On Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:49:26 -0500, gordonb.14w56@burditt.org (Gordon
Burditt) wrote:

>>This thread points out something that many don't seem to understand.
>>When you are buying a service, any type service, and you ask that the
>>service be changed, that's a change in the contract. In many cases,
>
>A change in the contract, in and of itself, does not necessarily
>restart it. And there are some changes I sincerely hope DON'T
>restart the contract, like changing your billing address or
>credit card number, calling to ask your balance, making a phone call
>(even if it's a premium call that will be billed extra).

Here is the way the cell phone company looked at it: This is not a
statement that I agree with it, only that this is how it is looked at.

You have a contract begining a set date for a set amount of minutes at
a set rate for a set period of time. If you don't want to fulfill
the terms contract, you have two options:

a) Exchange that contract for a new contract, with a new set number
of minutes, set amount, set term limit.

b) Buy out of the contract for a set fee.

About a year or so ago, VZW changed the options a little.

You can now change the set mintues and set charge, without changing
the set period of time. In effect they now allow you to modify the
terms of the original contract, instead of making you void the old
one, and start a new one.

They also changed the buy-out clause so it costs you a little less to
buy out of it each month.

Also remember, no one forced you to sign the contract. You chose to.
Just like some homeowner's associations. No one forced you to buy
that house, and you knew you would have to join the association when
you bought. It is not realistic to complain that they want you to have
a certain type of fence or mailbox. That is what you were agreeing to
when you bought the house. if you didn't look to see what they would
want you to do, that is your fault.