Verizon charges $30 for free upgrade to iPhone5

Apple makes the phones.

Verizon sets the terms for it plans.

As to the end of "unlimited" ... it was coming eventually due to large usage of data. New contracts can be initiated with deifferent terms than the old plan.

And a $30 charge is the normal charge that ATT/Verizon/Sprnt charge to activate a new plan.

Cellpohone service providers are not moivated to change their practices until people stop using them en-masse.

Plans age out. Even the same account can be under a new plan when you make a large enough change n phones. And newer plans tend to have lower limits, or at least lower limits for the same thing you paid last round.

Take this up with Verizon. We are just users who can do nothing to change the situation you are in.

AT&T is similar. They call it an "activation fee". I did my upgrade at an AT&T store and the rep said he was glad I did. I too have unlimited and he said the Apple store has been known to mess that up for people sometimes and puts them in a different data plan...since those are no longer offered you are out of luck at that point. Sorry to hear about your situation.

Nothing deceptive about "plans will change".

And you broke the cardinal rule of dealing with entitiies who use written contracts as their business defense ... you failed to read the contract. Ask all questions about all fees you will pay, and what features your *new* (stress the word new with them) plan will have. If they say "same plan as before", you will be happy, but more than likely they will say "new plan, new features".

Next time before you blame the vendor for deceptive practices, please read your new plan and contract and be absolutely sure they were deceptive. More than likely they were just looking out for ther business/usageplan more than you were looking looking out for your own 2-year-locked-in usage-plan.

Honokowai wrote:

Just got my bill after going to my "free" upgrade to an iPhone5. Verizon charges a $30 fee to upgrade the phone. I challenged it with Verizon and they vigorously defended the charge and by the way reduced my data plan from unlimited to 2GB.

That's odd, because I just upgraded my Verizon MiFi and was able to keep the same data plan I had, even though it is no longer offered. It wasn't unlimited, however; it was $50 for 5 GB. The current plan is $50 for 4 GB.

i've never had a free upgrade to an iphone, always had to pay $159 to $199 and a 2 year contract, all of which i'm fine with. however, i was not fine with the upgrade fee or renewal fee or whatever it was. i called att each time and said "i've been a steady customer of yours with 3 family member's iphones, home phone, and internet...why on earth would you charge $36 each to keep using your service, you should be happy i am, not charge me for it"? i also said, "they don't charge a fee to enter the grocery store, for example", and they've removed the charge every time.

I never said the fee was fair. I sai the OP just dawdled an and assumes "free everything" without asking questions. At least until the bill came due.

Never a good way to arrange matters that will affect you and possbly your cerdit (if you do not pay the require fees) for 2 years.

steve359 wrote:

I never said the fee was fair. I sai the OP just dawdled an and assumes "free everything" without asking questions. At least until the bill came due.

Never a good way to arrange matters that will affect you and possbly your cerdit (if you do not pay the require fees) for 2 years.

i didn't say you said the fee was fair, did i? i replied to the original poster, i just double checked to make sure i didn't accidentally reply to you, that it is possible to get the fee removed.

Worse than that, the Supreme Court made the carries not liable to a class action lawsuit. All you can do is either go to small claims court or battle it out on the phone with the carrier. The fee is $50 for a small claims where I live. Total BS.