I am writing as a loyal long term customer to all things Verizon up until a few months ago. While managing my Verizon Wireless and Fios accounts online, I was enticed to a new Verizon Wireless Plan that has a set $20 access charge for all devices including data, voice, and text. Shortly after making the switch, I realized that I was duped into doing so and that I had lost significant financial advantages that I have already earned by being a loyal long term customer. Prior to the switch, I was able to upgrade my xxx-xxx-4677 line from a basic phone to a smartphone at a substantial discount. After the switch I realized that the discounts that I have earned evaporated into thin air. Needless to say, I was furious. When I called customer service, I was told that I could still get the phone discount that I have earned if I call customer service for the upgrade and going on a 2-year contract as opposed to going online or to a retail store. I as annoyed but still rather satisfied since I could upgrade the phone at a substantial discount that I have earned. Earlier today, I called Customer Service to upgrade my xxx-xxx-9936 line from a smartphone to another smartphone on what would be a new 2-year contract. I was offered the substantial upgrade discount that I have earned, so all seemed to be well until I went online to go through the “agreement”. It appeared that by utilizing my upgrade discount, I was going to be penalized by paying $40/month on that line as opposed to $20/month access charge. I don’t understand how Verizon can financially penalized a loyal long term customer to use a discount that he has already accrued. I then went into looking at the details of the auto billing. It appeared that I was paying $40/month for the xxx-xxxx-4677 line as opposed to $20/month. I am basically already being financially penalized to use the upgrade that I have already earned. Upon disgust, I declined the “agreement” and called Customer Service. I was connected with Ebony from the North Carolina Call Center. She explained to me that on my original plan, if I were to upgrade from a basic phone to a smartphone I would have had to go on a monthly data plan. This means that as far as the xxx-xxxx-4677 line was concerned, there was no difference financially on my part. This makes sense, so I accept it. What I do not accept is that if I upgrade my xxx-xxxx-9936 line from one smartphone to another smartphone at the substantial discount that I have earned, I would have to pay $40/month as opposed to $20/month. On the original plan that I was on, I would have simply upgraded one smartphone to another smartphone with the substantial discount that I already earned and pay nothing extra since I was already on a data plan. If I were to purchase the phone outright as opposed to utilizing the substantial upgrade discount that I have earned, I would continue to pay $20/month. I am therefore being financially penalized to utilize the upgrade that I have earned which negated the discount to begin with. In essence, when I was duped into this new Verizon Wireless plan I lost the substantial upgrade discount that I had earned and was totally satisfied with. All that Ebony from North Carolina could say to me was that there was nothing she could do about that EXTRA $20/month access charge. I asked her if Verizon is in essence giving its loyal long term customer a big F U by negating the substantial upgrade discount that he has earned and that there’s nothing Verizon will do about it. Again, Ebony only said that there’s nothing she can do about it. Kudos to Verizon for knowing how to properly treat its long term customers, the very type who encourages others to join and be a part of your family. Kudos.

TiburoniumIt is great customers like you that have provided the foundation for which we have been able build upon. We highly value your long-term loyalty with us. On the More Everything plan, line access for a smartphone is $40.00 per month while on a con...

If I were still on my original plan, I could upgrade my iPhone 5c to an iPhone 6 for only about $100 on a 2 year contract. With activation fee of $40 plus taxes and fees, it's still only about $180. That is a substantial discount vs. purchases the phone outright. Since I was already on a data plan, my monthly fee wouldn't have increased.On this plan, if I were to actually use the upgrade, I would have to pay an extra $20/month over 2 years. That's an extra $240 that I wouldn't have had to pay had I been on the original plan. So I can only take it, that Verizon doesn't like these loyal long term customers who have grown accustomed and satisfied with their old plans.

Actually you are paying full retail anyway. What you don't see is how it is bundled into the plan. Carriers admitted this back during a lawsuit of ETF and why they now have diminishing returns and not some flat until the contract ends.

My old plan had a $10/line access charge only for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th lines on the account. Since one of those phones was an iPhone 5c, that particular line was on a data plan for $20/month. Had I been on the old plan, I could have upgraded it to an iPhone 6 for $140 upfront and nothing more.Under this new plan, my only options are to pay $140 upfront plus and extra $20/month or full retail. So the original contract terms where I could upgrade at a discount every 2 years has effectively been broken by Verizon. So this is how Verizon likes to treat it's loyal long term customers???

Not true, on my old plan I could've paid $140 to upgrade to iPhone 6 and $0 extra per month. Under new plan my options are to pay $140 to upgrade to iPhone 6 and pay $20 extra per month for 2 years or... Pay full retail to upgrade to iPhone 6 and $0 extra per month. My original plan saves me $240 over two years.

I'm not sure I can explain this so that you can understand.You are on an old plan that allowed you to add a line for $10 a month and share min/texts/data. Those plans are long extinct now, and to upgrade will require a change of plans. You always pay full price for the phones...it's just a matter of all up front, in installments, for by paying extra each on the access charge for that one upgraded line.Best of luck.

Your old plan still has a $40 line access charge. The new plans are $20, but to get that rate you need to buy full price or go on a device payment plan. $40x24 months=$960 $20x24 months=$480. $480 saved by going to a new plan without upgrade and also, if you stay on the same plan you are on out of contract. More Everything plans have a discount per month based on the amount of data you subscribe to which can make the ME plans out of contract cost $5 less than the new plans per month. You have to do the math here.

You math is incorrect by a few hundred dollars. I only count phone cost here, not data or plans.If you got a contract phone for $100 and paid $40 upgrade and $40 line access times 24 months you'd pay $1100.If you got the iPhone 6 on a device payment plan for $22.91 a month and $20 line access times 24 months plus avg $54.99 tax you'd pay $1085.$15 less than a contract, but still....you see the math I did there? Contract phones cost MORE. You end up paying full price for the phone plus tax and upgrade fee.

You speak of a substantial discount that you have earned for having kept to your contract's terms and paying your bill on time.You can upgrade in-store with another 2 year contract, for which you do have to pay a $40 upgrade fee and you do pay $40 a month line access charge. This extra $20 helps cover the cost of the subsidized phone. After 2 years, you have more than paid for the substantial discount, and in fact, have paid more than people on the New Plan at $20 line access charge because it is not a contract and the monthly cost is actually much less if you do not upgrade, but you still save more than a contract on a new plan and monthly device payments.

Why does Verizon hate it's long term customers?

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You are on a legacy plan which are no longer offered. You paid full retail anyway for the phone. Carriers back in the late 90s had a class action lawsuit where they admitted the device costs were bundled into the plan. That's why ETF switch from being flat to having diminishing amounts because the result of it was if you are paying for it over the course of 24 months they couldn't charge you the ETF maximum amount.

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