Exiting a Verizon Family Share Plan

[Weequay]

I have a Verizon Family Share Plan with two phone numbers on it. My tactic to get me a new iPhoen without paying $175 was to drop the Family Plan down to an Indiviual Plan by keeping my wife on Verizon, but take my number to AT&T. This way I would have two $40 plans on two carriers as opposed to one $90 plan on Verizon.

However, when I asked Verizon about this, they said that the plans are attached to the phone numbers. And since I brought my wife onto my plan, my phone number is attached to it. They said that by dropping my phone number or taking it to another carrier I would voilate the contract.

Anyone else trying to do this? Anyone have any suggestions on how to fight this or sidestep it? I would appreciate any thought on this matter.

I think it is a bunch of bull since I would still have a contract with verizon, just without one of my numbers.

Thanks for your time!
-Mark

 

[skyman]

I have a Verizon Family Share Plan with two phone numbers on it. My tactic to get me a new iPhoen without paying $175 was to drop the Family Plan down to an Indiviual Plan by keeping my wife on Verizon, but take my number to AT&T. This way I would have two $40 plans on two carriers as opposed to one $90 plan on Verizon.

However, when I asked Verizon about this, they said that the plans are attached to the phone numbers. And since I brought my wife onto my plan, my phone number is attached to it. They said that by dropping my phone number or taking it to another carrier I would voilate the contract.

Anyone else trying to do this? Anyone have any suggestions on how to fight this or sidestep it? I would appreciate any thought on this matter.

I think it is a bunch of bull since I would still have a contract with verizon, just without one of my numbers.

Thanks for your time!
-Mark

And now you know way Verizon sucks! I have been with Verizon for over 3 years and my contract is up in July. I can't wait to dump them.

But with that said.... AT&T customer service sucks too.

 

[Weequay]

And now you know way Verizon sucks!

Ha! Oh I know why veizon sucks

They have a crappy unveriversal user interface, a horrible voice mail system, they cripple all the cool phone features (bluetooth!) and make you pay extra for them, and their phones can't sync with my mac.

My personal favorite is how I get charged twice for all text messages sent between my wife and I... once to send and once to receive ($.30 per). Family Share Plan my a$$.

-mark

 

[MBHockey]

I have a Verizon Family Share Plan with two phone numbers on it. My tactic to get me a new iPhoen without paying $175 was to drop the Family Plan down to an Indiviual Plan by keeping my wife on Verizon, but take my number to AT&T. This way I would have two $40 plans on two carriers as opposed to one $90 plan on Verizon.

However, when I asked Verizon about this, they said that the plans are attached to the phone numbers. And since I brought my wife onto my plan, my phone number is attached to it. They said that by dropping my phone number or taking it to another carrier I would voilate the contract.

Anyone else trying to do this? Anyone have any suggestions on how to fight this or sidestep it? I would appreciate any thought on this matter.

I think it is a bunch of bull since I would still have a contract with verizon, just without one of my numbers.

Thanks for your time!
-Mark

My father has a three-way family share plan for my brother, myself, and my mother on Verizon. I did research for a good two days and figured out a way to get out of my verizon contract with no termination fee and keeping my number. I called up, and after about 30 minutes it worked. So those other two numbers are still on there, and mine is going with me to AT&T for the 29th.

Read this thread on another forum for all you need to know:
http://forums.macosxhints.com/showthread.php?t=73319

Let me know how it works out!

 

[ps49556n]

Based on what you tell me you SHOULD be able to do what you want, but in reality Verizon probably does that a line in the contract that covers this type of scenario. I am sure many others have tried this to get around an early termination fee.

 

[MomPOM]

That sucks. That's how they get you, unfortunately. Hope you can find a solution that doesn't cost so much.

 

[soloudinhere]

on family share plans, each line carries a termination fee. If you drop your wife down to an individual plan, you will pay $175 to terminate your line, and you will reset your wife's contract end date by two years. You are effectively extending her contract, and terminating yours. They are treated as two separate contracts because in fact they are (each line does have its own contract.)

 

[Weequay]

on family share plans, each line carries a termination fee. If you drop your wife down to an individual plan, you will pay $175 to terminate your line, and you will reset your wife's contract end date by two years. You are effectively extending her contract, and terminating yours. They are treated as two separate contracts because in fact they are (each line does have its own contract.)

