Cell Phone Issue WWYD - Change to AT&T?

[arivecchi]

So I dropped my Verizon Wireless blackberry in a puddle today and it's fried. :(

So I called Verizon and they will make me pay full price for a replacement phone since my next upgrade date is not till May of this year.

So my options are:

1) get a cheap replacement phone and then upgrade in May (actually I may still have my old Verizon cell too - but it is not a smartphone)

2) pay a $90 termination fee and get a $49 iphone from AT&T

I am hesitant to switch because I had AT&T before Verizon and the phone service was awful - but that was a long time ago.

WWYD?

[Snow mom]

Can you live without a smart phone for a few months? Do you have any friends who might have an older verizon smartphone sitting around that you could reactivate on your account? I wouldn't switch companies over this unless you are sure you'd be happy with AT&T (and reviews I've heard from all around the country are terrible.) I'd probably just reactivate my old phone (in fact I did this recently.) Another option is to try craigslist or freecycle for an older smartphone that can still be used on the verizon network.

[AnnieW625]

I would use your replacement phone and beg them to cancel the data plan so you aren't charged the extra money each month, and then get the Iphone from Verizon in May. How is your termination fee only $90?

I have never had AT&T (except for cable and phone 8+ yrs. ago and that was fine), but I have heard such horrid customer service stories about them that I'd be hesistant to switch.

[bubbaray]

I would remove the battery, put the whole thing in a bag of rice and decide on Monday. Seriously. I know someone who dropped his BB into a toilet and he got it to work this way.

[BillK]

If you can't live wo a smartphone until upgrade time, snag a bb on ebay. I'd guess a bb curve would be dirt cheap.

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=140513756781&index=16&nav=SEARCH&nid=38129981871

[elektra]

I have AT&T and I think you will be disappointed if you switch.
It might actually come back to life, it's true. I would first wait to see if it works again after drying out completely.
I would have never thought of getting a phone on ebay but maybe that is the way to go until May.

[sariana]

2) pay a $90 termination fee and get a $49 iphone from AT&T

I am hesitant to switch because I had AT&T before Verizon and the phone service was awful - but that was a long time ago.

AT & T still has terrible service, coverage-wise. I have had mostly good experiences with customer service, though. (Not stellar, but satisfactory.)

If you were unhappy with AT&T before, you likely still would be unhappy.

[arivecchi]

Thanks everyone. I am really upset with verizon. I simply do not understand why they would rather lose a customer than waive the upgrade date requirement for a long time customer, so in a way, I feel like dumping them. But yeah, I don't want to switch to AT&T and realize their service still sucks. Ugh.

Maybe I will just use my old phone till May if I can suspend the data plan till then.

[bubbaray]

Have you called and asked to speak with their loyalty department? If you've been a long-time customer, they might move your update date forward.

GL!

[billysmommy]

Have you called and asked to speak with their loyalty department? If you've been a long-time customer, they might move your update date forward.

GL!


:yeahthat:

DH and I have been dying for the iphone but our upgrade date wasn't until May. I called and mentioned that we've been customers since 1996 and they went ahead and made us eligible now.

[arivecchi]

How do I reach the loyalty department? Is that coos? The transferred me to the coos dept. and they were not helpful either.

[alexsmommy]

Yeah. I live close to you and I am just waiting out my contract to switch to Verizon. AT&T stinks. I could previously count my dropped calls on US Cellular. Their customer service is outstanding, but the network has serious gaps. I literally wait to make calls until I pass this one area because I know it will drop my call. I do love my iPhone though so I've dealt with it.

[mommylamb]

I would remove the battery, put the whole thing in a bag of rice and decide on Monday. Seriously. I know someone who dropped his BB into a toilet and he got it to work this way.
:yeahthat: this just happened to a friend of mine. Her bberry is in perfect working order after hanging out in a bag of rice.

[arivecchi]

Called the loyalty dept and they offered me a droid incredible for $50. Good deal? I don't know much about droids.

[amldaley]

Given that I was trying to make emergency phone calls today with my AT&T phone and FOUR TIMES got "all circuits busy" message, I would NOT switch to AT&T.

[tmahanes]

Is May your 2 year upgrade date? Because at a year they usually let you upgrade with a $20 fee added to the promo price.

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[arivecchi]

They finally offered me an upgrade with discounted prices, but excluded the iPhone.

[KrisM]

Thanks everyone. I am really upset with verizon. I simply do not understand why they would rather lose a customer than waive the upgrade date requirement for a long time customer, so in a way, I feel like dumping them.

My thought would be then everyone would just dump their phone in the toilet when they wanted a new one. If they move it up for some, more and more people will ask.

I'm glad it worked out.

