var json_comments = new Array("

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ubermex

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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That sounds pretty illegal.

5 replies

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@ubermex: This same thing happened to someone I know, and serves as an example of why I think the system is broken and people are screwed. He called to cancel his phone service at the end of the contract, and instead they signed him up with a new contract and sent him a new phone in the mail to a different address. So he gets billed at this address, they pile up unpaid, and they finally send him to collections - he has no idea any of this happened. A lawyer buys the debt, who sues him for the balance plus an ungodly amount for himself to this freaky address. The default judgment that followed resulted in garnishment of his wages, which he never knew anything about until his boss told him. Something like 50% of his salary. So HE went to court to contest, and by the time everything was resolved, the garnishment was already finished and he was left without any money and instructions to sue the lawyer, who apparently could no longer be found.

So I think the OP is screwed.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@henrygates: I know this is too much and too late, but the garnished wages had to be deposited somewhere. Cutting off access to someone’s bank account usually gets their attention. Also, the last I heard a judgment in absentia requires someone to physically serve the defendant papers, which means that someone is due jail time or termination for screwing up that part. That sort of foul play is not taken lightly.

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CompyPaq

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@ubermex: Yes it does, but ultimately Verizon will say that he has no proof that he DIDN'T sign a contract.

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TCama

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@CompyPaq: The burden is on Verizon to show he did sign a contract. You can't assume someone signed a contract, that's not how contract law works.

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CompyPaq

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@TCama: There is legal burden of proof, and the burden of proof a company wants. Just because the law says something, doesn't mean a company will follow it or even be forced to follow it. That's why we have The Consumerist.

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VeeKaChu

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@CompyPaq:Not to be too terribly argumentative, but on what planet does the whim of a corporation trump the rule of law? Contrary to your statement, companies can and are \"forced to follow\" the law, every day.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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Uhh, he never said they were above the law, just that the law may never get enforced. If somehow you got screwed out of $1000 by a company, but it would cost at least $2000 to take them to court, is average Joe going to take them to court?

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@rambo76098: He will if the small claims limit is more than $1000, which in most if not all states it is.

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@CompyPaq: Is that how it works? Because there’s also no evidence that you didn’t sign a document that gives me access to your bank account. :)

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@AstroPig7:
Yeah, as TCama said the burden of proof falls on verizon. Its not exactly easy to prove that something is not true. If I say watermelons are blue on the inside until the outer skin is broken in any way how do you prove me wrong?

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tsukiotoshi

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@drizzt380: Yeah I think here Verizon is going to have to show he agreed to renew his contract with something that has his signature. I suppose theoretically the original contract could say something about this kind of situation, but that's still probably not going to fly. From what I remember from my Contracts class two years ago, anyway.

Of course this is all assuming lawyers/courts were to get involved, which may not be worth it depending on the value of the contract. But, sometimes the threat of lawyers is enough.

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thnkwhatyouthnk

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@AstroPig7: Why stop with his bank account? If you're gonna prove a point, might as well go for the whole shebang =)

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MisterE

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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Crap - I wonder if all of us that were on Alltel who were forced to switch to Verizon now have their contracts involuntarily extended? I know it's not supposed to happen, but given the OPS experience, this just confirms my thoughts about Verizon.

3 replies

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your new nemesis

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@MisterE: In my region we are being sold to AT&T. I would almost prefer to be with verizon, but they told me that the contract sticks and i can't get out of at&t. total bs.

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Xay

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@MisterE: You shouldn't have unless you make a change to your contract. My friend swears up and down that Verizon told him that he could change his monthly plan without extending his contract but I don't believe it.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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It's true, I've done it several times. It can change your eligibility level for their \"New every two\" plan, but that's all that happened to me.

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El_Red

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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Question : isn't handset price different with and without the contract? Price difference should trigger an alert, no?

7 replies

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@El_Red:
I have a feeling he signed on their electronic pads, and that he paid the upgrade price for the phone. That alone screams contract extention.

