I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
or 3G.
Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
contract renewed?
Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
I need some help with decisions, please.
--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.
On 5/20/12 11:45 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
> or 3G.
>
> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>
> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>
> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
> contract renewed?
>
> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>
> I need some help with decisions, please.
I'm always amazed that people agonize over a a hundred or two bucks--
spend it or save it-- for phone hardware when they are going to get
raked for +/- $2400 over the life of the service contract you have to sign.
If you like your phone and it's working OK, keep it. Just go month to
month; VZW will beg and plead with you to sign a contract. Tell them you
will-- but negotiate a lower monthly fee.
Depending on your usage, you may be able to save big bucks moving over
to Page Plus and bring your phone with you.
On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:
>I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
>see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
>unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
>or 3G.
>
>Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>
>If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>
>Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
>contract renewed?
>
>Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>
>I need some help with decisions, please.
If you upgrade now you will keep your unlimited data. Starting
sometime this summer when Verizon comes out with Data Share Plans,
they will not let you upgrade your phone or plan and keep the
unlimited data plan. If you don't want to upgrade your phone then
just stay with what you are doing. You will switch to out of contract
but all of your rates and unlimited data will stay right where they
are.
Janet Wilder wrote on [Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500]:
> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
> or 3G.
>
> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>
> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
On 5/20/2012 8:45 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
> or 3G.
>
> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>
> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>
> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
> contract renewed?
>
> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>
> I need some help with decisions, please.
Buy the Droid Incredible 2 and sell it to me (or someone) for $275-300.
If you plan to stay on Verizon then it makes no sense to not take the
subsidized handset since you're paying for the subsidy anyway. You can
get about $100 for the used Incredible 1 on craigslist (I have purchased
two of them for use on Pageplus, and in excellent condition they sell
for $100).
I think you could get $275 for the Incredible 2, maybe $300. The problem
for new phones on craigslist is that most people will buy it subsidized
with a renewal so the resale market is limited. Not many people would
pay $400-600 for an unsubsidized Verizon smart phone of any kind.
On 5/20/2012 12:48 PM, SMS wrote:
> On 5/20/2012 8:45 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
>> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
>> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
>> or 3G.
>>
>> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>>
>> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>>
>> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
>> contract renewed?
>>
>> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>>
>> I need some help with decisions, please.
>
> Buy the Droid Incredible 2 and sell it to me (or someone) for $275-300.
>
> If you plan to stay on Verizon then it makes no sense to not take the
> subsidized handset since you're paying for the subsidy anyway. You can
> get about $100 for the used Incredible 1 on craigslist (I have purchased
> two of them for use on Pageplus, and in excellent condition they sell
> for $100).
>
> I think you could get $275 for the Incredible 2, maybe $300. The problem
> for new phones on craigslist is that most people will buy it subsidized
> with a renewal so the resale market is limited. Not many people would
> pay $400-600 for an unsubsidized Verizon smart phone of any kind.
From what I saw on the VZW web site, the Incredible II is not available.
On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder
<kelliepoodle@yahoo.com> wrote:
>I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>HTC Incredible (I) and I love it.
I also have the Droid Incredible (Dinc). My contract is up in a few
months.
>The only other phone like it that I see will cost me $200
Is it bigger? Do you really want bigger? Many of the newer phones are
physically bigger and tout larger screens. While they look nice, I
suspect they may have less battery life and would be a more difficult
carry. I find the Dinc the perfect size. Large enough to read easily
and still fit nicely in my shirt pocket when walking (mp3 or radio
streaming).
>I want to keep my unlimited data
Losing Unlimited may not be that big of a big deal. Have you checked
your usage? The Verizon app that came on your phone will do that
quickly. I seldom go over 200MB but sometimes streaming radio brings
me closer to 1GB. In any case with my usage, losing Unlimited probably
would not make a big difference. YMMV. (and rest assured you will lose
it eventually anyway...)
>and I want to stay with Android.
Ever tried an iPhone? I've never met an owner that didn't like one. I
own both an iPod touch (iPhone with no phone) and iPad (big iPod
touch) and like them both. If Verizon had been selling iPhones when I
went for my first smartphone I likely would be an iPhone owner now.
