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Article | Verizon Wireless Phone Service Contract | Mar 2009 | M.McKennedy

“The iPhone is going to be available in Vermont?”, I thought to myself.  “How can I get out of my Verizon Wireless phone service without spending $175 per phone?”  I was not optimistic.  I thought for sure I would have to ride the contract out until it’s end date before I could get one of Apple’s ground-breaking iPhones but that is not the way it turned out.

A year ago or so, Vermonters who make a habit of purchasing all the latest tech gadgets began hearing rumors of the possibility of the iPhone becoming available in VT, thanks to AT&T.   Then the it hit, and wireless phone service via the iPhone became a reality and the sweet little gadgets began popping up all around me.  By the end of last month is seemed that about 50% of the people I know were flaunting their new iPhones.  I knew that I wanted one.  Way “back in the day” I was one who purchased a Palm Pilot (the m100) and the iPhone is like the Palm Pilot on steroids (without the same type of side-affects caused by steroids) so I knew that it was only a matter of time before the ‘want’ became the ‘want really bad’.

I began searching web forums to find out what it takes to break a Verizon Wireless phone service contact.  I knew that there was a possibility that I was in a unique situation.  I live in a rural area here in Vermont.  There is approximately 5 miles of dirt road between me and any sort of paved road.  Phone service in my neighborhood just doesn’t exist with Verizon.  It never has.  I had tried 2 other providers (Nextel and Unicell) before I switched to Verizon and none could provide service but I stuck with Verizon, basically because it was the last attempt at finding a carrier who could provide reception in my home and since it didn’t I just accepted that as ‘the way it is’.  So my question was, could I break a Verizon Wireless phone contract due to not getting phone service at my home?  The answers I kept reading said no.  I still had several months left on the contract and I didn’t feel that spending $175 per phone (I had 2 on the plan, so really, $350) to break my contract with them, plus $200 for the iPhone (plus activation feeds and all that) but I decided to pursuit it anyway.  The iPhone was just too damn cool to not have one!

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I composed a calm and friendly email to Verizon Support asking them to cancel my service without any termination charges due to the fact that I had to drive about a mile down the road just to use my mobile phone.  I had been with them for more than 6 years, always paid my bill on time and used only a fraction of the air-time minutes per month.  Even the Verizon website service locator map shows my area as a no-service zone.  Again, I was not optimistic…I hit the send button and instantly saw this reply land in my inbox.

“Thank you for contacting Verizon Wireless and using our online customer service to address your needs. We welcome the opportunity to assist you. We have received your correspondence and will respond to your inquiry within 24 hours.“

I patiently waited 23 hours and 50 minutes and then began wondering if they were really going to contact me back at all.  That day, after I left my neighborhood and drove into my phone service area I saw that I had a voice mail.  It was a woman from Verizon explaining to me that since I did not get service there would not be an issue discontinuing my service (in other words, breaking the Verizon Wireless phone service contact without paying $350 to do it).  The funny thing is that she left the message on the phone that doesn’t get service!  What was she thinking? I wanted it in writing though, so I responded to Verizon’s first automated message saying,

“I have not heard back on this and it has been over 24 hours.  I curiously await your response.“

A few hours later I received this:

“Thank you for contacting Verizon Wireless through our website. My name is (Rep Name), and I would like to apologize for the delay in responding to your e-mail. I am sorry to hear you are unable to receive service in your home area. I can definitely understand your concern regarding your service in your home area and I will be happy to review this information with you. Due to industry regulations, it was too early to contact you upon receipt of your e-mail. I will attempt to contact you today after 1:00 p.m. to discuss your e-mail, however, if you would like to speak with a representative, our Customer Service is open from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (EST) and can be reached at 1-800-922-0204.

Since you are in an area that is not serviced by Verizon Wireless you may choose to cancel your service prior to fulfilling your Customer Agreements, which ends/end on 08/10/2009.

If you wish to cancel your service, please reply to this e-mail and we will submit a disconnect order for the last day of your current billing cycle 03/18/2009. If you would like your service canceled at a later date, please specify the date in your reply to us.

Please be aware that pursuant to your Customer Agreement, canceling your service prior to your agreement end date will result in your being billed an Early Termination Fee of up to $175.00 per number canceled. However, we will credit this fee since your address is outside of the Verizon Wireless service area. We have confirm your new address is in an area with no coverage or is in an extended coverage area, your Verizon Wireless service can be terminated, and any early termination fees waived.

We also offer the option of transferring the liability of your wireless numbers to other individuals. Please be aware that changing the Account Owner information will require a new Customer Agreement for the new Account Owner.

To begin the process of changing the Account Owner information, please reply to this e-mail with the new Account Owner’s first and last name and the wireless phone numbers he/she will be assuming so that we may grant permission for the new Account Owner to assume the lines on your account.

A credit check on the new Account Owner assuming liability of the line(s) on your account will need to be completed, and upon approval, a new account number will be created in the name of the new Account Owner accepting liability. Additionally, the new Account Owner may be required to accept a new one-year Customer Agreement. The new Account Owner can view the Verizon Wireless Customer Agreement by clicking on the “Customer Agreement” link at the bottom of the following website: www.verizonwireless.com

Once the new Account Owner views and accepts the Customer Agreement, he/she may contact us at 1-800-922-0204 to complete the transfer of service.

If you are interested in still canceling your services, please reply to this e-mail and I will process your request.

We appreciate your business and thank you for using Verizon Wireless products and services. Should you have additional questions or concerns, please reply to this e-mail.

Rep Name

Internet Response Team Coordinator

Wilmington, North Carolina

Needless to say, I was very excited.  Within minutes I found myself on the AT&T website playing the order for my new black 8G iPhone.  There was even an input box for transferring phone numbers from an existing service provider to AT&T.  I happily placed the order.

Later on that day I received a very polite call from Verizon explaining that my service would be turned off on the 18th and they thanked me for my years of being a customer.  I thanked them for making the termination process so simple.  The end result of all this is YES, you can terminate your Verizon Wireless contact early, without paying any fees if you do not get phone service in your home.

Now all I can do is wait for my new phone to arrive so I can spend hours upon hours gazing into the glossy black finish of this new toy, ahhh, I don’t mean toy, I mean necessary communication device.

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