Well I feel stupid. Cell phone customer service

[everafter07]

I think you get 3 days or something to cancel your plan. There is a $20 per line per month charge for phones with a device payment plan and $40 per line per month charge for phone with no device payment plan, if I'm not mistaken. I just went through that myself.

[hulley]

They are good at spinning things, for sure. I'm sorry you feel like you got taken. I hate Verizon with the fire of a million suns, but they are the only choice for coverage at my home and work so I am stuck. When we switched, it took 4 whole days to get our phones to the point where they were usable, after many trips to the store and 4+ hours on hold with customer service.

1 thing - you probably have a 7-14 day window to change your mind. You can bring the phone back and cancel this agreement.
2 - I had the iTunes password thing on my macbook (although not with another email, that's super weird!). I would see if Genius Bar at an Apple Store could advise on that. On my Macbook it was an issue with my Keychain Access. I Googled a solution. Took about 15 minutes to figure out.

[WOUNDTIGHT]

Jul 5, 2016 16:51:09 GMT -5 fn2187 said:

oh and one more thing. My "New" phone keeps having a pop up that says please enter your iTunes password and it gives somebody else's email address!!! Does this mean this phone was used??

It sounds like your phone was "refurbished" and not actually new.

[mrsdoe]

I do think you have 3 days to cancel it. I had a situation where something I was promised I wouldn't have to pay showed up on my first bill. I called and they got a supervisor on the line quickly who apologized and said the store person didn't have the authority to give me certain accessories (that were supposed to be free). Anyways it was an hour of my time but they apologized profusely and took care of it.

[scout8]

I would head right back to that store and talk to a manager. Explain that this was not what you were told and be a complete pest until they agree to let you out of the deal.

[dr.girlfriend]

I feel like when I switched I got info on cancelling the plan within 3 days. Also, be very careful, some of those monthly plans specify that you DO NOT OWN THE PHONE at the end of the contract -- you're basically "leasing" the phone and if it gets damaged you owe the full amount. So, there's no credit if you want to upgrade at the end of that time period. I know for our iPhones they cost a ton but we can usually resell or trade them for a few hundred dollars if we want to upgrade.

[everafter07]

Jul 5, 2016 17:08:09 GMT -5 fn2187 said:

Jul 5, 2016 16:52:58 GMT -5 everafter07 said:

I think you get 3 days or something to cancel your plan. There is a $20 per line per month charge for phones with a device payment plan and $40 per line per month charge for phone with no device payment plan, if I'm not mistaken. I just went through that myself.

yes!  This is what he was getting at.  But my bill still came to $15 higher per month for 24 months.  and the phone would have only been $89.99 outright.  

Hmm, is the device payment what is making the bill go up? You get one bill, one time only for the first device payment (like you said you did), and then the amount is lumped in with your bill every month. It's a PITA and I agree it feels like they're taking full advantage. From what I understand, no cell provider lets you have the phone anymore, and just pay for service. They all make you buy the device now too.

[sfy]

You shouldn't feel stupid. They make it as confusing as possible. I agree you should go back to the store, however.

[screwedup]

Jul 5, 2016 20:40:53 GMT -5 everafter07 said:

Jul 5, 2016 17:08:09 GMT -5 fn2187 said:

yes!  This is what he was getting at.  But my bill still came to $15 higher per month for 24 months.  and the phone would have only been $89.99 outright.  

Hmm, is the device payment what is making the bill go up? You get one bill, one time only for the first device payment (like you said you did), and then the amount is lumped in with your bill every month. It's a PITA and I agree it feels like they're taking full advantage. From what I understand, no cell provider lets you have the phone anymore, and just pay for service. They all make you buy the device now too.

I have google Fi as my wireless carrier.  You do have to buy the phone (they only support the Nexus phones).  However, it's super clear what you're buying, what you're paying for and for how long.  I cannot say enough good things about Google Fi.  Also, the service is great!

[MauMau]

Jul 5, 2016 16:51:09 GMT -5 fn2187 said:

oh and one more thing. My "New" phone keeps having a pop up that says please enter your iTunes password and it gives somebody else's email address!!! Does this mean this phone was used??

Totally sounds used to me. Did you watch them take it out of the box. At ATT I watched them unseal the box. But I suppose even a refurbished would be sealed. I would screenshot this iTunes pop up and immediately bring back to the store. That is ridiculous.

[mrsjuleshs]

That does sound refurbished. They way our plan is structured is that the data plan is $100/month and we both have iphones (me a 5S DD a 6). The access on those is $40/month per line. The cost of the new phones are $29/month for the first 24 months but we also get a $25/month bill credit for the phones. Mine is paid off and I get the $25/month credit for as long as I have the plan and I can upgrade and cell my phone at any time after. She still has some time on hers. I am now paying about $160/month for both phones with 15 GB of data.

[yentl]

That's frustrating. How long have you been with Verizon? I called to get a good deal on a loyalty plan that isn't advertised. I feel like if you are thinking about switching, try that route instead.

FWIW, I always talk with them on their online chat about deals and whatnot so I have a good record of this stuff. But they are tricky about fees. I also absolutely hate the new phone buying structure. It just adds to the madness.