I've talked with three different agents multiple times and I am still confused. Of course, we understood phones are not actually "free" although that word certainly gets thrown around a lot. Over the course of two hours, I remember being told our existing phone plan was outdated and should be changed but I did not realize that trading in our phones and getting new ones required us signing on to a plan that was substantially more expensive than our prior plan. Our salesperson started writing down figures about costs per month for three years which puzzled my husband and myself and finally we just said that we wanted to pay those costs up front and not pay them over three years. The salesperson didn't really answer if this was an option or not at this point. There were some set-up charges and we bought some cases, etc so we understood those charges and the whopping 8.25 Texas sales tax. Our paperwork says they credited us for the new phones and financed ? us for our trade-ins. They told us our first phone bill would be more expensive. I have no idea what to expect with my upcoming bills but I know it will be more expensive. I think Verizon should stay away from the "free phone" sell and just be upfront about the 3 year hook. I would probably not have gone ahead with the process if we hadn't already been at the store for about 3 hours at that point. I like Verizon and my phone but it turned out to have too many surprises for my comfort level.
The salesperson must've been after their commission...
From what you're describing, I'd say you got signed into a deal where you traded in an old phone in order to get a new one which would be free if you stick around for a full 36 months with Verizon. They will give you a small credit to your bill each month until all the credits over 36 months add up to the cost of the new phone. Whether or not you will get any additional credit to your bill for the trade-in you did is up in the air. Another sort of hidden catch is when you sign up for these deals, you're also required to sign up for the Unlimited Ultimate plan which is the top-tier one. But if you are now on Unlimited Ultimate, you get dibs on network priority so have the best chance of getting 5G and 5G UW service the most. 😀
This is an industry practice, as I've also had sales representatives from various carriers attempt to upsell me on "free phone" deals, buy the high-end service plans, or get home internet service for cheap.
If you have more questions about your bill, click on the support link at the top of the page and go to the billing section.
Hey there, Ick95, we definitely want to help ensure that you are getting the best deal when purchasing your new phone, but it's also important that we review all of your options and make sure your charges are clear. As far as your free phone, you will see a charge for the new phone on your bill and then a monthly credit for your trade-in to offset that charge. You can review your next upcoming bills via your Next Bill Summary in My Verizon here: https://vz.to/2WIY4Pe. Are you seeing something on your account that you still have questions about?
-Lauren
On my bill, I have been charged an 8.25 % Texas sales tax on the total amount of our two new phones. This total is termed as the amount to be "financed." I didn't think we were paying to finance anything.
Thanks for those details, Ick95. When purchasing a new phone, you will have the option to pay the full retail price at the time of purchase or you can finance the phone over 36 months. In your case, you mentioned you have taken advantage of an offer which makes your phone free. What you will see on your bill is that monthly financing charge for 36 months and then a monthly credit to offset that charge. When purchasing the phone, you will also be liable for paying sales tax on the phone. For Texas, the tax is billed as one charge at the time of purchase. Does this help answer your question?
-Lauren
I just went through this today and I am also feeling very lost and filled with a bit of regret. I have done the trade-in before, but always leave completely confused.
I have literally put off getting a new phone strictly because it seems like somehow I am always given the run around and it ends up being hundreds of dollars, a doubled bill for 2-3 months, and nothing but confusion. For this being the largest cell phone company in the world, why does it take them 60-90 days to make sure our bills are correct?? Why can’t they just give us a flat out number.
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