var json_comments = new Array("

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Jfielder

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I do in fact want a Droid.... but this whole thing about not having much money right now...

2 replies

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TVGenius

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@Jfielder23: Yeah, and hearing a story like this makes it that much harder for me to not pick up the phone and try to pull something like this... must force myself to wait. Must convince myself the next-gen Android devices will be even better... patience...

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@TVGenius: These are not the droids you are looking for.

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I can say this, my New Every 2 wasn't until Feb 2010......
Basically, I went to a verizon store, checked out the droid, and i liked it, ask the employee about my situation, he says to call customer \"maybe\" they can help...i'm thinking thanks for trying buddy..

Two days later, i call customer service tell them my situation, he says if i can hold, comes back and tells me he moved my contract date to expire that day, and to go online/store and get the phone, so yea they are willing to bend for the phone

3 replies

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h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@comic0guy: Wow, you're lucky you called them. I don't think I would have been too happy to find out that my contract had expired suddenly.
I looked at the Droid too, and although I love it, I'm waiting a few months. I want to get the cheaper pricing through NE2, and I want there to be time for the kinks to get worked out. And there will always be kinks to work out.

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jc364

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes: The end of a contract doesn't refer to the end of service, it just means that once the contract is over, you would no longer get stuck with fees if you decided to leave Verizon. It also means that you can get a phone cheaper if you decide to go enter back into a contract.

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Absent minded or just absent

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes: You don't get it, do you?

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h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@Absent minded or just absent: I don't get what? I saw a phone that I like, but I'm not willing to buy it just yet. The snark is really not necessary to get a point across.

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Duke_Newcombe sez íViva la Revolucion de Chihuahua!

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes: I think the snarky \"don't get it\" referred to the ability to \"work\" the CSR, and get them to move your New Any Two (Na2) date from whenever you're eligible to today.

If they could do that, you could go online/walk into the \"Big Red\" store, and pick one up now, not in \"a few months\" as you're planning.

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@h3llc4t, breaker of office dress codes: I think what \"Absent minded or just absent\" means is that an earlier contract expiration date with Verizon does not hurt you - you can stay on the same plan that you are currently on until you get a new phone, but you won't be charged any ETFs.

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this_is_my_screen_name

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I tried this 2 days ago; we have a family share plan, with 2 BB pearls and 2 storms. I said we've been having so many problems with the pearls, despite firmware upgrades and everything (random power-downs, calls always start on speakerphone, music player takes 2 minutes to start, etc) and verizon flat out said, \"NO\". It's the first time I've had a problem getting them to make a concession when I've had a problem. Both phones are due for 2 year pricing in February! And one is the primary line, due for NE2 in February... Because our monthly bill is so high, we're considered \"VIP customers\" but WHAT kind of VIP treatment is that? We're here, ready to shell out $400, and I even said I'd be adding insurance on both lines (an additional $6 a month). Apparently, Verizon will only move contract dates if you're moving from a dumb phone to a smartphone. Regardless, at this point, we've decided it would probably be cheapest to just switch the one line to a dumbphone, pay the $10 a month until June, and add an additional line... So basically, $90 extra, and losing out on $50 extra from the NE2.

8 replies

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this_is_my_screen_name

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@this_is_my_screen_name:
DUDES AND LADIES, I CALLED VZW AGAIN TO GIVE THEM ANOTHER CHANCE... I REFERENCED THIS POST, AND THEY MADE EVERYTHING BETTER, I CAN NOW UPGRADE BOTH LINES. DEAR DROID, I'LL SEE YOU SOON.

Thanks Verizon!
and Thanks the Consumerist!

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Woofer00

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@this_is_my_screen_name: I had a bit more luck than others with getting an incredibly early upgrade. Went into the store to upgrade from a dumbphone to Blackberry, got told I wasn't available for an annual upgrade or two year discount for 9 months. Called up 611 as i was walking out, asked what my ETF was and told them why i was asking. Got put on hold, then offered a 2-year price in mid-Oct of this year, as opposed to a next available upgrade of July 2010. YMMV, i guess, but make sure to remember than in store reps != phone CSRs, and the threat of cancellation paired with potential plan upgrades will be a money maker for them.

