HOT: Avoid Verizon Early Cancelation Fee, get out your contract free

[Brian M]

Here's the reason:

Verizon is adding a $0.40 ?Administration Fee? to all accounts, starting as of October 1. Due to this new fee, Verizon customers have 60 days to cancel their service without having to pay the $175 or more early cancelation feee. This is the exact quote from the Verizon Customer Agreement stating this.

Our Rights To Make Changes
Your service is subject to our business policies, practices, and procedures, which we can change without notice. UNLESS OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WE CAN ALSO CHANGE PRICES AND ANY OTHER CONDITIONS IN THIS AGREEMENT AT ANY TIME BY SENDING YOU WRITTEN NOTICE PRIOR TO THE BILLING PERIOD IN WHICH THE CHANGES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR SERVICE AFTER THAT POINT, YOU'RE ACCEPTING THE CHANGES. IF THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE.

Verizon Customer Agreement. So, check your statement the next two months and once the new fee takes effect you have 60 days to cancel your contract while avoiding the early cancellation fee.

Here's what this means to us:

If you're a Verizon subscriber, you can get out of your contract free. This is awesome for people who are unhappy with their service and want to switch carriers. Or, it will allow you to sign a new contract with another carrier, port your number, and get a good deal on a free phone. Either way this is hot.

Remember that this only avoids the Verizon Early Cancelation Fee, but if you received a free Verizon phone or discounted phone you may be obligated to pay a fee for canceling. This is due to the commision money they receive from your monthly service.

 

[Amplifier]

Wow. And you thought NBA teams got lucky with the Allan Houston rule!

 

[vrbaba]

Originally posted by: Brian M

Remember that this only avoids the Verizon Early Cancelation Fee, but if you received a free Verizon phone or discounted phone you may be obligated to pay a fee for canceling. This is due to the commision money they receive from your monthly service.

Most people HAVE a contract because they got a phone or got a new phone with a new contract. So, according to this, if I still cancel mine, I would still pay them the 175 fee.

 

[Brian M]

Originally posted by: vrbaba

Originally posted by: Brian M

Remember that this only avoids the Verizon Early Cancelation Fee, but if you received a free Verizon phone or discounted phone you may be obligated to pay a fee for canceling. This is due to the commision money they receive from your monthly service.

Most people HAVE a contract because they got a phone or got a new phone with a new contract. So, according to this, if I still cancel mine, I would still pay them the 175 fee.

No. The $175 is charged when you cancel your service contract, but this new fee gets you out of that. Check with who you bought your phone from because some vendors write additional clauses in their contract that require you to honor your full contract or pay them back some of the savings your received on your phone.

 

[vtohthree]

This is extremely HOT for me. I got a free phone on a 2 year contract. After a year, my phone broke, unfortunately* I had a warranty from the vendor. So they gave me a new free(crappiest one available) phone. Here's the catch though, when I activated that phone, still with the same number and plan, just activated the phone, told verizon the situation, they RESET MY CONTRACT!!! They said it was because the warranty was from the vendor and not from them, so they extended the contract for another 2 years from the date just to continue my service with a working phone.

I was pissed, still am pissed. So.. I was actually going to end my contract by paying the early termination fee(even though I feel I shouldn't, since my initial contract already ended!). BUT! I could wait another 2 months to do this, now that it has been mentioned by the OP... but I the question is, will it be worth it? I'm currently locked at a $90 a month plan, so maybe it won't.... I was going to go prepaid with STI.

Anyways, that's for me to think out, but either way, THANKS FOR THE INFO OP!!

 

[isekii]

why would you need to tell verizon that you are activating the new phone ?
you could've done that online.
The only reason why your contract would have started again for the new 2 years is if you change the promotion on the contract.

 

[phils725]

Activating another phone on your account will NOT extend the contract 2 years UNLESS the phone was purchased at a VZW store or retailer at a promotional rate (the prices they advertise are actually the promotional rate) You activating a warranty replacement does not extend your contract, and if the person did that, they were wrong, and you could go back to a store within one bill cycle to get it reverted back. However, if you added a promotional feature (i.e. added unlimited IN calling, when you only had a limited number before etc.) that will extend the contract.

Also, for a warranty replacement, you should have just gone to a VZW company store, they would have given you an identical replacement to your phone at no charge (so long as it was under warranty, and had no physical/water damage)

 

[ballmode]

My 2 year contract ends this month. I will not have a cell phone after this.

