"Upgrade fee" with Verizon? What is this crap?

[raccoon]

Went to a Verizon store yesterday to see about getting a new phone.

Not quite two short years ago I bought a basic flip phone for $50 from them.

Now they are saying $120. Salesperson said, their prices go up. That much?!?

To top it off, no matter what phone you get, they have a $30 "upgrade fee?" What a crock. I guess that's for their CEO's bonus.

I didn't buy a phone yesterday. I am exploring my options.

[Raven]

1. I have a Tracfone

which I got a few years ago when I found myself without communications during an ice storm. I don't use it very much but it works for me.

[dont hassle the hoff]

25. Net10 and Tracfone are the same company

If anyone is making a choice between the two, Net10 is a far better deal. I see the Tracphone cards and they are a total rip!

[Spirochete]

30. Tracfone are stingy with their minutes

but the activation period when you buy minutes is 90 days, instead of 30. I use Tracfone for that reason. I don't use it much, so I get by on $80/year. Not including the $8 it cost to buy the phone...

[geckosfeet]

2. Wait until your contract fully expires. You should be eligible for free/discounted phone.

Not the latest model but it should be free or heavily discounted.

You might want to casually mention that provider xyz has the same phone for less and that you are considering changing providers.

[prairierose]

23. Just to let you know...this "upgrade fee" applies to all contracts...

and all phones. We just went through this with them. The pathetic excuse a rep gave me was that this fee goes to upgrade their 4G network. I laughed and asked her if people actually believe that bs.

[Egalitarian Thug]

3. Run from Verizon, the worst of a bad lot. n/t

[bigdarryl]

4. Verizon is also talking about buyouts and lay offs of some of there employees

I have them but after my contract is over with them I'm switching to Sprint because there the only ones who have unlimited Data

[midnight]

6. We used Sprint a decade ago, and switched to Verizon, because they hit us with roaming hundreds of

dollars with of roaming charges.... Now we have these contracts with Verizon, and I just wish there were more choices... because I don't like how they are treating their employees either....

[Mponti]

8. Sprint unlimited doesn't mean unlimited

I will spare the ugly details...but near the end of my 2-year contract with Sprint, they charged me extra $1000 for excessive usage on my 'unlimited' contract. They can change terms at will

[CRK7376]

5. Sam's, Costco or ebay

for your next phone. We almost never buy our phones from the Verizon stores....

[Capobvious]

7. yeah,

you can probably get a free phone if you go to the website, but the upgrade fee is there too.Cheapest you can get it'll be like 30$ seems like all the major carriers are adopting an upgrade fee.

[raccoon]

9. To clarify: you don't have to buy the phone from Verizon or whoever your contract

is with. Is that correct?

[Egalitarian Thug]

29. No. Verizon does not sell nor accept phones that are not locked to Verizon.

You can't even pawn a Verizon phone.

[RKP5637]

10. I have a Tracfone and it works extremely well. We have two

phones and the monthly charge is about $17. We don't use them a lot, they they are very handy and work with all major carriers across the US via the Tracfone plan. They have numerous plans, some might fit what you need.

See >>> http://www.tracfone.com/

[hobbit709]

18. Tracfone here too-used them for 10 years or so now.

I average about $10/mo on it. Works everywhere without any problems. I don't want a smart phone, my eyes aren't good enough to watch video on a tiny screen, don't care about texting, email, etc. when I'm out.
It makes and receives calls-90% of the time I don't even have it turned on. There's only about 10 people that even have the number and I won't give it out to any business.

[RKP5637]

20. Yep, they're cheap, reliable, simple and work damn well. n/t

[Demit]

11. Do you need a new phone or just want one?

I'm curious. I have a cell phone but I don't use it much. What's the reason to get a new phone after two years?

[raccoon]

31. I thought it was about to give up the ghost, but now I'm not sure.

It seemed like the battery wasn't holding a charge very long.

I wonder now if it has to do with it being somewhat difficult to get a signal
in the building where I work. Others have mentioned that.

[KharmaTrain]

12. Technical "Bumping Up"...

The phone companies are taking a page from cable..."improve the service" by making old equipment obsolete and forcing customers to upgrade as well (for a higher monthly rate...of course)...since most people don't like to hassle or haggle and will go along with these increases as they're being told they're getting more and better service.

The major cellphone companies no longer make money from you talking on a phone...their profits are in the toys and gadets...the smartphones. Those users not only consumer more bandwith and run up longer charges but also can be marketed to.

Tracphone is a good basic service for just a basic phone and nothing more. Also I know people who have begun to use Google Talk and Skype from their laptops to make calls...a lot cheaper and better quality.

Fortunately you do have lots of options out there...but be careful, if the deal sounds too good to be true it usually isn't.

[Bonhomme Richard]

13. You can negotiate.

I just got a new iphone 4S from AT&T for half the price they advertized, they waved the upgrade fee and shipped it to me UPS NDA for free.

[goclark]

14. I'm a Senior

Is it better for me to get a AARP option?

I know they have one of those "Jiffy" ( thiink that is what they call it) phones.

Now I have a Verizon Droid and it is expensive but I have all the stuff on it --- to much!
They are always asking me if I want a new app and I'll say no and then I get an add from the " University of Phonix" at the bottom or some other stuff.

All I want is a PHONE that I can call my friend's on , google for information, take a photo ~ all the updates make me sick.

[obamanut2012]

15. Jitterbug

My grandmother has one and loves it.

[goclark]

21. Thanks ~ that's the name!

[obamanut2012]

24. They even have text capabilty

And the buttons -- and numbers on the buttons == are huge. You can sign up for a "panic button" alert on your phone, which I think is $10 extra a month. They have several tiers of plans.

I was with my grandmother when she picked her phone out. You can order them, but some places carry them, and the Wal-Mart in her area does.

[goclark]

27. Love your user name

I was a supporter of Wesley Clarks, thus goclark
Now I will be calling myself goclarkObama
I don't want to change my user name now.

Thanks for the tips about the phone.
I can't stand Verizon -- can't get out of my contract until next Octber.

I will be headed for Walmart in September to take a look at my choices.

I just joined aarp and I want to see if I can get one cheaper with their coupon.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

16. Let your contract expire...

Then look for something pay as you go. They're getting better and better these days. And cheap!
If not, we've had T-Mobile for 13 years and I call them and get great deals when I need to get new phones or whatever. Never had any issues.

[Ship of Fools]

17. One word: Jitterbug.

[safeinOhio]

19. I don't use my cell very much

so I switched over to pre-pay. Went from $45/month to about $100 every 7 or 8 months.

I did buy 200 shares of verizon a couple of years ago. Have made about $400/year in dividends and a thousand dollars a year in appreciation on the stocks price.

Not a fan of the their policies, but now I get to vote every year on how it is run, and live a little better in my retirement.

[SoutherDem]

22. I am with AT&T

I have been with them since 2000 (it was BellSouth Mobility). I have at times paid an activation fee, although they have at times waved it. I am guessing the upgrade fee is to get a new phone before a contract is up, but I have upgraded with AT&T and not pay an upgrade fee, but I was going to a iPhone and signing a new 2 yr contract.

I find that AT&T is a rather good company for me. The coverage is good, I feel their rates are competitive, and has given me good service.

[dont hassle the hoff]

26. I have a Net10 phone--it is awesome

Well, it's my bf's. I don't have a cell phone at all. No GPS to track him down. No contract. No dropped calls.

[SGMRTDARMY]

28. I too am with Verizon

but I have the pre paid service costs $50.00 a month, unlimited text, unlimited talk, unlimited web, and my phone cost me $14.00.
Something you might want to consider.