I apologize in advance if this question a bit off-topic but since I just bought the TB, thought I would ask here.
I'm a new Verizon cust. Looking at the estimate first month's bill, I see a $17.93 Total Estimate Verizon Wireless charge, plus the $35 Activation fee, regular, admin charge...the Total Equipment, Surcharges and Other Charges Credits includes Activation fee comes to $54.85.
Question 1: is the $17.93 (part of the $54.85) monthly charge in addition to my voice+data plan and taxes? It was listed as Total Estimated Verizon Wireless Surchages, excluding Regulartory Charge, Admin charge and taxes.
Question 2: does this "$54.85 Total Equipment, Surcharges and Other Charges Credits includes Activation fee" on you gent/ladies' contract as well?
I have the 900 min individual plan $59.99 plus the 29.99 data. My first bill's estimate is $167. That seems a bit crazy...Sorry I'm noob to Verizon and need to confirm.
TIA.
I called Verizon customer service at *611 or whatever it is, pressed 0 to speak to someone. I politely explained that I have had nightmares dealing with Sprint customer service and still have my line open with them. I said I was happy with Verizon so far but wondered if they could waive my activation fee as a nice gesture to convince me to keep the thunderbolt and cancel Sprint. I was put on hold and then he said yes he could do that for me ($35 credit). I asked how much my first bill would be and he said $40 (450 minutes voice) +$30 (unlimited data) +tax/fees should put me around $80/month. I'm using google voice for text so I don't need a texting package. He said the first bill might be a little more since they will add a pro-rated charge for the few days before my billing cycle officially begins. He also mentioned the data is in fact truly unlimited when I asked if there were any overage charges or fees or caps, that I can use "as much or as little as you want." nice.
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Thanks for the quick response.
I also did call Verizon and she asured me that for the subsequent bill I will only pay around $90+tax/fees to somewhere around $105.
I guess I was just a bit shocked with the Verizon surcharge. I know I have 14 days but so far I like the phone and the speed and prolly want to keep it. Just wanted to see if anyone else has similar estimate on their first bill.
quattr0 said:
Thanks for the quick response.
I also did call Verizon and she asured me that for the subsequent bill I will only pay around $90+tax/fees to somewhere around $105.
I guess I was just a bit shocked with the Verizon surcharge. I know I have 14 days but so far I like the phone and the speed and prolly want to keep it. Just wanted to see if anyone else has similar estimate on their first bill.
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I'm gonna cheat a little and copy/paste my explanation from another thread.
"... your sales rep should have explained [that Verizon bills for its service, on contract and off, one month in advanced]. Your first bill will be higher than all the others. You'll be prorated for whatever's left before the end of your billing cycle. So if your billing cycle ends on the 15th, and you activate on the 10, your first bill will be 1month+5 days prorated. Billing cycles are randomly assigned by the system and don't necessarily correspond to when you activate. Hope I explained that adequately."
unremarked said:
I'm gonna cheat a little and copy/paste my explanation from another thread.
"... your sales rep should have explained [that Verizon bills for its service, on contract and off, one month in advanced]. Your first bill will be higher than all the others. You'll be prorated for whatever's left before the end of your billing cycle. So if your billing cycle ends on the 15th, and you activate on the 10, your first bill will be 1month+5 days prorated. Billing cycles are randomly assigned by the system and don't necessarily correspond to when you activate. Hope I explained that adequately."
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Beat me to it! I was going to mention the prorated charges. Btw, my first bill came out to 145. It will be under 100 next month.
unremarked said:
I'm gonna cheat a little and copy/paste my explanation from another thread.
"... your sales rep should have explained [that Verizon bills for its service, on contract and off, one month in advanced]. Your first bill will be higher than all the others. You'll be prorated for whatever's left before the end of your billing cycle. So if your billing cycle ends on the 15th, and you activate on the 10, your first bill will be 1month+5 days prorated. Billing cycles are randomly assigned by the system and don't necessarily correspond to when you activate. Hope I explained that adequately."