I expected some cheap crappy base phone, not the Omnia as the \"temporary replacement.\"

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pecan 3.14159265

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@rambo76098: I actually didn't catch that part at all, which was my mistake. I didn't even see that he had agreed to get an Omnia. I seems absolutely ludicrous to me to get such an expensive phone as a replacement. Maybe he needed the data access for business purposes.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: The way I read it, he definitely needed a smartphone for business purposes, even as a stopgap.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@El_Red: The no contract price for an Omnia is $459 ([shop.verizonwireless.com]), and that's now, after the Droid has launched. Certainly not my definition of a stopgap phone.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@eelmonger: Yes, I fail to see what the big deal is. If he paid 50 bucks for that phone, he saved 409 dollars. Now he can pay full price for the droid phone. And the discount for the droid phone is only 260 bucks. So he actually saved overall.

Full price of samsung with discounted droid is 658. The discounted price of the samsung and the full price of the droid is 609. He actually saved more money by getting the discount on the samsung. Honestly that omnia looks like a crap phone.

Sadly for him, a used omnia looks to be 125-150 on ebay. Next time you want a stop gap phone, buy used. But if he wanted new, he technically came out ahead.

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rickhamilton620

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@Corporate_guy: I have an omnia-it's def. not crappy. Best smartphone i've had. I do wish it had a larger screen-typing can be hit or miss sometimes, but the camera is amazing. :)

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thnkwhatyouthnk

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@El_Red: Not everyone is aware that the phones are heavily subsidized by the carrier.

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pecan 3.14159265

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@thnkwhatyouthnk: If he's just looking for a cheap phone to hold him over until he could get the droid, he would be going for the cheapest phone in the store. If he was only paying $20 for a phone, he would have specifically looked at the price tag, rather than the phone's features. He carries a HTC and wants a droid - it follows that he should be pretty savvy about phones and price points.

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FDCPAGuy

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@thnkwhatyouthnk:
Plus the guy runs a computer repair business. I'd say he understands phones are heavily subsidized by the wireless provider. He seems to have a good grasp of technology. It's not like he's some 80 yr old grandmother.

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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You should demand to see the contract.

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TCama

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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This is simple. Verizon wants to hold him to the terms of a contract he didn't sign and in no way agreed to. Even though he has the phone, Verizon did not communicate to him in any way that acceptance of the phone constitutes acceptance of a contract.

2 replies

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@TCama: This won't matter. By using the phone, he's agreeing to the terms & conditions. It was probably in small print in the box with the phone. When I worked for AT&T Wireless Services (old school) people would try this all the time as a way to get a new phone but no contract. There were terms & conditions on the box of the phone basically saying \"By using this device, you agree to the T&C\" and on the bill and it was verbally stated and agreed to. Callers would try and say stuff like \"But verbal contracts aren't binding\" etc but were not successful. Opening the box for the new phone meant that you agreed to the T&C. Just like software EULAs.

Pretty much every wireless carrier does this and has done for years. Verizon is actually one of the worst offenders.

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jaya9581

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@pot_roast: Opening a box of software does not automatically bind you to the EULA. I suggest you do some more research on this topic.

A wireless company would have a very difficult time proving a verbal contract in small claims court, because the usual and customary business practice for this type of business is to have a written, signed contract. If Verizon can't prove up a signed contract, they are basically SOL in this case.

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InThrees

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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Get back in that store and speak specifically to the agent that latched a new contract onto your account. Politely convey your displeasure, and if he refuses to help or says he can't help, ask for the manager, escalating as needed.

1 replies

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@InThrees: He was out of town.

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Jfielder

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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I have an Omnia.... stay far, far away from that phone... I can't wait to get rid of mine.

1 replies

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tmlfan81

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@Jfielder23: I'll buy it off of you. No joke. I want an Omnia again.

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pecan 3.14159265

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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It's possible that changing your contract in any way (including getting a new phone) would have extended the contract - so the OP would have been SOL in any case. It's just that the Verizon rep never informed him of this.

Since he bought a new phone, I'm guessing that his HTC couldn't be repaired?