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this_is_my_screen_name

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@Woofer00: I've always gone through the phone CSR's... I've never heard of a store rep able to cut ANY deals. I tried the same thing yesterday, calling back and asking, \"what's the early termination fee for one of my lines\", the CSR was actually really helpful, he described to me both ways I can get rid of the Pearl and get the Droid; unfortunately, neither of those options involved just upgrading. I would think they could just offer me a prorated upgrade, where I just pay the equivalent of the ETF, and don't actually have to cancel the line and sign up for a new one.

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@this_is_my_screen_name: Aw, this is disappointing. My upgrade date is in late January or early February, and just like you, my Pearl got totally farked but OS/firmware updates. It's not nearly as bad as yours, just a bit laggy, but still annoying. I'm going to get my dad to go with me (he's the main guy on the account) to see if I can get them to move up my upgrade date for a Droid. Though I'm not totally convinced I want that. We'll see...

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LadySiren is murdering her kids with HFCS and processed cheese

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@katstermonster: I have an upgrade available and I'm really tempted by the Droid. Sadly, I think my boss would kill me; we work with some of Google's competitors. :D

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@LadySiren: I don't think they'd be bothered too much.

I work at HP, the cube I'm in has a Dell PC =P.

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dantsea

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@this_is_my_screen_name: Yeah, that's unfortunate they did that to you, but I think most cell phone companies are jaded when it comes to claims of their current phone having some litany of problems when they want to upgrade. I can't tell you how many times I had to do a polite version of \"well, you had this phone for nine months and this is the first time you've told us about it.\"

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this_is_my_screen_name

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@dantsea: ah, the thing is, I've been calling for MONTHS to complain about my pearl... I've just never been able to call with my sister's in hand, to troubleshoot it.

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this_is_my_screen_name

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@this_is_my_screen_name: err. actually, the new math is:
$80 (paying for old line until June)
$199 for new droid
$149 for droid with VIP early upgrade
($100) that would be saved by waiting for NE2
This after Verizon blatently told me, \"MOST OF OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE BEEN WITH US FOR A LONG TIME, YOU ARE NO MORE VALUABLE A CUSTOMER THAN ANYONE ELSE.\" and \"TO BE FAIR TO EVERYONE, WE CAN'T MOVE ANYONE'S CONTRACT DATES\"... that was after it was escalated to a supervisor. And they basically called me a liar about the problems we've been having with one of the Pearls, because despite my 10+ calls trying to get mine troubleshooted, the said they couldn't do anything unless my sister had an account manager take her phone to be troubleshooted (she lives in Seattle, while I live in Pennslvania and my mom, the other account manager, lives in Atlanta).

DEAR VERIZON, THANKS FOR BEING FAIR TO ALL OF YOUR CUSTOMERS.

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xpolarbearx

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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is it me, or does it sound like they're doing this to get the droid sales numbers up in their futile attempt to show that they have an \"iphone killer\"?

I had a bad experience with verizon where the cs straight up lied to me and had to get a friend that works at verizon to fix it. Suffice to say I, nor anyone in my family, will ever use verizon wireless again.

4 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:37 PM

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@xpolarbearx: I'll never give another penny to Verizon either. I called in for tech support and they offered to review my bill for me to save me some money while I was laid off. They changed my plan to something newer which removed my old grandfathered plan which had unlimited text messaging, plus the vcast which gave me unlimited mobile web access. $1,800 later, I won't be using them again.

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asten77

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@xpolarbearx: It's you. This isn't a @hankrearden: All indications are that Droid sales are right at expectations for the launch weekend. It's not like this is the 3rd or 4th iteration. Despite small amounts of G1s out there for a year, this is all new to most people.

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this_is_my_screen_name

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@xpolarbearx:
It sounds to me, more like they are trying to get people with cheap bills, into higher bills. $90 a month + $10 for another line * 18 months (if NE2 was due in February) = $1800, at that amount, it's likely any subsidy on dumbphones has been recouped, which explains why Verizon would move their upgrade date... after which, Verizon would be making $90+$10+$30+$30=$160/month, and that's MINIMUM.

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nerevar

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@this_is_my_screen_name: The $90 + $10 I think I understand, but whats the other $60 for?

I've been looking into the droid but don't want to pay $90 for internet/month. Would it be $100 for both me and my wife for internet or would it be $180 for both of us? Is the other $30 + $30 for the regular phone service for both of you?

