It is time for a Class Action Lawsuit against Verizon for the upgrade fee. Verizon currently charges $40 if you buy a new phone. I bought my phone at Walmart and it was set up in about 5 minutes. Verizon did nothing to set it up. The person at Walmart set it up. You can't even find a good reason for the fee on their website. It is an unethical way of making money. Charging people for a service that they are not getting. I didn't change plans, add a line, or even change my phone number. It is a completely shady and evil way to charge people for nothing. It's time to fight back. Verizon should be sued for this unethical practice.
Unlocked/Sim Free and retail are two different things.
My S20 didn't incure an upgrade fee because I didn't get the Verizon version. The SD card slot was more important to me than UW 5G that isn't in my city.
For everyone reading: You DON'T get charged an upgrade fee if you get the phone WITHOUT a sim card. The moment you opt into getting a phone with a carrier sim card, you are subject to their upgrade fee cost. If you plan on buying full retail, never get the Verizon one. Problem solved.
Tigerstep provided some great information. Here is a web page https://www.verizon.com/plans/unlimited/ with the plan details. Here is a web page https://www.verizon.com/support/certified-like-new-replacements/ with all the details about warranty replacement options.
Nope. I purchase my phones directly from manufacturers and VZW still charges the $40 upgrade fee when you activate it.
FTLcub, I know this concern about the upgrade fee is confusing and I'm happy to shed some light on this. The upgrade fee is something that we charge to all customers and it is charged for all equipment upgrade transactions, even through "indirect" channels like Apple. This fee helps offset costs associated with activating equipment on our network and other network associated as well. While it isn't a fee that can be waived, you can save money on this fee in the future by using My Verizon to complete your upgrade order as it is $20 this way versus $40 when you get representative assistance or go through the manufacture. For more about the upgrade fee, see #2 of this guide: http://spr.ly/6608HJ9zp Does this help clear up the details?
KiaH_VZW
Does anyone know what companies do not charge this fee
Due to the age of this thread, it will be locked in order to keep discussions current. If you have the same or a similar question/issue we invite you to start a new thread on the topic.
I paid full retail and am still being charged a $40 fee. I bought the phone from Apple; Verizon did nothing. I believe this is a fraudulent fee. All they keep telling me is “all carriers do it”. That’s like justifying crime by dying “all criminals commit crimes.”
"I paid full retail and am still being charged a $40 fee. I bought the phone from Apple; Verizon did nothing. I believe this is a fraudulent fee. All they keep telling me is “all carriers do it”. That’s like justifying crime by dying “all criminals commit crimes.” "
Apple is an authorized retailer. The upgrade fee is applied to all phones purchased with Verizon Wireless service no matter if you purchase using the device payment agreement or at full retail price.
Now if you had purchased the SIM unlocked iPhone model without a Verizon Wireless SIM card installed from the Apple store, then you wouldn't have been charged the upgrade fee.
I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.
We don't want you to feel this way. We're here to help you move forward. These fees help VZW cover the cost of activating the device and powering the network. We can check your account for additional value if any. Provide us with a number and time you'd like to be reached.
CoreyM_VZW
DO NOT post any personal information including phone numbers on this public forum.
I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.
Activating the device??? I put the SIM card from my previous phone into the new phone and turn it on. THAT'S worth $40?? It's not worth forty cents?? I did the work and the phone magically turned on the way it should and hit the network......no muss no fuss.
Activation/upgrade fees, whether disclosed or not, are a scam. You're making ME pay for the salesman to sell ME a phone that I then put MY SIM card in and turn on. Just what, exactly, am I getting for MY $40???
And as far as "upgrading" my device, all of the phones that I've bought my wife and boys have been smart phones so just what is the upgrade that's taking place (other than to a new phone.....same basic wireless capabilities that I turn on when I put the SIM card in).
Activation and upgrade fees are pretty much industry standard ... they may be annoying, but its part of the business model.
This past week, I spoke with a phone customer support rep, and questioned the activation fees. She state that the fees were being used to directly reinvest in their network including their 5G network, so that fee comes back to benefit the customers. Yeah, I think she went a bit over the top with her explanation, and I don't completely buy into it. But that is apparently one employees explanation of upgrade and activation fees ...
If we are in a national emergency (which we are!!!), I'd modestly suggest that it would be the "right thing" for carriers to be waiving such extra fees temporarily - when people need phones to be replaced, and they have to buy a device they may never have seen in person before over the Internet, maybe relaxing fees a little bit would be a good community thing to do. Especially with the in-person retail stores closed in so many placed. Scale back the upgrade fees (especially when you even downgrading your phone to a lesser device) and the $50 restock fee if the phone you ordered was not what you thought (had you been able to see it in person).
The upgrade fee is $20 when purchasing online and $40 when purchasing in the store. I'd say they have already "scaled back the upgrade fees" for online purchases. You can also purchase a BYOD unlocked device from the manufacturer or a used device and avoid the upgrade fee completely. Your choice.
I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.
Uh, no. I just bought a new phone, full retail, from Apple, with no carrier. Unlocked. Got charged $40 for an upgrade fee 🤷🏼♀️
@Peep14 That's definitely not right and you shouldn't be charged since the device is considered BYOD. Let Verizon know and they should refund this charge.
They *did* waive those fees till May.
If someone lost their job, they shouldn't be fussing over a $20 - $40 fee trying to finance a 1k phone they know they can't afford.
FrazzledDad Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us. We value your opinion and will share this information with the appropriate team. I do want you to know that you can save on those fees using self-serve options via your My Verizon Online or My Verizon App on your device. DoloresK_VZW
excellent suggestions and compromise worth VZ thinking seriously about.
I completely agree with you. No one should ever buy a phone at a Verizon store until they change policies. I went to a Verizon store yesterday to buy a new phone. They wanted to charge me a $40 activation fee but only if I bought the phone in the store. What would they do to activate the phone?...NOTHING I have to do myself on line. I was told that if I bought an unlocked phone at a popular on line retailer (you know the one) there would be no activation fee. I therefore walked out of the store and ordered one on line. I wont pay $40 for nothing. Verizon lost profit from me buying a phone from them.
I could understand the fee for covering technology to make changes but then it should be charged regardless of where you get the phone. As Verizon charges today it is UNETHICAL and shameful. I expect the better business bureau would do something about it if Verizon were not so big so I think it is time for a class action lawsuit as well. I hope someone takes it on.
Given current charging scheme and the fact that Verizon will no longer actually do the set up themselves in the store for you. Verizon should be paying us $40 to activate our new phone not the other way around. as we are doing the work, not them.
It's simple discrimination by Verizon.
I've been with Verizon for 20 years. Its always been a BUGUS fee. There is no extra work for anyone behind the scenes. It might have been the case at the inception of this fee, but with the advancements of business intelligence tools, there should be absolutely no additional, manual effort. This is just a tax on people who can't afford to pay for phones in full. It's discriminatory tax in that if you're rich or have $1000 to spare on a phone, you can buy it directly from another company and switch your line at no charge. But everyone else, needs to pay the fee. Its just a tax on the poor or less fortunate.
Never tell the Apple store you're with carrier. The moment they access your account to create the loan and/or activate a new sim card, you get hit with the fee.
Ask for the unlocked version and pop your old sim in.
Start a new topic or ask questions in the open forum.
