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

[funboy6942]

Just thought I would let some know that is reading this and has Sprint service. I just found out that you wont get hit the earlt termination fee IF you move to a part that doesnt have sprint service. We saved almost $900 because where we moved there is no service for 9 miles. So if your moving either try to find a place that has no service (keep in mind they will be mailing your final bill there) or if you actually move where there is no service make sure to tell the rep you speek to because they still tried to put that on us till I reminded them of what the contract states about no service.

 

[XNice]

this is hot!

 

[imported_Decaf]

Originally posted by: BrokenVisage
Stolen from FW.

Information that's in the public domain cannot be stolen. Giving credit to an anonymous person in another forum seems kind of stupid. There's no way of knowing where ideas originate.

 

[vtohthree]

Called in to cancel, I've had a horrible experience with Verizon and customer service throughout these 3 stinkin' years. Anyways, they didn't honor it, same bull crap about opening a new phone, I didn't want to put up with it, just said to cancel and to charge the $175. I can't wait till WIMAX is pumped continentally and we can all use VOIP. Until then, sti it is..

 

[kwo]

Originally posted by: PuppettMaster001
OMG this is perfect timing. I was going to call yesterday to cancel my phone cause I switched to TMobile. Luckily I am a lazy bastard.

and here I am in Massachusetts thinking I want to do the *opposite* and switch from stinky Tmobile service to Verizon!!

Hah - any real reason why I shouldn't?

 

[LightningStrikes]

Originally posted by: kwo

Originally posted by: PuppettMaster001
OMG this is perfect timing. I was going to call yesterday to cancel my phone cause I switched to TMobile. Luckily I am a lazy bastard.

and here I am in Massachusetts thinking I want to do the *opposite* and switch from stinky Tmobile service to Verizon!!

Hah - any real reason why I shouldn't?

I am much happier with Verizon than I was with Cingular/ATT wireless in Massachusetts. The reception is much better and it is very easy to keep track of your monthly minutes (either on-line or from the phone).

-LS

 

[dak125]

Originally posted by: argoldst
If anyone actually does this, please post the results.

Called in. I wasn't actually interested in cancelling my service and told the lady that. I got an extra 50 minutes per month for the next 3 months (when my contract really ends).

 

[vtohthree]

dak125, watch out!!! They did something like this to me once as well, for compensation or to keep me in, I refused numerous times, and they assured me that it would not reset the contract nor change the price... sure enough their systems was reading something else and I got a letter saying the contract was extended, originally how I passed off having verizon for 3 years instead of 2, just shrugged it off. But beware...

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: vtohthree
dak125, watch out!!! They did something like this to me once as well, for compensation or to keep me in, I refused numerous times, and they assured me that it would not reset the contract nor change the price... sure enough their systems was reading something else and I got a letter saying the contract was extended, originally how I passed off having verizon for 3 years instead of 2, just shrugged it off. But beware...

yea, I think your contract might have been extended.
Call in on different occaison and ask if it's been extended or not.

 

[Brian M]

Originally posted by: ECartman

Originally posted by: Brian M

Originally posted by: chrisram
Just tried it. Have a 3rd line on a family share plan that doesn't expire until 7/2006 that isn't being used. Wouldn't let me cancel this line because of new charge. Customer agreement allows them to change fees at any time. Let us know if you can get this done and how.

Read the customer agreement, you have 60 days after notification of a new fee to cancel without incuring the Early Cancelation Fee. Once again, this doesn't work yet, the Administration Fee takes effect Oct 1. You need to wait.

Geez, get it right.

I got notification of the new fee on the last page of my August 03, 2005 bill. I have 60 days after Verizon sent that notice to call and "end the affected service without any early termination fee". That means I have until roughly October 3 to call and terminate service. If I use the phone after October 1, I have, according to the customer agreement, accepted the new terms (the 40 cent fee) and cannot cancel thereafter without the early termination fee.

Bottom line -- DO NOT WAIT. That is bad advice. Call now and cancel if you are gonna cancel. If you use your phone after October 1, you cannot cancel without early termination fee.

And yes, a 40 cent change in monthly charges is, legally, a change that has "a material adverse effect on you." Don't confuse a lay definition of material with a legal definition. In contract law, any change that changes the legal effect of a contract is "material." "Adverse" simply means it goes against your interests, and does not speak to degree.

Calm Down. You already received notification on your bill of the new fee? From what I understood, they weren't going to announce it until Oct 1. But like you said, it's 60 days from when your bill states the new fee. So, yes in your case you'd have 60 days from your August 3 bill and so would anyone else whos bill has the new fee.

 

[lzpoof]

Originally posted by: kwo

Originally posted by: PuppettMaster001
OMG this is perfect timing. I was going to call yesterday to cancel my phone cause I switched to TMobile. Luckily I am a lazy bastard.

and here I am in Massachusetts thinking I want to do the *opposite* and switch from stinky Tmobile service to Verizon!!

Hah - any real reason why I shouldn't?

My major gripes with Verizon are not having GSM and the way they lock their phones down. Essentially they want to charge you for downloading wallpapers and stuff themselves so they disable any way for you to get the files on the phones freely. This is the source of the notorious lawsuit over the Motoroola V710. Personally I think if you're buying the damn phone you should be able to do whatever you want with it as long as it doesn't affect the Verizon network (which changing wallpapers obviously doesn't). It is also kinda annoying that you can't swap the phones around with a lot of carriers.


come to think of it, isn't Verizon's disabling phones to force you to use get it now basically the same as MS making you use IE if you want to buy their OS ? Isn't this like obvious class action lawsuit material ?

