Cell phone companies are crooks. Why? Same as oil - because they can be. After my 90 minute wait, I present my malfunctioning phone. Instead of doing everything in their power to keep a customer of over 2 years happy, I am told they can do nothing to help me. On the way home, I ponder why Verizon is so unaware, understaffed, and unforgiving…

At first, everything is great. You get a free phone and some doodads, hell, maybe a charger that plays a Billy Joel sound byte every time you plug it in…but is it really worth it? In my state, on the smallest and most inexpensive contract, I still paid 68 dollars a month for phone service. This is with no ring tones and no games.

The only extras? 5 dollars for insurance and 10 dollars for free Verizon text messages. Unless you are operating on a family plan, a cell phone will eat you alive - even with the smallest package.

Say you want to get out of your contract early. Possible? Sure. If you have almost 200 dollars to throw away for your cancellation fee. (TIP: As I have mentioned before, try CellTradeUSA before you cancel a contract. As long as your phone is in good shape, you might find somebody to take it off of your hands without paying the hefty cancellation fee.)

Want to maintain an account with the same company but change plans? (i.e. Remain ITS loyal, paying customer!) You better be prepared for a contract extension.

Problems with your phone from regular wear-and-tear? Pay a monthly fee for insurance? You STILL have to pay 50 dollars to replace the phone! Instead of fixing my phone for me and making more money, Verizon decided it would inure to their benefit to make less money by demanding that I pay.

Let me do some math for you, Verizon.

Situation 1:

  • You piss me off, so instead of renewing my contract this October, I decide to cancel the phone immediately. The next time I get phone service I go through AT&T or Sprint. Anybody that I would convince to get Verizon so that they could talk to me without paying will not become your customer.

Total Profit: $175

Situation 2:

  • You happily pay the $50 dollars for me and do everything in your power to get either my phone fixed or a new phone in my hands A.S.A.P. I continue to be your loyal paying customer, putting at least $55 in your pockets each pay cycle for the next 2.5 years. I possibly convince 2-3 more people to sign up, too.

Up-Front Cost: $50

Total Profit: $1540 - $50 = $1490

Does Verizon know that I can buy 60 shares of AT&T stock with 1500 dollars? I think I might just do that.

I realize I am not discussing the fact that the people at the Verizon store were just ‘doing their jobs’, but that is intentional. Somebody or some committee at Verizon’s corporate office made the rules, so everybody suffers the consequences.

The moral of the story is this: Some people and businesses can’t see the forest for the trees. Never throw away a positive relationship for a petty gain.