Family 5s Upgrades - Going through Apple vs. Verizon (also Apple Care?)

[Maverick2002]

This will be my first time dealing with Apple, but my family has been with Verizon for a while. We're all eligible for upgrades.

We're looking to do the following upgrades:

Dumb phone > 4s (99 cents - $5 credit for trade-in)
iPhone 4 > 5s Gold 32GB ($299 - $100 credit for trade-in)
Dumb phone > 5s White 16GB ($199 - $5 credit for trade-in)
Old Droid > 5s White 16 GB ($199 - $8 credit for trade-in)

I was going to have all this done at the Verizon store, until we were about to check out and he informed us that there's a $30, non-waivable 'upgrade fee' FOR EACH PHONE.

That's $120 out of pocket ... for nothing.

On Apple's website, there is no activation fee.

The rep told me I can get all the phones from Apple and just come into the store to activate them so they can convert our plan from 2GB per-phone plan (I have to choose something on Apple's site) to a 4GB Family Share Everything plan.

He told me there won't be any activation fees since I'm getting it through Apple. He also notified me the Silver 5s is shipping late October, with the Gold shipping in November to Verizon.

Insurance is $10 per month per phone through Verizon with a $170 (4s) - $180 (5s) deductible per incident. This also extends the manufacturer's warranty by 1 year.

Apple Care though is only $99 up front, extends manufacturer's warranty by 1 year, and gives you 2 accidental damages with an $80 deductible.

So, by all accounts it's a lot cheaper to go directly through Apple (and may get the phones earlier) than through Verizon. As long as you don't have more than 2 incidents, after 1 year and 1 repair, Verizon total cost = $300, Apple total cost = $180.

Here are my questions, hopefully you guys can answer:

1) Can anyone verify that there is in fact no $30 'upgrade fee' when ordering directly from Apple?
2) Does the 'accidental damage' cover everything basically? Cracked screen, fell in water, feel on the ground, theft, etc? $80 vs. $180 is a huge difference, not to mention the $120 (1 year insurance through Verizon) vs. $99 through Apple.
3) How good is Apple Care overall?
4) On Apple's site it says 'shipping in October' for all these phones. How accurate is that?
5) Has anyone had problems getting phones THROUGH Apple, then taking them to Verizon to get the plan altered (if you have a family plan for instance like I do)?
6) Any issues with trade-ins?
7) We're going to stagger the activations. If we get these phones soon (they're all coming to me), 2 of them will be sitting unactivated until my parents get into town a couple weeks later. There shouldn't be any issues with a delayed activation, right?
8) Anything else I missed?

TIA!

 

[Oyeve]

Long story short. Go through apple.

 

[bearxor]

Ok. First off. Don't buy the 4S. At least get that person a 5C. This way you won't have one phone left in the family with an off screen size and a different charging connector. Not to mention the significant speed upgrade the 5C brings.

Secondly, you're paying that upgrade fee regardless of the direction you go. While Verizon charges it at the point of sale, if you bought them through Apple, your next billing cycle will simply reflect the upgrade charges. The only way to avoid the fee would be to buy your devices at full price.

Also, the Apple store only takes iPhones in for trade. They won't take your Droid or dumb phone, not that it probably matters much.

Apple care is nice, but I'd only get it of you were afraid of destroying your devices. It's pretty simple. Make an appointment at the Apple store, show up, wait... And wait... And wait... Then walk out with a new phone. It covers dropped phones, cracked screens, etc. I don't know if it covers loss.

Apple store is usually pretty accurate on their shipping estimates. I don't think you should have to go to Verizon to change your plan. If probably do my upgrades them change the plan at once over the phone or online or something. I wouldn't purchase the phones until I'm ready to switch them.

Hope that helps.

 

[Kaido]

Long story short. Go through apple.

Was going to post exactly the same thing. AppleCare FTW :thumbsup:

 

[Maverick2002]

Secondly, you're paying that upgrade fee regardless of the direction you go. While Verizon charges it at the point of sale, if you bought them through Apple, your next billing cycle will simply reflect the upgrade charges. The only way to avoid the fee would be to buy your devices at full price.