But now that I've used Android a few years on my Dinc I like it just
fine. And the Dink has one big advantage over the iPhone. You can
change the battery yourself.
BTW if you own a Kindle Fire (also Android) a lot of the apps on your
Dinc will also run on the Fire. That's good cause the Amazon store is
sourly lacking.
>Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
I think that's what I'm going to do. Stay month to month with the
Dinc. Course I suppose by being off contract Verizon could cancel both
my grandfathered voice plan and my grandfathered Unlimited plan. But I
doubt that will happen. I'll take my chances...
On 5/20/2012 10:53 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> On 5/20/2012 12:48 PM, SMS wrote:
>> On 5/20/2012 8:45 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
>>> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
>>> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
>>> or 3G.
>>>
>>> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>>>
>>> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>>>
>>> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
>>> contract renewed?
>>>
>>> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>>>
>>> I need some help with decisions, please.
>>
>> Buy the Droid Incredible 2 and sell it to me (or someone) for $275-300.
>>
>> If you plan to stay on Verizon then it makes no sense to not take the
>> subsidized handset since you're paying for the subsidy anyway. You can
>> get about $100 for the used Incredible 1 on craigslist (I have purchased
>> two of them for use on Pageplus, and in excellent condition they sell
>> for $100).
>>
>> I think you could get $275 for the Incredible 2, maybe $300. The problem
>> for new phones on craigslist is that most people will buy it subsidized
>> with a renewal so the resale market is limited. Not many people would
>> pay $400-600 for an unsubsidized Verizon smart phone of any kind.
>
> From what I saw on the VZW web site, the Incredible II is not available.
Then get the iPhone. It will have the greatest resale value by far. I
should have said that in the first place. Someone on Pageplus would
probably want it. Even though officially Pageplus says no iPhones, many
people are using them on Pageplus.
I think Verizon is phasing out all non-LTE phones other than the iPhone.
When Apple has a 4G iPhone I doubt if Verizon will continue to sell the
3G version.
On 5/20/2012 1:01 PM, AJL wrote:
> On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder
> <kelliepoodle@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it.
>
> I also have the Droid Incredible (Dinc). My contract is up in a few
> months.
>
>> The only other phone like it that I see will cost me $200
>
> Is it bigger? Do you really want bigger? Many of the newer phones are
> physically bigger and tout larger screens. While they look nice, I
> suspect they may have less battery life and would be a more difficult
> carry. I find the Dinc the perfect size. Large enough to read easily
> and still fit nicely in my shirt pocket when walking (mp3 or radio
> streaming).
I haven't measured the one I saw. It looks like an Incredible, but
newer. It's also an HTC
>> I want to keep my unlimited data
>
> Losing Unlimited may not be that big of a big deal. Have you checked
> your usage? The Verizon app that came on your phone will do that
> quickly. I seldom go over 200MB but sometimes streaming radio brings
> me closer to 1GB. In any case with my usage, losing Unlimited probably
> would not make a big difference. YMMV. (and rest assured you will lose
> it eventually anyway...)
I don't use much data normally, but there are times when we are
traveling in our RV that DH uses it to listen to baseball games on MLB
At Bat and I use extra data for computer stuff that I'd do on my netbook
if there was Wifi available. I also use the Google navigation when I'm
not sure the Magellan GPS is up to date. I don't stream Pandora more
than a couple of times a year. We have satellite radio in all vehicles,
having traveled with it since 1995.
>> and I want to stay with Android.
>
> Ever tried an iPhone? I've never met an owner that didn't like one. I
> own both an iPod touch (iPhone with no phone) and iPad (big iPod
> touch) and like them both. If Verizon had been selling iPhones when I
> went for my first smartphone I likely would be an iPhone owner now.
I don't want an iPhone. I am very happy with the Android and there are
other places than the Amazon store to get apps. I've even snapped a scan
of a bar code on my desktop and downloaded an app that way. There are
lots of good suggestions on the Android forums.
Also, I'm able to use a certain app that saves me money that VZW would
be charging me on my Android. I'd have to jailbreak an iPhone to use
the same app
> But now that I've used Android a few years on my Dinc I like it just
> fine. And the Dink has one big advantage over the iPhone. You can
> change the battery yourself.
