Verizon on FCC hot seat about raising ETF?
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Instead of looking at this logically, the Feds are taking a purely mathematical approach and want to know why, with Verizon's sliding scale, a customer who has stayed on for 23 months out of a 24 month contract will still owe $120 if he calls it quits before the 24th month ends. The Feds say that the ETF is designed purely to get back the wholesale cost of the phone over the life of the contract, so why charge $120 for quitting 1 month short of the expiration of the contract? That's a good question that the nation's largest carrier will need to answer at some point. But certainly the FCC should understand that Big Red wants to stop getting scammed by those BOGO bandits. Want to read the entire original letter from the FCC to Verizon? Click on the sourcelink. Oh yes. The FCC also wants to know about the $1.99 charge some Verizon customers were billed for accidentally accessing the mobile web. Unless there is a Tiger Woods sized skeleton in Verizon's closet, this should all blow over like a summer storm in South Florida.
source: FCC via WSJ, BGR
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44 Comments
1. vzwtech86 posted on 20 Oct 2010, 01:44 0 0
verizon is such a dirty company... if they dont wanna get ripped off anymore then stop doing so many damn bogo offers!! the blackberry one lasted almost a year on and off and now with this droid one theyre asking for it. 350 for an etf is ridiculous, and to verizon an "advanced device" is pretty much anything with either a touchscreen, full web browser, pda. so really any good phones you get are gonna have 350 etf's attached. verizon was doing so well as far as embracing android and being more open as a company. two steps forward and then they throw it in reverse and take a few miles back. theyre also the only carrier to implement it (so far, hopefully no other carrieris stupid enough) and i see it as a middle finger to the customer
14. Kiltlifter posted on 05 Dec 2009, 15:37 0 0
Personally I think it is rediculous to have a contract... PERIOD! how about we stop subsidizing phones at all and make everyone purchase them retail? Sounds likea plan to me, becuase they vzw wouldn't make people have data plans to make up for the subsidization, Little whiners like you could stop complaining about gettinga 599.99+ device for $200.00 then complain about having to pay a ETF. Sounds good to me... So unless you are willing to pay full retail for your device, quit whining or complaining about the ETF policies by any mobile carrier. if you aren't willing to pay full retail for the device then it isn't for you.
28. Homotechual posted on 06 Dec 2009, 10:38 0 0
Oh please, get over yourself. The point is that no other carrier is charging $350 for a early termination fee except Verizon on advanced devices. If they really wanted to save themselves from BOGO offers they would have put a rule on there like you can't return the free one..ect or stop the BOGO's if really THAT many people are doing it. (Which is funny because I'm one of them haha) POINT being, their just proving that the only thing keeping them on top is their marketing team and the "brand" oh and my favorite "Verizon has more coverage" yes because I visit the Salt Flats of Utah all the time and my current carrier doesn't have coverage there.
31. endokun83 posted on 06 Dec 2009, 14:34 0 0
I don't think the problem is with the free device being returned. It's customers getting the free phone and cancelling the line then selling the phone on Ebay or craigslist. Let me make it clear that I don't agree with the termination fee hike and I think $350 is a little ridiculous. Verizon needs to find a better strategy then bleeding customers dry on termination fee's.
2. som posted on 05 Dec 2009, 07:00 0 0
Verizon think they are best carrier this is why they rip off every customers on the hidden fees and highest EFT $350. Because those customer has no choice to quit or switching carrier more like a communist with very tough rules and regulations. Just a few customers take advantage on the smartphones now Verizon punish all customers.
15. Kiltlifter posted on 05 Dec 2009, 15:38 0 0
Personally I think it is rediculous to have a contract... PERIOD! how about we stop subsidizing phones at all and make everyone purchase them retail? Sounds likea plan to me, becuase they vzw wouldn't make people have data plans to make up for the subsidization, Little whiners like you could stop complaining about gettinga 599.99+ device for $200.00 then complain about having to pay a ETF. Sounds good to me... So unless you are willing to pay full retail for your device, quit whining or complaining about the ETF policies by any mobile carrier. if you aren't willing to pay full retail for the device then it isn't for you.
