Just to note something...
I got on with Verizon around 8/08, a month after the Gap Fire in Santa Barbara, which was 7/08 because the phone service I had at the time, T-Mobile, was useless during the whole power outage taking out most of the city due to the fires. Verizon's Network had a fair strong presence because the local service is mostly Verizon.
Anyways, I did a little talking with the Verizon Rep on the phone and at the store and I was eligible for an Early Upgrade. Given it was only a year and 3 months and the upgrade meter said that I was eligible for a new upgrade in March, Which is about 4 months away, and I am 3 months past the 1 year, I am pretty sure that you can get it as an early upgrade, but will have a $20 early upgrade fee at best. I renewed for 2 years and got it at the $299 (Since I bought it at the store, I have to mail in for the $100 rebate).
Now, on the flipside, I am also the manager of our current Verizon Contract for our company, with 2 people will be leaving. Given that we entered into this contract in June, that is 5 months ago, the two people leaving the company want to take their number, which means they will take financial responsibility for it. However, the contract we entered is a 2 year contract as well. When they take the number, they will inherit the 2 year contract obligation for the phone and number they have.
HOWEVER, the rep also stated, that if we do not release the phone to them, the people taking over that line can opt for a replacement phone. They would then pay for the phone at the ONE YEAR contract agreement for the reason that they are inheriting a pre-existing agreement, versus a new line of service. This means they would then be only obligated for a year with the phone they choose.
So, for the most part, I believe that part of the issue will be the time in contract that will allow a renewal/upgrade of this nature. If it is less than a year, you are not eligible to renew your contract in such a fashion.
I got on with Verizon around 8/08, a month after the Gap Fire in Santa Barbara, which was 7/08 because the phone service I had at the time, T-Mobile, was useless during the whole power outage taking out most of the city due to the fires. Verizon's Network had a fair strong presence because the local service is mostly Verizon.
Anyways, I did a little talking with the Verizon Rep on the phone and at the store and I was eligible for an Early Upgrade. Given it was only a year and 3 months and the upgrade meter said that I was eligible for a new upgrade in March, Which is about 4 months away, and I am 3 months past the 1 year, I am pretty sure that you can get it as an early upgrade, but will have a $20 early upgrade fee at best. I renewed for 2 years and got it at the $299 (Since I bought it at the store, I have to mail in for the $100 rebate).
Now, on the flipside, I am also the manager of our current Verizon Contract for our company, with 2 people will be leaving. Given that we entered into this contract in June, that is 5 months ago, the two people leaving the company want to take their number, which means they will take financial responsibility for it. However, the contract we entered is a 2 year contract as well. When they take the number, they will inherit the 2 year contract obligation for the phone and number they have.
HOWEVER, the rep also stated, that if we do not release the phone to them, the people taking over that line can opt for a replacement phone. They would then pay for the phone at the ONE YEAR contract agreement for the reason that they are inheriting a pre-existing agreement, versus a new line of service. This means they would then be only obligated for a year with the phone they choose.
So, for the most part, I believe that part of the issue will be the time in contract that will allow a renewal/upgrade of this nature. If it is less than a year, you are not eligible to renew your contract in such a fashion.