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at&t plan cancelation question

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.

Is there an outright buy price on VZ?

I see VZ's site has the TP2 for 400 and something for "month to month" plan option.
Now I imagine this would entail atleast signing for the first month. Is there a way to opt out of even the first month?
I plan on using this as a travel phone, as I spend most of my time traveling... so no need to lock into a US contract.
Sure there is EBay, but if the phone has problems (dead pixels, etc)... then it's a hassle to try and get fixed, rather than something bought through an authorized channel.

unless I'm mistaken, which I don't believe I am, that's the outright buy it price. month-to-month pretty much means just that, paying month-to-month, not under contract. $489 is hard to believe too, given that the TP1 is above the TP2 month-to-month price, but whatev.

Wonder if I should just get a "2 year plan" then cancel and eat the $175 as the cost of doing business.
$199 + $79 for first month minimum plan + $175 cancellation fee = $453.

twostep said:
unless I'm mistaken, which I don't believe I am, that's the outright buy it price. month-to-month pretty much means just that, paying month-to-month, not under contract. $489 is hard to believe too, given that the TP1 is above the TP2 month-to-month price, but whatev.
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You are correct. The full price of the TP2 is $489. That's how I bought mine. I am locked into a 2 year contract, but was sick and tired of my BB Storm so I went ahead and bought the TP2 full price. I have been waiting for this phone for a while so when I saw the price was under $500 I could not believe it. Not sure how it would go if you were to just buy it and have it on a month to month basis. Would they even allow that?

just buy the phone at the 2 year price and then pay the ETF. that is the cheapest way to go. i always buy my phones with out a contract. and no you wont have to pay the first month. if they give you any hassle about it then just tell verizon you will give the phone back under their worry free gurantee. 9 times out of 10 they will take your money!

The month to month is the buy it outright price....you'll have to go to a local store to actually get one w/o a VZW account (tell them it's for a gift). I just called and they added a line to my family plan and gave me the phone for $150 + tax, then cancelled the line and charged me $175 ETF so $325 total.

Thanks for the input. But I've been reading that they aren't available in the stores.
Or is that hogwash?

Finally decided to get this. Now I need some advice.
I can't find this on eBay. There are a lot of Sprint TP2s available but I prefer the Verizon one (cuz it's a looker)
My business partner in the Baltimore has had a Verizon connection for as far back as my memory goes. I'd like him to get this for me. Problem is he's pretty daft and a bit of a ***** when it comes to these things.
I need a step by step guide (literally like 1. Call Verizon, 2. Say hello you get the picture) as to how to go about ordering this from Verizon. I'd prefer if he could do it over the phone or the internet (He is registered on VZW website). Oh and lastly I don't want this to interfere with his line in anyway neither is he looking for a new line (unless we can get the phone and then immediately pay the ETF and cancel the connection.
Also can somebody re-confirm that the ETF is exactly 175.00 in Baltimore?
I like the idea of doing the ETF thing. So any help would be greatly appreciated.

If you pay full price for the Touch Pro 2 it will be $489.00 plus tax which will come out to a total of about $520.00. This is what I paid for it. And you don't get a mail-in rebate for the phone if you pay full price.

I could get it for a lot lower than that on eBay... once the stocks are back I mean.
Looking for something south of 450 though.

<<<BUMP>>>

AT&T Early termination

Hello!
My mother has been on at&t for the past year with her iphone 3g, she got sucked in by the shinyness of the iphone and is currently paying for her old contract on t-mobile and her current contract on at&t. by now she has become quite fed up with at&t and wants to terminate her contract and just use her old t-mobile contract that she has been paying for since the coverage is almost the same, if not worse on at&t.
i havent been able to get a straight answer anywhere, including at&t
does anyone know roughly how much it will cost to terminate her contract early? and more importantly will she be able to keep her iphone, or will they make her return it?
she bought the iphone with the contract signing discount and has been with at&t for a little over year.
thanks for anyone who can help!

