verizon contract cancellation advice

[cvm]

Hello
I was on verizon and moved to cingular. I had 2 phones on a family plan with verizon and terminated the contract (2 years contract; termination fee= $175). Verizon is charging me $350 ($175 per phone connection on the family plan). Should they not be charging me only $175 (as I terminated only one "line")?
Please advise. Thanks!

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by cvm

Hello
I was on verizon and moved to cingular. I had 2 phones on a family plan with verizon and terminated the contract (2 years contract; termination fee= $175). Verizon is charging me $350 ($175 per phone connection on the family plan). Should they not be charging me only $175 (as I terminated only one "line")?
Please advise. Thanks!

If you still have 1 active line, then they should only charge the $175.00 for the 2nd line, at least this is they way i understand other carriers ETF charges. I would suggest calling CS to get this worked out fast. I had cancel a line with them once, within the 14 day period & they sent me a ETF bill, I called & they removed it.

[fb]

Originally Posted by cvm

Hello
I was on verizon and moved to cingular. I had 2 phones on a family plan with verizon and terminated the contract (2 years contract; termination fee= $175). Verizon is charging me $350 ($175 per phone connection on the family plan). Should they not be charging me only $175 (as I terminated only one "line")?
Please advise. Thanks!

The fee is per line. If you have an active line remaining, the fee should be 175 dollars (but they charge taxes and it is more like 200 dollars). If you terminated both lines, you're out 375 dollars. And Verizon doesn't prorate, so if it is late into the contract, sometimes you're just better paying for service and not using it. Of course, if you do that, you cannot port your number until the contract is done.

[kranium007]

yes, verizon does prorate.

[wgray8231]

Originally Posted by fb

The fee is per line. If you have an active line remaining, the fee should be 175 dollars (but they charge taxes and it is more like 200 dollars). If you terminated both lines, you're out 375 dollars. And Verizon doesn't prorate, so if it is late into the contract, sometimes you're just better paying for service and not using it. Of course, if you do that, you cannot port your number until the contract is done.

Will providers let you sign up for a new line w/ number and port your old number later, keeping the same number of lines but changing the phone number?

[ZaphodB]

Originally Posted by kranium007

yes, verizon does prorate.

Only in states where they're required to, like Iowa. The contract says "up to $175 per line", which means they don't have to charge the whole thing, but generally they do.

[ZaphodB]

Originally Posted by wgray8231

Will providers let you sign up for a new line w/ number and port your old number later, keeping the same number of lines but changing the phone number?

Yes...

[fb]

Originally Posted by kranium007

yes, verizon does prorate.

I guess it varies. My mom wanted to end her contract in New York state, and in NYS they charge the whole fee, up until the contract is over. Depending how much longer you have in the contract, it can then be cheaper to just wait it out, even if you are not using the phone. Cingular's policy in New York was a termination fee of 240 dollars, but prorated over the contract.

[azcellphonejunkie]

Originally Posted by cvm

Hello
I was on verizon and moved to cingular. I had 2 phones on a family plan with verizon and terminated the contract (2 years contract; termination fee= $175). Verizon is charging me $350 ($175 per phone connection on the family plan). Should they not be charging me only $175 (as I terminated only one "line")?
Please advise. Thanks!

Something to think about with this: A provider will charge you different amounts for each line that you activate. Say $36 for the main account line and $18 for each additional. Then charge you different amounts per each line, like $50 for the main line on the account, and $10 for each additional line. Then when you try to cancel early, they charge you the same for each line! Shouldn't it be differenet based on what kind of line it is? Like $200 for the main line, and $50 for each additional line? I guess when you are the big business, you can charge how you please for something like that right!

[kranium007]

oh, prorate the termination fee... i thought he meant monthly service. sorry

[Fire14]

I know in certain area's like here in NJ, Cingular pro-rates there ETF from $24.00 in the beginning & it goes down $10.00 per month as you get closer to the end of your contract, which is a wierd setup.

[WirelessBeachBum]

Originally Posted by azcellphonejunkie

Something to think about with this: A provider will charge you different amounts for each line that you activate. Say $36 for the main account line and $18 for each additional. Then charge you different amounts per each line, like $50 for the main line on the account, and $10 for each additional line. Then when you try to cancel early, they charge you the same for each line! Shouldn't it be differenet based on what kind of line it is? Like $200 for the main line, and $50 for each additional line? I guess when you are the big business, you can charge how you please for something like that right!

The carriers use ETF's to protect their cost to aquire a customer an phone subsidies. so even if you are on a lower rate plan on some of your lines you usually pay the same amount for the phones...which means it actually takes longer for the carriers to cover your phone subsidy. I wish that wireless carriers never started using handset pricing as a competative thing...at least not to the point where consumers expect a free phone all the time...you can't get a decent cordless phone for less than $100 but people expect a free cell phone and no ETF's...people no longer see the value of the phone.

