Disturbing call w/ Verizon rep on droid upgrade

[kodiak799]

I find it real hard to believe however that Verizon would expect us to pay full price for an upgraded phone. I won't do it. Who's got that kind of money? Well, I'm sure some of you do. Heck some of you will sell your children for a new phone. And I'm not saying that's bad, I don't have any so I can't sell mine.

My understanding is the ETF is $350, reduced $10 per month of service. My NE2 is like Sep, but it doesn't look to me like the 2-yr contracts offer enough incentive to lock-in for 2 years. So I may very well be paying the ETF when I see a phone I really like, and then signing a 1-yr contract. After, say, 18 months that will be @ $300 plus $170 for the ETF.

I also have a gut feeling that LTE upgrades are going to disappoint VZW (not to mention, most 2-yr contract Droids aren't up until at least July for upgrades) and so they are going to offer people special promotions. And for everyone like me sitting here saying "well, gee, I want to get off 2-yr contracts because there's no reason not to" it's going to be very tough because VZW has a few hundred bucks, at least, to play with.

Realistically, if I get at least 18 months out of my D1 there's no reason I can't get at least that much out of my next phone (provided it has everything I'm looking for). Although I've been wanting more power since about August. But faced with $470 or so to upgrade vs. maybe a VZW promotion for $300 I may have to sign another 2-yr and then cross the next upgrade bridge when I come to it.

 

[BigMcGuire]

Verizon continues to disappoint me. I have an upgrade coming in 6 months. Way to thank loyal customers imo...

 

[kodiak799]

This is not a breach of contract in any way, shape, or form, although it is retroactive. The discount was considered a promotion, and nowhere on your contract does it state you will receive any type of discounted device.

You are most likely correct. They always give themselves an out.

However, I thin the NE2, at least, gives them a powerful leg up in combatting customer turnover. You get antsy for a new phone and get the upgrade at 20 month, then 4 months is a pretty long time to wait to shop around. VZW has industry low turnover, and it looks like at least partially that has been "bought" by VZW. If people have to mostly play out their contract before upgrading you'll see more shopping around and then turn is going to increase (data I've seen is 1.4% at VZW, 10% at Sprint and 15% at T-Mo, AT&T in the 4% range I think and will spike with the IPhone on VZW now).

 

[kodiak799]

Verizon continues to disappoint me. I have an upgrade coming in 6 months. Way to thank loyal customers imo...

All speculation, but I think what could be driving this partially is VZW wants more power to manipulate people's upgrade decisions. NE2 was like 20 months and then BOOM, you look around. They don't want to treat customers differently so they were kind of handcuffed. Now I expect to see more special promotions aimed at moving certain handsets and reversing unsatisfactory turn in various consumer segments. For example, we might see a few LTE promotions specifically for current Droid owners, many of whom can't upgrade until the second half of the year.

Just saying, for NE2 when you hit that the whole line of phones is open to you for upgrades, more or less. But now what VZW can do is drive consumers (most likely toward LTE in those markets) by offering an early upgrade but only for specific LTE devices, effectively pigeonholing the user's upgrade options. Then it's like "oh, well, I didn't really want to pay for a high-end phone of for LTE, but I don't want to wait 6 more months to upgrade, either".

 

[UrbanBounca]

My understanding is the ETF is $350, reduced $10 per month of service. My NE2 is like Sep, but it doesn't look to me like the 2-yr contracts offer enough incentive to lock-in for 2 years. So I may very well be paying the ETF when I see a phone I really like, and then signing a 1-yr contract. After, say, 18 months that will be @ $300 plus $170 for the ETF.

Technically, VZW won't allow you to pay out your ETF to purchase new equipment. If you terminate your MDN under contract, they will require an ETF, and you won't be eligible for a new device until after 90 days.

That's how it used to be, and I'm almost positive that's how it's setup now.

You are most likely correct. They always give themselves an out.