And do a restart by removing the battery and reinserting it if the phone
messes up, too.
>
> BTW if you own a Kindle Fire (also Android) a lot of the apps on your
> Dinc will also run on the Fire. That's good cause the Amazon store is
> sourly lacking.
I haven't found a need for a fancy tablet. I have a black and white
Nook which is great for reading and a sweet little Samsung netbook
>> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>
> I think that's what I'm going to do. Stay month to month with the
> Dinc. Course I suppose by being off contract Verizon could cancel both
> my grandfathered voice plan and my grandfathered Unlimited plan. But I
> doubt that will happen. I'll take my chances...
I was looking for a global phone as we are doing another Europe trip
next summer. I think I'll wait until July when DH's dumb phone is ready
for upgrade and swap his for a global dumb phone. Safer to have a dumb
phone when roaming in Europe.
Thanks for your thoughts. They were very helpful.
--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.
AJL wrote on [Sun, 20 May 2012 11:01:11 -0700]:
> On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder
> <kelliepoodle@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>>HTC Incredible (I) and I love it.
>
> I also have the Droid Incredible (Dinc). My contract is up in a few
> months.
>
>>The only other phone like it that I see will cost me $200
>
> Is it bigger? Do you really want bigger? Many of the newer phones are
> physically bigger and tout larger screens. While they look nice, I
> suspect they may have less battery life and would be a more difficult
> carry. I find the Dinc the perfect size. Large enough to read easily
> and still fit nicely in my shirt pocket when walking (mp3 or radio
> streaming).
The incredible has horrible battery life, less than 6 hours in my experience.
The Galaxy Nexus has about 10 hours of the same usage in battery life,
a bigger screen and LTE
On Sun, 20 May 2012 12:53:09 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:
>On 5/20/2012 12:48 PM, SMS wrote:
>> On 5/20/2012 8:45 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
>>> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
>>> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
>>> or 3G.
>>>
>>> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>>>
>>> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>>>
>>> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
>>> contract renewed?
>>>
>>> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>>>
>>> I need some help with decisions, please.
>>
>> Buy the Droid Incredible 2 and sell it to me (or someone) for $275-300.
>>
>> If you plan to stay on Verizon then it makes no sense to not take the
>> subsidized handset since you're paying for the subsidy anyway. You can
>> get about $100 for the used Incredible 1 on craigslist (I have purchased
>> two of them for use on Pageplus, and in excellent condition they sell
>> for $100).
>>
>> I think you could get $275 for the Incredible 2, maybe $300. The problem
>> for new phones on craigslist is that most people will buy it subsidized
>> with a renewal so the resale market is limited. Not many people would
>> pay $400-600 for an unsubsidized Verizon smart phone of any kind.
>
> From what I saw on the VZW web site, the Incredible II is not available.
I think it is now the Incredible 4G LTE. Not sure if that phone is
available yet, I think they just announced it a week or two ago.
On 5/20/2012 11:45 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
> or 3G.
>
> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
What do you expect to gain by "upgrading my phone". You can still use
your phone without a contract. You don't get a new phone but DO YOU
NEED a NEW PHONE? Do you WANT a new phone badly enough to go back under
contract with a two or three year obligation?
I've been "off contract" for a year or two. My phone still works and so
does everything else.
>
> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
Ask Verizon Wireless and get the answer in writing! VZW is not bound
by anything anyone says here!!!!!!
You AND VZW are bound by any contract you enter into with them.
>
> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
> contract renewed?
Why do you want your contract renewed? If you are without a contract,
you are free to tell VZW to "shove it" and sign with some other provider.
I've been "off contract" for several years now. My phone and my wife's
phone both still work. The only way I'll go under back under contract
will be to get new phones for myself and my wife! I get a bill every
month and I pay it every month!
>
> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>
> I need some help with decisions, please.
The only reason I can think of to go under contract is to get a new
phone or phones!
Remember that VZW is NOT BOUND by any anybody says here nor anything
that is said in the VZW store. If it's important, get it in writing
and signed by someone empowered to bind VZW to it!
On 5/20/2012 12:05 PM, Jeff Grossman wrote:
> On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:
>
>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
>> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
>> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
>> or 3G.
