 RobIn Deo speramus, God Bless the USAPremium
join:2001-08-25
Kendall, FL
kudos:2
1 edit | I agree.. A lot of people bought the iPhone from AT&T at the subsidized price of $199. Then they paid the ETF of $175, then turned around and sold the iPhone on ebay or craigslist for $600+.
So yea, I think they are doubling the ETF to prevent this from happening with the Droid.
Bad move, IMO.
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CheckSite.us | YourIP.us | Reverseip.us |
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| said by Rob:A lot of people bought the iPhone from AT&T at the subsidized price of $199. Then they paid the ETF of $175, then turned around and sold the iPhone on ebay or craigslist for $600+. So yea, I think they are doubling the ETF to prevent this from happening with the Droid. Bad move, IMO. I never thought of it that way... It still sucks that there is an ETF and that they are doubling it. People who are buying smart phones are paying a premium on data services so Verizon is already making extra off them.
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The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
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| If someone owns a phone for 1 month, Verizon doesn't make a hefty premium on them.
To me it would seem to be the other way around - i.e. the ETF is necessary so that they don't lose that upcharge over the duration of the contract. |
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| reply to snipper_cr
said by snipper_cr:said by Rob:A lot of people bought the iPhone from AT&T at the subsidized price of $199. Then they paid the ETF of $175, then turned around and sold the iPhone on ebay or craigslist for $600+. So yea, I think they are doubling the ETF to prevent this from happening with the Droid. Bad move, IMO. I never thought of it that way... It still sucks that there is an ETF and that they are doubling it. People who are buying smart phones are paying a premium on data services so Verizon is already making extra off them. Not if the user cancels and pays the ETF within the first few months, which is what this is designed to prevent. |
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 NOCManMacChatterPremium
join:2004-09-30
Colorado Springs, CO | reply to Rob
It's the wrong move. If you cancel the contract you must return the phone or pay the balance up to the full retail cost of the phone.
Pay 200 + 200 ETF and the phone is 600 full retail. You owe 200 more.
It's even more ironclad, you get the phone back, refurb and resell. |
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 CheesePremium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
kudos:1 | said by NOCMan:It's the wrong move. If you cancel the contract you must return the phone or pay the balance up to the full retail cost of the phone. Pay 200 + 200 ETF and the phone is 600 full retail. You owe 200 more. It's even more ironclad, you get the phone back, refurb and resell. Who says you must return the phone? Is this in the contract? Obviously, people are doing it so it must not be. |
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NOCManMacChatterPremium
join:2004-09-30
Colorado Springs, CO | I worded that wrong. I meant to say if you cancel the line, then you should be required to return the phone. It completely eliminates the scam. Though people will cry foul about their personal information being on the phone.
Still if you cancel and want to keep the phone, pony up the full retail cost.
I'm against ETF's generally, especially for things like cable contracts where you return the equipment. I can understand a reasonable processing fee, but nailing people for money because they're leaving your service because of whatever issues is just plain wrong. |
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CheesePremium
join:2003-10-26
Naples, FL
kudos:1 | said by NOCMan:I worded that wrong. I meant to say if you cancel the line, then you should be required to return the phone. It completely eliminates the scam. Though people will cry foul about their personal information being on the phone. Still if you cancel and want to keep the phone, pony up the full retail cost. I'm against ETF's generally, especially for things like cable contracts where you return the equipment. I can understand a reasonable processing fee, but nailing people for money because they're leaving your service because of whatever issues is just plain wrong. Agreed on all points. |
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| reply to NOCMan
said by NOCMan:Still if you cancel and want to keep the phone, pony up the full retail cost. The retail "cost" is inflated. Most items sold in stores are sold at twice the price, often more, that the store paid for them. And many online stores manage to sell at half the suggested retail price and still turn a profit. |
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 C0deZer0Oc'D To Rhythm And PolicePremium
join:2001-10-03
Davenport, FL | reply to Rob
Except that the iPhone is sold as a GSM phone, which meant it could be unlocked and used on another carrier, or even another account with AT&T.