Is this in writing somewhere? The Verizon rep told me if I get the phones through Apple, the $30 upgrade fee per phone won't be required, as I already have the phones.

If the fee will be assessed regardless, I might as well simplify things and go through Verizon, then purchase Apple Care separately at a nearby Apple Store, yes?

 

[bearxor]

If you purchase a subsidized phone at all on the three big carriers in the US, you get hit with an upgrade fee. The Verizon store won't charge you the fee if you bring phones in from somewhere, but that fee will wind up on your monthly bill.

You can verify this yourself by calling up Verizon and asking them. I'm sure they'll be happy to tell you. Consider yourself lucky. It's $36 on AT&T and Sprint.

But, if it were me, I'd buy them from somewhere else. The reason they're charging you the upgrade fee in store is because it becomes impossible to ask for the fee waived later. I always ask AT&T to waive my upgrade fees and haven't ever had a problem with it.

Upgrade at the Apple Store so you're not charged the fee. Challenge the fee when it hits your bill.

 

[Maverick2002]

If you purchase a subsidized phone at all on the three big carriers in the US, you get hit with an upgrade fee. The Verizon store won't charge you the fee if you bring phones in from somewhere, but that fee will wind up on your monthly bill.

You can verify this yourself by calling up Verizon and asking them. I'm sure they'll be happy to tell you. Consider yourself lucky. It's $36 on AT&T and Sprint.

But, if it were me, I'd buy them from somewhere else. The reason they're charging you the upgrade fee in store is because it becomes impossible to ask for the fee waived later. I always ask AT&T to waive my upgrade fees and haven't ever had a problem with it.

Upgrade at the Apple Store so you're not charged the fee. Challenge the fee when it hits your bill.

This all seems like a giant PITA given the uncertainty that Verizon will be able to waive the fees later. It seems the simpler route would be to just get it from them, but on the other hand I can't get Apple Care immediately if I do it that way - I'll have to purchase it from Apple later, then run a diagnostic within 30 days of purchase to be able to have it.

At this point I'm thinking I should get all the phones from Apple (online), purchase Apple Care for all 4 phones (will probably get the 5c like you recommend instead of the 4s), then go into Verizon to have them switch the plan to a Family Share.

And then I guess I call and ask if they can waive the fee when it does show up later?

Or do you recommend doing it at a physical Apple store?

I am on a bit of a time crunch here and I'm going to take care of this one way or another tomorrow, so appreciate any final heads up (and if my current plan of action is good or not).

 

[Joe1987]

You know you can order from the Apple store online and do a local pickup, right?

Here's a link to check local stock without using Apple's site for each phone

http://iphone-check.herokuapp.com/

 

[bearxor]

Yeah, but stock in local stores are still pretty slim. I'd just order online from Apple.

But you shouldn't have to go to Verizon for anything. You can switch to a data share plan online or with a 20-minute phone call to Verizon. You could do that now. Changing your plan won't affect your upgrade eligibility.

But I wouldn't buy until you were ready for them. You never know what kind of deal might come up. You can get a 5C now for $50 if you go to Best Buy, Radio Shack or WalMart. Who knows if the 5S might go on sale before you're even ready to activate them.

 

[Maverick2002]

That's a good point. None of the stores around me have the 5s in stock (just checked on that website). I'll probably hold off on the other 2 phones then and just order the 2x 5s now. Is the BB deal for new activation only or for upgrades as well (with contract extension)?

 

[Tyranicus]

If the fee will be assessed regardless, I might as well simplify things and go through Verizon, then purchase Apple Care separately at a nearby Apple Store, yes?

When I got my iPhone 5 at a Sprint store earlier this year, they gave me the option of buying the Sprint protection for a monthly charge or paying up front for AppleCare. I would imagine Verizon sells AppleCare as well. You may need to ask for it specifically though, as I'm sure they get commission selling the Verizon plan instead.