Wow, that double sucks. I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for filling me in. Looks more and more like I'm best off waiting until November. This will be tough.

If I drop both numbers from the contract at once, I only have to pay one $175 fee right?! If not that would be ridiculous.

-Mark

 

[MBHockey]

Wow, that double sucks. I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for filling me in. Looks more and more like I'm best off waiting until November. This will be tough.

If I drop both numbers from the contract at once, I only have to pay one $175 fee right?! If not that would be ridiculous.

-Mark

Mark, read my post above...

 

[Weequay]

Mark, read my post above...

I did, and it sounds like it might work. I will definitely check my statements to see if there is an issue I can press. But I don't know how much pain I am willing to through with Verizon to get an iPhone now. Not good with conflicts.

Of course it's worth a shot. I hope I haven't already shown my hand though, since I did e-mail them a description of my situation and hopes. I did not mention the iPhone, but I think thats obvious.

-Mark

 

[soloudinhere]

No, if you take a close look at your contract there is a $175 fee per line to terminate. If you terminate both lines, you pay $350.

 

[MBHockey]

Yes, but not when Verizon voilates their own contract...which was the case for me and how I cancelled my one line with 8 months left and no termination fee.

 

[joe]

I'm in a similar situation with a Verizon family plan with my wife's phone, my phone, and a data card. She just used my line to upgrade her phone because it was the only one that was eligible.

 

[soloudinhere]

Yes, but not when Verizon voilates their own contract...which was the case for me and how I cancelled my one line with 8 months left and no termination fee.

There is a remote possibility of doing this right now but because it involves roaming in a specific country it is nearly impossible to do. Even so, it generally requires terminating the whole contract, not just one line, since it's very difficult to argue that the contract change is a material issue to one line but not another under one person's name. It's different if they screw you over for something like an admin fee, and that is outside the window of opportunity at this point. Technically neither you or the poster on the other forum were guaranteed anything, as the terms of verizon's contracts state that if you continue to use the service after the effective date (in this case, it was april something) that constitutes a material agreement to the charge. The time has long passed for the original poster to try to do this for that specific reason.

I have done this before and let's just say it's not the easiest thing to do.

 

[MBHockey]

If you read the link in my first post of this thread, you will see that I have already terminated one of the numbers on my family share plan due to Verizon increasing the administrative charge without notifying its customers, which constitutes an "adverse effect" on me, the customer, and grounds for getting my line terminated early with no penalty.

To get only one line cancelled, I used this fact as leverage. Let me cancel just this one and I will leave the other two with Verizon. They agreed.

Also, why has the time long passed? He hasn't posted anything about which dated bill his admin charge increased. Where are you getting this information from?

 

[Weequay]

These are some good points... I'm glad we are discussing this. I too will hold the option to keep one line with verizon in my back pocket as last minute leverage. I'm just gonna have to roll up my sleeves on this one.

Anyone know how I can even view my Verizon contract? I can't find it online when I log in. Another great exacple of Verizon's "customer last" businesss practices.

-Mark

 

[thinkart]

sounds illegal. you own your phone number and any carrier can transfer it. however if they have some legal bs surrounding family plans that sucks. companies like that tend to piss me off enough to dump them completely. i'm on tmobile's fam plan and taking both lines over to AT&T (and actually adding a couple more lines). this should be a fun bill to pay

 

[soloudinhere]

If you read the link in my first post of this thread, you will see that I have already terminated one of the numbers on my family share plan due to Verizon increasing the administrative charge without notifying its customers, which constitutes an "adverse effect" on me, the customer, and grounds for getting my line terminated early with no penalty.

To get only one line cancelled, I used this fact as leverage. Let me cancel just this one and I will leave the other two with Verizon. They agreed.

Also, why has the time long passed? He hasn't posted anything about which dated bill his admin charge increased. Where are you getting this information from?

It says that the charge appeared on his april bill, and he was notified in january. If you look at the effective date, which was March 15, you will note that if you made or received any calls after that date, that constitutes an acceptance of the change. Verizon can be nice and let you out of your contract, but they don't HAVE to unless you find a change made with an effective date AFTER today. For example, there is a material change with an effective date of July 1 that you could use, but it will be hard to explain that only one line in your plan will be traveling to mexico, even though they're both in your name.