getting your order processed in the first batch. Even if you did order at the same time, there was an equal risk for everyone that they may not make the first batch considering the number of people trying to order at the same time.

Ultimately, if you choose to switch than I wish you well wherever you go. If your phone hasn't shipped yet you can opt to cancel the order....and try your luck at local retailers. But even if you switch to another provider with the intent on getting the iPhone 5 then be prepared for a longer wait then you have on your current order. Just some food for thought.

homeistexas

You missed the point I was trying to make. I feel that the company was not being loyal to its current customers. I feel that it should fill the orders to current customers before the new customers who just want the phone to sell it. I wasn't saying the people who stood in line didn't have the right to do what ever they wanted with the phone. This is the first time i am getting the iphone but i feel the companies in the cell service are just like the airlines they are starting to nickle and dime us to death and don't care about loyal customers cause there are people out there that are willing to pay these fees with no complaints as long as people are willing to pay they will continue to keep charging higher fees for no reason. I use to work for one of the phone companies and I know they are making billions in profit. They are just adding these fees because the other companies are doing it and getting away with it.

kaebfly

Well, I too am a long time customer (10 years or more), but I know that there is no such thing as a "loyal customer" despite alleged loyalty programs out there. I don't mean to say that you (and myself) choosing to stick with a company for many years doesn't say something...it does. It says that the company held up their end of the expectations...to provide service that meets or exceeds our needs/expectations. Usually, if you switch companies it is because that company failed to provide service as expected. Otherwise, why would you switch? If the price goes up and it is not what fits your needs anymore ("your" is not targeted towards you in this statement) then you switch because that company no longer fits your needs. At any rate, no one is arguing that these companies are making huge profits. It is why they are in business. It would be nice if they were more about making a smaller profit and providing more of the benefits to the customers but that is highly unrealistic for a corporation. As for your saying you were referring to new customers who want the phones just to sell them...I would argue that those that are buying the phone just to sell it are probably current customers opting to use their eligible upgrade to get the device at the subsidized price so they can sell it for much more than that. A new customer opening a new account with VZW just to do that would not benefit as much. They would need another device to put on the account in order to free the iPhone up for selling purposes...or have to pay full retail, which would defeat the purpose since if they sell it for full retail or higher then any one looking to buy it would just opt to pay the same amount from Apple or VZW and not risk being taken advantage of (as is the risk when purchasing from someone on Ebay or Craigslist for example).

You're right...if customers want to take a stand against these fees then they will....by choosing to NOT upgrade every time they are eligible if their current device is still working fine (which is the case for most of the people that upgrade now). If customers stop feeling the need to have the latest and greatest (there is no REAL reason any of us NEED a smartphone. We WANT them. The things these devices do can be done with a computer, but we NOW feel this isn't as convenient...when once upon a time you were lucky to have a computer in your home...and having a laptop was a big deal. Remember when a phone was just a phone? Now, these phones are marketed as everything else but a phone...it's as if the actual initial purpose of wireless phones...to make calls on the go is an afterthought...). But as a society we are always wanting more...but we don't want to pay for it...or we don't want to pay more for it. Trust me, I am guilty of this too. I like some of the new innovations...and I love the smartphone...I hate the "full retail" options and I hate not being able to upgrade whenever I want to without paying a lot more to do so. But I digress.

The point is simple...you are still going to get your phone unless you opt to cancel. You started this thread because you were upset that you have to wait a week over those that stood in line and got their device. You seem to assume that anyone that stood in line OR anyone that did so and sells their phone must be new customers and therefore not as loyal as you. You have nothing to base that on. Whose to say those people haven't been customers as long as you or even longer? They just see an opportunity to make money (the joys of free enterprise) and they happened to do what was needed to get their device before you could. Supply and demand dictated your wait time...that and possibly your own actions (if you waited later like I mentioned previously). If you want the iPhone 5 but choose to switch then you will probably wait far longer than 1 week at this point to get it. But if that is what you want to do because you aren't happy with VZW then that is a choice that you have.

golden80

It's all the same most anywhere you go unfortunately. The other major carrier for most top of the line phones is AT&T and they have just as many needless upgrade costs attached to them also. You really need $30 for someone to switch the MEID in your database? A job that can be done by a machine?

nick3887

i also feel taken. i preodered my phone on the first day i was able but because i work and have a life i didnt do it right at 3am or whatever time you could have. i did however place my order as soon as i got home and im still waiting for my phone to even ship. its expected ship date is the 28 a full 2 weeks later. the thing that makes me mad about the entire situation is im still using my Droid X yes the first droid x which i have had now for 2 years. i think verizon needs to look into these orders and take stuff like this as a factor on "pre order"

kaebfly

What you're saying implies that those who made adjustments to pre-order when it started don't have lives themselves or don't work. That is ridiculous. Do you expect any carrier to do a poll to determine which customers deserve priority based on what they deem to be more important lives? If you happened to be at work when it started that was unfortunate but with advance notice of the day the preorder would start you could have tried to make arrangements (have someone preorder for you perhaps). If you were asleep because you had to get up for work you could have adjusted what time you went to bed...you could have set an alarm to wake up in order to preorder (which many did), then gone back to bed (if you have trouble falling back to sleep then you would have to decide if you should wait or still try to preorder at that time). Again, you had options just like everyone else that preordered did. You were not "taken" in any sense of the word. If VZW had said you must preorder or your service would be disconnected...or that because you work you are not eligible to preorder....or only new customers are allowed to preorder....THOSE would be examples of being taken (albeit 2 of those are just as ridiculous as what you imply but the last one wouldn't have been to far fetched. Remember when the iPhone first came to VZW only current customers eligible for upgrade could preorder during the initial portion..call it a pre-preorder session).

AZSALUKI

depending on where you live, there is no point in preordering. i drive by 2 verizon stores on my way to work. when the 4s launched, there were no lines at either of them (about a half hour before opening). when i drove in to work friday, there was no line at one of them and 4 or 5 people in line at the other, waiting for them to open. of course, i live in phoenix, where there's probably a dozen verizon corporate stores. but even at our apple stores, if you got there 30 minutes prior to opening, you got in iphone5. so many more people order online now, that i think it's a lot easier to just go to a store on launch day. now, if you live somewhere where there's only one or 2 verizon stores in a large radius, then i suppose that's not the case.

kaebfly

In my area the launches for both the iPhone 4 and 4s created very little stir so you could walk in the store late in the evening on launch day and walk out with an iPhone (we have several VZW corporate stores, but no Apple store (although we also have several of each retailer that also sold iPhones...and did pre-orders for the iPhone 5). This time around though people seemed to be far more interested because the iPhone 5 sold out everywhere here...twice in the largest VZW corporate store in the state (mid-day they received another shipment and sold out of those). If you went by the previous launches you would have skipped the pre-order and just went to one of the stores...and been very disappointed...so even using the history theory seems to be difficult to go by this time.

AZSALUKI

they sold out here too, but not immediately. if you showed up around opening time, you got one. now i wouldn't recommend going in at 5 or 6 o'clock......but even with their "record sales" you were able to show up and buy one without camping out or anything.

homeistexas

First of all I don't upgrade every time the iphone comes out. This is the first time i am getting the iphone and i am upgrading from a droid which i don't feel is as good as the iphone. If you work for verizon you should be fired for your reply's.

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