you agree to pay us with respect to each device identifier or telephone number assigned to you, in addition to all other amounts owed, an Early Termination Fee of $175 ("Early Termination Fee"). For service activated on or after May 25, 2008, the Early Termination Fee will be reduced by $5.00 for each full month toward your minimum term that you complete. The Early Termination Fee is not a penalty, but rather a charge to compensate us for your failure to satisfy the Service Commitment on which your rate plan is based.
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In my opinion this sounds too good to be true, because 175 dollars and less is not that expensive for me.
And you do get to keep the iPhone (because you paid a price for it, although I think it would make more sense if you had to pay the extra cost due to the fact that their is also a no-commitment price for phones as well, therefore companies should literally force you to pay the difference of no-commitment and commitment price).
For example, if ATT says that the iPhone will cost you 600 for a no commitment price, but you bought it for 300 with a 2 year commitment, you should pay the 300 dollars.
But I think you will not be charged for the phone. You'll be charged 175 dollars reduced by 5 dollars for each month that you have fulfilled your commitment.

AT&T Service/Contract question...

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.

Why Subsidized Phones Are a Rip-Off

The big American telecos have always been pretty high up on my list of evil corporations, so I wasn't exactly surprised to hear that Verizon – perhaps the worst offender of them all – is making the consumer bear the brunt of another frivolous fee. From now on Verizon subscribers will have to pay a $30 fee every time they upgrade their phones. While we've all gotten used to carriers inventing bogus fees literally out of thin air, it is important to take a step back and understand exactly how Verizon, AT&T and the rest are shamelessly ripping us off with every monthly statement.
For years now, wireless providers have been luring consumers in with top-quality phones at reduced prices in exchange for a two-year commitment. You get to keep the phone, while the carrier has the pleasure of charging you a hefty monthly sum for the service. Seems like a fair enough deal, right? At least, that's what the carriers would like to have you believe. The reality, however, is much more sketchy and sneaky as is often the case with companies that have a quasi-monopoly over any given product or service.
If you actually sit down and do the math, you end up paying the carrier back way more than just the price of the phone. But that's not the story the carriers are selling to the media. In fact, based on the decrease in profits carriers are complaining about how much money they are losing on subsidized phones. So in an attempt to allegedly compensate for providing us with phones at subsidized prices, US carriers have systematically introduced a so-called “upgrade fee” on top of all the existing charges lurking underneath the surface of your cell phone bill.
What may look like a relatively small fee will actually bring Verizon an extra $1 billion a year in terms of profit. And now that they've jumped on the “upgrade fee” bandwagon consumers are left with no choice but to shake their fists at the telcos and shell out an extra $30.
And get this, according to Verizon, this new fee is meant to “help continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect”. If by that they mean that we've all become used to the fact that Verizon is one money-thirsty leech of a company with terrible customer service – then, yes, we agree.
As Americans we've become addicted to two-year contracts and subsidized phones, but my recommendation to you would be to use your Internet browsing skills and buy your Android phones at full price. Thankfully, there are plenty of good deals to be had on eBay and online discount stores. Don't let the Big Three bleed you to death with fees, fines and small print. Just keep one thing in mind: with these telecos it's always the consumer that gets the short end of the stick.

This is not only an issue in America but other parts of world too. I urge all consumers to band together & resist this kind of extortion. Vote with you money. Hurt evil monopolies where it will hurt them the most.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

Have you no consumer protection lobbies in the US?
Over here for instance, I've got a HTC Sensation, free on O2 for £32 a month giving me 600 minutes, unlimited texts and 500MB a month along with free access to BT Openzone and O2 wifi hot spots. I also get a discount on my home broadband.
It's a 24 month contract but I can change after 21 months as I'm a valued customer.
So in total it's going to cost me £672.
At the time the Sensation without contract was around the £450 mark from reputable retailers (not ebay where you have very little come back if something goes wrong), even now it's £350.
So the contract actually cost me £222 which is under £11 a month. Even at £350 for the handset it'd be £15 a month.
Now looking at O2's sim only contracts, the same would be £21.50 a month, so it's cheaper to get a free phone on contract.
Even running the whole 24 months it works out at less than £17.50 a month if you take the free phone. To break even you'd need to buy a Sensation for £252 which means second hand.
Having looked at prices on US provider's websites and complaints posted on here, you guys seriously need to get the industry regulated to protect consumers from being ripped off.