However, I thin the NE2, at least, gives them a powerful leg up in combatting customer turnover. You get antsy for a new phone and get the upgrade at 20 month, then 4 months is a pretty long time to wait to shop around. VZW has industry low turnover, and it looks like at least partially that has been "bought" by VZW. If people have to mostly play out their contract before upgrading you'll see more shopping around and then turn is going to increase (data I've seen is 1.4% at VZW, 10% at Sprint and 15% at T-Mo, AT&T in the 4% range I think and will spike with the IPhone on VZW now).

The turnover on the iPhone is very low. The majority of people that purchase an iPhone stick with it throughout their entire contract, or at least until a new iPhone is released. VZW has low turnover now, and it will remain that way. I can assure you I'm not leaving because I'm not receiving a discount. VZW is one of the few that had actually done it for so long, because my previous carrier didn't help you out.

These are a couple of quotes from a very respected VZW dealer on another community I visit.

As I understand it, if you have an Annual Upgrade USE IT NOW, because it WILL NOT BE THERE longer than a couple of weeks.

Unless of course, you are waiting for the Thunderbolt or some other LTE phone, which I can promise you will not be here before VZW is done taking the wrecking ball to NE2 and AU.

Based on the wording I saw, no, you will not see your Annual Upgrade now. If you were enrolled in NE2 before January 16th, 2011, and become eligible for a new every 2 between now and September 16th, 2012, you have 6 months from the date of eligibility to use it, or else it disappears.

No. Read your contract Terms & Conditions, and nowhere in there will you find the "New Every Two Discount" in the T&C's of your contract. NE2 was a "promotional program" sort of like the "VIP" program that Verizon canceled last year. Promotions are not contracted, and therefore aren't grounds to break the contract.

 

[kodiak799]

Technically, VZW won't allow you to pay out your ETF to purchase new equipment. If you terminate your MDN under contract, they will require an ETF, and you won't be eligible for a new device until after 90 days.

I do remember hearing something like that, though I actually though it was 30 days (but 30 or 90, what the heck do you do in the meantime?).

Nevertheless, I may push on that. Contrary to popular opinion, managers always have discretion to ignore such a policy. Convince them you're jumping ship and they might very well waive the 90 days. One thing I've learned from Droid forums is there are always unpublicized promotions that they seem capable of offering people who whine loud enough while letting VZW weasel out of contract breaches or unequal treatment for customers.

 

[UrbanBounca]

I've always been told the system won't allow it because when you enter the new customer information, it will reopen the previous account.

 

[Detonation]

As usual, the CS reps are doing more to confuse than to help. I just called and asked about losing my upgrade, and the woman told me I actually wasn't even eligible for upgrade until July (which is my normal 20 month upgrade date). I told her I should be eligible for my annual upgrade but I don't think she even knew what that was. After being put on hold for a few minutes, she came back and told me I was in fact eligible and that she didn't know anything about the policy change yet, but assured me that if you have an upgrade available they cannot take it away.

 

[Rogue27]

wow its not as much the reps that r confusing people as much as this forum is. Everyone is putting their two sense in and getting everyone all riled up for nothing.

1) most reps will not go over too much with u to begin with because they agree to confidentiality statements and could lose their jobs for going over this info before its official.

2) as of january 16th customers starting a new line of service or upgrading will no longer be given ne2 or annual upgrades yet if u have them now they will be good for up to six months before they dissapear completely.

3) for customers who have a ne2 or annual coming from now until jan 15 of 2013 will still receive that and from date of eligibility will stay valid for up to six months.

Ex. 1: i myself have an annual upgrade coming in august 2011. I will still become eligible for it in aug and will stay valid for me to use for up to six months. If i dont use it i lose it and once i do use it no more annuals after that.

Ex 2. If anyone uses a ne2 or annual on jan 15th 2011( day before new policy) they will become eligible and have the choice of an annual on jan 15th 2012 or a ne2 on sept 15th 2013 (20 months into contract) and both will stay valid till six months after offered. At that point when either of the two r used no more annual or ne2.