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thebigbluecheez

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@nerevar: I think it breaks down as follows:
$90 - line of service, base plan amount
$10 - add-a-line

to which they would add by way of getting two DROIDs
$30 - data for primary line
$30 - data for secondary line.

I hope that makes sense.

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this_is_my_screen_name

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@thebigbluecheez: guess it took me a while to write my response... but yeah. And actually, I was citing old rate plans, the current plan is

$100 - 2 line family share plan
$30 - data for primary line
$30 - data for primary line

same total, different structure; if you can get an employer discount, that will always apply to the $100, and if you have a really nice employer discount, will apply to the data plans as well.

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this_is_my_screen_name

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@nerevar: The plan I use is the 750 minute Family Share Select plan... it's the next to cheapest plan, and gets you unlimited messaging. After checking VZW's prices (I've been on this plan for quite a while), the plan is $99.99 with 700 minutes, for 2 lines, so no $10 addition. The extra $60 is divided between the 2 lines and is the data plan. So the total for 2 Droids on family share with the select plan (I would advise select over basic, we've saved a ton on text overages, although, with the droid I'll be using Google voice a lot more, so maybe not), the total would be $160. Adding additional lines would obviously reduce per line totals by further distributing the $100 base fee.
Currently, I have 4 lines, with 19% discount, totaling around $230 a month.

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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T-Mobile will do this as well. I was 2 months away from my eligible upgrade date, but they let me upgrade to the MyTouch 3G ahead of time.

Unfortunately, I'm so disappointed with Android that I'm ditching it for an iPhone really soon. AT&T's rolling out 7.2 HSPA in this market and I live far enough outside of the city that we have no 3G coverage problems or bandwidth issues whatsoever.

1 replies

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psm321

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@pot_roast: What problems do you have with Android? (just curious because I got a MyTouch about a month ago and am loving it)

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I think they're dismayed by poor Droid sales. I went in the day it released and they wouldn't budge on my contract, nevermind being a customer for over 7 years, prior FiOS (had to lose it when I moved) customer, and referring multiple other hospital employees.

They quoted me $559.00.

2 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@hankrearden: I think all of the mobile phone companies should rethink their pricing. It is just too expensive.

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@edison234: Yeah, and contracts? Excuse me, but I don't have to sign a 12-month contract with anyone but my landlord, and I can get out of that in several legal ways. Signing a contract with a cell carrier is basically like saying, \"I promise to let you get away with lousy service for 12 months.\" If ISPs did this, we'd still be paying fifty dollars a month for dialup.

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Blueskylaw

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I called up Verizon 2 times looking to get a new phone because my Samsung Glyde is a POS with an almost non-working touch screen, downloading songs by itself, alarms going off in the morning when not even set and other annoying shenanigans and they told me sorry, you still have seven months on your contract. I called up on Monday and was told the same thing again but then I said I have been a long time customer, paid my bills on time etc. After a minute on hold I was told I could upgrade early and I will be getting a new and different phone today for $50 + $20 early upgrade fee.

Also had to sign a new 2 year contract, starting the day I activate it, but I could not wait for the seven months to be up.

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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My upgrade date isn't until February, I wonder if they'll move it up for a Droid. Hmmm. I'm not sure I want that, though, I'm sort of leaning toward a Storm 2. We shall see!

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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Perhaps they are able to do what ATT used to call \"an exception upgrade\". Basically, if you could give them a good reason and you were at least 12 months into your contract, they would override the upgrade date. (they may have quit doing those. since I sold ATT)

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dantsea

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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Oh, cell phone companies can be extremely flexible with upgrade dates if you're the right kind of customer. When I was doing temp work about six years ago for a cell phone provider outside of Seattle, in their equipment sales call center, the usual upgrade policy were told to everyone (though I think at that point 1 year contracts were standard).

We'd routinely get people who had their phones for six or eight months and wanted something newer and shinier at the contract price. We had lots of customer profiles showing they'd been with us since 1989/1990 or had something like 10 - 15 lines of service. Those people always got what they wanted.

