Android fans, carefully select your network provider and be sure and read the fine print, talk with the company and don’t let them walk all over you. Let me start by stating, in the end Verizon did the right thing, in case you lose attention half way through this email. For many people, the use of a smart phone is completely alien to them. Most people don’t own one, and it wasn’t until recently, with the onslaught of cheaper and more powerful Android phones, did the cost of a smart phone become viable. As many people start to make the switch to a smart phone, they will end up switching providers and services and signing new contracts. It’s true that most contracts are for 2-year periods and if you are on a smart phone plan, typically you can update your phone once per year, as long as you sign a new 2-year contract. That’s nothing new…it’s been that way for years.
Let me tell you a little story about my experience, and please understand this is a personal experience, and “your mileage may vary”. A couple years ago, I setup a new family plan bringing my wife into Verizon with me. We now had two phones and shared minutes and could call each other for free, yea! Fast forward. A couple months ago we were visiting family 12 hours away and my wife lost her phone. It was found a few weeks later, in the yard, after many rainfalls etc. Well, I’ve since gotten a third contract with another company and my wife was using my Verizon phone during that time. Since her 2-year contract was up in just a month, I decided to just continue to pay the family plan until the contract end date, then call and cancel that line. I called about 2 days after the contract end date and explained I wanted to cancel the line. I was told at that time that they could not cancel the contract at that date, and I’d have to call back closer to my cycle end date, about two weeks later. I asked why that was. I was told they could not cancel me at that time. I asked why they couldn’t and why they could only cancel me closer to the contract end date. This conversation went back and forth. I remained calm the whole time and explained that I did not sign a 2-year and 2-week contract. I expect that if I call to cancel, I can cancel.
Since I’d gotten a new phone a few months after we started the family plan (I had started my Verizon contract much earlier) I still had a couple months before the end of my 2-year contract. I asked what it would cost me to just cancel both contracts right now, knowing I’d own a partial ETF on one line. I then said, I want to do that. The representative then asked if I was canceling both lines because I couldn’t cancel one and I plainly stated yes, I didn’t want to give them any more of my business if they are going to make up new rules. He then put me on hold, spoke with his manager, came back and suddenly, their system would let them cancel the one line that day. I said that’s all I wanted and it was done.
Time and again I am met with horrible customer service from companies that feel they can do anything they want. Verizon should know better than pretend they can’t cancel my service, forcing me to pay for two more weeks of service I don’t want and shouldn’t pay for. I even asked the question, what happens if I forget to call back in two weeks to cancel? What if I’m late by 3 days, do I have to wait another billing cycle? I called them on their BS and they admitted to it. Shame on your Verizon.
I was then asked to comment on my experience for the customer service. I gave it a middle grade. I was not satisfied nor dissatisfied. I got what I wanted, but felt the need to talk them into doing what they should have done in the first place was absurd. When my other Verizon contract ends, I will most likely cancel and use a different company.