[Toba]

I've done this twice with VZW ... not because I ruined my phone but because I had phone envy and wanted an early upgrade. I pay out the $9.99 extra line fee for the remaining months (my DH is the primary on the account) and got out of my contract to take advantage of new promotions. The last time we did this, my DH had gotten a BB Storm and I was in phone envy mode again. We went to the BJ's VZW kiosk (we've only done it there) and they let me pay $140 to pay off my remaining contract and then I got a BB Storm free (which was a promotion at the time, buy one, get one free). So basically, I paid $140 for a $600 phone. I plan on doing this when the supposed new iPhone 5 comes out in June, provided it's on their 4G network.

[arivecchi]

My thought would be then everyone would just dump their phone in the toilet when they wanted a new one. If they move it up for some, more and more people will ask.

I'm glad it worked out.I know, but upset a long-time customer over 2 months?

[ellies mom]

It seems like you got it taken care of. But a while back, my phone broke before the two years was up. I took it to a Verizon repair place and they have some repair thing, where I was able to pay $50 and I got a new phone (the same one). Because my old phone was out of warranty, I only got a 90 day warranty but it was a lot cheaper than the $250 it was going to cost otherwise.

[C99]

AT&T coverage is OK in the city. Verizon has the L routes wired, so they are OK. Not true with AT&T.

[Uno-Mom]

It seems like you got it taken care of. But a while back, my phone broke before the two years was up. I took it to a Verizon repair place and they have some repair thing, where I was able to pay $50 and I got a new phone (the same one). .

Because our phones can get trashed in our line of work, we get the insurance policy on our phones. That's the deal they have. Maybe you had the insurance? (I wouldn't usually recommend coverage plans for electronics! It's just that electronics can get smashed in our jobs.)

[ellies mom]

Because our phones can get trashed in our line of work, we get the insurance policy on our phones. That's the deal they have. Maybe you had the insurance? (I wouldn't usually recommend coverage plans for electronics! It's just that electronics can get smashed in our jobs.)

Nope, no insurance. From the way I remember it. I paid $50 for them to fix the phone but rather than having to wait for them to fix it, they gave me a new phone right then. Although, it may have been refurbished. I don't remember exactly.

I don't usually do the insurance/extended warranty either unless it is a laptop. I always get a warranty on those.

[Uno-Mom]

Nope, no insurance. From the way I remember it. I paid $50 for them to fix the phone but rather than having to wait for them to fix it, they gave me a new phone right then. Although, it may have been refurbished. I don't remember exactly.

I don't usually do the insurance/extended warranty either unless it is a laptop. I always get a warranty on those.

Well that blows. Sounds like we got a bad deal. I'll need to look into that before we re-up our insurance policy. DH got his phone smashed 3 times in the last 4 years, so we were glad we had it. But if we could just go to the repair place and save the extra $3/month...

[TwinFoxes]

OP, I don't think anyone answered your Droid question. BillK has a Droid and loves it. They seem pretty impressive.

I know going to a Verizon store is probably low on your list, but I think the sales people have more leeway than the random CS person.

[arivecchi]

They are overnighting a droid incredible, so I guess I will try that one out. Hopefully, Bill will chime in soon!

[BillK]

PM'd you! Anyway - I think you'd be happy with the DInc. The X is a lot bigger and I know a lot of people don't like it because of the size - I do though. I think the $50 DInc price is fair while $100 for the X is a bit on the high side considering it's end-of-life is March.

[tmahanes]

OP, I don't think anyone answered your Droid question. BillK has a Droid and loves it. They seem pretty impressive.

I know going to a Verizon store is probably low on your list, but I think the sales people have more leeway than the random CS person.

Actually in my area you will get more over the phone than at the store.

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[tmahanes]

PM'd you! Anyway - I think you'd be happy with the DInc. The X is a lot bigger and I know a lot of people don't like it because of the size - I do though. I think the $50 DInc price is fair while $100 for the X is a bit on the high side considering it's end-of-life is March.

Yeah that..... BILs have the X and it is HUGE! I can't imagine carrying that around every day. The screen is so cool though!

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[arivecchi]

I wanted to update.

My blackberry revived after spending some timee in a bowl with rice but is even slower now. :thumbsdown:

Instead of the Incredible, Verizon sent me a Droid X.

Wowza! Huge screen. I love it! I have not activated it yet, but I think I want to keep the Droid X.

Please tell me I am making the right call here!

[elektra]

Are they going to charge you the cheaper Incredible price? If so, I would just keep the Droid X. Enjoy!

[arivecchi]

No. Unfortunately, they would charge me the right price for the X.

[Beth24]

Will you have any issues syncing the Droid with your email, calendar and contacts? I was worried about that when I had to replace my blackberry a couple months ago (I drove off with it on the roof of my car)!