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trlblzr

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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Apparently I wasn't a good enough customer despite having a $150/month premium family plan. They wouldn't budge on moving my annual upgrade date up a couple months so I could get one at the same time as my wife. I called the regular customer service line several times and also the higher-ups one time, but no one was willing to do anything for me. Wonder why so many others (this man, for example, or many others on Howard Forums) were able to get this and not us? I'm a VIP member and spend lots of money with them.

Oh well... we added a 3rd line, got the \"cheap\" Droid and I moved it to my line... keeping my upgrade date intact in case the HTC Passion/Dragon comes out in the next couple months :-) The $10/mo 3rd line will allow us to get rid of our $35/mo Vonage landline, thereby saving us some cash. All's well that ends well, I suppose!

1 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@trlblzr: Keep calling, it all depends on who you end up talking to.

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greggen

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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It does not sound like great service to me.
Lied to by CSR. Not believed by 'manager', basically called a liar.
OP may be happy he got what he wanted, but I would be very wary... How do you trust this company that what they tell you will be what happens in the future.

I personally have T-Mobile. I like the service I get (when it is working) hate it when I have problems.

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H3ion

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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We have three phones on a family plan. My son's phone was giving him trouble so we walked into the local Verizon store. No problems at all. We swapped my phone to my son's number, swapped my wife's phone to me and got her a new phone. Only the new phone has a two year contract while the other two were left with their original dates. I've had no problems with Verizon in over ten years.

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XTC46

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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This isnt a shock at all. Just about any retail store will cut deals when they want to sell an item, credit card companies will raise your limit on a retail card if you want to buy a TV you cant afford, phone companies will give you deals, etc. Its all sales.

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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While I am happy this worked out for the OP, this is not the first time I have been told if you speak to Verizon several times, they will keep changing their answer until it's one you like depending on who you speak to.

A friend of mine wanted his Blackberry Storm unlocked for use in the UK during a trip next month. He had read online that Verizon would do this for long term customers. He called and was told \"We absolutely never do that\" he went to the local Verizon store and spoke to TWO techs who said \"We never do that\". He then went home and printed out the info he had, went back to a third tech with that and IMMEDIATELY they smiled and unlocked his phone!!

I guess Verizon's answer is \"No until you can prove otherwise\". Scary!

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dbshaw

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I'm cheap and old-fashioned. I want a droid but paying for the data when I already pay for unlimited data at home seems a bit excessive.

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ShadowWylde

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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In my case they are begging me to upgrade. I have been a Verizon customer since 1996. My upgrade date on my current phone passed over eighteen months ago. The result is weekly text messages, weekly fliers in the mail, and near daily email messages letting me know I can upgrade.

Such a deal! Let us lock you into another two year contract, please!

1 replies

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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Yeah, I was out of contract for a year and a half. Fliers every week or so.

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this_is_my_screen_name

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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THANKS VERIZON AND THANK YOU CONSUMERIST!
After I made my above comments, I decided to give Verizon another shot to make things right... I called, I referenced this article, mentioned I was a constant reader... and despite the supervisor's insistence yesterday that, \"Upgrade dates could not be moved,\" and that, \"most customers were long time customers,\" the CSR I spoke to today was able to speak to a supervisor and said that, \"because you are a long time customer who always either over pays, or pays the exact amount on time, and because you are a VIP customer, and haven't had a credit in over 4 months, my supervisor has decided we can move up your upgrade date!\"

I'd like to revoke my previous hatred, I'm now back in love with verizon!

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ElizabethD

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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SO: How do you Droid early-adopters like the phone? Or whatever it is. I'm due for a new phone from Verizon soon... still using old no-goodies Motorola flip phone. What is the greatest advantage (s) of the Droid or for that matter an iPhone or Blackberry? Does connecting to the Internet on your Droid add tons of $$ to monthly fees? etc.

2 replies

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rickhamilton620

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@ElizabethD: The full QWERTY keyboard is a big advantage. So is the full HTML browser. :) Connecting to the internet on the droid is an extra 29.99 a month for the data plan.

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ch0wnag3

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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@ElizabethD: OP here - I'm absolutely in love with my DROID and the same goes for my wife.

I'd say the biggest advantage of a smartphone is the capabilities it has - most of them can do just about anything you want. If all you want is to make calls and send texts, then you're probably not going to need a smartphone. However, if you want to be able to do things like read your Gmail or Google Reader, check ESPN, stream Pandora, etc. then a smartphone is the way to go.