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don't get me wrong and I'm sorry if I wasn't clear...The cut-off date for billing cycle is on the 22nd. I just signed up today so they will charge me 2 days ($4 and change). I have not received any bill yet. I was just looking at the estimate first month bill from the contract.
$54 for activation fee ($35) and Verizon surchage+taxes (the difference of $54-35). Again, my question here is if this is normal for any new Verizon customer as it seems high for just activation fee & Verizon surcharge (this is excluding tax & fees from govt). Just wanted to make sure that I didn't get overcharged as I bought it from dealer (not directly from Verizon).
Thanks again.
quattr0 said:
don't get me wrong and I'm sorry if I wasn't clear...The cut-off date for billing cycle is on the 22nd. I just signed up today so they will charge me 2 days ($4 and change). I have not received any bill yet. I was just looking at the estimate first month bill from the contract.
$58 for activation fee ($35) and Verizon surchage+taxes (the difference of $58-35). Again, my question here is if this is normal for any new Verizon customer as it seems high. Just wanted to make sure that I didn't get overcharged as I bought it from dealer (not directly from Verizon).
Thanks again.
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Ah, okay, I think I understand.
It's not so much that you're getting overcharged because of shady business practices or anything like that. Whenever you're dealing with an authorized retailer, you need to keep in mind that they are a third party. They are a business who has been authorized to purchase and sell VZW products and services. Note that I say purchase. Those guys buy their gear from VZW and resell them to you. Like any business, their aim is to make a profit. So I would not be surprised to see if they had tacked on a surcharge for themselves.
That being said, I'm looking at my bill and I do see a section marked "Verizon Wireless Surcharges and Other Charges & Credits." I'm not sure if this will work because your first bill might not have actually been generated yet, but if you set up and log onto Verizonwireless.com, you should be able to see a more detailed bill.
I'm a happy new customer. They indeed credit back the activation fee on my 1st bill!!! I guess I worried for nothing lol
Related
i unfortunately had my fuze stolen and with no insurance and no upgrades available i will be forced pay over 350+ for a new fuze. I noticed there are several sites offering free fuzes or low priced fuzes with a new contract. I do not want a new contract and i was wondering would it be possible to sign up and get the fuze and then cancel the contract and keep the fuze. I know there is an early termination fee of $175 for at&t but that is still cheaper than $350..
Does anyone know if this will work?
thanksd
i don't think it'd work out. the prices and termination fees were set up so you'd be the one taking all the hits. a few things u should keep in mind is that if u plan on canceling ur contract, ur phone # is lost as well. And $350 is what you'll pay when you get a new contract from AT&T, so you'll definitely be paying $175 + $375. Now some will say you can get a free from from online stores like amazon or letstalk, but the contracts you sign through those online retailers commits you to very expensive plans for a certain period of time (half a year I believe). and if you were to cancel that new line before contract ends, they will actually make you spit out the rest of money to pay full price for the phone.
This will not work for the reason that most of the time the contact fee is a mail in rebate. You would have to pay atleast the first 2 months before canceling.
dont know the technicalities of this, but maybe you could subscribe to a new number to get a new phoen for free then cancel that line a couple-few months in? My friend did that with big red a couple months ago to get a new phone.
I don't think that would work. You would have to stay pass the 30 trial period, then pay the early termination fee. So you'd be paying Activation charge, First months bill, phone (since mail in rebate, data plan required), plus early termination fee.
It would be best to bite the bullet and pay the 350+ or shop around to see if anyone is trying to get rid of theirs.
Good Luck!
and sorry to hear about your lost.
nhshah7 said:
dont know the technicalities of this, but maybe you could subscribe to a new number to get a new phoen for free then cancel that line a couple-few months in? My friend did that with big red a couple months ago to get a new phone.
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Also if your current contract is not yet expired you can put it on "vocation" play, which temporary suspends your phone from usage, but you pay only a few bucks a month. Just say that you leave the country for a few month
From the horses mouth
If you cancel your contract within the first 6 months you will owe the difference between the price you paid and the retail price, you will also be liable for the cancellation fee. It is in the dealers agreement as well as the terms and conditions.
