Upgrade fee. . .

[alanmag]

Just upgraded my phone. . . like the phone but noticed on the bill a $30 upgrade fee. I have been an almost continuous customer of Verizon or GTE since 1988. Yes the phone was mounted in the car! I have paid them nearly $ 200 per month for the last 7 years and have not upgraded my phone for 4 years. Needless to say they have made a bunch of money off of my phone. So now I decide to get a new phone and besides paying for the phone at a discount they charge me an upgrade fee. What a slap in the face for being a loyal customer. I called customer service and they said they do not wave the fee. Stuck for the life of my contract or until the buyout is what the competitor will pay to get my service. Verizon used to be the best coverage so I stayed with them but everyone else has caught up and it looks like it's time to move on. . . If they don't value me anymore than $30 dollars then they have lost my loyal support. By the way the reason for the $30 fee is that persons with smartphones call to often with questions. I can count on one hand the times I have called with questions in the last 18 years.

[julsb]

My husband went to another service because not only do they charge an upgrade fee he would lose his current plan and have to put everyone on the new plan. I to have been with Verizon since they were AirTouch and their customer service have declined. They also lied to us saying he was out of contract, but got an early termination fee charge of $140. The rep never put any notes and the only excuse they told me was "The representative must have given you the upgrade date instead." They will not take accountability for their wrong doing, only sucking money out of us. My contract ends soon and I will be going elsewhere after 17 years with them.

Don't you have 30 days to return the phone and get out of the contract?

[Dave-in-Decatur]

14 days to return the phone, but I don't know if that gets you out of a contract. I just got an upgrade and an upgrade fee too, which kinda wipes out a bunch of the $50 rebate. Personally, I'd rather have less rebate and no fee. But all the companies do this because ... well because they can, which is the one and only prevailing ethical principle in capitalism today.

[#4]

Gets you out of everything. No phone, no contract and no plans.

You can revert back to the old plan however if you have unlimited data it is very risky to even get it back since they no longer have a code for it to put back on the account.

However there is a $35 restocking fee that will have to be paid. And the upgrade fee can be refunded I believe within 3 days.

But there is a way I have read.

Good Luck

[#5]

14 Days not 30

Good Luck

[commonsense101]

bye.

upgrade fee isn't new, verizon's isn't the highest.. oh and they have gained more customers year over year since they instituted it..

[Mehnotimpressed]

So the upgrade fee is ok by using the standard that it sucks less than it may somewhere else?  Justify bad behavior with other bad behavior often?

[#8]

No sure why you are replying to an old thread. And no one is saying it's ok because others are doing it. The point is others ARE doing it so switching to another carrier is not going to prevent someone from getting charged this fee. Unless you go to T-Mobile since they don't even offer subsidized phones.

Let me ask you this is Verizon just simply charged $30 more for their subsidized phones would that make you feel better? I doubt it. the point is even with the $30 fee a subsidized phone is anywhere form 60%-95% off full retail and really to complain about "only" getting a 95% discount instead of 100% is bit silly. It's like getting a new PS4 for $20 and complaining you had to pay the $20 instead of getting it for free.

This fee has been around for 2 years and it's not going away so why beat a dead horse? You can always avoid the fee by paying full price if you wish. No one forces you to take a subsidy.

[japetty]

They (VZW) or someone else will take your money with one kind of a fee or another and smile all the way to the bank.  You can call it bad behavior or what ever you like to call it.  You will find that if you leave VZW for another carrier you will pay them these fees plus more when the time comes.  The best way to stop paying these charges and fees is stop doing new contracts and subsidized phones or any phone for that matter from the carrier.  Subsidized phones are just a gimmick anyway to make you think you are getting a free phone or a phone for almost nothing but you pay dearly for it through the life of that contract you get.

[Mehnotimpressed]

I understand that other carriers have the same or similar fees...everyone

knows that (let me just roll my eyes at those that felt a need to point

this out). I don't care what other companies are doing. It has absolutely

zero bearing on this conversation. I'm dealing with Verizon and not

another company.

I want Verizon to know my opinion on this upgrade fee because I have this

silly tendency to hate when others' fingers dig even further into my

wallet. But if you are content at accepting new fees just because

competitors do it, then I would love to have you as a customer. I'll rip

you off all day long and justify it by saying that my competitors do it too

(I actually wouldn't, but you get the point).

I did pay full price for my last phone and got a free tablet out of the

deal because the store manager felt bad that I paid full price. Aside from

the free tablet, I don't see what value I gained by paying full price over

paying a subsidized price and locking myself into a contract.