How is it a rip off if I was going to buy that smart phone anyway and use that carrier? If I pick all the options I want carrier with phone and they are willing to subsidize the phone how is that ripping me off? I'd be using that phone and that carrier anyway so why not take the subsidy?

the_main_app said:
How is it a rip off if I was going to buy that smart phone anyway and use that carrier? If I pick all the options I want carrier with phone and they are willing to subsidize the phone how is that ripping me off? I'd be using that phone and that carrier anyway so why not take the subsidy?
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Good example is tmobile Monthly 4g plan is $70.00 flats fee for unlimited everything talk and text and 5 gigs data. This plan is non contract can leave when you want and comes up to $1680.00 after two years.
Classic plan for tmobile for the same features are 59.99 for talk and text. 35.00 dollars for 5 gig data. $94.99 let's add taxes and fees after. Which is around 11.00 extra which brings you to $105.99 note this is without $8.00 insurance added on. Two years on this plan is $ 2543.76.
Tmobile value plan is for the same features are $74.99 with taxes its $85.99 a month. Again without the insurance. You bring your phone and your also locked in a contract. You get no subsidize phones on this plan. Two years this plan is $2063.76
Classic vs value you save $480 dollars on value plan.
Classic vs monthly 4g you save $863.76. On the monthly 4g non contract plan
Value plan vs monthly 4g you save. $383.76 on the monthly 4g.
When you are on contract you wind up paying more for the phone then what's its worth on the contract. As you can see the savings alone can easily let you buy a phone off contract.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

You guys still have it better with 2 year plans, and we are stuck in "3rd world " like stage with 3 year contracts....

Regardless of the phone cost, you're still shelling out decent amounts of money for your cell service, if you want to be up in arms, do it about your monthly bill costs.

the_main_app said:
How is it a rip off if I was going to buy that smart phone anyway and use that carrier? If I pick all the options I want carrier with phone and they are willing to subsidize the phone how is that ripping me off? I'd be using that phone and that carrier anyway so why not take the subsidy?
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If you don't see that its a rip off, then you are as much the problem.

It's all about cash flow to be honest. I bought my phone outright thinking it would be cheaper but if you want data then you end up paying over £20 in any case and if think about it only saves you around 30-50, for paying £500 upfront...

Killbynature said:
Good example is tmobile Monthly 4g plan is $70.00 flats fee for unlimited everything talk and text and 5 gigs data. This plan is non contract can leave when you want and comes up to $1680.00 after two years.
Classic plan for tmobile for the same features are 59.99 for talk and text. 35.00 dollars for 5 gig data. $94.99 let's add taxes and fees after. Which is around 11.00 extra which brings you to $105.99 note this is without $8.00 insurance added on. Two years on this plan is $ 2543.76.
Tmobile value plan is for the same features are $74.99 with taxes its $85.99 a month. Again without the insurance. You bring your phone and your also locked in a contract. You get no subsidize phones on this plan. Two years this plan is $2063.76
Classic vs value you save $480 dollars on value plan.
Classic vs monthly 4g you save $863.76. On the monthly 4g non contract plan
Value plan vs monthly 4g you save. $383.76 on the monthly 4g.
When you are on contract you wind up paying more for the phone then what's its worth on the contract. As you can see the savings alone can easily let you buy a phone off contract.
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Crikey those tariffs are steep!
Would I be right in thinking that the phones offered on the tariff are not free but only subsidised? So you're still forking out $150-250 for a handset?

ACtually it's not the subsidised phone that's a ripoff but the plan itself.
Keep in mind that the price of the plan is the same regardless of you getting a new phone with or not. There's no cheaper plan options for people opting out of the phone. Or any kind of saving.
The phone itself is basically an added benefit to you the user. Compare about the atrocious data and smd plans instead.