5 replies

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H3ion

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: It's also possible that the TOS in his original contract, which presumably he did sign, provided for automatic extensions on a phone upgrade or swap.

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CompyPaq

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: Informed consent? If the Rep never informed him, the contract isn't valid.

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@CompyPaq: Yes. What Pecan described was the case when I had Verizon, but they did warn me that anytime I tried to make a change, it would extend my contract. .

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tbax929

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@CompyPaq:
How would he prove that the rep never informed him? If the rep was dishonest and renewed his contract, I'd assume the same rep would be dishonest when questioned about what occurred.

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pecan 3.14159265

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@CompyPaq: The OP's letter doesn't detail what the Verizon rep said to him, or for that matter, whether the OP phrased \"I don't want a contract extension\" as a desire or as the question \"how can I do this without a contract extension?\" After all, just because we say things like \"I don't want a contract extension\" doesn't automatically mean the Verizon representative is going to look in his heart and find the goodwill to alert you to the only phones in the store that won't extend a contract, if such a thing even existed. I wouldn't put it past reps to be shady just to make a sale.

It's possible the Verizon rep took the OP's statement and neglected to inform him of the ToS when it comes to replacing phones out of the upgrade range. And whether the OP could have phrased his desires better is unclear because the only information we have is in that letter. I'm not saying that it's his fault - but sometimes we think we're being clear, and we're not. If the OP asked the rep again and again, \"are you sure this won't extend my contract?\" and the rep said he was sure, the OP surely can use this against Verizon.

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Shappie

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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If his paperwork doesn't say he has a new contract, that should be the end of it. Every time I have renewed with Sprint, I get paperwork stating a new contract...

2 replies

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tbax929

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@Shappie:
Me, too. That's where I would start. Ask Verizon to send you a copy of the contract you supposedly agreed to.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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They'll probaby just point you to a page on their website.

The ONLY GOAL of the reps at the stores is to renew your contract. It's the only way they get paid.

Remember the story just a few weeks ago, where somebody bought a CHARGER for their phone in the store, full price, and their contract was renewed?

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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I'm curious how much he paid for the phone. Most of the devices I've seen for sale at carrier stores and the big boxes are labeled with the full price sans contract and also the discounted price received with a contract. I know blame the OP isn't kosher, but wouldn't the average, discerning consumer look at the 'price tag' first and then have a better idea what they were getting into or out of based on that price?

4 replies

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tbax929

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@mattisimo:
That's a good point. Normally, the cost without a contract is much higher than it is with a contract.

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billyb3

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@tbax929: Right now an off-contract Omnia is $459, yikes!

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@mattisimo: You know, you're right. How foolish a person must be to go into a store wanting just a phone and no contract extension and get hoodwinked into a contract extension.

I am sure that this tech savvy computer repair shop owner was stupid enough not to check and double check prices as he continuously reminded the sales rep that he was just buying a phone and did not want a contract extension.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@ezacharyk: I meant no disrespect to the OP. Interestingly enough, I note how much was paid for the phone is about the only detail we don't receive in the story as reported. Not trying to defend getting dumped into a contract without consent, that's not cool.

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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See if you can call the store and ask for them to fax you a copy of the signed contract. I think that they hold copies for 2 years in store. OP-how much did you pay for the phone? I would guess that the SA faked the contract in order to get the commission, as they get nothing for selling a phone outright. If you didn't pay around $400 for the phone, the SA screwed you.

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diasdiem

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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The Kiosk Gremlins are full of shit. Never believe their lies.

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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How much did the OP pay for the phone? If he paid less than $400, he was paying the subsidized price, and part of that price is you agree to an extended contract.

2 replies

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pecan 3.14159265

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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@theblackdog_FeelingRandom: Not necessarily. I took a look at Verizon's website, and cheapest unsubsidized phones (listed under month-to-month) are around $140.