I'm selling my verizon tp2 and need to deactivate it before the buyer buys it tomorrow. So I will do a reformat to factory default using the jucy rom I have and then deactivate it. But how do I deactivate the phone?
Thank you.
What do you necessarily man by "deactivate"?
Is there an active line tied to the phone (as in can you make and receive calls on it)? If yes, then you have to call C.S and either terminate your service or swap to another phone.
If there is no current active line tied to the phone (as in you have another phone which is why you're selling the TP2), then just do a hard reset or install a ROM of your choice.
I will still have the line but no phone for awhile. So I need to deactivate the phone but I guess cs can just take it off my account and me do a hard reset. I was wanting to do this myself the deactivate. Can I or do I have to call in and have them do it?
If you have an old phone from verizon, you can go to verizonwireless.com and log into your account and select your number and hit go. Then somewhere around there it says change device and then you put the number under the battery of the old device into that area and then once your done the tp2 should not be activated and your old phone will be activated. Then just hard reset the tp2 and you should be good to go.
Thanks for the help.
I called vzw and they said they won't deactivate it unless I have another phone to put on the line. How stupid. So I have to buy a phone and pit it on my line before I sell it cus then the buyer can't activate it for him. So crud. I didn't wanna buy a phone right now but to sell mine I guess I have to.
I'm not cancelling my line so that's why it's this way. They won't let me have a line with no phone. So hmm. Dunno what phone to get now.
Why would you pay for a plan without a phone. That sounds kinda silly
Purchase a prepaid (I think Target stores have one for $20) and activate the number to that ESN. Then call VZW back and have them suspend the line until you are ready to use it.
Be aware, YOU may face the ETF if you deactivate the data plan! This is not a 100% guarantee, but they are getting really sticky about people selling smartphones and activating old Razors and stuff on a $9.99 add on line instead.
zcarman said:
Purchase a prepaid (I think Target stores have one for $20) and activate the number to that ESN. Then call VZW back and have them suspend the line until you are ready to use it.
Be aware, YOU may face the ETF if you deactivate the data plan! This is not a 100% guarantee, but they are getting really sticky about people selling smartphones and activating old Razors and stuff on a $9.99 add on line instead.
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This is NOT true. You will only face the ETF if you cancel the line in question within the contract timeframe. When agreeing to the contract terms, there is no mention of a required data plan, only that you must maintain voice service on that line.
In fact, when activating a newly purchased smartphone, it is only required to accept the terms and conditions, NOT activate the device. Pressing 2 after agreeing to the terms and conditions skips the device activation and thus the adding of a data plan.
buggs1a said:
Thanks for the help.
I called vzw and they said they won't deactivate it unless I have another phone to put on the line. How stupid. So I have to buy a phone and pit it on my line before I sell it cus then the buyer can't activate it for him. So crud. I didn't wanna buy a phone right now but to sell mine I guess I have to.
I'm not cancelling my line so that's why it's this way. They won't let me have a line with no phone. So hmm. Dunno what phone to get now.
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You dont have an old phone that you had before the TP2?
isdnmatt said:
This is NOT true. You will only face the ETF if you cancel the line in question within the contract timeframe. When agreeing to the contract terms, there is no mention of a required data plan, only that you must maintain voice service on that line.
In fact, when activating a newly purchased smartphone, it is only required to accept the terms and conditions, NOT activate the device. Pressing 2 after agreeing to the terms and conditions skips the device activation and thus the adding of a data plan.
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As of 11.14.2008, all Verizon Wireless customers purchasing a new PDA/Smartphone or Blackberry device are required to carry a minimum $29.99 data plan on the line as a part of their contract. When you agree to the terms of your contract, this is part of the agreement.
