Leaving Verizon, unless a deal is struck.

[Swannie242]

I recently ran a cost analysis between Verizon and Walmart's Straight Talk.  Straight Talk is pay full price for a phone and then pay $45/mo for service.  If I stay with Verizon and get four new iPhones it costs me as follows:  Cost of plan 2yrs with 4 phones - $5832.00(cost of current plan). Cost of new iPhones - $800.00 TOTAL VERIZON COST 2 yrs - $6632.00    Walmart's Straight Talk.  Cost of plan 2yrs with 4 phones - $4320.  Cost of 4 new iPhones - $2600.00.  Now, you obviously save money going Verizon the first two years vs. Walmart, but, the savings starts hitting home after the first two years for now your paying less for Walmart than Verizon and you are not held to a contract so if you do not have the money for the phone service any given month, you simply shut it off.  My contract ends in May 2014.  We plan to pull out of Verizon then and go to Walmart.  Any better offer Verizon?

[#2]

Verizon is not the low cost provider and does not compete on the basis of cost.  Did you ever get BMW to price match with Ford?  Not gonna happen.  You don't go with Verizon to save money.

[Intocable]

if money is an issue with you then go straightalk.

[bleuroze]

Is this more cost effective in two years, when the iPhone 5 that you get is yesterday's news, the touch screen is out on it or a button doesn't work, and you have to buy new phones at full retail?

As of the 24 month mark, you say you will have spent $6,632 with Verizon. By your calculations you will have spent $6920 with Straight talk. That's a $288 savings with Verizon. And, by then, you need new phones with Straight talk because the phones you have aren't working correctly. And, from what I can tell, you don't have a reasonably priced extended warranty option with Straight Talk. In fact, their warranty shows that you send in your phone for repair and wait for the phone to be returned to you. That's up to two weeks without a phone. Verizon's warranty shows that you get a replacement phone, then send your defective one back.

But, for $45/mo, I guess you get what you pay for. And that includes the limited tower capabilities too. With 4 hones, you're saving a little each month, paying a lot for the phones, and sacrificing a huge amount on service. Good luck.

Good luck.

[tylerw1285]

True for the most part except they send you generally a previous malfunctioned phone or the cheaper replacements you cn tell by the last of the SIM which it is your getting. As far as Towers They are shared just at different Frequency's some are even the exact same.

[ynggrsshppr91]

This is Walmart's Straight Talk plan they are referring to. Not Straight Talk like everyone things. That Walmart stuff runs on T-Mobile towers Only.

[h00t]

Do you have any specific refrences to back up this claim?

[ynggrsshppr91]

Yea, go to walmart and buy something then look at the ack of your receipt. Says right on it that their Wireless network is run by T-Mobile

[TheMarine79]

The funny thing is, yes you are paying for cheaper service, however, the towers and and the number of calls you will drop will increase.  The problem is, when you pay for verizon, you will have service everywhere you go. When you go with the prepaid plans, your phone will not use the teir 1 towers, but teir 2 and 3.  So good luck, get what you pay for.

[Weth]

What plan are you using. If you want to be smart, consider this:

With Verizon, buy your 4 phones outright, full cost

sign up for More Everything 10 GB (15 GB tomorrow by rumor) for $100, and $15 access fee for each line.

That is monthly cost of $160 with taxes

So 2 year cost is 160 x 24 = 3840, plus the cost of the phones. This is a better deal than Walmart!

At least compare apples to apples.