>>
>> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>>
>> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>>
>> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
>> contract renewed?
>>
>> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>>
>> I need some help with decisions, please.
>
> If you upgrade now you will keep your unlimited data. Starting
> sometime this summer when Verizon comes out with Data Share Plans,
> they will not let you upgrade your phone or plan and keep the
> unlimited data plan. If you don't want to upgrade your phone then
> just stay with what you are doing. You will switch to out of contract
> but all of your rates and unlimited data will stay right where they
> are.
>
Keep in mind that, without a contract, VZW can change its prices to just
about anything they like. And you, of course, can tell them to "shove it!"
On 5/20/2012 2:50 PM, Justin wrote:
> AJL wrote on [Sun, 20 May 2012 11:01:11 -0700]:
>> On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder
>> <kelliepoodle@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it.
>>
>> I also have the Droid Incredible (Dinc). My contract is up in a few
>> months.
>>
>>> The only other phone like it that I see will cost me $200
>>
>> Is it bigger? Do you really want bigger? Many of the newer phones are
>> physically bigger and tout larger screens. While they look nice, I
>> suspect they may have less battery life and would be a more difficult
>> carry. I find the Dinc the perfect size. Large enough to read easily
>> and still fit nicely in my shirt pocket when walking (mp3 or radio
>> streaming).
>
> The incredible has horrible battery life, less than 6 hours in my experience.
>
> The Galaxy Nexus has about 10 hours of the same usage in battery life,
> a bigger screen and LTE
That sounds like a real "power hog". My ancient Motorola RAZR V3m is
supposed to "idle" for four days starting with a fully charged battery.
Experience suggests that that figure is slightly optimistic, but only
slightly.
On 5/20/2012 7:27 PM, Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article<CeedncUUzZoSwSTSnZ2dnUVZ_oadnZ2d@giganews. com>,
> "Richard B. Gilbert"<rgilbert88@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> The only reason I can think of to go under contract is to get a new
>> phone or phones!
>
> If you think that's a reason to go under contract, you are incredibly
> bad at math and inexperienced in life and you need to be put in a rubber
> room for your own safety and for the safety of those for which you are
> responsible.
On Sun, 20 May 2012 17:13:28 -0400, Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
>On 5/20/2012 12:05 PM, Jeff Grossman wrote:
>> On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>
>>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
>>> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
>>> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
>>> or 3G.
>>>
>>> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>>>
>>> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>>>
>>> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
>>> contract renewed?
>>>
>>> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>>>
>>> I need some help with decisions, please.
>>
>> If you upgrade now you will keep your unlimited data. Starting
>> sometime this summer when Verizon comes out with Data Share Plans,
>> they will not let you upgrade your phone or plan and keep the
>> unlimited data plan. If you don't want to upgrade your phone then
>> just stay with what you are doing. You will switch to out of contract
>> but all of your rates and unlimited data will stay right where they
>> are.
>>
>
>Keep in mind that, without a contract, VZW can change its prices to just
>about anything they like. And you, of course, can tell them to "shove it!"
That is technically true, but I have never heard them doing that
before.
On 5/20/2012 7:58 PM, Jeff Grossman wrote:
> On Sun, 20 May 2012 17:13:28 -0400, Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
>
>> On 5/20/2012 12:05 PM, Jeff Grossman wrote:
>>> On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>>>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
>>>> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
>>>> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
>>>> or 3G.
>>>>
>>>> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>>>>
>>>> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>>>>
>>>> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
>>>> contract renewed?
>>>>
>>>> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>>>>
>>>> I need some help with decisions, please.
>>>
>>> If you upgrade now you will keep your unlimited data. Starting
>>> sometime this summer when Verizon comes out with Data Share Plans,
>>> they will not let you upgrade your phone or plan and keep the
>>> unlimited data plan. If you don't want to upgrade your phone then
>>> just stay with what you are doing. You will switch to out of contract
>>> but all of your rates and unlimited data will stay right where they
>>> are.
>>>
>>
>> Keep in mind that, without a contract, VZW can change its prices to just
>> about anything they like. And you, of course, can tell them to "shove it!"
>
> That is technically true, but I have never heard them doing that
> before.
