Verizon to double ETF fees.

[Pliablemoose]

From $175 to $350. 😱

http://gizmodo.com/5396828/verizon-to-double-early-termination-fee

And charge another $15/month for Exchange support.
Droid users will have to pay at least an additional $15 a month on top of their data plan for Exchange access. That means $45 a month including Exchange support instead of $30 a month for a data only plan. Droid will be exclusively available on the Verizon network for $200 and with a two-year contract.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/11/verizon-droid-exchange/

(Italicized text was found to be inaccurate, I didn't delete, as it would have made the thread nonsensical-the extra $15/month is for business accounts, not consumer accounts)

LOL, it may be an uncrippled phone, but Verizon is figuring out how to nickle & dime their customers to death...

 

[lokiju]

So shitty but guess they're just protecting themselves.

Shit happens though and sometimes you need to get rid of your phone or jump ship to another carrier if you move or whatever and the service is not long acceptable in your new place.

Luckily for Verizon, their coverage tends to be the best out there.

 

[Pliablemoose]

$10/month prorated, so if you end the contract on month 23 of a 24 month contract, it costs you $120? Sheet, they're gonna hang onto their Android contractees forever...

 

[destrekor]

$10/month prorated, so if you end the contract on month 23 of a 24 month contract, it costs you $120? Sheet, they're gonna hang onto their Android contractees forever...

but this isn't so much Android specific, but smartphone.

Verizon loves to offer their BOGO sales, and they get ripped out like no other by customers. All those cheap brand new lines on ebay? Most were paid for using special deals, and then paying the ETF and jumping ship.

It looks like Verizon is only increasing the ETF for "advanced devices", so I reckon for smartphones only.

 

[ViRGE]

Aha! There's the catch we've all been waiting for.

 

[gorcorps]

Aha! There's the catch we've all been waiting for.

There's the catch? That implies there's been a deal good enough to wonder about a catch... is there something like that going on? If not, then it's just Verizon doing their thing.

 

[dartworth]

I was going to pick up a Droid on Friday, but I think I may wait for the other releases coming out soon...

Thought about trying a BB Tour for the time being

 

[Pliablemoose]

There's the catch? That implies there's been a deal good enough to wonder about a catch... is there something like that going on? If not, then it's just Verizon doing their thing.

The catch(es) are that people were so amazed Verizon didn't cripple the phone, as they have every smart phone they've sold, the catch is that they're going to rape the Android phone users financially and lock them into large ETF's.

I'd be willing to bet there's more to come....

I was going to pick up a Droid on Friday, but I think I may wait for the other releases coming out soon...

Thought about trying a BB Tour for the time being

I'm waiting for someone to allow Android phones on their AYCE (all you can eat) plans (like StraightTalk, etc) or a flash that allows another carrier's Android OS'd phone to work on the discounted networks .

 

[dartworth]

As far as the ETF, I'm sure AT&T will follow right along with its iPhone ETF when V raises theirs. I really despise these companies, not much one can do however.

 

[Pliablemoose]

As far as the ETF, I'm sure AT&T will follow right along with its iPhone ETF when V raises theirs. I really despise these companies, not much one can do however.

Yep... The Wireless telecos are making serious $ on smartphones, they're going to play on the popularity of the segment and charge fees like crazy...

 

[bigrash]

Does this affect anyone who is already under a Verizon contract?

 

[Chess]

reason why i want to switch to att and get an iphone my contract ended in may.. im just paying month to month

 

[Zenmervolt]

Yep... The Wireless telecos are making serious $ on smartphones, they're going to play on the popularity of the segment and charge fees like crazy...

Smartphones are heavily subsidized though. When I was working for T-Mobile corporate the stats were that the average customer who got a discounted phone with his contract did not provide any profit for the company until 10 months into the contract period. Anyone who canceled before those 10 months were up actually represented a net loss to the company. And that was for the average customer, not for smartphone customers whose devices were much more heavily subsidized.

Early termination fees would be far less if we didn't insist on cheap phones. If people were willing to pay full price for their phones, we'd see those fees fall. As it is, the demand for phones that appear to be cheaper is what is driving these high early termination fees.

Of course, I'm currently very frustrated with Alltel for enforcing their own early termination fee, but that's because they handed off my account to some craptastic regional carrier as a result of the FTC-mandated divestitures during the Verizon merger. The company providing my service has changed, which represents a very real alteration of contract terms and should allow me to terminate the agreement.

 

[pm]

I was wondering if they were going to do this. I never want to see fees rise, but I'm not surprised. I will admit that one of the things that made the whole iPhone thing more palatable was the ETF to get out of it wasn't too bad (all things considered).

One of the odd things about my iPhone 3GS is that from the day that I bought it, I could make a profit on Ebay selling it (even counting all of the fees). And today, if I wanted a Droid, I could sell my iPhone 3GS for about what I paid for it, including the ETF. I could maybe even make a small profit... which is just odd. What electronic device can you have, use daily for half a year, and then sell for a small profit when you want to upgrade? The ETF's for smartphones are low enough - and I'm not complaining, just observing - that they aren't anything more than an annoyance.