Methinks he got a subsidized phone, because if he only needed a phone for a few months before he could upgrade to the droid, he would have been looking for the cheapest phone he could find. If he saw the $140 price tag for an unsubsidized phone, he wouldn't have done it and he would have done a prepaid for a few months instead. It's possible he looked at the $20 price tag (or the \"free\" price tag) for the subsidized cost of the phone and did that instead.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: He specifically said he bought an Omnia, which costs $450 without a contract now. It was probably more before the Droid launched. I can't imagine anyone who is so concerned about the upgrade discount spending $450 on a phone that \"would be OK for a couple months.\"

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Amish Undercover

November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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T-Mobile offers unlimited calls without a contract. They seem to be the only company now starting to offer better terms and services at lower prices... something you usually expect as technology advances, yet the other major carriers apparently have so little competition that they can just continue screwing consumers.

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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It's loaner. Geez. Not \"loner\" like lonely individuals on here.

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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My wife dropped her phone in the toilet, luckily we had an old phone laying around. 1 call to Verizon and it was activated for her in about 2 minutes.

Could he have just picked up a used phone from somewhere?

2 side notes

- I have been with Verizon for a long time, I have 5 separate line with them. My primary line gets a $100 credit every two years and I upgrade for almost free each time. I went to a Verizon Wireless store and the sales associate tells me \"good news, you have a $50 credit on your account\" When I told him that I had $100, he hemmed and hawed. I left and ordered online. I guess he was going to somehow parlay the other $50 into his paycheck somehow. Some Verizon Wireless store are independent contractors I believe, they act as middle men and actually end up costing you more in the longrun???

- Secondly, I consider myself a fairly good customer to Verizon Wireless, I tried to upgrade my phone 7 hours early, no dice. When they give you an upgrade date, they mean it.

4 replies

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bhr

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@Bigfoot-Angus: Is it possible it was an only credit? I know I get new every two (actually every 21 months) and in the store they tell me its a $50 credit but online its $100

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pecan 3.14159265

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@Bigfoot-Angus: He was on vacation, so it wasn't as if he had a ton of time to be checking Craigs List and such.

Your side notes have nothing to do with the post itself. The OP didn't have a credit, nor was he eligible for an upgrade. His phone broke, and he wanted to get one to hold him over until he could upgrade. He wasn't looking to upgrade early, he was looking to have a replacement until he could get the phone he actually wanted to. He was totally intending to stay in the confines of the upgrade date.

And if you have a $100 credit on your account, the entire $100 credit applies to your account. I don't think there's any way a rep can apply $50 and cash out the other $50. Credits aren't real money. It's more likely that there was a glitch in what you were seeing on your screen and whether it was updated for their screens.

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tmlfan81

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@Bigfoot-Angus: In hindsight, he should have put a used phone from Craig's List. The Omnia is not even close to being a comparable device to the previous one he had. The touchscreen drives plenty of people mad. Unless you are of the mindset that you can mod/hack anything, the Omnia isn't right for you. (Computer-savvy or not)

Your remarks have nothing to do with the story. Guy breaks phone, goes to store to purchase a \"stop-gap\" device for use between now and his contract end-date. Instead of getting a phone @ actual retail he likely paid subsidy without realizing it. If he does online billing and doesn't get anything sent to him by mail, its in the message center of his My Verizon account online. It won't have a copy of his contract, though. He'll have to get that from the store.

I'd be curious to know what the OP paid.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@pecan 3.14159265: Sidenotes help understand the store employees and the policies of Verizon.

Last time I checked, it is still possible to get a cell phone in Kansas City, even a used one. Heck, I have three of them in my house right now.

Relax a bit

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November 23, 2009 5:31 PM

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Meh, the world's economy is going into a tailspin of shit, and people are just finding new ways of taking money from someone else any way they can. How many new advertisements and infomercials are just flat out scams, or so deep in the gray area of being dubious, legal but unethical or immoral?

I'm not surprised that a sales rep like this would pull a stunt on a customer who would likely never return to the store again.

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sponica

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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this is why i buy the insurance...when I was a month away from being eligible for my upgrade my phone went bonkers. wouldn't get service west of 8th avenue in manhattan...which sucked bc i worked/went to school b/w 10th and 11th ave. went into the 57th st verizon, said it wasn't getting reception outside of the city...and blammo they gave me a replacement on the spot.