You cannot purchase a 3G smartphone without selecting a data plan online now - nor can you purchase one in-store without one. Check the website as you can no longer complete a purchase of the device without selecting a data plan - also, try activating a used device and you will have the same issue - data plan required! It has been a part of the smartphone contract since November of 2008.
http://gizmodo.com/5074915/verizon-forces-30-minimum-data-plans-on-new-smartphones
http://technologizer.com/2008/11/03/verizon-makes-data-plans-mandatory-on-smartphones/
Also, as far as your second statement, it is also wront. You only have 30 days to activate a new device without contacting Verizon Wireless directly. If you do not activate the device within 30 days, a lock is placed on the ESN and your account is charged the full retail price of the device. I know this for a fact, because I faced it when changing from my BlackBerry Storm to my TP2... I actually received a letter stating that, "if the device is not activated within 30 days, your account will be charged the full retail of the device." Also, when I called to ask about terminating my data plan, and rolling to what was the "Connect" plan with a Rogue, Dare and Razor on my 3 lines, they said that I would still have to carry the PDA as that was part of my contract, or I could pay the termination fee (which was $175 at that time) to terminate that contract and start a new one on that line.
See Post #7
http://www.wirelessforums.org/alt-cellular-verizon/does-verizon-require-
upgrades-activated-purchaser-8278.html
Last month, it leaked that VZW was changing their '3G smartphone and 3G media phone' ETF to $350. Not the normal $175 that was associated with them. So that was my reasoning for saying that the person might be facing $350 ETF - instead of the $175.
Basically, VZW got sick of people trying to do the BOGO's on BlackBerry's, Omnia's and Touch Pro's and then terming the second line and selling the phone. They are cracking down on Smartphone's and data plans and we are the ones that need to watch out for it.
Are you making a distinction between accepting the terms and conditions? and activating the device? I know that you HAVE to have a data plan on Smartphones, but the system doesn't even make you activate the phone as long as you accept the terms and conditions.
If you're saying that you HAVE to activate the device within 30 days, that's not correct. All you have to do is ACCEPT the terms and conditions within 30 days to avoid the full retail cost.
Are you aware of the prompts I'm talking about? The first prompt reads the important parts of the customer agreement, like that if you cancel your line, for advanced devices you may have to pay a ETF of $350. Once you accept that, you can see online that it extends your contract for the selected contract term. The 2nd prompt asks you, would you like to activate your new device now? Option 2 is to activate later.
There is no mention of anything you said here:
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/...GREEMENT&jspName=footer/customerAgreement.jsp
There is a difference between activating the device and accepting the new contract terms.
Thanks for writing guys. The reason I wanted to not have a phone on my line after I sell my tp2 was because there are no good enough phones. I wanted tojust wait till better phones came out. Well vzw said no so I had to buy a phone in order to sell mine deactivated. So after some anger on my part because of their unwillingness to help me with the cost of a new phone they finally gave me the droid for 1 year contract cost thus extending my line 1 year. They said they want me to be happy so they did this. With $100 rebate but I got no rebate. They said they don't do instant rebate on the phone which sounds like bull cus my tp2 they did. Well anyway I was ticked telling the lady I spoke to my opinion on the policy and it's my phone. I should be able to do what I want when I want. I should be able to sell and not have a phone on my line for a bit if j want. I was so mad but nice. So they gave me the 1 year cost.
buggs1a said:
Thanks for the help.
I called vzw and they said they won't deactivate it unless I have another phone to put on the line. How stupid. So I have to buy a phone and pit it on my line before I sell it cus then the buyer can't activate it for him. So crud. I didn't wanna buy a phone right now but to sell mine I guess I have to.
I'm not cancelling my line so that's why it's this way. They won't let me have a line with no phone. So hmm. Dunno what phone to get now.
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because removing a phone off a line forces it to become deactivated canceling your contractual agreement to carry over voice services for a set amount of time. with no phone to charge any services on then you are breaking the agreement.
and stand to get an ETF fee even a deact for a few seconds ends the contract.
just buy a prepaid and do a device swap
I was told by my cousin that I could cancel my contract with AT&T and not be charged a fee for doing so even though my contract isn't up yet because I am not within their 3G network.......does anyone know if there is any truth to this?
iamcombat said:
I was told by my cousin that I could cancel my contract with AT&T and not be charged a fee for doing so even though my contract isn't up yet because I am not within their 3G network.......does anyone know if there is any truth to this?
