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Verizon Wireless Contract Changes, September 21?
Beginning of the company's shift towards openness?
While we've yet to see Verizon's promises of a new, open network realized yet, the Boy Genius Report indicates that more users may soon be able to avoid long term contracts. Citing an anonymous inside source, the website suggests that Verizon will be going contract-free starting September 21 (this Sunday), allowing users to avoid long-term obligations if they're willing to pay the full, unsubsidized price of a device. We were under the impression Verizon already offered this, and AT&T and Sprint already do -- so it appears Verizon is playing catch up if this change is a new thing. While the move may not be particularly original, it looks like it could be the opening salvo in Verizon's promised shift to allow any device onto the Verizon Wireless network.
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baineschile
2600 ways to live
Premium Member
join:2008-05-10
Sterling Heights, MI

baineschile

Premium Member

Yay

Now i can pay 500 bucks for a decent smartphone up front, instead of 300 for the phone with a 2 year deal, and 200 if i cancel the contract....

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

Re: Yay

This is how things work in many parts of Europe and other countries too.

moon1234
@tds.net

moon1234

Anon

Re: Yay

Except in Europe you can take your device with you in most cases to another carrier. This is not the case with US CDMA carriers. They have an agreement amongst themselves to not activate devices obtained from another carriers network.

So the "Open" clase really means nothing. You have to go through the carriers vetting process before they will allow the device to enter their hallowed database tables.

In Europe and among US GSM carriers all you need to do is pop in an active SIM card and you are ready to rock regardless if the carrier has ever heard of the device before.

I will never say a CDMA carrier is "Open" until I can activate ANY device on their network without any approval or vetting from them.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

T-Mobile

T-Mobile does this as well.

TM has been doing it for over a year!

tafypz
@mycingular.net

tafypz

Anon

Not entirely true (at least for data)

I bought a 3g cad from ATT, they refused to sell it to me without a 2 years contract, eventhough I was asking for paying the full MSRP for the card. I tried to get the store manager involved but it didn't change a thing. This was at the ATT store in Times Square (NYC)

OSUGoose
join:2007-12-27
Columbus, OH

OSUGoose

Member

UM

Hate to break it to you all, but they have allways posted the no contract price and was very willing to sell it to you at that price if you needed to replace your phone and was outside the timeframe for a upgrade.

QuakeFrag
Premium Member
join:2003-06-13
NH

QuakeFrag

Premium Member

Re: UM

said by OSUGoose:

Hate to break it to you all, but they have allways posted the no contract price and was very willing to sell it to you at that price if you needed to replace your phone and was outside the timeframe for a upgrade.
I always thought it existed already as well. For me I am able to get a business discount on new phones, and they even have 1yr contracts! In the past I was able to get a RAZR for nothing, on a 1 year contract.

Maybe this new deal is talking about new customers? Did a new customer always have to sign a 2 year?

OSUGoose
join:2007-12-27
Columbus, OH

OSUGoose

Member

Re: UM

i never recall it ever being offered by the rep, mostly bc they get bonus's based on the number of contracts and renewals they get.
splat1622
join:2008-09-08
Cave Spring, GA

splat1622 to QuakeFrag

Member

to QuakeFrag
yea where did this come from i know they have been doing this for at least 2 years because i bought my daughters phone for full price with no contract 2 years ago
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: UM

did they run a credit check on you as well?
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79 to OSUGoose

Premium Member

to OSUGoose
said by OSUGoose:

Hate to break it to you all, but they have allways posted the no contract price and was very willing to sell it to you at that price if you needed to replace your phone and was outside the timeframe for a upgrade.
That's correct. You could always get Verizon Wireless service without a contract.

DaMaGeINC
The Lan Man
Premium Member
join:2002-06-08
Greenville, SC

DaMaGeINC

Premium Member

What?

What of existing customers? Are our contracts null and void now? Can I switch carriers finally? I want to go to T-Mobile. I pay $70 for 400min and unlimited text and pic. Tmobile has the same plan with internet included and cheaper. Bye Vz

quetwo
That VoIP Guy
Premium Member
join:2004-09-04
East Lansing, MI

quetwo

Premium Member

Re: What?

No. This news item pretty much says that for NEW customers, if they would like to pay full price for their device, they can go month-to-month instead of a contract.

Boricua
Premium Member
join:2002-01-26
Sacramuerto

Boricua

Premium Member

No news to me...

I've been out of a contract with VZW since last December. I bought a different phone online (eBay) and activated myself (online) and still without having to sign a new contract .
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Credit Check ?

is VZ still going to run credit for this and charge out insane deposits? If they are not a good deal when TM doesnt.

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

Re: Credit Check ?

There's a service for people who can't or don't want to meet the credit requirements -- prepaid.

If they're sending you a bill each month and expecting you to pay it, why shouldn't there be a credit check?
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Credit Check ?

because TM doesnt have a credit check with their non-contract often. you get a monthly bill.

