I was curious about this myself and did some digging. This is what
Verizon says:
For this charge, Verizon gives access to a range of services, tools and personalized support to help ensure your device is set up for a seamless experience on America's most awarded network:
- 30 days of personalized tech support for smartphones (60 days if purchased online). Upon activation or upgrade, the line is sent a free Verizon text with a 30 (or 60) day link for personalized support.
- Provisioning and troubleshooting of a Verizon SIM card.
- Verizon Smart Setup - Assists in setting up the device, migrating your information, backing up your phone (facilitating content and contact transfer) and helping you process any trade-in.
- 2-day shipping for online orders or ship from store.
I find this a bit funny for a couple reasons:
- They are essentially charging you for support you might need.
- It covers the 2-day shipping, but apparently it's still a flat $35 fee regardless if you purchased it from them or not. (Does Verizon ship the phone when you buy from Apple and select Verizon as the carrier?)
Thank you for posting this as it supports what I've been saying all along, the fee is bogus!
Must had been a fun day in the marketing room trying to maximize the justification for charging every new and existing customer with a new phone $35.
30 days of personalized tech support for the phone. Have you ever called with a problem you were having with your iPhone? I typically call Apple, I know more about these phones than Verizon Tech support calls Ive had in the past. BUT, they are likely more helpful for those converting to iPhone from Amazon, or people like my father who were clueless with their phones.
Provisioning and troubleshooting of a SIM card......these are Sim free. When I did have issues with the Sim in the past, they would just give me another card....I'd put the card in the phone, the phone did all the work
I do my own migration with iTunes, and never have the trade in because their great incentive trade in plans spread the trade in incentives over the monthly bill over 3 years. If I upgrade my phone the following year, I confirmed with them I would lose the 2/3 credit for that following 2 years after. BUT, some have no clue on how to migrate that information and would find this very helpful.
2 day shipping included in that "fee"? it's irrelevant.
The bottom line is I stay with Verizon because the areas I work have the best service. I also stay with them because when I did call them, they took care of it plus some. I don't call a lot, but I do find the customer service is good. They had a lot of issues for awhile with long hold times, they have fixed that.
On the flip side, the more people that call and complain about this bogus fee, the more likely they will reimburse, or at some point remove the fee. These services may be good for some, but they are not good for all, I should not have to pay for what really should be provided in good faith as part of the customer service experience. I can receive most of these same bullet point services for free if I needed them purchasing the iPhone direct from Apple which renders these services 100% useless.