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No truth to this. You will be charged an ETF prorated according to the number of months you have remaining in your contract
It's almost impossible to get out of a contract early with an ETF.
iamcombat said:
I was told by my cousin that I could cancel my contract with AT&T and not be charged a fee for doing so even though my contract isn't up yet because I am not within their 3G network.......does anyone know if there is any truth to this?
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Your cousin is wrong. AT&T doesn't guarantee 3G coverage. The termination fee applies to you.
There actually is some truth to what you were told. It is perfectly legal to ask AT&T to wave the fee because you are not financially able to pay for it. If they are not willing to work with you, contact the FCC and explain the situation and you will almost be guaranteed to get out of paying it. I wrote some more information about working with your cell companies on issues like this here. (h-t-t-p://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=8040586#post8040586) Remove the dashes obviously.
You can get out of your contract if you use tons of roaming minutes and data for a couple of months. Actually they will force you out.
k2snowboards88 said:
You can get out of your contract if you use tons of roaming minutes and data for a couple of months. Actually they will force you out.
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yeah... dont do this.
Your cousin is only partly right, ATT will let you out of your contract if you move to an area that they do not cover at all. It is not just some where without 3G, it has to be some where that they have no coverage what so ever say like Nome Alaska as an example
ukulele_ninja said:
There actually is some truth to what you were told. It is perfectly legal to ask AT&T to wave the fee because you are not financially able to pay for it. If they are not willing to work with you, contact the FCC and explain the situation and you will almost be guaranteed to get out of paying it. I wrote some more information about working with your cell companies on issues like this here. (h-t-t-p://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=8040586#post8040586) Remove the dashes obviously.
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Yes, It is perfectly legal to ask for anything. you can ask to get out of any contract. You can walk into a bank and ask for $1,000,000 - good luck with that. I have gotten ETF waived when I quit another carrier because they had terrible coverage in my area. It took a letter to the presidents office, and I didn't have a smart phone.
However; if you are trying to get out of AT&T and keep a Smartphone, I see them asking for it back. The high ETF if partially to keep people from getting subsidized smartphones, and then quitting the service. In the past you could do this with the iphone - buy it for $199 subsidized; quit, pay the $175 earl term fee, and sell the phone on eBay for $600.
The FCC is not going to help someone that can't pay a bill for usually and customary fees - they may get involved if you have a $10,000 data bill, but not because you can't afford to pay for what you signed up for.
alphadog00 said:
Yes, It is perfectly legal to ask for anything. you can ask to get out of any contract. You can walk into a bank and ask for $1,000,000 - good luck with that. I have gotten ETF waived when I quit another carrier because they had terrible coverage in my area. It took a letter to the presidents office, and I didn't have a smart phone.
However; if you are trying to get out of AT&T and keep a Smartphone, I see them asking for it back. The high ETF if partially to keep people from getting subsidized smartphones, and then quitting the service. In the past you could do this with the iphone - buy it for $199 subsidized; quit, pay the $175 earl term fee, and sell the phone on eBay for $600.
The FCC is not going to help someone that can't pay a bill for usually and customary fees - they may get involved if you have a $10,000 data bill, but not because you can't afford to pay for what you signed up for.
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As I said they can HELP and ALMOST guarantee to get you out of paying an ETF. Its not the same as walking into the bank and asking for money, its asking the carrier to waive the fee because you have been a faithful customer and paid your bill on time and are currently in a situation where you cannot afford to pay the termination fee. I know this because I have done this SEVERAL times to switch carriers and if the carrier is not willing to play ball, threaten to call the FCC and they are more willing to play ball. If that doesnt work, file a complaint with the BBB and then the FCC if you need the big guns.