[pcardoza]

Originally Posted by WirelessBeachBum

The carriers use ETF's to protect their cost to aquire a customer an phone subsidies. so even if you are on a lower rate plan on some of your lines you usually pay the same amount for the phones...which means it actually takes longer for the carriers to cover your phone subsidy. I wish that wireless carriers never started using handset pricing as a competative thing...at least not to the point where consumers expect a free phone all the time...you can't get a decent cordless phone for less than $100 but people expect a free cell phone and no ETF's...people no longer see the value of the phone.

so you would prefer to be paying $500 every time you want a new phone????

[ZaphodB]

If the phone costs $500, the phone costs $500. If you can't afford a $500 phone, buy a $250 phone. Who said you needed a new phone every year?! Furthermore, if consumers paid more for their phones, there would be increased pressure on the manufacturers to make them last more than two or three years. This isn't Forty-Seventh Street Electronics, where the prices are all in code* and how much you pay depends on how well you haggle.

Everyone wants it for free but then they want no contract too, and that just isn't realistic. I think it's a perception problem. Verizon exists to make money, not to give away products out of the goodness of their hearts. The 'free' phone is a calculated business decision. TANSTAAFL.


* every self-respecting New York geek knows how to read the tags at 47th St. Electronics stores.

[wgray8231]

Originally Posted by pcardoza

so you would prefer to be paying $500 every time you want a new phone????

Monthly rates could also go down, but the providers might just leave them the same to shake more money out of subscribers.

And there could be no contracts.

You can do the same right now, but your monthly rate is the same.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by wgray8231

Monthly rates could also go down, but the providers might just leave them the same to shake more money out of subscribers.

And there could be no contracts.

You can do the same right now, but your monthly rate is the same.

I really doubt they would lower the rates, but it would give them the money to increase there networks & service.
I don't think it would work, especially now that people expect free or discounted phones from the provider, of course the Manufacutures would be under pressure to give big rebates & lower the MSRP of the current ones. This has been brought up in the past & always turns into a back & forth & no one seems to come up with a good solution, that everyone agrees upon.

[Gamer03]

Originally Posted by Fire14

I know in certain area's like here in NJ, Cingular pro-rates there ETF from $24.00 in the beginning & it goes down $10.00 per month as you get closer to the end of your contract, which is a wierd setup.

In our area, Cingular has an ETF that is also prorated.

$240/24= $10/month to cancel (so if you have 10 months left, it would cost you $100).

---------or---------

$240/12= $20/month (again, it would be $200 to cancel with with 10 months left).

[azcellphonejunkie]

Originally Posted by Gamer03

In our area, Cingular has an ETF that is also prorated.

$240/24= $10/month to cancel (so if you have 10 months left, it would cost you $100).

---------or---------

$240/12= $20/month (again, it would be $200 to cancel with with 10 months left).

I like that better than cancelling your contract and having to pay the entire amount. It would be nice if that was how it was everywhere!

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by azcellphonejunkie

I like that better than cancelling your contract and having to pay the entire amount. It would be nice if that was how it was everywhere!

I don't know why certain states are setup this way & haven't been able to figure it out, since if it was a State requirement then all carriers would do it. Cingular is the only one that I have seen with it, at least here in NJ.

[Gamer03]

Originally Posted by Fire14

I don't know why certain states are setup this way & haven't been able to figure it out, since if it was a State requirement then all carriers would do it. Cingular is the only one that I have seen with it, at least here in NJ.

Same with carriers in Florida...which I wish Sprint would do that, then we would only have to pay $260 instead of $300.....but we would only be saving $40.

[Fire14]

Originally Posted by Gamer03

Same with carriers in Florida...which I wish Sprint would do that, then we would only have to pay $260 instead of $300.....but we would only be saving $40.

You could save more depending on where in your contract you are, basically each month your a customer & closer to the contract end, you deduct 10.00 from the original ETF.
So in a 2 year contract it starts off at $240.00 which is $10.00 a month X 24 Months, If you cancel with a year left then it would be $120.00, 6 Months it would be $60.00.
I think it'a a fair way to do it.

[proud2bamerican8]

Originally Posted by wgray8231

Will providers let you sign up for a new line w/ number and port your old number later, keeping the same number of lines but changing the phone number?

Yes this is easy to do with new Sprint activations. Couldn't say for sure about other carriers though.

[wgray8231]

Originally Posted by proud2bamerican8

Yes this is easy to do with new Sprint activations. Couldn't say for sure about other carriers though.

Yeah, Zaphod answered my question two weeks ago.