>
> Jeff
You probably won't! VZW wants to squeeze the maximum sustainable profit
from its customers. To do so, VZW must produce goods and services that
customers are will willing to pay for. They seem to be doing just that.
On Sun, 20 May 2012 17:31:49 -0400, Richard B. Gilbert wrote
(in article <JoOdnWk1BZAy_yTSnZ2dnUVZ_h6dnZ2d@giganews.com>) :
> That sounds like a real "power hog". My ancient Motorola RAZR V3m is
> supposed to "idle" for four days starting with a fully charged battery.
> Experience suggests that that figure is slightly optimistic, but only
> slightly.
apples <> oranges
--
Joey from New York
Among those whom I like or admire, I can find*no common denominator,
but among those*whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.
* *-- WH Auden
On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:
> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
> or 3G.
>
> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>
> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>
> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
> contract renewed?
>
> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>
> I need some help with decisions, please.
Only one person said it so far, so I'll say it again:
Unless you have some need that Page Plus can't satisfy cost-effectively,
keep your phone and let Page Plus have your Verizon-network business :-) .
No contract, no penalties, lower monthly costs, all pluses and no minuses.
HTH. Cheers, -- tlvp
--
Avant de repondre, jeter la poubelle, SVP.
> That is technically true, but I have never heard them doing that
> before.
Correct. Verizon has always allowed subscribers to continue on the same
plan on a month to month basis once the contract is over.
That said, for those that have no intention of changing carriers for two
years, it's incredibly ridiculous to not go back under contract and
obtain a heavily subsidized handset. You pay for that subsidy every
month so you should not just throw it away. Even if you don't want a new
handset you can always just resell it. Sure there are occasions like
when you're waiting for a new handset to come on the market when you may
want to be on a month to month basis, but you never want to go years of
paying for the subsidy and never taking advantage of the subsidized handset.
I have one friend who is counting the days until her Verizon contract is
over so she can switch to Pageplus and get a smart phone. But then she's
good at math!
> Just keep in mind, Dick: the world revolves around smart people taking
> money from stupid people.
LOL. Verizon is certainly happy when people are out of contract for
years. They don't have to supply a subsidized handset yet they collect
the cost of that subsidy every month.
On 5/20/2012 7:30 PM, tlvp wrote:
> On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:
>
>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
>> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
>> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
>> or 3G.
>>
>> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>>
>> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>>
>> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
>> contract renewed?
>>
>> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>>
>> I need some help with decisions, please.
>
> Only one person said it so far, so I'll say it again:
>
> Unless you have some need that Page Plus can't satisfy cost-effectively,
> keep your phone and let Page Plus have your Verizon-network business :-) .
> No contract, no penalties, lower monthly costs, all pluses and no minuses.
From what I recall Janet often does international roaming which
Pageplus doesn't offer (other than Canada and Mexico). While it would
still be more cost effective to unlock a Verizon CDMA/GSM phone and use
a prepaid international SIM card when traveling, and Pageplus at other
times, doing this is slightly more complicated than just paying the high
international roaming charges.
But you're right, for data users that are using less than 1GB per month,
or users using dumb phones, Pageplus is a much more cost effective way
to be on the Verizon network.
Verizon wants to squeeze the most money out of its customers. The best
way to do this is to have customers paying $25-40 per month for a dumb
phone out of contract. It's rather amazing that there are _any_ dumb
phone customers on Verizon's network that are not using Pageplus.
On Sun, 20 May 2012 21:33:28 -0700, SMS <scharf.steven@geemail.com>
wrote:
>Verizon is certainly happy when people are out of contract for
>years.
I would think just the opposite. If Verizon were really happy with
out-of-contract people wouldn't they stop trying to get them to sign
up. And then with no more phone subsidies for Verizon to pay for,
rates might even go down. Damn. All those contract hogs are raising my
rates... 8-O
On 5/20/2012 11:48 PM, SMS wrote:
> On 5/20/2012 7:30 PM, tlvp wrote:
>> On Sun, 20 May 2012 10:45:10 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>
>>> I'm eligible for an upgrade and contract renewal right now. I have an
>>> HTC Incredible (I) and I love it. The only other phone like it that I
>>> see will cost me $200 ($170 plus $30 "upgrade fee"). I want to keep my
>>> unlimited data and I want to stay with Android. I don't care if it's 4G
>>> or 3G.