27. Homotechual posted on 06 Dec 2009, 10:38 0 0
Oh please, get over yourself. The point is that no other carrier is charging $350 for a early termination fee except Verizon on advanced devices. If they really wanted to save themselves from BOGO offers they would have put a rule on there like you can't return the free one..ect or stop the BOGO's if really THAT many people are doing it. (Which is funny because I'm one of them haha) POINT being, their just proving that the only thing keeping them on top is their marketing team and the "brand" oh and my favorite "Verizon has more coverage" yes because I visit the Salt Flats of Utah all the time and my current carrier doesn't have coverage there.
3. Mateo8326 posted on 05 Dec 2009, 07:40 0 0
yeah there excuses is bogus! so what about the bogo offer they have to use your service anyways. yeah you lose profit on the phones but the have to get a 2yr contract and for what your charging them monthly rather they know about it or not makes up for the those bogo offer you guys are stating is why
16. Kiltlifter posted on 05 Dec 2009, 15:38 0 0
Personally I think it is rediculous to have a contract... PERIOD! how about we stop subsidizing phones at all and make everyone purchase them retail? Sounds likea plan to me, becuase they vzw wouldn't make people have data plans to make up for the subsidization, Little whiners like you could stop complaining about gettinga 599.99+ device for $200.00 then complain about having to pay a ETF. Sounds good to me... So unless you are willing to pay full retail for your device, quit whining or complaining about the ETF policies by any mobile carrier. if you aren't willing to pay full retail for the device then it isn't for you.
19. E.N. posted on 05 Dec 2009, 15:49 0 0
Okay kiltlifter, we understand your opinion. Don't be offended with the fact that not everyone has to agree.
39. jskrenes posted on 07 Dec 2009, 10:06 0 0
The thing is, you ALREADY can do that, pay full retail and not sign the contract. Still have to do the data thing, but if you want a no-contract/EFT phone, you can do that. I highly doubt we'll get rid of contracts altogether. We have an entire industry based on it: phones are discounted with a contract. Salespeople's commissions are directly tied to contracts. Some sort of hybrid system would be ideal: let customers who don't want or can't afford a full retail device get a subsidized phone, let customers who pay full retail for a device have more control of their service.
4. lolipopjones posted on 05 Dec 2009, 07:41 0 0
This is not about being ripped off on Bogos. Verizon even had a little email sent to their employees stating that they were not to talk about the ETF with customers unless brought up. Not only that but in the last Vid they had from the Arkansas meeting at the Verizon Center the execs admitted the ETF was designed to keep people from jumping ship....
8. VZWEMP posted on 05 Dec 2009, 12:19 0 0
thats funny because i received no email instructing us not to discuss the raised ETF. and if the etf were to prevent people from jumping shit then why wouldnt we raised the etf on ALL handsets? think things through before you post. WE were the first carrier to implement prorated ETFs and all other carriers followed suit. so shut your mouth because you just another consumer you thinks that you should be able to do whatever youd like at any company's expense.
9. htc-guru posted on 05 Dec 2009, 12:45 0 0
dude really you are telling others to think things through before you post. why dont you go back and read what you wrote. really jumping shit. thats what verizon is SHIT and you are a SHIT_HEAD.
11. BrokenImaege posted on 05 Dec 2009, 13:54 0 0
You are an idiot!!!!! I work for Verizon and I can tell you that when we raised the ETF's, we were told that we needed to inform the customer clearly about the increased ETF on those devices. I remember the store meeting we had concerning it. We don't hide anything from anyone. It is clearly in writting and is available on websites and booklets. I don't know what call center you are in, but please let me know so I can send an email over that way for you. Also, the ETF fees are there to prevent people from buying bogo and disconnecting immeditely to make profit off of phone. The ETF is still decelerated as it was before. Nothing has changed in that matter. Clearly you are an idiot!!!
20. E.N. posted on 05 Dec 2009, 15:59 0 0
How about getting rid of the BOGO deals in smartphones all together. It will solve all problems all together. I think that's an unfair advantage to boost phone sales and get more customers. A few months ago the Storm was one of the top selling devices despite all the returns and that is because of the BOGO deals. And now Verizon has the BOGO deals and the high ETF rates. That will greatly increase their profit and increase the number of customers that hate their carrier/phone and want to leave/change phones but can't afford to. It's still about $250 dollars to cancel after the 1st year. That's ridiculous.
37. Illyich posted on 06 Dec 2009, 18:54 0 0
Well, I've never been with Verizon, but I know that they have very high customer satisfaction from what I hear, so they certainly don't sound like poo. At the same time, Fanman, don't assume that everyone has the same evangelical approach to wireless carriers that you do.
