$5 increase per line (paperless bill credit)

[Michadael]

I have 10X lines, and have been a loyal customer for years. As my needs have expanded, I have naturally just continued using Verizon as my trusted vendor for all my mobile needs. However, I feel like Verizon is losing touch with their customer base.

1. Customer Service used to have a lot of leeway to make a customer happy. Now they seem to be there just to inform you that they can't actually do anything, and, by the way, you are such a great customer. Really? I don't need your flowery words, I need to feel like my patronage is valued, and I am getting what I need. Those poor agents... they seem desperate to show that they are willing to help, even though they have no power to do so.
2. Plans ranged the spectrum of cost saving, to premium features. You could mix-and-match to meet your needs. Now it's pushing premium features to all lines, and forcing us to pay premium prices for features that won't be utilized. I DO want premium lines, just not for ALL my lines.
3. Verizon always felt like the stable and reliable option. Now you never know what changes and extra costs are coming.
4. I used to tell people that Verizon was worth it for the customer experience alone... I now have an awful experience. Every time. Having an app as the first-line-of-service makes a lot of sense... if it worked. The app is a horrible experience. 
5. Plan management used to be straightforward. Now, I constantly get pestered about the flavor-of-the-week plans, but when I try to manage my plans, I get warnings that changes will cost me my device credit, and I'll be responsible for the full cost of the devices on my plan. This is for ANY change, upgrade OR downgrade. Don't act like my options are so great, when you have 3, and none of them are realistically available to your long-time customers.

I feel like Verizon is starting to model themselves more and more off of the other carriers. Those differences were what made Verizon stand out from it's competitors. Trust and loyalty is being undermined a little at a time, and this latest $50 change to my account may be the last straw. I don't want to go through the hassle of changing. I don't want to leave a company that has historically treated me well. My options seem to be shrinking though, and my hand is being forced. 

If I were to compare my experience with Verizon to that of a good friend, or partner... it feels like a great partnership is being put under stress because the other party has lost interest in maintaining their side of the relationship.
I'm starting to feel pathetic for being loyal, when loyalty and care don't feel like a priority for them any more.
Verizon is coasting on the loyalty and trust gained over the years, but that can only last so long before we all realize the good times are over...

What is with all these big companies shifting away from their winning models? Is the risk of damaging the relationship with their loyal customer base REALLY worth that incremental increase in the quarterly board report? That increase is fleeting... you'll end up paying out the nose for it down the road when long-time patrons walk out the door. That marginal increase won't seem so impressive anymore.

[jovie77]

I agree with you. I have 3 lines -- the extra $15/month is a 7.5% increase in my monthly bill. I've filed a complaint with my state's consumer protection department as a possible "junk fee" law violation. Verizon isn't giving me an option to pay my bill without incurring a fee -- and the fact that the fee is PER line rather than for the entire account is completely unacceptable.