Several years ago I was on Sprint and their service was absolutely garbage. On top of that, the first 9 months of my service they never billed me correctly and frequently charged me for wrong services or overcharged me for things like text messaging, etc. I eventually got fed up with it and called them and told them I wanted to cancel my service and they told me I would be charged $600 ($300 per line on my family account). I argued that the reason for my canceling was their subpar service and customer relations but they wouldnt back down. So I filed a BBB complaint and a week later they called, apologized and agreed to drop the ETF if I returned my phones, which I did. Problem solved.
No you cant cancel your service and expect to keep your new phone (Not normally at least) These tools are out there for consumers to use so use them to your advantage!
The FCC is the final straw and should be used only when the situation is really dire. In the end it NEVER HURTS TO TRY and at the very least Ive seen several times where people have been able to get the fee drastically reduced after involving the BBB or FCC.
I will stress that you need to have a decent case though, dont ask for help just because you want to jump ship with no reason. The OP seems to be having a lot of problems with his device and their service and thats enough reason to try.
Yes, the key to getting out of the contract without paying an ETF is to have a valid reason.
Poor service, incorrect billing, or some other documented recurring negative experience will usually work.
If they still don't see your side, the ETF is generally cheaper then keeping terrible service if you are near the first half of a 2 year contract. Sometimes it may be necessary to pay to quit.
I ported my two lines from VZW to TMo 10 days early before the monthly closing at Verizon. Will I owe an entire months payment, or will it be prorated? Im already payng decent $$ on ETF charges, and Im fine with that, I understand that. When I called them immediately after porting the numbers I specifically asked about this and they said it should be. Now I called them today about my final bill, which isnt out yet, and they are saying it will be a full months charges. This is one of the reasons I left Verizon in the first place, misinformation given to me at the time Im asking about something, only to have it changed later on.
full month. Thats what happened to me when I left verizon.
Ive since done some research and called VZW back, evidently you pay your bills forword, your paying next months bill this month. So while I wont get any credit for leaving in the middle of a month, all I will owe is the ETF. That about $110 less than I thought.
Wow, I probably should have done more research on this. Just got my first bill.
So for anyone else researching, the total cost (on AT&T) for an S3 watch over 3 years is $1068. And it's actually 21.50/month don't get fooled by the fake $10/mo quote.
$249 purchase price
$45 "activation" (lol)
$10/mo device fee
$1/mo "service fee"
$10.50 taxes/fees/mo (yes, you read that right that's over a 100% tax you're paying)
Over 3 years that adds up to $1068. My guess is only about 25% of people will still be wearing their S3 after 3 years.
It's kind of a rip-off, I probably wouldn't have bought if I'd thought about it a bit more. Caveat emptor. The big problem is the over 100% monthly fees and taxes.
$10 sounds reasonable, $20+ doesn't really and I would have probably balked. My own fault, I guess, but make sure you know this.
EDIT: OK, as I was fuming about this I checked my order email and due to corporate discount they were supposed to waive the $45 activation fee. They didn't, I assume because they are scumbags and just wait to see if you notice the incorrect charge and call. I called and they took it off, so that's.. umm.. nice I guess?
Ha yes. Same kind of experience. ATT rep told me it would be 10 bucks too and I would just share data off my unlimited plan for my phone. I signed up for the pre order of the watch at 349 out right so it was not on contract. Due to pre-order the $40 service activation was supposed to be waived. Got my bill sure enough it was on there. I chat with an AT&T rep over IM on their site. I did get the fee waived but still what a pain in the butt it raised my bill over $50 not 10. Will have to see what it is next month
Having taxes and fees that double the monthly bill does seem excessive... But, if you view the S3 as essentially a phone, its reasonable to expect to pay $20-30/mo for it's plan. If it's just a companion device for your smartphone, then fork over the extra $100 to buy it outright and cancel the plan.
The biggest complaint I have with regard to this watch is the eSIM, which restricts the carriers it can be used with, eliminating the possibility of using on an inexpensive MVNO plan.
Yeah. So, buy the bluetooth, non-LTE version and save about $768 over that same time frame.
Sent telepathically