Wheelin' and Dealin' on the data plan?

[OcalaFlGuy]

Has anyone had any luck and if so, how much, dickering VZN DOWN on the $30 data plan in xchange for a re-up?

Let's hypothetically speaking say someone were to get a better deal from an in store person but one not quite good enough, do you think it would do any good to try VZN on-line and see if they would come down a few dollars More than the (hypothetically speaking ) better deal.

Thanks in advance for the nOOb help.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

[gvillager]

Has anyone had any luck and if so, how much, dickering VZN DOWN on the $30 data plan in xchange for a re-up?

Let's hypothetically speaking say someone were to get a better deal from an in store person but one not quite good enough, do you think it would do any good to try VZN on-line and see if they would come down a few dollars More than the (hypothetically speaking ) better deal.

Thanks in advance for the nOOb help.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

VZW doesn't really negotiate on their plans. You'll have better luck getting an additional discount on a phone or accessories.

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

Well, it took 2 phonecalls and leaning strongly on selling them I was heading to MetroPCS, but I think I did a bit better.

Yesterday, I got them to reduce the unlimited data plan to me from $30 down to $20 (hey, every little bit helps here).

Today I got them to remove my $5 a month 250 texts and give me 500 texts a month FREE for the full period of my 2 year contract (she started at just 1 year... ) This still gives me my texting but compensates for the taxes and fees for the added $20 data plan.

Then she got over on me a bit, but what could I do. She said she'd also "WAIVE a full months service" if I'd re-up so I said sure, re-up me.

I had her send me all this in writing. She did kinda hose me. She credited my account only for one month of my BASIC service, $40 instead of what I would say was "a full months service" including the data, taxes and fees. Still, $40 is $40.

Oh, and lastly but certainly not leastly, there is a NEW Droid X on it's way here 2 day mail for $100.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

[Yeahha]

Nice, you must have got someone in customer retention. They will bend over backwards to keep you as a customer if you mention something about cancelling service or say that you have been talking to other carriers.

 

[OcalaFlGuy]

Oh yes, she was a Customer Loyalty person, I had to be transferred to her.

It couldn't have been any better. I told her I was talking to her on my VZN Rzr which I was. Then the VM Optimus I am trying out rang. I told her, "And just in case you think I'd kidding about leaving VZN, that was the VM phone ringing I am trying out."

Sure didn't hurt I think.

Bruce in Ocala, FL

 

[drdoom]

oops wrong thread

 

[Nemesiis]

Verizon charges $29.99 for unlimited data on smart phones. If you follow the directions below you can get the “data promo package” for $9.99 and save $20 PER PHONE.

My household has 2 data phones, this saves me $40 a month.

If anybody else is interested, I’ve cut and pasted the info. Key to getting the deal is emphasizing that you want to cancel and go with Sprint but then you heard about this data promo. If you call it a data plan Verizon will say there is no such thing. Very sneaky.


“Ok so I FINALLY called on this deal. I called *611 and when the menu came up I just said, 'cancel service'. So I got transferred and when the girl picked up the line she asked why I was calling and I said to enquire about the $9.99 unlimited data plan. Then she responded, "you mean the $29.99 data plan"? I said, "no, $9.99". So she humms a little like she's looking through a list (which I doubt very much), and then responds, "I'm sorry but I don't see anything like that listed".

So I says back to her, "well a friend of mine and I were planning on canceling our Verizon service to go with the Sprint $69.99 everything plan"........... and bam, it was like giving the secret handshake, she was as helpful as anyone possibly could be after that.

She asked, "do you know who they called"? And I said, "yeah, they were transferred to the 'Loyalty and Retention' deptartment or something like that... they said the $9.99 data plan was some sort of promotion". Then she asked to place me on hold for a quick second while she looked up that information.

When she came back she said she found what I was looking for, but instead of being a $9.99 data plan, it was still a $29.99 data plan, but the promotion would credit $20 dollars back, per plan (I have 3), so it works out to be $9.99 (so why not just call it a $9.99 data plan? I'll tell you why, so when people call in to ask about the $9.99 data plan, they can act like you're crazy!).

Indeed I did have to upgrade to the 1400 minutes, up from my 700 plan. But you see I get a 19% discount from my employer, so the difference between the 2 for me was $14 bucks... subtracted from my $60 credit means I get to enjoy a $46 dollar savings per month from here on out!

After I was done with her she transferred me to a fellow who would 'give me the details'. He immediately said, "ok so you 're switching from the Sprint $69 dollar everything plan correct"? This tells me you're probably better off throwing 'Sprint' into the conversation early on in your call, as it seems to draw the red flag. I said yes and then he specified that I would enjoy this promotion for as long as I...

A) keep the 1400 minute plan. And
B) keep unlimited data and text messaging on those plans.

It's worth it! Even if you only have one plan, if you're currently on the 700 minute plan the 1400 minute plan is $20 dollars more (unless you have an employee discount), but then they credit you back $20 for the data. So you don't walk away empty handed, you get twice the minutes for the same price... I don't care if you usually only use 200 minutes a month (like me), it's still better. There could always be that one month when you need those extra minutes, you just never know. And besides that I would assume if you ever do add another line and you already have this promo on your account, it would probably pertain to it as well. I can't guarantee that, but I would think it would.”