I got my samsung gio with a vodafone prepaid card + 5 Euro free to use prepaid money, the whole package cost me 112 Euros while in my country the cheapest GIO without a simlock (mine is simlocked) costs around 155 Euros.
I pay 30ct per MB though if I purchase a one month internet bundle via my prepaid money I pay 7ct per MB. I can also buy MB's that are usable for a day which will cost me 10ct per MB. Though the amount of MB's you buy are locked, I am pretty happy with my prepaid phone.
I also agree you should refrain from sticking to multi year contracts, who knows what happens in two years, or even one year.

http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/18626772.jpg

xaccers said:
Crikey those tariffs are steep!
Would I be right in thinking that the phones offered on the tariff are not free but only subsidised? So you're still forking out $150-250 for a handset?
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Yeah pretty much you can buy a phone from any other place cheaper. I don't know where you live but a free phone in the USA. Isn't free. You have upgrade $30 or $18 just to update. Staying off contract would still be cheaper and you can just sell your old phone and the savings alone would make it cheaper. Another benefit is that you aren't worrying about your carrier for updates. Buy the original phone and it will be updated better than a carrier branded version of the phone.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

shardnet said:
ACtually it's not the subsidised phone that's a ripoff but the plan itself.
Keep in mind that the price of the plan is the same regardless of you getting a new phone with or not. There's no cheaper plan options for people opting out of the phone. Or any kind of saving.
The phone itself is basically an added benefit to you the user. Compare about the atrocious data and smd plans instead.
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Actually in most cases, the big carriers do charge you the same price on the plan regardless of whether you bought the phone subsidized or not. But they are not the only companies you can get a plan with. You can always go the prepaid route and you can get the same mobile and data service as the big carriers as many of the prepaid plans are MVNOs. F0or example I bought an International Galaxy Note recently and put it on Straight Talk's Unlimited Everything plan for $45/month. Over 2 years it will cost me $1080. Add in the cost of the phone, I will have paid $1665 over 2 years. Buy the phone from AT&T for $250 and $100/month on service ($40 for voice, $20 Text unlimited, $30 for 3GB data, and taxes), $2650 total over 2 years. I would have saved almost $1000 over the 2 years AND not tied to a contract.

shardnet said:
ACtually it's not the subsidised phone that's a ripoff but the plan itself.
Keep in mind that the price of the plan is the same regardless of you getting a new phone with or not. There's no cheaper plan options for people opting out of the phone. Or any kind of saving.
The phone itself is basically an added benefit to you the user. Compare about the atrocious data and smd plans instead.
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Like I said it's different in the USA. Our plans pretty much make us pay for the full price + extra. All phones have a 1 year warranty. Even then using tmobile insurance it will cost you an extra $120 every two years. They also charge you a fee for delivering a replacement now. I think it's $5 om insurance and 20 dollars without.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium

I fail to see the point. Yes Verizon is spendy but they are the best. But if you want a cheaper phone and plan there are options. I pay $25 bucks a month for my virgin mobile plan and I paid $240 for my epic touch that I modded to run on virgin mobile USA. I will probably keep this plan for as long as I can. If I need to use more minutes that's what internet calling is for. It may not be as dependable as Verizon or at&t but it gets the job done.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using XDA

Killbynature said:
Yeah pretty much you can buy a phone from any other place cheaper. I don't know where you live but a free phone in the USA. Isn't free. You have upgrade $30 or $18 just to update. Staying off contract would still be cheaper and you can just sell your old phone and the savings alone would make it cheaper. Another benefit is that you aren't worrying about your carrier for updates. Buy the original phone and it will be updated better than a carrier branded version of the phone.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
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Over here in the UK, phones are generally what is used by providers to snag customers.
So people pick the phone they want then search the providers for the best deal offering that phone, either for free (normally a higher monthly cost) or at a reduced price.
We also have various organisations keeping charges low.

I personally feel the opposite of the OP. How exactly is a subsidized phone a ripoff? The PLAN is going to be the same whether you bring your own phone or get one from the carrier. If you know you aren't going to be sticking around for 2 years then buying your phone outright might be the way to go. Otherwise I'd say save some money.

edit wrong thread.