Would I be charged this fee if I purchased my phone directly from the

manufacturer?

[#11]

Your statement makes no bearing on the matter either. You are obligated to pay the fee for any subsidized device purchase. Your value is getting a phone for free or 1/4 the cost. Yes there is a contract included in the purchase.

Verizon as the business and as others have said charge this fee. Verizon was the last company to do it, they charge the least fee and if you don't like it you just go elsewhere. It really is that simple.

You either accept the terms as they are, or you go to another service. Business is business. Verizon Wireless is not a charity.

Good Luck

[Mehnotimpressed]

And you must be paid by Verizon. You obviously have nothing more to say

than to point out that other companies are doing this. Maybe you're

failing to realize that I paid the fee because I think it's worth it to

stay with Verizon, but if makes you happy that you have to pay this fee

wherever you go, then go be happy. I don't like it and I want Verizon to

know. Can you accept that?

[#13]

As an individual I can like or not like it. And I accept that.

And no I am not an employee of Verizon Wireless. Look for the Verizon avatars.

I never pay such fees since I pay full price for my devices.

However to vocalize the displeasure on a peer to peer forum is a waste of time.

If you are looking for a Crusade the amount of converts here will not amass to a slime few.

Good Luck

[rcschnoor]

Mehnotimpressed wrote:

Would I be charged this fee if I purchased my phone directly from the

manufacturer?

Yes, if Verizon subsidizes the purchase of the phone to the tune of several hundred dollars you will be charged an upgrade fee. When purchasing from somewhere other than Verizon, the upgrade fee will show up on your next bill.

Mehnotimpressed wrote:

I did pay full price for my last phone and got a free tablet out of the

deal because the store manager felt bad that I paid full price.

If you pay full price as you have indicated then you would not be charged the upgrade fee.

[Mehnotimpressed]

mehnotimpressed - thanks.

Elector - good for you for saving $30 in upgrade fees instead of saving

~$300 and being subject to a 2-year contract. How's that working out for

ya? Have you not stayed with Verizon for the duration of a 2-year

contract? If so, then why wouldn't take the subsidy? And, "to vocalize

the displeasure on a peer to peer forum is a waste of time"...hello, Pot.

Meet Kettle.

[#16]

I have been with Verizon many long years before they were Verizon. Nice try.

You see I can afford to buy my devices at full price, I am not looking for a hand out, or any contract.

Hint hint since you must have forgotten the Early Termination Fees, associated with having a subsidized device with contract. You are locked in where I am not and never will be. Big difference.

You still are paying full price for the device.  So lets see you buy the device at $200 lets say it costs you at retail $600 so that is a $400 savings. Depending on device cost of course.

$400 divided by 24 months is $16.67 a month still paying full price.

However you don't like the service and decide to leave.

Well that $400 upfront savings now is hacked down to $50 minus $350 yep that is a savings.(Will be less with each month) Take the upgrade fee off it you now saved $20 whoo hoo.

And you leave and have to pay for a new device all over again, you pay an activation fee which everyone pays unless the carrier is running a promotion.

So there is no pot calling anything.

[Mehnotimpressed]

japetty - Awesome! I figured as much. I'll keep that in mind going

forward.

Elector - It's easy to afford to pay full price for phones. They aren't

much money. So, you can stop patting yourself on the back. Further, you

need to go check your logic. It's called a subsized price for a reason.

If you're saying that they bake the price of the phone into the monthly

bill, then explain why my monthly bill is exactly the same when I pay full

price vs when I pay the subsidized price. Finally, if you don't get

understand the saying "pot calling the kettle black", then here's your

dummy hat. Go sit at the kids' table and let the adults speak.

[#18]

Evidently they are too much for you Mr. Subsidy with an upgrade fee!

And the Pot calling the Kettle black you referred to made no sense. I am not on the soap box here complaining about $30 YOU ARE.

So wear the hat yourself.

Have a nice evening.

[japetty]

I was not charged this fee the last 2 times I bought devices from other than VZW and changed the devices myself online at my account.  YMMV  I just don't go into a VZW store anymore unless I have no other choice.  I don't like the way I am treated in VZW stores.  I recently changed a phone that my elder sister uses from the one she was using to a new phone I bought from EBAY and was not charged any fee when I activated it.

[#20]

You can change a device at any time of like technology without any upgrade fee.

You already know to just change the emeid online or even a simple SIM swap will accomplish the task.

If you buy any subsidized phone under a contract there is a upgrade fee. Yes they should have just included the $30 in the cost of the subsidy. But Verizon didn't do that.

Therefore all the complaints you read here about it.

Good Luck