I wonder if this was a sign that people were finally tired of getting ripped off from them and starting to switch to Sprint, T-Mobile, Metro etc.?
We may get some hint of this being true or not when the quarterly numbers come out in the coming weeks.
If they were still adding 1.5 million customers per quarter then I don't understand why they would drop prices like that.
When it comes to Verizon, it's anybody's guess. With the hits they've been taking about the increased ETF (on some phones) and their mandatory data plan on more phones, I'm guessing they felt they had to do something. The only thing keeping me with Verizon is my extensive M2M list and great coverage. I'm finally growing weary of their continued draconian practices (as mentioned in the above paragraph) among other things. They're pricing me out, but not enough yet to force me to another carrier.
I am with you an this one Mike. I am only with them because of the great coverage. I have no need for a data plan... if I wanted one, I would have kept my BlackBerry. These prices are out there for me... and the selection of phones not requiring a data plan has gotten a LOT uglier. Fortunately for me, I have another 15 months left on my line; also, I just renewed the other lines with the LG VX8360 phones. When upgrade time rolls around, I will likely port out my lines and eat the ETFs on lines 2 & 3... I will just go to TMo and just be done with it and use my VZ prepaid line when I go into the boonies.
VZ prepaid may be a good way to go, though if I keep the Chocolate Touch, I'll have to wait until January 2012. If not, then I might think about it sooner. As an example of how important M2M is, I've only used 22 anytime minutes so far this month. My M2M minutes are at almost 1200, with a little over a week left in the cycle. M2M accounts for well over 80% of my calls. Too much for me to rely on rollover or T-Mobile's spotty coverage completely. Plus I've been with Verizon for 16 years. They'd really have to tick me off something big in order for me to leave, even paying an ETF.
Wow... The F&F feature accounts for most of my usage (around 1000 daytime minutes). I normally use 150 anytime minutes as a result; M2M is irrevelant to me because most folks I talk to are on MetroPCS, which isnt available here, or on Sprint. The other lines call mostly landlines or Metros. I had Sprint a while ago and I have no desire to go to Sprint. With ATT mimicking VZW, that leaves TMo for me despite the shortcomings around here. I suppose I could just let the contracts run its course... hopefully the phones hold up that long:O
The drop in price with Verizon and At&T is great for the customer who needs unlimited. For the mid range user - not so much. We have 2 phones on a family plan and use 700 - 1000 minutes per month. We do not text, email or web browse. We were on Verizon 1400 minutes for $89.99 per month( little over $100 with taxes and fees). When T-Mobile came out with their new plans, we switched and got a plan with 1500 minutes @59.99 ( $68.57 with taxes and fees and no contract). I bought 2 used GSM phones on eBay that are fine for us ( cost about $90 for the 2 phones - Samsung t339's). Although I realize that TMO does not have the best coverage in all areas, coverage is great in the areas we need it. Savings of about $35 per month . Neither Verizon nor AT&T are price competitive for the mid range talk only customer.
Wirelessly posted (Opera/9.80 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/4.2.14912/1280; U; en) Presto/2.2.0) This isn't a price drop. It's a marketing ploy. The data requirement is absurd.
I looked at it and to get a similar plan as to what I have now I would wind-up spending $40 more a month. I don't see a price drop for me.
My Alltel plan is cheaper but thank god they let me keep it and still pay the $30 for BIS. I would be ticked if I had to pay way more per month. But I get 900 minutes, ten base F&F (one new each year if they still honor it, so eleven), $9.99 add a line, $20 unlimited texting per line if I need it (I don't since I can text through Google Voice now ), and unlimited M2M and N&W at 9 P.M.
Prices started dropping last year when a prepaid plan named Straight Talk came on the market with the cheapest prepaid rates for unlimited talk, text and web ($45 a month) and sent the other providers into a spin. This from Reuters explains why Verizon added so many customers in the last quarter - "Verizon Wireless is seen adding as many as 450,000 new users to its network from an unlimited prepaid service on Tracfone, an America Movil unit that rents capacity from Verizon and sells its service in Wal-Mart Stores Inc outlets." That just happens to be Straight Talk. You can read the full article at Droid to help Verizon narrow gap with AT&T | Reuters.
