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Unofficial word of Verizon changing more of their policies up has entered the rumor mill: this time, it sounds like they’re just about tired of all these returned phones, and as such will only give you 14 days to change your mind opposed to what most would consider should be standard for any carrier: 30. Why are they doing it? We can’t say because what we’re hearing isn’t official. We will be working to get that information from Big Red, however, but feel free to share your thoughts on this should things turn out to be true. [via Android Central]
First.
I’ll know within 14 days if I want to keep the phone. Much like everyone else in this forum, I would have researched the phone extremely well.
sound like apple is directing traffic here in Verizon too, hahaha.
Yea, that’s more then enough time to know if you want to keep the phone, but sometimes after a month a phone can act different. Like show some signs of bug.
Watch them release the iPhone Verizon then 16 days later comes the Droid Bionic lol.
They’re doing this because the iPhone 4’s crappy hardware :P
the iphone is why. But i agree you know whether you want the phone within 14 days this is preventing people from returning phones if they announce another phone that will be coming out soon after. They are losing money with returns since they have to sell them for cheaper as refurb rather than brand new
My Ace Boom @ VZW told me this on Friday night, his thoughts are that the iPhone will be Released mid month.
Its no rumor, this is happening and has been confirmed in infocenter. Take my word for it, I have a 7 page document talking about this.
they should charge you like an extra $30 when you get the phone if you want to have a 30 day return period instead of 14
i live in BFE so the verizon store is so far out of my way itd be such a hassle to go there twice in a month
They do lose money when customers return a product just because they don’t like it anymore or some other new phone just came out that caught their attention within the 30 day mark period. Fourteen days are enough time for anyone to decide whether they like the phone or not. I always read reviews from either CNET, Laptop Magazine and/or Customer User Reviews from other respective websites.
Not necessarily, Chris. VZW can do what it wants but their only goal is self-serving & not customer based. Thankfully, there’s still BBY Mobile, RadioShack, Cosco, etc. Less expensive than VZW too. VZW has the most expensive rate plans in US overall-so, I’m not feeling sorry for them “supposedly” loosing money. It’s the price of running a business. Wah, Wah.
Why stop there then? 24 hours should be enough time too, right? Just like the new Market app purchase policy. Selfish, plain & simple. Not advantageous, at all for customer experience. Shows where Verizon’s current and future focus lies.
I guarantee you Verizon isn’t hurting. Sure they lose some coin if you return in the 30 day window, but guess what, that is a selling point for many people. Having the peace of mind that you can check out the phone you want is great. Not only that, what if you want to know that you get service everywhere you need service? That is the NUMBER ONE reason I appreciate the 30 days. It isn’t only a sneaky way to give the phone back (for new lines anyway, for upgrades I can see this making a little more sense).
T-mobile has had a 14 day return policy as well(unless u live in california, i think where it is 30) so it’s not like verizon is the only one. I mean i know their customers originally had 30 days but they aren’t the only ones…and most technology has a 14 day return window(mp3 players, computers etc)…
Blah, blah Carmendog. Verizon’s aim is still to screw it’s consumers, not help. Bottom line. Work at a Verizon Indirect kiosk, huh? Lol.
@austin, it looks like you have plenty of money to spare good for you, but verizon already raping to many people and it looks like you like it hard.
Moises: you know if you really have that much difficulty affording a smart phone, you shouldn’t have one. Like that guy claiming his droid 2 cut his ear, and they can’t afford health insurance. What the hell are you doing paying more than 100 dollars a month on smart phones if you can’t afford health insurance??
Priorities.
alex just because i choose not to just give my money away like you want to do it do not mean i can afford a phone, you think that giving your money to a already multi billion company like Verizon it make you worthy of owning a smart phone? so be it i just call people like you stupid.
Costco offers a 90-day return policy on mobile phones. I had issues with my first D2, and they were happy to return/exchange it with no questions asked. They also provide a 1-year warranty, which doubles to two years if you use an AMEX card. I got a phone at Costco for the first time this fall, and I’m sure it won’t be the last thanks to amazing customer service policies.
Makes me wonder what happens when you have issues? In the past they always want to replace it with the same model to see if the problem persists. At least that’s been my experience. And the 30-day clock never reset. They do this and I’ll just switch rather than give anything a 2nd chance.
According to Google 15 minutes is plenty of time, so they might as well make it 15 minutes. ;)
thats why you buy phones from best buy 30 days to return and no restocking fees.. seems simple right? it is
Lol, Brian! It’s 15 minutes for most of us, isn’t it?!? Lol!
