Script For Escaping Verizon Contracts Without Fee, Based On Text Message Rate Raises
Use this aggressive step-by-step script for leaving your Verizon contract early, without paying $175, in under 30 minutes.
No longer will Verizon get to think they can carve their logo in your head for life.
The play turns on Verizon's recent raise in basic text-messaging rates from $.10 to $.15. We've laid out these steps before, but we enjoy Roosh's confrontational style. He created the script based on previous Consumerist posts and comments. He talked to three different reps in thirty minutes. Within an hour after hanging up, his phone was off.
Read how it's done, inside...
Roosh writes:
I canceled my verizon wireless service without a termination fee today. It took about 30 minutes and I had to talk to three people.The tier 0 rep said she was transferring me to another department, but it was really just another tier 0 rep who was reading prompts. He said, "I will be more than happy to cancel your contract, but you will be charged $175." He tried to say texting was a feature and not part of the service. I escalated to a supervisor.
Supervisor first tried to sell me a text messaging plan. I told her I shouldn't have to pay a monthly fee to compensate for their increase. Then she said she would give me an UNLIMITED text plan for the remaining life of my contract. That caught me off-guard but I remained angry and pointed out that once the contract is over, I'd still have to pay more.
She then said, "Okay well now I see that you want to cancel no matter what for other reasons, instead of just the text messaging." Maybe she reads this site, I thought. But I stayed firm and said, "You can think whatever you want to think, but I am telling you I'm cancelling because of the text messaging increase. I'm angry that Verizon can just increase text messaging prices by 50%."
So she did it and my phone is being cut off within 24 hours, no termination fee.
I typed out a calling script and wrote down good answers to what would be common questions. Call prepared, be firm, and you will be free.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You will have a lot more difficulty arguing this if you're on a text-message plan. Be sure to cancel any text-message plans first before attempting.
Verizon Wireless Cancel Script
1. Note this section:
If you are not currently subscribed to a Messaging Package, beginning March 1, 2007, the price for sending TXT Messages to the U.S., Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico - as well as the price for receiving TXT Messages from anywhere - will increase from $0.10 to $0.15 per message. The price to send an International TXT Message will remain $0.25 per message. If you do subscribe to a Messaging Package, your package rates will stay the same. Please consult your Customer Agreement for information about rate changes.
2. Call Verizon at (800) 922-0204
3. Ask them if the change applies to you. They will say yes.
4. Say, "I was also reading this section in my customer agreement," and read this aloud:
Our Rights To Make Changes Your service is subject to our business policies, practices, and procedures, which we can change without notice. UNLESS OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WE CAN ALSO CHANGE PRICES AND ANY OTHER CONDITIONS IN THIS AGREEMENT AT ANY TIME BY SENDING YOU WRITTEN NOTICE PRIOR TO THE BILLING PERIOD IN WHICH THE CHANGES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR SERVICE AFTER THAT POINT, YOU'RE ACCEPTING THE CHANGES. IF THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE.
5. Say, "Because this 50% increase in text messaging has a material adverse affect on me, I would like to cancel my contract without a termination fee."
6. Escalate to supervisor when Tier 0 peon tells you to fuck off.
Answers to likely ploys:
VERIZON: "You don't have to use text messaging."
REBUTTAL: "But text messaging is part of the service that is spelled out in my contract for $.10 a message, which you are changing. As you can tell from my past usage, my network of friends and family have been using text messaging to communicate with me so even if I don't send any out, I will still be charged your 50% increase rate to read text messages, which I will continue to get and read because that is how people communicate with me. Plus not being able to text message would be an effective reduction in service, which is not what I signed up for."
VERIZON: "The increase is not materially adverse"
REBUTTAL: " Wrong, it is. If I'm sending or receiving an average of 100 texts/month (check my history for this because it is a conservative estimate), then your 50% increase is costing me $5 a month or $60 a year. My monthly bill is $55 a year, so if I decide to send Verizon one less payment each month, would they consider that adverse? Of course they would. You would cancel my service and send the amount to debt collectors. I'm confident any court of law will find $60 to be adverse. "
VERIZON: "Still, this is not materially adverse."
REBUTTAl: "Nowhere in your contract does not give a concrete definition of materially adverse. I'm telling you this is materially adverse, you know it's materially adverse, and I'm confident a court of law will side with me that it is materially adverse. What is the point of a contract if you can just arbitrarily increase prices by 50% and then tell users they can't cancel even though it's spelled out in that very contract? "
VERIZON: "Sorry we still cannot cancel your contract."
REBUTTAL: "I tried to be reasonable but I have no choice to fight this. You know I'm in the right. I will file a complaint with the FCC, BBB, and my state attorney's office about what I believe is fraud. You are not honoring a contract that you agreed with me, and this is not fair. I'm asking you nicely, can you please cancel my contract without termination fee, like it says I can do in my contract?"
VERIZON: "Sorry, we still cannot cancel your contract."
REBUTTAL: "Can I please have you name and ID number? I will be contacting your VP of Customer Service, Barbara Trinko, and complaining about the level of service you have provided with me today. Then I will call back tomorrow, and every day after that until you decide to change your mind. I will also offer you updates on the complaints I will be filing after I get off the phone with you."
VP customer sevice
Barbara Trinko
barbara.trinko@verizonwireless.com
Her assistant
Cindy Granroos.
cindy.granroos@verizonwireless.com
phone: 480-783-5052 or 602-206-6882
Now that you've canceled Verizon, you may want to sign up for a new cellphone provider. Check this post, "Wireless Number Portability: How to Keep Your Number" if you want to keep your phone number.