What everyone is missing and cant see is that vzw is not changing the contract u signed in any way shape or form. What u the customer are doing when u do use ur next ne2 or annual is signing a new 2 year agreement with vzw's new terms and conditions. Meaning a new contract that outlines the new upgrade policy. So u see verizon isnt changing anyones upgrade options for contracts signed on or before the 15th nor have they breached contracts previously signed. U will just be agreeing to new terms next time around. So those of u trying to get smart and cancel w/o etf's think again.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using DroidForums App

 

[Sal]

wow its not as much the reps that r confusing people as much as this forum is. Everyone is putting their two sense in and getting everyone all riled up for nothing.

1) most reps will not go over too much with u to begin with because they agree to confidentiality statements and could lose their jobs for going over this info before its official.

2) as of january 16th customers starting a new line of service or upgrading will no longer be given ne2 or annual upgrades yet if u have them now they will be good for up to six months before they dissapear completely.

3) for customers who have a ne2 or annual coming from now until jan 15 of 2013 will still receive that and from date of eligibility will stay valid for up to six months.

Ex. 1: i myself have an annual upgrade coming in august 2011. I will still become eligible for it in aug and will stay valid for me to use for up to six months. If i dont use it i lose it and once i do use it no more annuals after that.

Ex 2. If anyone uses a ne2 or annual on jan 15th 2011( day before new policy) they will become eligible and have the choice of an annual on jan 15th 2012 or a ne2 on sept 15th 2013 (20 months into contract) and both will stay valid till six months after offered. At that point when either of the two r used no more annual or ne2.

What everyone is missing and cant see is that vzw is not changing the contract u signed in any way shape or form. What u the customer are doing when u do use ur next ne2 or annual is signing a new 2 year agreement with vzw's new terms and conditions. Meaning a new contract that outlines the new upgrade policy. So u see verizon isnt changing anyones upgrade options for contracts signed on or before the 15th nor have they breached contracts previously signed. U will just be agreeing to new terms next time around. So those of u trying to get smart and cancel w/o etf's think again.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using DroidForums App

Not so according to the woman I spoke to today. See my original post starting this thread. She asked not one but two others when I protested. It was a 25 minute call!

 

[Rogue27]

I just quit vzw call center yesterday and not bound by confidentiality so just stop fighting it. If u read what i posted it makes perfect sense and if u cant put the pieces together ur too lost for me to help. Just stop confusing everyone else in the forum with what u think this means rather than what actually is. Ive had hour long calls with customers and at tge end of calls they still dont know up from down so a 25 minute call u may have had is great but u have the facts do what u wish with them

Sent from my SCH-I500 using DroidForums App

 

[vatothe0]

So much misinformation in this thread. Anyone that is willing to talk about changes, didn't pay enough attention to the training to understand the statement of confidentiality so they probably don't know what they are talking about.

Just wait until the 16th.

 

[Sal]

I just quit vzw call center yesterday and not bound by confidentiality so just stop fighting it. If u read what i posted it makes perfect sense and if u cant put the pieces together ur too lost for me to help. Just stop confusing everyone else in the forum with what u think this means rather than what actually is. Ive had hour long calls with customers and at tge end of calls they still dont know up from down so a 25 minute call u may have had is great but u have the facts do what u wish with them

Sent from my SCH-I500 using DroidForums App

Rather than hurl invective, you might just say that you disagree with the interpretation of the rules by the rep with whom I spoke. That's a fair position. Peace, brother...

 

[motoconvert]

I really find it hard to beleive that VZW would screw loyal customers (I know, I know...whatever)...they are probably still going to offer phones at a discounted price, they're just gonna call the "program" something else. I just can't see them investing is new phones knowing that they will lose well over half of their customers if they no longer offer top phones at a discounted price...Flame me all you want, I just don't see it happening...

 

[leakim13]

Just eating popcorn watching this... Sitting next to my NEW EVERY TWO upgrade that was effective nov 23 2010, ill wait till may and see what's out... If I don't like anything ill use it to get the most expensive android LTE phone on the market, then sell it, keep using my droid 2 until a phone is released that I want then buy that...

From the Great North Woods