14-days is ridiculous! If you are committing to a TWO YEAR contract, why screw the customer with even LESS trial time. I didn’t see mention that this is just for re-signing a term. Yes you may know if the “PHONE” works, but you don’t always know about coverage areas.
Second, the comment about Verizon losing money on it… they will have the same cost lost 14 or 30 days. They have a restocking fee just for that reason. So it’s pointless to reduce the period of time.
Third, the comment about other electronics having it (TV, MP3, computers, etc) do not equate into this conversation. Those items have NO CONTRACT.
People, stop just turning over for big business and saying “oh well”.
Hate to break it to you guys, but this is NO rumor. I know for a fact it is happening and is already being distributed to all employees within Verizon Infocenter. Not only that, NE2 is going away as well as Early upgrades. So some of you may be resorting to Craigslist for your “early upgrade” needs.
7 days will be enough for me.
This is a loss for consumers. I don’t understand how so many of you are siding with verizon in this one. Yeah, 14 days would be enough time for me as well, but I could care less that verizon loses money on returns. They rape you in every other way possible, this is just another way.
If a buy a phone at full retail from Verizon, I would still have 14 days wouldn’t i? Contract or no contract…So i still stand by my statement
Get em carmen, with your fine a$$.
Even 30 days isn’t always enough. I think you should get a little longer than 30 days when a phone is first released. All phones are release with some annoying bugs (and some with bigger ones). I am more than willing to give the phone a chance when the initial bugs are fixed.
I tried the Motorola Droid when it first came out. The major reason I bought it was the keyboard which ended up being a total bust. I was using the virtual keyboard almost exclusively. Overall, it was a nice device and I was still willing to give it a chance; but there were issues with the camera. Verizon announced they had a fix for some camera issues, but they weren’t giving exact details to what they were fixing. The fix was going to be released a couple days after my 30-day device return period. I went to the store to see if they would extend the trial period those couple days to see if the issue I was experiencing was fixed. They would not so I ended up returning it. I was still charged the $35 activation fee (which Sprint does not charge).
I also found it strange they would not give me the extra couple days to see if the issue was resolved. Within a week, they were offering me great deals to come back. You can tell they are a cable company. Charge you up the wazoo while you are a customer, but the moment you leave you get great deals. They would have kept me as a customer if they had just given me an extra couple of two days.
@wolverine
You are obviously indecisive, and will never be happy with a phone. My guess is you would feel you have the right to return a phone six months after signing a contract.
@NIsme, I think @wolverineguy55 makes a valid point. It was VZW that was doing the update so why wouldn’t retail extend his 30 days by 5 more days to see if they can keep him as a customer. Not sure how you came up with your comment.
I’m also with comment 19 by Jawman, I’m always blown away when people side with a company who’s profit margin is absurd. It’s been a while since VZW has done something great for their customers. They quickly are becoming the Country Club of wireless carriers and it’s a club that not all of us can afford.
Time to switch back to AT&T.My Droid X didn’t start acting up until after the 30-day window, and I’ve had to have it replaced for another Droid X. Had I know it would be so buggy, I would have chosen to exchange it for a different phone, which isn’t an option after the return window closes.
Then they aren’t for you. How many car companies let you return a car? Even if they did, they wouldn’t extend it if you didn’t like the fact that the tires still had the little rubber prices on it, and you just wanted a few more days to see if they fall off. Sorry, 14 days is MORE than enough time. Let alone 30. Verizon spends more money than any other carrier on their network (for their customers) don’t like it, don’t sign the contract.
@Nlsme – a phone is not a like a car, first off. Secondly, do you work for Verizon? LOL.
No, I don’t work for verizon. But,i know when I but something, I have to follow the rules of the person I am buying from. I used the car analogy because if the purple saying 30 days isn’t enough for something you buy on a two year contract. Yet, a product that takes 2 to 3 times as long to pay off, and costs upwards of 30 grand doesn’t offer even one day to return it. If you buy a phone the day it of released, you run the risk of it not being what you expected. If you but a phone after it is released, and don’t research it beforehand, you are an idiot. Either way, you have 14 days. Don’t like it, cry me a river. I know I well never run into that problem. I’m an educated consumer who knows when I buy something if I like it. If it is “buggy”I’ll have it replaced with another one.
And the carrier wouldn’t matter to me in this respect, they all have return policies that they clearly state. And some don’t even give you 14 days.
NIsme, please don’t call people idiots when you yourself can’t see that you’re using the word “but” instead of “buy”. The car thing is a poor example. You should compare the buying experience to buying a new Blu-ray player or a small TV because they are similar in price. You also need to stop acting as if you are the only “educated consumer”. I believe most of the people who read/comment on this site are educated consumers and most would be able to figure out if they like or have any problems with a smart phone. The people that this policy is going to screw are the first time smart phone buyers and VZW is about to get a whole new batch of them.
