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Like a lot of people, I recently fell for advertisement and decided to switch phone companies breaking my contract with Verizon. Well Verizon really really doesn't like that. Once I canceled my service, I quickly got a bill for a whopping $440 early termination fee. I served almost a year of my contract so I was under the impression that it had been dropping each month. I certainly wasn't expecting to get slapped with nearly $100 in extra taxes and fees based solely on the early termination fee. When I made the decision to switch, I figured I could just log into my account and pay it off slowly.
Not with Verizon. They immediately terminated my online account. I made a partial payment, but that wasn't enough. After a couple of months, I was told that the account had already been turned over to a collection agency. I called the agency to see what options I had to take care of this debt. The lady clearly told me that if I was willing to pay the balance in full that day, they would knock it down to $323. I agreed. I wanted the discount and relief of being done with Verizon.
So I flipped out the other day when I got a bill from Verizon saying I still owed them $117. Oh they showed that I had paid the $323 but apparently, there was never a discount and I didn't get anything in writing from the collection agency. My big question is why the hell am I dealing with Verizon when they told me that everything was turned over to this agency? Even Verizon customer service won't help me. I feel like I got duped here. Can they really make me pay the remaining balance?
Like a lot of people, I recently fell for advertisement and decided to switch phone companies breaking my contract with Verizon. Well Verizon really really doesn't like that. Once I canceled my service, I quickly got a bill for a whopping $440 early termination fee. I served almost a year of my contract so I was under the impression that it had been dropping each month. I certainly wasn't expecting to get slapped with nearly $100 in extra taxes and fees based solely on the early termination fee. When I made the decision to switch, I figured I could just log into my account and pay it off slowly.
Not with Verizon. They immediately terminated my online account. I made a partial payment, but that wasn't enough. After a couple of months, I was told that the account had already been turned over to a collection agency. I called the agency to see what options I had to take care of this debt. The lady clearly told me that if I was willing to pay the balance in full that day, they would knock it down to $323. I agreed. I wanted the discount and relief of being done with Verizon.
So I flipped out the other day when I got a bill from Verizon saying I still owed them $117. Oh they showed that I had paid the $323 but apparently, there was never a discount and I didn't get anything in writing from the collection agency. My big question is why the hell am I dealing with Verizon when they told me that everything was turned over to this agency? Even Verizon customer service won't help me. I feel like I got duped here. Can they really make me pay the remaining balance?
Try to talk your way out of it, but absent a signed written agreement, recording of the phone conversation or a record of the date, time, and person's name who gave you the info, you don't have legal proof.
So many useful lessons about reading contracts, paying one's bills, making sure the new company pays the early termination fee, not assuming that a corporation will be nice to you, getting it in writing, and expecting corporations to stick the knife in you anyway, all in one incident. If you learn everything that is there to be learned about this, you will level up at adulting.
It's not that they can make you pay it. It's just that they can mess up your life until you do, whether you are right or wrong. Even if you are right, they can afford better lawyers than you can, so you lose anyway. I learned this a quarter century ago when I got t-boned by a woman from India who was too dumb even to know who her car insurance was. Her insurance company and mine agreed that she was 70% at fault (one is considered at least 25% at fault just by waking up in the morning and existing, so that was not so bad). Her company reneged and decided she was 50% at fault. I had no remedy unless my insurance company wanted to fight (in this case, fortunately it did). The only way to deal with these companies is to learn the most important lesson you can from this, which is never to presume that the reality is reasonable or that verbal agreements matter.
What you do is lodge complaints with the Verizon corporate office, your state public service board and the FCC for deceptive practices. Detail everything that you can, including time and date.
AT&T tried to pull something similar on me for about $20 and not only did I prevail, but the cost to AT&T was likely at least fifteen times the amount they were trying to cheat me out of. Seeing the stammering responses to the FCC was justification enough for my spending the time on it.
Like a lot of people, I recently fell for advertisement and decided to switch phone companies breaking my contract with Verizon. Well Verizon really really doesn't like that. Once I canceled my service, I quickly got a bill for a whopping $440 early termination fee. I served almost a year of my contract so I was under the impression that it had been dropping each month. I certainly wasn't expecting to get slapped with nearly $100 in extra taxes and fees based solely on the early termination fee. When I made the decision to switch, I figured I could just log into my account and pay it off slowly.
So much wrong in that one paragraph.
I hope this serves as a great learning experience, for you and for those reading.
You really need to read and understand the terms of any contract you enter into.
I hope this serves as a great learning experience, for you and for those reading.
You really need to read and understand the terms of any contract you enter into.
Agreed. And if you have any questions about how early termination works, call the provider and ask. It really isn't someone else's fault that you assumed incorrectly but proceeded anyway.
Does your new cell phone service provider offer any sort of credit towards your former provider's early termination fee? Some do, so find out. That can really reduce the sting.
Did you get the name of the person at the collection agency or otherwise document the conversation? If not, I would give them a call anyway. Perhaps they can help. Be pleasant but firm. The worst that can happen is nothing and you are right back where you are now.
I hope this serves as a great learning experience, for you and for those reading.
You really need to read and understand the terms of any contract you enter into.
I seriously doubt the details of the contract would have mentioned any of the things I encountered. The contract won't tell you the exact penny that you will owe if you quit their service.
Your post comes off condescending and does not answer my OP at all.
I seriously doubt the details of the contract would have mentioned any of the things I encountered. The contract won't tell you the exact penny that you will owe if you quit their service.
Your post comes off condescending and does not answer my OP at all.
The early termination fee is definitely clearly spelled out in the contract. Otherwise, it would not be legally binding and they could not charge it.
I seriously doubt the details of the contract would have mentioned any of the things I encountered. The contract won't tell you the exact penny that you will owe if you quit their service.
But it does, no matter how seriously you doubt it.
Reading the contracts you agree to would have minimized or eliminated the problems you are having.
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