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BuzzDar

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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Now there are two different end dates of a contract one is the actual contract date where you have to pay an ETF to get out of. and the other is the new phone end date. where verizon sometimes will let you get a new phone by changing that date on your account. but it will not change the contract end date.

so you could have a contract end date of 2/2011

and an N E 2 End Date of 11/2009

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MyTQuinn

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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The OP can upgrade to a new phone, despite what Verizon has told him. All he has to do is pay full retail price. As an alternative, Verizon should let him pay the difference between the full retail price for the phone he has and what he paid for that phone, and then let him get the discounted price on a new phone.

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Wang_Chung_Tonight

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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anyone out there work for a phone company?

I have a strong suspicion that they get some of their pay from commission. Probably a common deed to falsify these things so they can fatten their check.

Boo on Verizon for letting it happen.

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Loias calls you out if you can't RTFA

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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Require them to pull the phone conversation where you \"stated\" you wanted your contract extended. They will complain and may even say it will take a few weeks. But they're required to do it.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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Yet another reason I'm glad to have T-Mo. My contract got accidently renewed without my consent and I only had to talk to a teller in store to get it fixed.

1 replies

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psm321

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@YardanCabaret: That's funny, because I love them otherwise but that is the one negative service experience I've had with T-Mobile. Somehow they managed to extend my contract, on a day when I wasn't even shopping for phones, and did not call customer service (it was Christmas Eve I think). Nobody could tell me why it was extended, they couldn't fix it at the store. Had to argue for a long time to get it fixed over the phone. To this day I don't know how it happened and nobody was able to tell me.

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bigdandfw

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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I had a similar thing happen to me with Sprint. My younger son lost his phone on our family account and was about six months away from qualifying for an upgrade. The store clerk told me we could just add an additional line at no extra cost and he could get a new phone right then (with 2 year contract). And then in six months, we could just cancel his original line.

Of course, as it turned out, there was an additional $9.99 per month for the additional line rather than the \"no additional charge\" and, on top of that, he not only signed us up for the two year contract on the new phone (like we expected), but he extended the contract on the old line for two years (and I received nothing in exchange for that contract extension).

For months, I tried to get Sprint to drop that additional contract on the old line, but they wouldn't budge. The best they would do was to give me a $10 credit each month to offset the additional charge (which, I suppose, solved the problem, but it was still a tremendously shady deal), though I had to call them every month for nearly all of that two years to remind them to apply the discount.

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coopjust

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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Complain to the FCC. Verizon, Sprint, et al will be scrambling to help you. Say they cannot produce the written contract.

A couple years back, my Sprint service was terrible. Knowing about the \"materially adverse changes\" clause, they raised some BS official sounding fee (a surchage of some sort - not a real tax).

I tried to get out of my contract as defined under that clause. I tried for a week with numerous reps, who told me that I was a liar, it was a tax, it didn't constitute cancellation, etc.

I complain to the FCC. 2 days later, the executive customer service at Sprint calls me. I read them the materially adverse clause from their own site. They told me \"leave whenever you want\".

Sure enough, I left, and the ETFs were credited to my account.

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IR1

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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What I want to know is... did he go to an actual Verizon store? Or did he go to an \"Authorized Dealer\"? The resellers/dealers are notorious for being underhanded tricksters...

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Rachacha

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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One advantage to ATT and T-Mobile, as they are GSM carriers, you can pop out the SIM chip out of your current dead phone, and pop it into your old phone and it will work fine - No need to go to the carrier for activation.

When I upgrade, I generally hang on to my old phone just in case I lose or break my phone and need to use a phone temporarially until my contract ends or I am eligable to upgrade.

1 replies

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psm321

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@Rachacha: Actually as much as I hate Verizon, it's not that much harder to switch your phone... you just go to their website and type in the new IMEI or something like that

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West Coast Secessionist

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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\"Is there any course of action for me\"

Yes. Stop doing business with Verizon Wireless--they turned into a bunch of scammers several years ago.