 

[kyler13]

It's good to know you can wheel and deal to some extent. I'm fine with the month-to-month charges (I am on the family data plan deal), but with the elimination of the one year contract option, the retention department is going to have to eat some of the contract price of a new phone if they hope to keep me as a customer.

 

[david251]

I just called and they told me the only promo they had is a discount of 9.99 per month/ per phone for one year.

 

[Wantin]

They have been hyping a promo for $20 data WITH (already having or going to have to get) the unlimited text. Is this the one?

Is it similar?

We can't get that apparently unless we upgrade our $5 per line 250 texts to unlimited as well. And then, again, it's only down to $20 bucks a line for data.

Can they do better then?

We won't even be bluffing about switching to Sprint as my wife gets a CRAZY deal on top of already cheaper prices. Poor network but...She pays this bill.

So...we're hoping they can come close...obviously they can't match it, but if they could have us not paying a lot more (even with less add-ons) for data on two lines, we'd stay.

So we're not bluffing, and I hope it helps them to help keep us.

 

[jjdementia]

Stumbled across this thread (see: directed by tech savvy son) while looking for Droid X2 information and the data plan costs on Verizon.


My contract was up in February. We were going to upgrade to the Droid X and then my son informed me that the X2 was coming out this summer, so I figured to we'd wait. I've just been coasting month to month because I am locked into $5 unlimited texts (with my son having another line) and looking at the data plans if we got smartphones (we are both using LG Dares). Unfortunately, my phone's touch screen decided to not work, so I will need a new phone rather than it being a luxury.


So getting to the issue, I was wondering if one tried to work this angle, getting the less expense data plan, how would I do that when I am out of contract?

It is possible for me to call and say how attractive Sprint, and have the loyalty department hook me with a deal and get new phones shipped to me with a new contract? Or are they going to say they can't do anything for me since I don't even have a contract right now?

I guess I'm just wondering how to go about this without looking desperate, and coming off as knowledgeable when I talk to the retention department.

Thanks for any advice.

PS - Would anyone recommend a phone other than the Droid X2? I've been looking at some of the them and am somewhat swapped by all the new "android" phones and all their functions. The original Droid X looks huge!

 

[WA_Bob]

PS - Would anyone recommend a phone other than the Droid X2? I've been looking at some of the them and am somewhat swapped by all the new "android" phones and all their functions. The original Droid X looks huge!

Well, depends on what you're looking for. If you're in an area with (or soon to get) 4G LTE, I'd seriously consider the Thunderbolt or the upcoming LG Revolution. The upgrades in speed for data transfers between 4G and 3G are eye popping. If not, The Droid X2 or the Incredible 2 are both getting positive feedback even though they only do 3G.

 

[jjdementia]

Well, depends on what you're looking for. If you're in an area with (or soon to get) 4G LTE, I'd seriously consider the Thunderbolt or the upcoming LG Revolution. The upgrades in speed for data transfers between 4G and 3G are eye popping. If not, The Droid X2 or the Incredible 2 are both getting positive feedback even though they only do 3G.

I live in Midland Michigan, so I'm not sure we are a real 4G priority, at least according to the map on Verizon.com. I take it if I got a 4G phone and no coverage I wouldn't get very good speed? When is 4G coverage going to be widespread?

How fast is 3G to begin with? My son said that a droid X can create a connection for my computer. My internet isn't very fast at home anyhow (something like 1.5 MB/seconds according to my son), despite being DSL so if I got one I could cancel my home internet.

My son also said that 3G might get quicker when people start transitioning over to 4G as less people trying to use the network. I have no idea if that is true, he is a smart kid but a lot of this stuff is beyond me.

 

[drdoom]

tl;dr Despite Verizon's attempts to block it, you should be able to tether just fine as long as you have a good signal and low network congestion. It might also be possible to replace your DSL line with your phone's tethering capability.

Your son is referring to a form of tethering to replace your internet; all android phones are able to do this. The speed you get from tethering will greatly depend on the network congestion around your area and your signal strength. If your network congestion is low and signal is good, then tethering could be a viable alternative to DSL. You would have to get the phone first and run some speed tests and check the signal before you could determine if this will work.

Currently, Verizon has blocked the install of the major tethering apps from the market since tethering that isn't part of Verizon's tethering plan (a ripoff at $20/month) is against their TOS. Having said that, there is no way they can prove you are actually tethering with your phone; they might throttle you if you consume too much data, but you are on an unlimited plan and they cannot charge you extra for using it. Many of us here already have these tethering applications installed and would be happy to stick it to Verizon and give you the installer for them (you can also download them from other sources).

As for the phone you should choose, it won't matter if you get a 4G phone or 3G since Verizon currently has the unlimited plan for both at the same price; having a 4G phone won't impact your 3G signal if you don't live in a 4G area. I'm slightly biased towards HTC because they tend to support their phones better than most carriers (Motorola is a very close second). HTC isn't well known for their battery life though.