I chose the DROID because the hardware is solid and the OS is great - Android means tight Google integration and all the Google services I love (there are quite a few of them) work perfectly on this phone.

As far as costs, you're looking at whatever you end up paying for the phone itself, your calling plan (we're using one that includes unlimited texting), and a $30 data plan per smartphone.

In my opinion: totally worth it.

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I was in the same situation with Sprint pretty much...I wanted to upgrade to the Pre (this was last month so at that point the pre had been out for a while and the sales werent too hot) and told them I had a new customer who wanted to come on a new family plan and I wanted to get off SERO and go onto a family plan. I was still about 11 months from getting $150 off. I told them if they can give me the new customer price, I'll get off SERO and bring over a new customer. They not only did that, but gave me a $50 credit toward the Pre. Seems like the cell companys are more than willing to negotiate.

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Keliken

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I worked as a CSR with Verizon Wireless. Roman may be new and he has never worked as a CSR. He put you on hold when a more experienced supervisor corrected him. These clueless people can't do math. They will lose a $100 per month plan over a $10 charge discrepancy. Or as this case a long term customer over a few months. As far as the CSR who lied. It happens. They are incompetent and they can't hide the fact. Verizon Wireless does care about it's customers. I've kept my service for 5 years now despite the fact I've been lied to by an in store CSR in Rochester, NY. I went to a kiosk is the Galleria Mall in Buffalo and the lady working there fixed the problems. When you deal with people some of them will be wrong.

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November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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Im interested in the Droid, but i am sort of waiting for the Consumerist to start leaking horror stories about failing apps, flimsy housing or poor battery life on the phone before I commit to buying one.

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justascreenname

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I want the Droid, and I want to port my boyfriend's t-mobile number to Verizon, put him on a family share plan, and get him the Droid, too. However my NE2 date isn't until 6/13/10. I've spoken to two CSRs, and neither one was able to help me.

It wasn't enough that I've been a customer for 10+ years, and that I've always paid on time, nor was it enough that I want to port over a new line and give Verizon more business. They simply will not bend on my NE2 date.

I mentioned the consumerist, and the fact that CSRs were bending on the upgrade date, but he said he just can't do it 7 months early.

Actually, what the CSR said was that no one would be eligible for an \"early upgrade\" 7 months from the NE2 date. I probed him about just when I would be eligible for an early upgrade. He said that it definitely wasn't 7 months early for any customers, and at most, it's 20 months into the contract, or 6/13/10 for me. But then he said the early upgrade date is on a per-customer basis, and there's no set timetable. I kept asking about it, saying that there had to be some trigger date or some factor that helped determine that date, and he finally admitted that if I had, say a $79/month plan, instead of my $39/month plan, and if I had paid it on time for the previous 12 months, then I'd be eligible for an early upgrade sooner.

Either way, I'm still Droidless, and I'm dangerously close to dropping my service and just getting an iPhone.

1 replies

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justascreenname

November 18, 2009 4:52 PM

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@justascreenname: Oops, I see that I posted my story twice... sorry about that.

Anyway, I'd like to report that after talking to the Sales Rep on the phone on Monday, he called me on Thursday and told me that his supervisor was monitoring his tapes, and she asked him if I got the phones or not. When he told her that the CSR said no, she told him to call me and give me the phones.

My boyfriend and I have been enjoying our new Droids for a day now!

Don't give up! Keep calling, and you might be lucky enough to talk to someone with some sense.

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haff

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I had called on November 7th asking if they could take into account that I am on my 3rd (faulty) LG Dare phone after the previous two had developed issues (each of the three would exhibit browser freezing, random restarts, composed emails disappearing when I pressed the done button before sending, alarm not going off at appointed times, phone turning off when I cleared my sms/mms inbox) and was outright refused by the CSR rep and then refused again by the manager I asked the call to be escalated to. I didn't have the energy to call them up and go through this set of issues yet again even after reading this thread yesterday.

Today while walking the dog I checked the mail and there was an 'early upgrade offer' from Verizon in the mailbox with the number of 1.800.437.6136 to call to avail of the offer. I gave it a call as soon as I got home from the dog walk and 26 minutes later I have a Droid on the way and a new 2 year contract.