Why should you have a credit check if you're month to month and are paying $100+ for the device?

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

Re: Credit Check ?

So they're more certain they'll get a check each month and not get stuck with 2 months of overage charges?
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Credit Check ?

no its called once you hit the minutes that are in your plan your phone goes off problem solved.

thats wat TM does. no overages at all. Why is it such a big issue for you to understand that?

if TM can do it every other carrier can do it as well. They just don't want to.

If they did they'd have more customer than what they have now.

jester121
Premium Member
join:2003-08-09
Lake Zurich, IL

jester121

Premium Member

Re: Credit Check ?

I guess the same reason you can't understand that you don't always get your own way. Tmo obviously thinks it's a viable business plan for them, and the other carriers don't.

And maybe the kind of customers who can't pass credit muster aren't the kind of customers the other carriers want? Tough to make money when your customers' phones get shut off all the time. From a business perspective I'd cater to those who pay their bills on time.
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Credit Check ?

what do you get when you do have a customer that pays their bills on time, wants a phone but doesnt have credit and doesnt want to pay $400+ up front? Surely not a customer.

But then again i'm sure you don't run a business nor have ever since you're willing to take a customer that wants to have a contract over a customer that doesnt. Just because you claim people with a contract is more likely to pay their bill. Which is not true at all.

Just because a customer doesnt have any credit doesnt make them a business threat. It is actually a good thing in this country NOT to have any credit than to have bad credit.
Me I'm 24years old and do not have any. I like it that way. I don't need Cap1 or any other credit card bank, i don't need anything i can't afford.

and TM fits that. Why do i need to pay $400 to have a cell phone and have a monthly plan? I don't. TM fills that by giving me a monthly plan and charging me the same price as they do their contracted customers.

It's a smart business plan. Why? They're making money. And TM isn't out anything if the customer doesnt pay for the next month. Why they can't use their phone.

You either pay your bill or use a TM Prepaid card to turn it back on. No problem. It's actually smart. But ATT does it as well. Just TM is much cheaper.

Dr Wizard
The Wizard of Speed and Time
Premium Member
join:2002-12-23
Plain Dealing, LA

Dr Wizard

Premium Member

Do you HAVE to buy one of THEIR phones..

in order not to sign a contract?
EPS4
join:2008-02-13
Hingham, MA

EPS4

Member

Re: Do you HAVE to buy one of THEIR phones..

Of course. Verizon wouldn't want to have inferior or non-approved phones polluting "The Network".

Though you could probably get away with buying a used Verizon cell-phone on eBay or something and bring that on, or so I would think?

yellowlobster
@comcast.net

yellowlobster

Anon

I think you are mistaken

Verizon does not let new customers come in with their own phone and sign up for service without agreeing to a minimum one year contract. Once you are a customer, you can buy a full retail phone (or ebay a phone) and put it on your line without a contract extension. But if you want to add on a new line (to a family share plan) or sign up as a new customer, you have to agree to a contract. This would change that and allow people to come in off the street with their own phone and sign up for vzw service on a month by month plan. other carriers may have had this but not VZW. Think if part of their Any Apps, Any Device initiative they announced last year
samrocks
Premium Member
join:2003-07-30

samrocks

Premium Member

Buy phone off ebay and activate no contract service?

Does anyone think it will be possible to buy a phone off of ebay and get on a verizon plan without contract?

moon1234
@tds.net

moon1234

Anon

Re: Buy phone off ebay and activate no contract service?

Only if the phone was designed and approved for THEIR network. You won't be able to bring an old or new phone designed for Sprint, US Cellular, etc. and activate it on Verizon's network even though the technology is the same.

The whole Verizon "Open" thing is just a scam to make them look nice and pretty. You still need to have your device vetted by Verizon before they will activate it. The only way you can bring a device is to buy one Designed and Approved for their network.

Sprint has had this for years. Verizon is just doing a better PR Advertising campaign to make them look good.
EPS4
join:2008-02-13
Hingham, MA

EPS4

Member

Re: Buy phone off ebay and activate no contract service?

The "open network" isn't a "scam", it's just that people miss the point (and VZ has been making it very easy to miss the point), which isn't open for consumers, but to make it easier for device makers to make different sorts of devices for the network. For example, the first device admitted under the "open" network policies takes measurements for a scientific study, and then uses the VZW network to send reports back to a lab. This kind of stuff is usually done on GSM networks, VZW is trying to get a piece of that pie.
music4praise
join:2006-02-22
Big Rapids, MI

music4praise

Member

May be in preparation for Alltel purchase

Alltel, which Verizon is in the process of purchasing, has had a no contract option for new customers who bring their own phone for over two years. The phone does have to be an Alltel or an unbranded cdma phone. The point is that Verizon is going to have to loosen up a bit to avoid some bad publicity if the deal actually gets approved. Alltel customers are used to having more flexibility than Verizon is known for.