$350 will be more than an annoyance though...

 

[bucwylde23]

I can totally see why they do this. I read in other forums all the time where people buy a phone, ETF the contract and sell the phone and still make a profit. No surprise that VZ caught onto this and acted to protect themselves.

 

[Deeko]

Considering the BOGO deals they've been offering on Blackberries, that they've surely been screwed on, this doesn't really surprise me.

Engadget was talking about the $15 extra for exchange. I'm not really sure how they could enforce that, unless they shut off the ports, but I'm sure there'd be a way around it. Kinda like back when T-Mobile had T-Zones for $5.99 or unlimited internet for $19.99...if you had Windows Mobile (which back then was about the only smartphone choice), you could just configure a proxy service, and bam, full internet with T-Zones.

 

[shortylickens]

I'm getting my Droid contract-free (if they let me) so I dont have to deal with that kinda nonsense.
Yes, I'll pay a little more at the beginning, but it will save me more money in the long run if I ever get pissed off with Verizon.

Remember, the cost of the phone is much lower than the cost of using it for two years, or quitting early.

 

[dartworth]

I'm getting my Droid contract-free (if they let me) so I dont have to deal with that kinda nonsense.
Yes, I'll pay a little more at the beginning, but it will save me more money in the long run if I ever get pissed off with Verizon.

Remember, the cost of the phone is much lower than the cost of using it for two years, or quitting early.

its gonna cost like $550...

 

[ZombieRitual]

Droid users will have to pay at least an additional $15 a month on top of their data plan for Exchange access. That means $45 a month including Exchange support instead of $30 a month for a data only plan. Droid will be exclusively available on the Verizon network for $200 and with a two-year contract.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/...roid-exchange/

From the article you linked:

The higher rate, though, will only apply for customers on a corporate or business account.

“Most customers will pay $30 for the data plan that gets them internet access and push e-mail,” Brenda Raney, a spokesperson for Verizon Wireless told Wired.com. “Customers who use an enterprise server are, in general, business customers and an IT department is facilitating the access. [Those] are the ones who need the $50 plan.”

So this will only affect corporate customers. Still shitty, but it's not a fee everyone who buys a Droid will see.

 

[Pliablemoose]

I'm getting my Droid contract-free (if they let me) so I dont have to deal with that kinda nonsense.
Yes, I'll pay a little more at the beginning, but it will save me more money in the long run if I ever get pissed off with Verizon.

Remember, the cost of the phone is much lower than the cost of using it for two years, or quitting early.

That's one thing that kills me, if you buy a phone outright, you still end up paying for the higher rate contract & data to stay contract free.

I think all the carriers should offer rates plans with & without the phone subsidy.

 

[uli2000]

That's one thing that kills me, if you buy a phone outright, you still end up paying for the higher rate contract & data to stay contract free.

I think all the carriers should offer rates plans with & without the phone subsidy.

T-Mobile is gonna start doing that w/ their Project Black (or whatever it's called). I guess if you can live with the spotty service and strange 3g band, it may be what you want.

BTW, the droid Eris (Hero clone for VZW) will only be $289 full retail. I may consiter buying one for that price.

 

[oogabooga]

its gonna cost like $550...

Yea, I don't know that the ETF is going to work out to be more than the price difference subsidized.

 

[Indolent]

Considering the BOGO deals they've been offering on Blackberries, that they've surely been screwed on, this doesn't really surprise me.

Engadget was talking about the $15 extra for exchange. I'm not really sure how they could enforce that, unless they shut off the ports, but I'm sure there'd be a way around it. Kinda like back when T-Mobile had T-Zones for $5.99 or unlimited internet for $19.99...if you had Windows Mobile (which back then was about the only smartphone choice), you could just configure a proxy service, and bam, full internet with T-Zones.

The $15 for Exchange isn't true.

http://www.gearlog.com/2009/11/personal_droid_data_will_cost.php

 

[Drekce]

Considering the BOGO deals they've been offering on Blackberries, that they've surely been screwed on, this doesn't really surprise me.

Engadget was talking about the $15 extra for exchange. I'm not really sure how they could enforce that, unless they shut off the ports, but I'm sure there'd be a way around it. Kinda like back when T-Mobile had T-Zones for $5.99 or unlimited internet for $19.99...if you had Windows Mobile (which back then was about the only smartphone choice), you could just configure a proxy service, and bam, full internet with T-Zones.

I still use the $5.99 T-Zones plan for my iPhone. That's why it is going to suck having to start paying $30/month for the Droid's data.

 

[destrekor]

That's one thing that kills me, if you buy a phone outright, you still end up paying for the higher rate contract & data to stay contract free.

I think all the carriers should offer rates plans with & without the phone subsidy.

what?

the rates, at least on verizon, are the same whether you are in a contract or not.

So in the end, it is more ideal to get a contract and a deal on a phone if you know for sure you want to stick with any particular carrier.

And maybe that's what you were getting at, I was just a little confused by the wording.