>>>
>>> Should I rush into the Verizon store and upgrade my phone now?
>>>
>>> If I upgrade to a 4G phone now, will I lose my unlimited data?
>>>
>>> Am I better off sticking with my existing phone and asking to have my
>>> contract renewed?
>>>
>>> Should I let the contract expire and remain month-to-month?
>>>
>>> I need some help with decisions, please.
>>
>> Only one person said it so far, so I'll say it again:
>>
>> Unless you have some need that Page Plus can't satisfy cost-effectively,
>> keep your phone and let Page Plus have your Verizon-network business
>> :-) .
>> No contract, no penalties, lower monthly costs, all pluses and no
>> minuses.
>
> From what I recall Janet often does international roaming which
> Pageplus doesn't offer (other than Canada and Mexico). While it would
> still be more cost effective to unlock a Verizon CDMA/GSM phone and use
> a prepaid international SIM card when traveling, and Pageplus at other
> times, doing this is slightly more complicated than just paying the high
> international roaming charges.
>
> But you're right, for data users that are using less than 1GB per month,
> or users using dumb phones, Pageplus is a much more cost effective way
> to be on the Verizon network.
>
> Verizon wants to squeeze the most money out of its customers. The best
> way to do this is to have customers paying $25-40 per month for a dumb
> phone out of contract. It's rather amazing that there are _any_ dumb
> phone customers on Verizon's network that are not using Pageplus.
We get a discount on our VZW bill because DH is a retired teacher. His
dumb phone doesn't cost us any extra with the discount, but it gives me
700 voice minutes where I had only 350. The phone, itself, was free.
I have been with VZW since 1995 with a 3 Watt bag phone on Bell Atlantic
Mobile. I have had great customer service and support with the
exception of two instances, one of which was resolved by another phone
call and the other by credit. I think that's a pretty good track
record. At this point in my life, I'm not willing to try Page Plus'
less than stellar reputation for customer service.
On 5/20/2012 10:06 PM, AJL wrote:
> On Sun, 20 May 2012 21:33:28 -0700, SMS<scharf.steven@geemail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Verizon is certainly happy when people are out of contract for
>> years.
>
> I would think just the opposite.
I think that initially they worry that the subscriber is thinking of
changing carriers, so they want the subscriber back under contract so
they offer the carrot of a new handset, either free or heavily
subsidized. After a year or so they realize that the customer isn't
leaving and is just bad at math.
If Verizon were really happy with
> out-of-contract people wouldn't they stop trying to get them to sign
> up. And then with no more phone subsidies for Verizon to pay for,
> rates might even go down. Damn. All those contract hogs are raising my
> rates... 8-O
They actually are. If phones were not so heavily subsidized, the whole
rate structure would be different. You already see it with MVNOs that
don't subsidize phones, RedPocket, StraightTalk, Pageplus, etc.
On 5/21/2012 4:17 AM, Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
> In article<4fb9c527$0$87572$742ec2ed@news.sonic.net>,
> SMS<scharf.steven@geemail.com> wrote:
>
>> That said, for those that have no intention of changing carriers for two
>> years, it's incredibly ridiculous to not go back under contract and
>> obtain a heavily subsidized handset.
>
> It's incredibly ridiculous *not* to do the math and figure that that
> "free" or "reduced price" handset cost you tons of money.
If you stay on a "regular" carrier, out of contract, you're paying that
money each month whether or not you take the free or reduced price handset.
If you are moderate data user (or use no data at all) and don't care
about international roaming, or free off-peak and free M2M, and don't
care about a free or subsidized phone, then it makes no sense to not
move to an MVNO. But remember, for smart phones, there are a lot of
people that are very bad at math. They look at the unsubsidized price of
a new smart phone and recoil in horror, even though even with buying a
new smart phone at full retail price and taking it to an MVNO they'd
still come out far ahead unless they are a very heavy data user.
