Carrier Verizon $35 “activation fee”

[DougFNJ]

Noticed when my bill came in, it was $35 higher. Saw the charge for “activation fee.” I haven’t seen one of those for YEARS, and I’ve always made sure they were waived.

I Called Verizon to confirm that I went from a simple swap of a SIM card which was more convenient to no sim and them trying to charge me? No phone call to do it, simple setup on phone, no way I’m paying it. I was nice, but firm in my stance. I have 3 devices on the 1 account, landline, internet, and TV on Fios. The guy told me the best he could do is a $15 credit. I told him I’m not paying a dime for activation. That $20 will cost them thousands when I cancel if they think they will nickel and dime me and force me to pay it. I asked to speak to a manager.
$100 refunded towards this bill, moved my line to the same service but adds Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ for free, and more GB towards my hotspot.
Don’t let them charge you this bogus fee.

 

[jntdroid]

Noticed when my bill came in, it was $35 higher. Saw the charge for “activation fee.” I haven’t seen one of those for YEARS, and I’ve always made sure they were waived.

I Called Verizon to confirm that I went from a simple swap of a SIM card which was more convenient to no sim and them trying to charge me? No phone call to do it, simple setup on phone, no way I’m paying it. I was nice, but firm in my stance. I have 3 devices on the 1 account, landline, internet, and TV on Fios. The guy told me the best he could do is a $15 credit. I told him I’m not paying a dime for activation. That $20 will cost them thousands when I cancel if they think they will nickel and dime me and force me to pay it. I asked to speak to a manager.
$100 refunded towards this bill, moved my line to the same service but adds Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ for free, and more GB towards my hotspot.
Don’t let them charge you this bogus fee.

So this wasn't an upgrade or new device, it was literally just switching between using a sim card to using an e-sim, in the same / already active phone?

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Another reason why I have no doubt the SIM free iPhone 14 for the US was a tactic by Apple and Carriers under the guise of technology progression. One of many reasons my yearly iPhone upgrades stopped with the 13 series.

T-Mobile will start charging a $35 fee on all new activations and upgrades

T-Mobile may be joining rivals Verizon and AT&T by introducing an $35 charge for all new postpaid activations and upgrades,

www.engadget.com

 

[jntdroid]

I've just never understood the activation fee. Maybe it helps cover some charges involved that we don't see. But even still, it's basically saying, "We're going to charge you to bring your business to us, or keep your business with us." 🤷‍♂️

 

[antiprotest]

So this wasn't an upgrade or new device, it was literally just switching between using a sim card to using an e-sim, in the same / already active phone?

Yes. I also got charged $35 by ATT.

 

[DougFNJ]

So this wasn't an upgrade or new device, it was literally just switching between using a sim card to using an e-sim, in the same / already active phone?

It was a new iPhone 14 Pro Max I paid in full from the Apple Store. I upgraded from the iPhone 13 Pro Max I purchased last year without any fee. That replaced the iPhone 12 Pro that didn’t incur any fee 2 years ago, etc.

I have an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch all on the Verizon network that I’ve been faithfully paying every month, not late once for over 15 years. I have Fios for 5 years. I don’t appreciate being nickel and dimed.

 

[DougFNJ]

I've just never understood the activation fee. Maybe it helps cover some charges involved that we don't see. But even still, it's basically saying, "We're going to charge you to bring your business to us, or keep your business with us."

It’s all profit. We are going to bang you $100-200/ month for services, PLUS whatever we will bang you for the monthly cost of the over $1k phone over so many years to keep you here for the long haul. I am not against a corporation making money, but what exactly could justify $35 by me porting my service from 1 5g device to the next 5g device all done in seconds during setup vs removing the sim from 1 and placing it in the next?

If your carrier is hitting you with this, call them and politely let them know you aren’t paying it, and request they waive or refund it.

 

[iStorm]

Another reason why I have no doubt the SIM free iPhone 14 for the US was a tactic by Apple and Carriers under the guise of technology progression. One of many reasons my yearly iPhone upgrades stopped with the 13 series.

T-Mobile will start charging a $35 fee on all new activations and upgrades

T-Mobile may be joining rivals Verizon and AT&T by introducing an $35 charge for all new postpaid activations and upgrades,

www.engadget.com

I don't think eSIM has anything to do with this. It applies to SIM-based devices too. I have a friend that got a used/secondhand iPhone 13 a couple months ago. He just put his existing SIM card into the new phone and got hit with the activation fee...because it was a new device on his line/account.