Odd that I get offered this through the mail but was refused the very same thing a few days ago over the phone.

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justascreenname

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I've tried twice now, pleading my case to the CSRs, but to no avail. Here's my situation.

My contract started on 10/13/08, which means my NE2 date is 6/13/10. I'm currently 13 months into the contract, and 7 months away from the upgrade date. I want to get the Droid, and my boyfriend who's currently on T-Mobile, wants to port his number over, get on a family share plan with me, and get the Droid as well. I spoke to the CSR's supervisor, citing that I'd like to bring them new business, and the fact that I've been a customer for more than 10 years, always paying my bill on time. The supervisor said that he just couldn't do it. There was no way that they'd offer early upgrade 7 months away from the upgrade date for anyone. I mentioned this article on the consumerist and how CSRs were bending upgrade dates so that people could get the Droid, and he just said that Verizon can't go changing the upgrade dates of 80 million customers just because a new phone comes out. I told him it was odd that a company actually didn't want my money.

Then I asked him more about early upgrade... what determines when I'd be eligible for the early upgrade. He said that it was on a case-by-case basis. I probed further, asking that surely there must be some triggers that determine whether someone was eligible for early upgrade, so what were they. Then he said, \"Well, let's say that you were in a $79.99/month plan (instead of my $39.99/month plan), and you had paid on time and in full for the past 12 months, then you'd be eligible for early upgrade sooner.\" I responded with, \"OOOooooh, I get it now. It doesn't matter that you've been getting my money for 10 years, it's that you haven't been getting ENOUGH of my money for the past 10 years.\"

I'm still going to call every month asking for the early upgrade until I get it. Either that, or I'm going to look to buy the Droid from a third-party vendor at less than Verizon's $559 price. Honestly, in all my years of dealing with Verizon, this is the first time they've managed to tick me off.

1 replies

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justascreenname

November 18, 2009 4:52 PM

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@justascreenname: I'll post it again here... sorry that I posted my story twice!

Anyway, I'd like to report that after talking to the Sales Rep on the phone on Monday and being denied the Droids by the CSR, he called me on Thursday and told me that his supervisor was monitoring his tapes, and she asked him if I got the phones or not. When he told her that the CSR said no, she told him to call me and give me the phones.

My boyfriend and I have been enjoying our new Droids for a day now!

Don't give up! Keep calling, and you might be lucky enough to talk to someone with some sense.

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sknwlk77

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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I tried buying a Droid the day it came out, and was quoted the full retail price of $599 at Best Buy. A call to VW customer service led me to understand that my upgrade date is two and a half months away, and that they wouldn't waive it under any circumstance.

An email followup led to an interesting claim from the representative:

\"Due to liability issues, we will be unable to offer you concessions or discounts on an individual basis that are not available to all qualifying customers.\"

Funny how new customers are welcomed with open arms and a reasonable price, while existing customers (I've been with VW for over 10 years) are asked to pay triple. Worse yet, they seem to be enforcing it on a case-by-case basis.

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flobeelicious

November 13, 2009 4:36 PM

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add me to the list of early upgraders to the droid. i'd been having problems with my glyde since i bought it (otherwise known as \"doh! i bought a glyde\"), and was 6 months out from contract expiration. called and said i was having problems with the phone, and after about 5 minutes, i was on the way to the store, with an upgrade date moved up to that day. think i still lost my new every 2, but that was much better than having the glyde.

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SnDMommy

November 18, 2009 4:53 PM

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Even though it's a little late, I just wanted to share my story. My husband and I were interested in upgrading his HTC and my Razr, to two Droids and adding the data plan. The best we could get is $199 for each phone (and an extra $30/line/month for the data add-on). BUT his NE2 date isn't until May. I talked to three different CSRs, including one supervisor, mentioned this article and everything else I could think to say, and they simply wouldn't budge. They repeated over and over that the date couldn't be adjusted unless it was within 30 days of expiring.

However, after calling yet again, and asking what our early termination fees would be, I finally got a CSR who was wililng to work with me. Although she couldn't/wouldn't budge on the NE2 date to get us the $50 off one of the Droids, she *could* get us a $50 credit on our first months service bill. So in a way, we still got what we wanted. Those of you who are having trouble - this might be a good negotiating tactic for you.

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