I have Pageplus. I'm going to China in a few weeks. I have four unlocked
GSM phones for which I will purchase prepaid SIM cards. This cost is
lost in the noise considering a) what I would pay on Verizon to have a
smart phone, and b) what I would pay Verizon for international roaming
(China has CDMA so I would not need a "world" phone). Actually I may
take one CDMA phone to see if it works there as there has been a report
of Pageplus working in China.
> We get a discount on our VZW bill because DH is a retired teacher. His
> dumb phone doesn't cost us any extra with the discount, but it gives me
> 700 voice minutes where I had only 350. The phone, itself, was free.
We had a 18-22% Verizon discount, but we wanted smart phones and didn't
anticipate using enough data to warrant paying as much as Verizon
wanted. After many years we bid a fond farewell to Verizon proper and
went to Pageplus. We now have four Android phones on Pageplus. My kids
have Wi-Fi at school, at home, and most places they go, but there's
always 3G data available if they really need it.
I used international roaming on Verizon once, in Taiwan, before I could
get a prepaid SIM card (for a few years Taiwan stopped 7-11 from selling
them and you had to go the wireless carrier's office which had bankers
hours). When I used to go to Korea a lot, Verizon did not yet roam there
and I had to rent a phone (which was cheaper than international roaming
anyway).
> I have been with VZW since 1995 with a 3 Watt bag phone on Bell Atlantic
> Mobile. I have had great customer service and support with the exception
> of two instances, one of which was resolved by another phone call and
> the other by credit. I think that's a pretty good track record. At this
> point in my life, I'm not willing to try Page Plus' less than stellar
> reputation for customer service.
I had "Verizon" when it was GTE Mobilnet, back in the 1980's.
I have observed no difference between the level of customer service
between the two. Verizon was fine, but not stellar (often giving out
wrong answers to questions), and Pageplus is about the same. Pageplus
doesn't constantly fawn over you with platitudes. My concern with
Pageplus is that Verizon will eventually tire of the relationship and
not renew their contract, and Pageplus customers will end up on second
rate carrier like Sprint. But then I can always go back to Verizon.
> Just keep in mind, Dick: the world revolves around smart people taking
> money from stupid people.
In some cases the people aren't really stupid, just clueless. Many
people simply don't care about spending a few hundred dollars extra
money per year for no reason. They have sufficient money that throwing
some away is of no consequence.
Some of us, apparently, feel that the amount of money we have is
immaterial, we don't want to give it away to any major corporation for
no good reason, and tend to be incredulous that there are people that
don't think like us. I.e. some people put down Richard Gilbert because
he wastes so much money on Verizon for so little actual use, but it's
really his decision on how to spend his money. He doesn't want to switch
to Pageplus, for whatever reason, he is perfectly happy paying the
subsidies for the phones he doesn't get, and that's great for him. By
overpaying by so much he helps keep prices down for others.
Verizon must think that it's very amusing that some people will stay
with them for years and years without going under contract, and never
take advantage of the subsidies they pay the company each month.
SMS wrote on [Mon, 21 May 2012 12:13:38 -0700]:
> On 5/20/2012 5:35 PM, Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
>
>> Just keep in mind, Dick: the world revolves around smart people taking
>> money from stupid people.
> don't think like us. I.e. some people put down Richard Gilbert because
> he wastes so much money on Verizon for so little actual use, but it's
> really his decision on how to spend his money. He doesn't want to switch
> to Pageplus, for whatever reason, he is perfectly happy paying the
> subsidies for the phones he doesn't get, and that's great for him. By
Maybe he keeps meaning to ask his Travel agent's advice on a new handset?
Perhaps he wants to read about it in the paper?
Do you receive a 4G signal "way the heck south"? If not, when will you?
Months from now? Years from now? What would you do with a 4G phone that
you don't do with your current phone? Watch movies? Or do you just want
some useful apps to run faster?
Ultimately I think we'll all be on some form of tiered pricing (ala
satellite TV). If I understand the change over to data tiers in the next
few months, 3G phones can remain unlimited, but 4G phones purchased after
the "change over" will no longer be eligible for unlimited. What is less
clear, is whether there will be some sort of term limit on existing
unlimited contracts regardless of phone type. As stated above, depending on
how you use a 4G, it might even be cheaper.
Confused: What Do I Do? 
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