 

[ValerieDurden]

Criminals.

 

[iStorm]

Criminals.

Right? I wonder if this is something the FCC can look into, or if anyone is looking into it. Seems like it should be illegal condemned. I can understand there being an activation fee for a new SIM/eSIM with new line or account; but not when transferring an existing SIM or eSIM.

Imagine if landline companies said "Oh, I see you have a new phone on your wall. $35 please!" Or ISPs "Oh, I see you have a new router. $35 please!"

 

[webkit]

If you buy from Apple and connect with certain carriers at time of purchase, you can also get a $30 "connectivity discount." For example, the regular ("connect later") retail price of a 128GB iPhone 14 is $829 but drops to $799 if you connect to AT&T, T-Mobile/Sprint or Verizon at purchase. The $30 discount doesn't apply to all carriers or all phones.

 

[webkit]

Right? I wonder if this is something the FCC can look into, or if anyone is looking into it. Seems like it should be illegal. I can understand there being an activation fee for a new SIM/eSIM with new line or account; but not when transferring an existing SIM or eSIM.

Imagine if landline companies said "Oh, I see you have a new phone on your wall. $35 please!" Or ISPs "Oh, I see you have a new router. $35 please!"

As long as the carrier is reasonably upfront about the fee, I don’t see why it would be illegal.

The Verizon website states the following:

We charge a one-time $35 fee per device activated or upgraded on the Verizon network. This fee applies regardless of the device type, since each device is set up individually:

• The activation fee is a one-time charge for activating a new line of service on the Verizon network. This includes when you bring your own device (BYOD).
• The upgrade fee is a one-time charge for changing to a new device on the Verizon network. This fee is refunded if you return the device within 30 days of the date of purchase.

 

[chikorita157]

If you buy from Apple and connect with certain carriers at time of purchase, you can also get a $30 "connectivity discount." For example, the regular ("connect later") retail price of a 128GB iPhone 14 is $829 but drops to $799 if you connect to AT&T, T-Mobile/Sprint or Verizon at purchase. The $30 discount doesn't apply to all carriers or all phones.

If you get a 14 Pro or Pro Max, it’s the same price regardless you connect it through a carrier or not. It seems that they don’t charge extra this time compared to when I upgraded to a sim-free 11 Pro, which is $50 extra. Unless there is a good deal with the carrier that offsets the activation fee, just get it through Apple sim-free if you going for the Pro models.

 

[Tripps9000]

It was a new iPhone 14 Pro Max I paid in full from the Apple Store. I upgraded from the iPhone 13 Pro Max I purchased last year without any fee. That replaced the iPhone 12 Pro that didn’t incur any fee 2 years ago, etc.

I have an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch all on the Verizon network that I’ve been faithfully paying every month, not late once for over 15 years. I have Fios for 5 years. I don’t appreciate being nickel and dimed.

I left Verizon 9 years ago because they where being jackasses with my bill so I know how you feel

 

[iStorm]

As long as the carrier is reasonably upfront about the fee, I don’t see why it would be illegal.

The Verizon website states the following:

We charge a one-time $35 fee per device activated or upgraded on the Verizon network. This fee applies regardless of the device type, since each device is set up individually:

• The activation fee is a one-time charge for activating a new line of service on the Verizon network. This includes when you bring your own device (BYOD).
• The upgrade fee is a one-time charge for changing to a new device on the Verizon network. This fee is refunded if you return the device within 30 days of the date of purchase.

I get that. "Illegal" was a poor word choice on my part. "Condemned" seems more fitting, and I have updated my post.

What is this "activation fee" even used for though? Is it just a relic from the old days when someone actually had to do something to activate a device? I remember when my parents would get new phones in the late 90's/early 2000's, the phone activations weren't instantaneous...the rep would usually be on a call with some other technician to get them activated. Also, until recently, we used to be able to just swap SIM cards when changing to a new phone, but now they seem to be doing it by device regardless if you're using the same SIM/eSIM.

 

[usagora]

As long as the carrier is reasonably upfront about the fee, I don’t see why it would be illegal.