You have no such benefit on CDMA networks like Verizon's.
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| reply to Rob
Actually, why is it a bad move?
Consider the original (classic) Storm, their cheapest subsidized touch-screen smartphone ($50 with a two-year contract). At that price, the Storm is cheaper than a lot of VZW's own dumbphones! (And it's also cheaper than the Droid.) Some of their other BlackBerries are even cheaper.
So this move has nit to do with the Droid (or the recently-released Storm2), but more a move to prevent general smartphone-churn, andd sensible from a business POV. |
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bn1221
join:2009-04-29
Cortland, NY | And you pay 29.99 a month for data on the Blackberry. VZ won't activate even a retail bought BB without the data fee. Thats a real scam RIM and VZ get you on. |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
| said by bn1221:And you pay 29.99 a month for data on the Blackberry. VZ won't activate even a retail bought BB without the data fee. Thats a real scam RIM and VZ get you on. Why do most folks buy a smartphone (any smartphone)? For data usage. Considering that VZW also has pay-as-you-use data plans, this also prevents anyone using a smartphone without a real need (don't other providers do the same thing with their smartphones, including AT&T Mobility with the iPhone?).
You want a smartphone; however, you don't want the provider making ANYTHING off you using the smartphone's features (most of which, more often than not, require that you use the provider's network). I don't have major data needs; however, when I DO use the provider of choice's network (since I have said quite plainly that VZW suits my needs/requirements in terms of voice, data, AND smartphone choice options), I most certainly expect to have to pay for using VZW's network. However, I have three different options even with VZW (since my data needs are miniscule):
1. Per-month data billing.
2. Daily when-I-need-it data billing.
3. Byte-allowance billing.
Considering that I would almost certainly prefer a smartphone with wifi (and VZW now offers several), and my biggest smartphone use would be sync with a desktop or portable PC, I would most likely choose options #2 or #3, since I am not one of those that uses a smartphone as a PC substitute! |
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·Comcast
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Since you are complaining, here are current prices for VZW's wifi-ready BlackBerry smartphones (including the "infamous" $29.99 MONTHLY data plan):
Curve 8530: $99.99
Tour 9630: $149.99
Storm2 9550: $179.99
Monthly charges:
Nationwide Connect (450 plan minutes + 5 F&F + unlimited nights/weekends + unlimited VZW-to-VZW): $59.99
Unlimited E-Mail and Web for BlackBerry: $29.99
Note that is $89.98 for my second-worst monthly plan choice, as I don't need another e-mail address (however, one is generally included with any smartphone, so you're stuck with it whether you want one or not). Unlimited Web *is* included (however, I'm not one to download videos, even viral ones, and especially NOT to a smartphone).
What's the beef?
Because both e-mail *and* Web are included, I can deal with weblinks included in mail.
I can live with this. |
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bn1221
join:2009-04-29
Cortland, NY | reply to PGHammer
Sorry - you missed what I was saying. I have a ton of 8830s that I want to give away so people can use the full text keyboard for texting. Verizon will not let me put a voice and text plan on it unless I pay for the data as well. I don't need data on them. |
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bn1221
join:2009-04-29
Cortland, NY | reply to PGHammer
I am not complaining of the subsidy. What I as saying is I have many BBs purchased at FULL PRICE retail. I cannot use them as basic phones. That's my complain. I'm actually FOR Verizon subsiding and using ETFs |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
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So your complaint is that you can't usde a smartphone as a dumbphone (you got attracted because the smartphone is cheaper than the dumbphone), without realizing that there is going to be a *gotcha* in there somewhere. In what way is that VZW's fault?
If you are still stuck with one or more of those 8830s, PM me and we can exchange information (I'm a VZW customer, and have nary a quibble paying for a data plan that I would actually use). |
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bn1221
join:2009-04-29
Cortland, NY | My complaint is I upgraded to Curve - which are awesome. The 8830 is a great phone but I cannot just give them a way as dumbphones. It just seems odd to me that an off contract phone cannot have a downgraded plan. I'm PMing you my info if you really want an 8830  |
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