 

[thesaint37]

So if my contract ends May 2006, does this mean I can cancel my existing Verizon wireless account in 2 months and immediately re-sign up with Verizon to get a nicer phone earlier?

 

[WiseOne]

cool thanks! so what's the latest and great verizon phones out right now? my vx6000 realllyy needs replacing.

 

[ncage]

When can i expect to get a notice for the .40 admin fee? I don't remember getting anything.

 

[PhaZe]

Originally posted by: ncage
When can i expect to get a notice for the .40 admin fee? I don't remember getting anything.

you probably won't get one

 

[middlehead]

Originally posted by: ncage
When can i expect to get a notice for the .40 admin fee? I don't remember getting anything.

It's probably just an add-in slip to your last bill / next bill, depending on when your bill gets mailed.

 

[Tu13erhead]

Originally posted by: thesaint37
So if my contract ends May 2006, does this mean I can cancel my existing Verizon wireless account in 2 months and immediately re-sign up with Verizon to get a nicer phone earlier?

 

[n666]

Originally posted by: Tu13erhead

Originally posted by: thesaint37
So if my contract ends May 2006, does this mean I can cancel my existing Verizon wireless account in 2 months and immediately re-sign up with Verizon to get a nicer phone earlier?

that's what i'm thinking too

 

[onza]

Originally posted by: n666

Originally posted by: Tu13erhead

Originally posted by: thesaint37
So if my contract ends May 2006, does this mean I can cancel my existing Verizon wireless account in 2 months and immediately re-sign up with Verizon to get a nicer phone earlier?

that's what i'm thinking too

if you cancel, i doubt you'll have your existing number.

 

[Slappy00]

I have paperless billing, so I need to make sure that what I am doing is correct:

1) I go and cancel my service (can i do this now? or do i have to wait?)
2) When I go there what do I need to bring with me?

thats what I really need to know, its not so much that I hate Verizon (they have really good service to tell you the truth) but I find that living in Chicago I can get much better (read affordable) plans from toher carriers like T-Mobile or Cingular.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: thesaint37
So if my contract ends May 2006, does this mean I can cancel my existing Verizon wireless account in 2 months and immediately re-sign up with Verizon to get a nicer phone earlier?

90 days buddy.... You gotta wait. you might be able to sign up for a 2nd account though and cancel the first. You can do that for TMobile though

 

[Slappy00]

Originally posted by: onza

Originally posted by: n666

Originally posted by: Tu13erhead

Originally posted by: thesaint37
So if my contract ends May 2006, does this mean I can cancel my existing Verizon wireless account in 2 months and immediately re-sign up with Verizon to get a nicer phone earlier?

that's what i'm thinking too

if you cancel, i doubt you'll have your existing number.

but does that still apply if you are going to a different carrier?

 

[Lemodular]

like to OP stated, if you terminate your plan, you may avoid the 175 cancelation fee however, you may need to pay the difference that you saved when you bought the phone. The sales tactics are usually a free or discounted phone WITH a contract....so no contract = no free phone.

btw, if you have been w/ VZ for at least 18 mo., you may qualify for an "equipment upgrade"

 

[mikeford]

Calif also has some law written I think to deal with early termination fees on healthclubs, but seems to apply to all sorts of stuff like cell phones, so basically no early termination fee is allowed, or was. YMMV etc.

 

[thefamoustraders]

Bump for anyone who can find a cancellation loophole from a cell co.

As been previously stated, anyone planning on taking this up, make sure to read the fine print of all of your contracts (ie. Cell company contract, as well as any contract signed with the company you purchased the phone).


Nice find OP!

 

[Shallok]

F THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE.

It seems that the real key here is the word Material. You may be able to argue that an extra 40 cents is a material amount, but I certainly don't see it that way. Has anyone actually tried to cancel their account because of an increase of 40 cents a month?

My plan runs 40 a month, plus some taxes and fees, as such, I can't state with any confidence that less than 1% of my total monthly payment is a material amount.

 

[ncage]

thanks OP. I called them and they canceled my contract with no problem.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Originally posted by: Slappy00

Originally posted by: onza

Originally posted by: n666

Originally posted by: Tu13erhead

Originally posted by: thesaint37
So if my contract ends May 2006, does this mean I can cancel my existing Verizon wireless account in 2 months and immediately re-sign up with Verizon to get a nicer phone earlier?

that's what i'm thinking too

if you cancel, i doubt you'll have your existing number.

but does that still apply if you are going to a different carrier?

You can go wtih a new carrier and they carry your number over.