Verizon Turning People Away?

[Vihzel]

Pretty good, controversial title... huh?

I was wondering if Verizon is actually able to turn people away from buying the phone at full retail price. I remember before when the Droid X was about to release that some Verizon stores around my area (in CA) told me that they wouldn't be selling the phone to people who want to buy it at full price at first. Thankfully, I didn't have to deal with them since I bought my Droid X at Walmart (for a lot cheaper too). Now that this phone is releasing and there's no Walmarts around me, I'm a bit worried that Verizon would actually say No again.

Are they actually able to do that though?

Is it really lawful to refuse to sell an electronic device to someone just because they'd prefer to sell it to someone that is upgrading or entering a new contract?

Perhaps I could just tell them that I sold my old phone so now I'm phone less in NYC?

 

[dguy]

They won't stop you from buying it but they would MUCH rather sign you up for a contract. I've bought phones from them at full retail for a while and will be with the Bionic tomorrow.

 

[AurJohn]

Is it really lawful to refuse to sell an electronic device to someone just because they'd prefer to sell it to someone that is upgrading or entering a new contract?

I'm pretty sure what you describe wouldn't be unlawful in any way; they can refuse to do business with whoever they want.

Nice title btw

 

[multanii]

how come you would want to buy a Verizon phone off contract anyways? When your ging to be using the service anyways. I couldnt even think of paying 600 bucks for a phone off contract.

 

[charlie310]

I don't know what surprises me more: people are actually going to pay full retail price for this phone or Verizon refusing to sell it at full retail price.

BTW, Vihzel. You know your avatar is like 6'2", 200lbs. She's a Russian Bear Wrestler.

Please, don't ban me. You, know I only kid.

 

[hkklife]

how come you would want to buy a Verizon phone off contract anyways? When your ging to be using the service anyways. I couldnt even think of paying 600 bucks for a phone off contract.

That's a pretty limited point of view Many of the folks who bought a new VZW phone in the past year are still under the terms of that contract and not eligible for a discount on a new device yet. Additionally, you have situations where someone might break their phone and not have an extended warranty on it, so they'd have to either buy a used device (E-Bay, Craigslist etc) or pony up full retail.

Since they canned 1-year contracts, VZW has actually lowered the full retail pricing of their smartphones. I'd much rather pay $600 for a Bionic than an iPhone 4, for example!

Now, with all of the deals being offered by Costco (and likely some other merchants too) it would make the most sense to buy a Bionic on contract but if the initial reviews are good and I could justify the $, I would definitely consider buying a Bionic at full price while I wait for my discount eligibility next year.

My rationale being that I would likely get more use out of a full-featured smartphone with LTE than I would with having a 3G smartphone and a wi-fi tablet.

I know when the Droid X launched and was in such short supply last year, I did hear stories of VZW turning people away from purchasing it at full price, but I think that policy varies from store to store (and from manager to manager). Same thing with the iPhone on VZW launch earlier this year.

 

[schimm]

I tried buying it today at Verizon at both a retail store and via phone. They would not sell it to me at other than retail price. I've owned the Droid X since it was first released (14 months) and am being told I am not eligible for upgrade until March. Also they tell me if I try to buy retail, those stores will have access to my Verizon contract info and will not sell it to me for the promo price you are seeing everywhere......$299. In effect they are telling me that the $299+ 2 year contract is not true unless you are eligible for an upgrade. Which I guess is 20 months for a two year contract. I don't plan on paying $600 for a phone....perhaps this will turn out OK when the Prime comes out later in the year and I can shave two or three months off my March upgrade date.

 

[Vihzel]

Considering that my current phone on Ebay right now will sell for over $450, the difference will be minimal for me. The difference in price will be around $150 or so to get the Bionic. So I'm not buying a brand new phone for $600 but more like $150.

 

[schimm]

Not much demand on ebay for the X.

 

[bigbabys]

Considering that my current phone on Ebay right now will sell for over $450, the difference will be minimal for me. The difference in price will be around $150 or so to get the Bionic. So I'm not buying a brand new phone for $600 but more like $150.

Except that if you bought the phone on contract you could pocket the difference from selling your phone on eBay. Or keep it as a backup

I'm getting my Bionic "free" because I'm selling my X

 

[Travisimo]

Yes, while some may balk at paying full retail price for a phone, others are completely willing. Why? For one reason, it allows us to upgrade more frequently. I typically buy a phone at full retail, sell it after 6-9 months and upgrade to something new. The phone I'm selling usually has pretty good resale value yet after 6-9 months, and I can recoup a good portion of the new phone's price. With the Bionic, in particular, the 2-year contract price is already quite pricey at $300.

So I think the best thing to do (if you know you're going to stick with Verizon and want to upgrade frequently) is to buy your first Smartphone on contract, then upgrade at full retail in 12 months, then renew your contract at upgrade pricing 12 months after that (and so on). If you're a bit more aggressive in upgrading (like I am), you can do 1 discounted upgraded followed by 2 full retail upgrades and sell your old phones at a higher resale.

What I'm doing this time, however, is adding another line for my son (who will be using our old feature phone). In this way, I can get the Bionic at discount and then switch the phone to my line and activate the old feature phone on his line. Then, I'll probably steal my wife's upgrade early next year (she doesn't care about having a new phone) and upgrade again. LOL.

 

[schimm]

Except that if you bought the phone on contract you could pocket the difference from selling your phone on eBay. Or keep it as a backup

I'm getting my Bionic "free" because I'm selling my X

I'd like to know who is willing to buy an X for $300. No demand on ebay and the Verizon buy back program doesn't even bother to list it.

 

[engineer2001]

I'd like to know who is willing to buy an X for $300. No demand on ebay and the Verizon buy back program doesn't even bother to list it.

You may be surprised what people will pay for phones on eBay. I sold my Blackberry Tour for $150 (and my wife's for $100+) to get my "buy one get any free" Droid Incredible and the Droid2 for my wife for $150. I made money upgrading. And at the time, the Tours were almost free with contract.

People don't like contracts. They want to get a decent phone for X dollars now with no obligation to pay any money in the future.

If my Incredible died, and if I wasn't eligible for an upgrade, I would totally buy a Droid X on eBay.

 

[bigbabys]

I'd like to know who is willing to buy an X for $300. No demand on ebay and the Verizon buy back program doesn't even bother to list it.

Completely stock X's are going on swappa for $200. Mine is rooted + has the extended battery + zagg screen protector + extra battery + Car Dock + home dock + 2 cases + car charger

 

[schimm]

$100 buckos it looks like. Certainly not $300. In dog years the phone has been superceeded now by such a margin that it's ehhhh, 60 yrs. old in my guestimation. Give or take.

 

[schimm]

Completely stock X's are going on swappa for $200. Mine is rooted + has the extended battery + zagg screen protector + extra battery + Car Dock + home dock + 2 cases + car charger

I've never heard of swappa....will have to check.

Edit....yer right. Any tips/hints on using this service?

 

[bigbabys]

I've never heard of swappa....will have to check.

Edit....yer right. Any tips/hints on using this service?

This will be my first time using it to be honest. I heard about it from these forums though and everyone had good things to say. I am going to list on eBay as well with a reserve and see how it plays out. You can pull your listing from swappa at any time, it works more like craigslist than ebay (there is no bidding)