Melanie

So I got a new phone 2 weeks ago, LG VX7000 (or something like that), and yesterday I was playing tennis and there was a downpour. Needless to say my phone was in my bookbag which because of all the rain got soaked. So the phone doesn't even turn on, we have insurance so I need to send it out and pay $50, all of which I am fine with because it was my fault not theirs, BUT.......


I want to switch my number to an old phone so I have a cell for the next couple of days, they tell me effective as of YESTERDAY they now charge $15 to switch the number, something they used to do for free. Its not so much the price as it is the fact that my family pays them $120 every month for the past 5 years, has bought atleast 3 new phones 1-2x a year and they wont switch the number.


I know its only $15 but up until literally yesterday it was free, this is like when they started last year charging to switch over your contacts when you got a new phone. I'm seriously thinking of switching providers because of this.....



end of rant, thanks for letting me vent, this really pissed me off

Xenogen

They always charged $10 in NYC and NoVA for the phonebook transfer. If your like me and have 200 contacts....pay the money. I once tried to be cheap and put it all the numbers myself....I gave up and just paid the $10. I do think that $10 is alot of money for a phonebook transer...they do nothing special with the phone for that price.

gsrblack

let the phone dry...it may work again.

also, if you've only had it 2 weeks, take it back to verizon and tell them it's not working. they should replace it for free and switch you over to the replacement phone.

if you still want to change to your old phone, try calling up their customer service, they can probably do it for free...very easy, just changing the esn numbers

Shawn S

He’s not talking about PHONEBOOK numbers, he wants to switch the phone’s number to another phone.

I just did this on Friday when I got my 8100 and they told me about the new fee starting yesterday that I just beat.

Sucks…. They’re always nickel and dimeing you to death. !!!

mikeymobiles

or u can go on verzionwireless.com and do it yourself...through MY ACCOUNT

they did this so they free up the stores and dont have people waiting...

Your not the only one who wants to switch phones...you have to multiply that amount of people by about a 100 every day....which gets nuts if you think about it...

And cingular charges the same amount...

Melanie

They won't do it for free over the phone either, 3 different people over the phone told us they wont let the number switch without the $15 and no one seems be authorized to override it. I understand if they dont want ppl backing up the stores doing this but over the phone should be free.

As far as getting a free replacement, no dice. The phone was obviously submerged, the water damage was very noticeable. I wasnt expecting them to give me a new one, 2 weeks old or not it was my fault, not a malfunction with the phone. I was just pissed that they couldnt as a courtousy switch the phone after 5 years and so much money.


The good news is that I called this afternoon for the insurance that they felt bad about them not switching the phone so ill have my new phone tomorrow before noon. for the insurance place

mikeymobiles

They also dont want people waiting for customer service over the phone for hours...because you call just to switch your number and for the avg user it takes them 20 mintues just to find the serial number on the phone.. so they want people to be able to do it themseleves online...

and i didnt think they would replace the phone...(thats why you have the insurance...which is a good thing)...

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

<--- VZW employee.. yes u can do it online under your account... just get the correct ESN and enter it in then run *228 on the phone for over the air programming...

if the 15$ really that bad... call cust service and bitch and complain.. tell them how u have many lines and yesterday was first day they charged.. can they credit it back to u.. they will usually do it for u..

Xenogen

I dont think verizon negotiates.

vp911

They do. You just have to get to a decent rep.

Like somebody else said, go to verizonwireless.com sign into your account and go to activate phones.. you can switch to an old phone for free on there. If it gives you an error, then call vzw and say it gave you an error online and they will do it free.

mikeymobiles

Where do you work in jersey or texas?? reseller or direct?

Melanie

Did that, it gave me an error, called and they said even if I do it myself through the website (which it wouldnt let me do anyway) that I would have to pay no matter what. And we talked to atleast 5 ppl today and no one would budge on the fee.

Its not that $15 is somethign I cant afford, its the principal of it - I needed a phone for 2 days max and they wont do it, its not like we dont pay these people every month, I expect like Shawn said, not to be nickled and dimed over something as simple as switching the phone.


Oh and Mikey, I know you didnt say try and get a new phone, someone else mentioned it - it was just so obvious what the problem was that I knew that I had no chance.

vp911

Sadly you got stuck with some incompetent reps. If you check over at howardforums.com there was a thread a while ago about the ESN change. There are people who change their ESN twice a day on the website without being charged. (I have also done the same). The couple times I had problems with the online ESN changer I called and they gave did it free.

Either way, I agree, you should not be forced to pay a few bucks for something so simple that takes all of 10 seconds to complete.

Sorry to hear about the problems, at least tomorrow you get a new phone.

Melanie

Thanks for the tip, I'll definetly check out the forums in case I ever need to switch the phone for any reason, I dont know why the website wouldnt let me switch it

While it is annoying they wouldnt do it ou really cant argue with Verizon coverage, where I live and where our summer house is (upstate NY) no one else can really compete

Berner

mel.....you know some of us here work for verizon. just pm me next time you need anything. ill take care of it

Melanie

Ok so the insurance co messed up and my phone wont be here until tomorrow so I tried to online thing again, it didnt work so I called the number and finally talked to someone whos not an idiot. After literally like 5 different people this guy gave me the right info and said since I did try to do it online and it wouldnt work that he would wave the fee and set it up for me. So I was told the wrong thing by the guy last night about even if you do it online that you have to pay.

So for the verizon guy I talked to, like you guys said its all about getting a customer service person that is knowledgable and friendly.

So thanks everyone for the advice!!!

mikeymobiles

You beat the system..... :