First off, swype. Second, it is the purple on this form saying 14 days isn’t enough. Third I don’t see too many bulky rays for 600 bucks. Any portion that doesn’t research before purchase is an idiot. The car fits because not to many blasts or tvs that are exclusive to the store selling it. Lastly, if you figure in the ENTIRE cost of a smartphone, they become more expensive than most tvs. Sorry the car analogy fits a hell of a lot better then tv’s and blurays.
*People
Had to fix that before the grammer nazi fails at finding flaws in the substance of my post again.
Damn, I fail at swyping today.
@su2lly: I’m with NIsme on this one. People who can’t grasp the concept of Free Enterprise might as well not own a smartphone. Verizon is a BUSINESS that runs by it’s own, HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL, business model. The concept of owning/operating a business is TO MAKE MONEY. Not give product away for free. Also agree that 14 days is more than enough time to know whether you like a phone enough to keep it or return it. As for a phone crapping out at day 31, that’s what TEK warranties are for. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Best Buys instore return policey.
Return and Exchange Period
You can return or exchange purchases within the timeframes below.
14 days for computers, monitors, projectors, camcorders, digital cameras, iPad, tablets and radar detectors
30 days for all other products
45 days for all products for Reward Zone Premier Silver members*
Not much different. You know 14 days after purchase if the camera works for you why not a phone? I don’t see why this is a big deal 14 days is plenty of time.
Its because of the iPhone and here’s why:
-Stupid ATT users switch to VZW for the iPhone
-Love their iPhone
-Notice all the awesome Android’s out there but bash em because they love their iPhone
-Keep seeing Android and start liking iPhone less
-And less
-And less
-Realize it sucks in comparison
-Want to return iPhone for an Android
It won’t take 30 days for anyone to figure out that the Atrix is much better than the icrap and VZW is hoping that it will take them at least 15 days to so they don’t have to take back a used piece of expensive crap that they’ll then be stuck with.
Sorry, but 14 days is plenty, too many people take advantage of the 30 day window. If you buy a phone and it is defective, Verizon will replace it under the manufacturers warranty, usually new, depending on how long you had the phone. I have been with Verizon for years, their customer service has been great. You can figure out if you like it in 14 days. Do your research before you buy, you know you are entering into a two year contract.
It’s always been a 14 day return window for Verzion here. But, why would anyone get a Verizon phone anyway? They’re in violation of net neutrality rules and want exclusion to net neutrality laws! F*** Verizon.
Teckel please hush, you are starting to dribble.
@Colonal Mustard please, please, please save the business 101 lesson to yourself. Can we not discuss things from a consumer point of view without somebody thinking their the only one who knows how companies stay in business?
NIsme you need to give up on Swype. Many “purples” have tried it and don’t like it.
I’m pretty good most days, just got a lil sloppy is all.
And, to be a consumer, you have to deal with a business. Facts of life. Either deal with it, or move on.
14 days is sufficient. but only if they have demos that actually work instead of dummies. Maybe they should have in-store demos and loaners. I got a phone from sprint and it took hte phone about 3 – 4 weeks to start really bogging down and failing to work. Both replacements did the same thing which indicates a poor design that should never have been sold in the first place. this was a Samsung Transform and the phone sucks. It is slow and the Bluetooth stops working but it takes a while.
When they tie phones to providors the providers cannot pretend the fault is the manufacturer. While they still sell crap before it is ripe to satisfy a fickle consumer base and hope nobody notices the crap till after the return period then you are stuck with faulty equipment that is falsely advertised and nothing can be done to hold the provider accountable.
14 days is just enough time to stick you with garbage.
Im with AGx on this.
iPhone is magical
Costco will allow returns on anything…I know someone who returned a 10 year old iMac for almost the original sale price. Sure its great but some people rape the system and frankly people need to do more research if you are unsure about what to purchase. There are limitless resources available on the internet and frankly you shouldn’t be allowed to return something that is functioning perfectly as it was your choice to buy the product. Buyers remorse is a bunch of bullsh*t.
If TRUE, it’s VERIZON showing it’s own ill will toward the handset manufacturers and pushing their KNOWN issues to the consumer! IF VERIZON is selling the hardware then they SHOULD STAND BY the products they promote! Period! 30 days has been the norm, and win/lose choice, they will lose with the ever tightening restrictions on their accounts and the expansion of FEE’s… Tisk Tisk…
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Good Luck to all you Verizon Customers, you’re gonna need it.