“Thinking of upgrading your phone with Verizon? Better do it fast,” David Goldman reports for CNN Money.
“On April 22, Verizon Wireless will institute a $30 upgrade fee for existing customers who purchase new phones with a two-year contract,” Goldman reports. “‘This fee will help us continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect,’ said Brenda Raney, spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless.”
Goldman reports, “Verizon is actually the last national carrier to charge an upgrade fee. T-Mobile charges $18 for upgrades. Sprint and AT&T recently doubled their fees to $36.”
Read more in the full article here.
This new charge will only drive more churn. With the level of service I have received from VZN, $1 would be over paying.
Uh, how will it drive churn when you pay more at AT&T/Spring? If you switch carriers, you pay a similar-sized activation fee.
It is interesting that DoJ comes against Apple in matter where Apple is right but never comes against carriers who have oligopoly that abuses their consumers in ways that is not known, for example, in Europe.
“This fee will help us continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect”.
I expect terrible service, so now I need to pay $30 to continue to get it. If I don’t pay the extra fee for bad service, will I be forced into the good service line?
Pretty soon the airline companies will be charging for carry-on bags…….wait a minute….Dooh!
Been a while since I upgraded phones, still on the 2G. It’s worked really well and I’m hoping to see 5 years just to see if I can make it.
When I go to the new iPhone this fall, I’ll be charged $26.00 if I stay with AT&T or no fee if I switch plans?
Is it the same charge if I buy it at the Apple Store?
If you don’t stay with AT&T, you’ll be charged an activation fee with your new carrier. You’re charged the fee by the carrier, not by Apple, so no, it doesn’t matter if you buy at the Apple Store or not.
BTW, how is your 2G still holding a charge for more than a couple of hours after nearly 5 years? Did you replace the battery?
No new battery. My wife and i both got them at the same time and both are still working fine. She gets two days to a charge and I get a full day. I usually get to 10 p.m. before I see the 20% warning. I use it for photos for a website, email, calls, games, maps, alarm clock, timer, websites, music. My wife uses it to remotely check sites, email, call, texting, and facebook.
Our iphones have inspired 10 people we know to purchase iPhones.
Best phones we ever bought.
If you have that iPhone 2G that long I wouldn’t call it a upgrade, I’d think it’s a new phone. What would happen if you picked out a different phone and would not be an upgrade?
Shakedown by Corporate America. I’d rather they sell us SIM cards and let us buy the phone of our choosing without subsidy.
Oh, Shit! That would be a free market. We cannot have that in the Corporate States of America.
God forbid we have the freedom from corporations enjoyed by those socialist, pinko, european, commies.
Interesting all the fee complaints from the “free market” worshipers. Sounds like they want government “interference” and dare I say “tighter regulation”??
Nothing is inherently good or evil with regulation. Some things require it given human greed.
I wish we could just buy a phone too, then use whatever SIM card as some other areas of the world. I know in Japan, you can do that. Better yet, I wish we could buy an iPhone and use a data plan monthly as needed like with iPad.
I know, wish in one hand and…. etc., etc.
Whenever I upgrade my iPhone with ATT I just tell them I won’t pay any “upgrade fee” and they issue credit on my first bill for that amount. I’ve done that twice, maybe 3 times now.
Going to try your idea on my next upgrade. Hope it works 🙂
I have a 4s , and just ported over my last number from Verizon to AT&T , am I glad to
Be away from that company , Horrible Cust.
Service !!!! And AT&T is better for me …
I use the 3GS for work , and the 4s is personal , I love having the two !!!!
STILL , even now , the most stable platform
Out there.
You implying your phone works on both network’s?
In Canada, Rogers charges a $35 Administration fee on all cell phone upgrades.