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Dyscord

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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Don't think that Verizon can extend a contract without your consent. Especially if you say \"I don't want to extend my contract.\"

That being said, that's an expensive temporary phone. Why not just go prepay? Unless he needed the data.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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This is exactly why I only go prepaid. I buy the phone I want and go with the carrier I want with no contracts and no bull$hit.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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Was the OP charged full price for the new phone or a discounted upgrade price??

If he was given any discount, that is a sign the rep was adding some sort of contract discount and he should have spoken up.

Next time, go on eBay, buy a phone and activate it.

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rickhamilton620

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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@PLATTWORX: ebay's a good idea, but he needed a phone right away. Hopefully he'll get to the bottom of what happened. Good luck OP! Hope you give em hell!

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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AT&T did this same exact thing. Once I realized that I had been signed up for a 2 year contract without being told, i had a 40 minute phone conversation with 5 different AT&T reps, which resulted in them allowing me to break my \"contract\" without charge to purchase the iPhone.

It took a lot of hassling and talking, but after being told several times that there was nothing more the customer rep could do for me, I asked to speak with her supervisor. I was put on hold for a while, then she came back saying that everything was taken care of and my updated status would appear in my account in a few days. And it did.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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Definitely EECB time. When my phone with Verizon stopped working (aka I broke it... in anger), they happily let me buy a new one and maintain the current contract in tact.

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November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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One thing I don't like about Verizon (Been a customer for years) is the fact that generally they don't mess around with upgrades dates and they are pretty set in stone, so I'm surprised this happened, that being said, the phones do have different price points depending on where you are in your contract with a two year renewal being the cheapest, a one year renewal is about half the two year price.

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mrstevie

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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its easy enough for David to figure out if he signed a new contract or not ... the verizon sales desks / pinpads have you read / sign the contract on the electronic pinpad/credit card signature device. Either he signed a contract or he didn't. Verizon will be able to provide a copy of the contract and his signature if he did sign it.

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fsnuffer

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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File a complaint with the Attorney General's office. AT&T did the same thing to me and they backed down.

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pashalaw

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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I know for a fact that many of these cell phone reps used to (apparently they still do) sign up for contracts without the consent of their customers ALL the time. It is the only way they make a real commission. The common dishonest act was to put people on a family plan even if they are just signing up for one. This has a two-fold benefit--higher commission and they pocket a free phone for resale.

This should be able to be taken care of at the Verizon Store with a phone call. I can bet that the store was an \"authorized dealer\" or \"authorized rep\" rather than a corporate store.

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buckeyegoose

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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The better question to ask is was this at a Corporate Owned Retail store, or an Agent/Indirect. Somes agents make it hard to tell they are a indirect when you first drive by, with the \"Premium Retailer\" in smaller letters than the VERIZON WIRELESS sign.

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thenamcam

November 23, 2009 5:32 PM

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i was told once by verizon that by accepting delivery of new equipment, you \"agree\" to extend your contract

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thisismyprofile

November 23, 2009 10:50 PM

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When you activate the phone, you are told that you are agreeing to a new 2 year contract, and that there is an etf of $175, and now $350 on advanced devices.

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anc1023

November 24, 2009 10:14 AM

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pot_roast is right, Verizon's customer agreement says that if you open a package that states so or activate your phone you are \"verbally\" agreeing to their terms and conditions (in this case he \"agreed\" to extend his contract by upgrading his phone). It also says, \"You can't rely on any other documents, or on what's said by any sales or customer service representatives, and you have no other rights regarding Service or this agreement.\" So anything the CSR said to him can be disregarded.
I am trying to help a friend get out of her Alltel-switched-to-Verizon contract, but they told her bc she used their service after the switch, she \"verbally\" agreed to their terms, even though they have no signed contract.

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November 25, 2009 4:57 PM

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They did this to me maybe 6 months ago. I called customer service and was told that they couldn't help and I had to go back to the location at which I activated my phone. After three visits and three polite requests, they simply fixed it for me. In my case, it did seem like an error.

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