 

[vi edit]

Go to Best Buy. They do not charge an upgrade fee. You can also check with other people and see if they have upgrade coupons. When my wife upgraded to the 5s she got a sheet of 8 coupons that were good for $20 gift cerfiticates if you upgraded your phone at Best Buy. Both her and the person getting the other phone got a $20 Best Buy gift card.

 

[Maverick2002]

Update:

So I swung by the Apple store (was going to order online) as it was on the way and lucked out on getting a 16g 5s white and 32g 5s gold (last in stock). Took about 1.5 hours as Verizon kept giving activation errors. Still got charged the $30 upgrade fee, but got Apple Care and it's all taken care of now. I'm loving this new phone, huge upgrade over my barely functioning Droid Charge. They were able to switch the plan at Apple as well.

I'm glad I read up on the Apple Store before going and was expecting a wait, cause even at 2pm on a Monday at the mall the place was packed.

Now I have to go to Verizon to verify the plan is a-ok and trade in the 2 existing phones. For the new ones, I will call Best Buy as suggested and see what they can do regarding fees when the time comes.

PS. Can anyone recommend a high protection minimalist case?

I just ordered this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Reviews say the protection isn't THAT great, but it fits the larger (Amazon Basics) charging cables. I needed to order a few extra cables to place around the house so I can charge the phone wherever.

I was going to get this one (still might), but reviews say it doesn't work with the larger charging cables: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

PPS. Does Facetime (or any data usage) use your limited data if you're on Wifi (even if you have data enabled)? I want to Facetime with my dad and I'm giving him an old wireless router I have so he can have Wifi at his place and want to make sure it's not dinging his data plan.

PPPS. What are the largest battery drains besides screen brightness? My gf showed me how to double click the main button and 'swipe up' (close) background applications to save on battery life, but do they really use a lot? That's not something I'm going to want to do every time ...

 

[TheStu]

PPS. Does Facetime (or any data usage) use your limited data if you're on Wifi (even if you have data enabled)? I want to Facetime with my dad and I'm giving him an old wireless router I have so he can have Wifi at his place and want to make sure it's not dinging his data plan.

If you're on wifi, it should not touch your cell data at all.

PPPS. What are the largest battery drains besides screen brightness? My gf showed me how to double click the main button and 'swipe up' (close) background applications to save on battery life, but do they really use a lot? That's not something I'm going to want to do every time ...

You do NOT need to mess with closing applications. Unless one is locked up or something, manually managing your apps like that is a waste of time. Screen brightness, wifi & BT I think are still the big offenders with regards to battery life. I leave BT and wifi on all the time, it's just a habit from the old days when it was a chore to turn them on and off. With iOS 7, just swipe up from the bottom to get to those settings now, so it's easier. Obviously put it into Airplane mode when you have limited signal, pinging the towers all the time will drain your battery right quick.

 

[BigDaddyD]

Verizon is quite possibly the worst company I have ever dealt with. I have been off contract with them for 2 years and stayed month to month. By the time the 5s came out, my other phone died. I needed a phone and coincided with the drop of the 5s. I decided to get it. I switched to Tmobile, since I live in NYC and there is one literally a block from my apt. I walked in the day after the phone came out and ordered a 64 gb 5s. They waived the next day shipping and I had it on Monday. My monthly fee is cheaper, I have unlimited everything, jump, and free 2.5gb tethering. Best move ever. Oh yeah, I can actually hear my calls now.

 

[Aikouka]

You do NOT need to mess with closing applications. Unless one is locked up or something, manually managing your apps like that is a waste of time.

iOS 7 does allow for more background processing than before. However, you can allow access to that feature on a per-app basis in the Settings. Although, even though apps can do more in the background, I still don't worry about closing apps. I don't turn off WiFi or Bluetooth either.

As you mentioned, a big connectivity killers is poor signal. I get awful reception in the local Target, and I can easily lose 5-10% without ever touching my phone.