The Verizon website states the following:

We charge a one-time $35 fee per device activated or upgraded on the Verizon network. This fee applies regardless of the device type, since each device is set up individually:

• The activation fee is a one-time charge for activating a new line of service on the Verizon network. This includes when you bring your own device (BYOD).
• The upgrade fee is a one-time charge for changing to a new device on the Verizon network. This fee is refunded if you return the device within 30 days of the date of purchase.

Correct--as long as the fee is in writing, then no one really has any room to complain when they agree to the service.

 

[DougFNJ]

Here’s the other thing. Let’s say I upgraded my phone, and hypothetically we swapped around phones in the household. Wife gets the 13 Pro max, daughter gets wife’s iPhone 12, son gets daughter iPhone 11. Is that now $140 worth of “activation fees”? If not, what’s the difference between me activating my new phone, and wife activating my old phone on her account?

I would really like to understand the justification for what exactly is behind the cost of the $35.

 

[DougFNJ]

Correct--as long as the fee is in writing, then no one really has any room to complain when they agree to the service.

When the cost of everything around us is rising, and a company is inserting a new charge for the same process that cost nothing for years and calling it a fee, we have every right to question and complain.

Silly question, if one day you went to get gas, and on the window of all the gas stations, you saw a new $10 pump fee. Or if you went grocery shopping, and saw the new $5 scan fee, or the new real life 3% credit card fee we are now getting acclimated to paying as everyone keeps pushing towards cashless, do we just mindlessly keep paying these expenses without question because it’s in writing?

 

[usagora]

When the cost of everything around us is rising, and a company is inserting a new charge for the same process that cost nothing for years and calling it a fee, we have every right to question and complain.

Again, if they state the fee will be charged and you decided to move forward anyway, then you have no right to demand it be removed. And if you didn't read over the terms and conditions, then that's on you. If this was a fee that they failed to inform you about, then that's different, but I doubt a big company like Verizon with plenty of in-house lawyers is going to make such a fundamental mistake.

 

[clueless88]

Interesting that folks are charged an activation fee when moving to a new phone. I have coverage through an MVNO, so I bought a new unlocked iphone from the Apple store. The unlocked phones are $30 more than an ATT, Verizon, etc locked phone.

The MVNO did not charge an activation fee when I moved the SIM card to the new phone. I don’t think the MVNO charges for sim activation either. I guess it all evens out in the end. I now feel better about the upfront $30 differential.

 

[BF1M]

Verizon? Yea, I don’t believe they gave you $100 bucks for complaining.

 

[DougFNJ]

Again, if they state the fee will be charged and you decided to move forward anyway, then you have no right to demand it be removed. And if you didn't read over the terms and conditions, then that's on you. If this was a fee that they failed to inform you about, then that's different, but I doubt a big company like Verizon with plenty of in-house lawyers is going to make such a fundamental mistake.

And yet in the end I got the fee refunded along with an extra $65 plus some new paid for services for free as a bonus. No lawyer called, no yelling and screaming, just solid points made.

We are now at a point where our phones are becoming necessities. Enough people complain, changes get made.

 

[DougFNJ]

Verizon? Yea, I don’t believe they gave you $100 bucks for complaining.

I really don’t personally care what you believe. I have better things to do with my time than to randomly post some weird lie for no reason at all.

Funny thing is as I type this, I just received the text from Verizon confirming my $100 credit.

 

[webkit]

If you get a 14 Pro or Pro Max, it’s the same price regardless you connect it through a carrier or not. It seems that they don’t charge extra this time compared to when I upgraded to a sim-free 11 Pro, which is $50 extra. Unless there is a good deal with the carrier that offsets the activation fee, just get it through Apple sim-free if you going for the Pro models.

Correct. That's why I mentioned that the discount doesn't apply to all. In addition to excluding Pro and Pro Max models, it also excludes the SE. I'm not sure why it isn't included on all iPhones.

 

[clueless88]

It seems that a lot of companies for corporate good will refunds various charges, fees when contacting customer service. The majority of consumers will not even check their bills or even if they saw the $35 fee would not bother to call the toll free number or initiate a chat. It seems to me that a 5-10 minute investment in time is well worth the $35 refund. If one is considerate and polite it's amazing what a CSR can do for the customer. If one goes in with an edgy attitude the CSRs can put up the shields extremely fast and just start cutting and pasting the "NOPE" script.