 

[dak125]

Originally posted by: vtohthree
dak125, watch out!!! They did something like this to me once as well, for compensation or to keep me in, I refused numerous times, and they assured me that it would not reset the contract nor change the price... sure enough their systems was reading something else and I got a letter saying the contract was extended, originally how I passed off having verizon for 3 years instead of 2, just shrugged it off. But beware...

Thanks for the heads up. I've actually gotten 100 extra minutes for 5-6 months earlier in my contract and there's been no mention of extended minutes. She called them "Good will" minutes. According to this CSR I only have 3 months left on my contract which would mean they didn't extend it when they gave me those 100 extra awhile back.

 

[chrisram]

Okay, called back to the family share plan customer service. Lady said I will have to wait until september to get this done. She said no problem, this will work. Also, they are eliminating free holidays. I am able to cancel because of this. We'll see.

 

[ECartman]

Originally posted by: 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.

My notice was was printed on the last page of my August bill. Not an insert.

 

[dxpaap]

I didn't see any mention on the Aug bill - wondering if if will show up under the "verizon wireless surcharges" section. ?

 

[rellabgib3]

i cancelled my two year agreement today! i called customer service and told them that i received notice of a adminstrative charge. THen, i read parts of the customer service and then they cancelled free of term. fee

 

[ECartman]

Originally posted by: rellabgib3
i cancelled my two year agreement today! i called customer service and told them that i received notice of a adminstrative charge. THen, i read parts of the customer service and then they cancelled free of term. fee

In theory that is all you need to do! Should work every time. I guess it depends on whether the CSR you get has a few synapses firing.

Be careful, as noted here, if you have a separate agreement when you got the big discount on your actual phone. I would cancel mine but I got a new Motorola V710 (pos) for free and must maintain my agreement for at least 4 more months or Amazon will charge me full price the crap phone.

 

[Boxxcar]

For those of you considering termination, who else are you going to go with for your wireless service. There's not that many to choose from. From what I've always heard, Verizon was supposed to be fairly decent. I'm stuck in a two contract with Sprint and they really do suck. I get 800 mins a month. I was specifically told by Sprint sales that all incoming calls do not count towards my 800 mins, 1-800 tollfree calls do not count, and international dialing - for which I pay a separate monthly service charge in addition to per minute rate for the international calls - do not count towards the 800 minutes. I asked over and over again that none of these type calls are subtracted from my 800 mins and the salewoman said NO. After receiving my first and subsequent second bill I noticed minutes were racking up fast. I Contact Sprint and they denied everything. Their only reply was of course all calls are deducted - we have no way of knowing what our sales staff tell customers. Basically, they will tell you anything to get you to sign up. I even received a call from Sprint the day they activated the international dialing on my phone informing me that it was now active and that the international long distance calls do not count from the 800. Now, they tell me they do. I even wrote to them to complain and they couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge my correspondance. I fought with them for over 6 months just to get roadside assistance (additional monthly charge) taken off my phone as well as my childrens' (12 & 15 yrs old) phones. And I still didn't get a credit for the kids phone! Sprint is just a plain sh*t company.

 

[mikeford]

If you believe what salespeople tell you instead of reading the contract you have a hard life ahead of you.

I start with a phone call, then a letter to complain, but most effective are letters to the regulatory agencies.

 

[labgeek]

Originally posted by: Boxxcar
Sprint is just a plain sh*t company.

What do you expect from a railroad company that thinks it can do communications?

My favorite was ordering a alpha-numeric pager from them. When they sent me a numeric only pager they tried to argue with me about which type it was... with it sitting in my hand, and them heaven only knows where on the phone.

 

[rellabgib3]

i cancelled my 2 yr agreement, by doing what you guys told me to do! thanks you guys

 

[kingmt2]

There is an implied warranty on all items bought after talking to a salesperson. Its called "Implied Warranty of Merchantability" Basically it boils down to, if you buy a product because a salesperson told you it would do X after you asked if it would do X and the product does not do X then you have the right to return it for a full refund. The key is that you specifically asked. This was created after salespeople would make outrageous claims that their products wouldn't live up to and customers complained. If a salesperson is working for a company it is the companies responibility to make sure the salespeople are telling customers the correct information.

In Boxxcar's case he specifically asked about incoming minutes and was told that they did not count towards his monthly minutes. In this case implied warranty of merchantability would apply. Now getting Sprint to own up to it is a different matter. Given the fight Boxxcar had to get roadside assistance taken off, I would suggest a letter to Sprint and at the bottom make a note about a copy sent to the FTC, FCC, and State Attorney General, and then send letters to each of those agencies with a copy of the Sprint letter. Be polite but adamant that the Sprint salesperson told you one thing, you received a phone call stating the same and then when you called in you were told different. State simpley that you want your contract terminated on the grounds of implied warranty of mechantabliity, because had you been told then what you know now you would have gone elsewhere. As always having a lawyer send the letter to Sprint will make them move faster, but will cost more.

- Michael

 

[vrbaba]

bummer...they didnt let me do that.
They said "based on those changes, its not a material adverse effect" and "they have a right to make those changes". So i need to fax them the contract/customer agreement and point to them exactly wht im talkin about and then they may consider it. (or rather move it from the fax machine to the trash).
i told them they have a right, but I have 60 days to accept it and if I dont, i should be charged early termination...so WTF.

 

[kermalou]

i think the people posting that have cancelled are trolls and should be dealt with swiftly with a banning

 

[ballmode]

I got out of my 2 year agreement a few days ago regardless of the new fees. I realized I was pumping at least $550 a year on a cell phone and that was rediculous for how much I actually talk on it.