Upgrade fee!?!
NotUpgradeHappy

So disappointed to learn that Verizon now charges an upgrade fee.  So let me get this straight, I get to pay to have access to workshops and tech support for my upgrade that I can get for FREE at the Apple Store?  Technically, if I'm upgrading I'm not really a customer anymore.  So if I cancel and sign up later, I am not charged a 30.00 upgrade fee.  I've been a Verizon customer for over 15 years (previously Alltel) and this is the first time I am considering switching to AT&T 

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Re: Upgrade fee!?!
rcschnoor
Legend

No, you would not be charged a $30upgrade fee, just a $35 activation fee.

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Re: Upgrade fee!?!
NotUpgradeHappy

Nope.  It's 30.00 and it clearly states Upgrade Fee.  When I called to ask why? They said it was something new they started in April to pay for all the additional services, that I thought would be included in my 300.00 mo bill anyway.

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Re: Upgrade fee!?!
tikibar1
Community Leader
Community Leader

What he's saying is that if you cancel and sign up later, no, you won't pay a $30 upgrade fee but you will instead pay a $35 activation fee.


Re: Upgrade fee!?!
woodworkerjunkie

But, the OP is saying that to remain their loyal customer, if he upgrades, he gets to pay both! Upgrade and activation fees! It's stupid on Verizon's part to insult loyal customers that have stayed with them for years while giving breaks to customers that are just signing on!

Take it even further, if he gets a phone that doesn't work properly, and decides to revert back to his old phone, he then also gets to pay a restock fee on top of that. And if he has the unlimited data plan and gives that up for a new upgraded phone that is retuned, there's a good chance that he can kiss that goodbye also.

I was thinking about upgrading myself, my old android phone has bugs galore. But, after reading all the problems with "all" the new phones, why would I want to pay for the privilege of having a phone just as screwy as the phone I have now! It seems to me, that these phone manufacturer's need to invest more time in placing phones on the market that actually work properly than to rush the next latest and greatest features out on the market, knowing they are full of bugs! Verizon and At&t have the volume power to demand better phones from the manufacturer's. Instead it's about numbers, who cares if the customers are going to be happy with their phones!

As far as Verizon, I don't know if there was a major change in management or what, but, over the last few years, their customer service policies have been heading south! Their fees and prices are getting so ridiculous, that I'm about ready to go back to a home phone and say goodbye to the cell phone. May be time for a new CEO, and think about taking care of customers again! You piss enough customers off and you can lose everything you have taken years to build, quicker than you can blink an eye! You're never to big to fail, though the government may think so!  I vowed to never go back to At&t years ago, but, at least they try to get their customers premium phones, something Verizon seriously is lacking! Verizon gets phones 6 months to a year after everyone else and then is usually mediocre phones at best! Go look at the lineup of phones that Verizon offers, all of them are full of bugs! I don't care if it's iphone, windows, or driod, all of them are having serious issues! For the kind of money we are expected to pay for service, I expect a phone that actually works and works well, the way it's supposed to!  I'm not much of a gambler, roll the dice and hope I get a good phone and not one that I have to return a half a dozen times in a year!  While your at it, get these reps off the commission plan, all they care about is getting you into a new phone and a new plan and selling you overpriced accessories.  I feel like I walked onto a car lot when I walk into one of your stores to look at a new phone! I despise car salesmen and I am really starting to feel the same way about cell phone providers! It seems when a company is new and growing, they bend over backwards to take care of customers and provide good service. Then they get to a point where they feel comfortable and do an about face, it's suddenly more about their money and their bottom line and to hell with the customer! Get the customer locked into that new substandard phone and another 2 year contract, then piss on them, take it or leave it!  How about taking some of those millions of dollars of profit and try to fix the problems your having with your phones and your network and give the customer a reliable product that actually works!  I understand your in business to make a profit, but, I as customer, expect to get a "reliable" product and service for the money "I" pay you!  As for upgrading, I think I will have to wait it out, and hope you can find a decent phone that is not full of bugs and plagued with problems! I'm amazed at the people that don't bother to research their new phone purchase and then realize the phones were having so many problems after they have locked themselves into a new 2 year plan!  I would never buy a new phone that has just been released (such as the new iphones), cause I have no idea how bad the new phone is going to be!  Wait a few months and see what the reviews are saying. I almost fell for the Lumia 928, now look at all the problems popping up, then the HTC one, same thing! Couple of months from now probably the same for the LG g2 and the new iphones. Time will tell!

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Re: Upgrade fee!?!
Ann154
Community Leader
Community Leader

The activation fee is only charged once when a new account is created or a new line is added to an existing account.

I'm most definitely NOT a VZW employee. If a post answered your question, please mark it as the answer.

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Re: Upgrade fee!?!
rcschnoor
Legend

woodworkerjunkie wrote:

But, the OP is saying that to remain their loyal customer, if he upgrades, he gets to pay both! Upgrade and activation fees! It's stupid on Verizon's part to insult loyal customers that have stayed with them for years while giving breaks to customers that are just signing on!

I'm not sure if this is what he thinks, but IF it is, he would be mistaken.

An activation fee is ONLY assessed when opening a new line of service. Once paid, you wouldn't have to pay it again.

An upgrade fee will be assessed EACH time you sign a new contract extending your service period for 2 years in exchange for receiving a substantial discount off the full retail price of a phone.

A customer WILL NOT have to pay both of those fees when purchasing a phone.

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