Need to Upgrade Early...

[theblackabbot]

I need to upgrade early and get rid of this enV Touch.  It has been driving me nuts of late with quirks and it has never lived up the hype of being "app friendly."  A droid would be much better for me, especially since I'm in the healthcare business.

What can I tell these Verizon people to let me upgrade just two months early?  I mean I've got money to spend on an Incredible and the increaed service fee just puts more of my money into their pockets and after having talked to these people, I still can't get an upgrade.  It is nonsense that these people don't want to take my money early.

What suggestions do you have for me to get an upgrade 2 months early.  It is not like this is 6 months early or anything.  And my phone has been giving me problems....

[spottedcatfish]

Ask them if you are eligible for any special promotions.  If you are not, you almost certainly cannot upgrade early, even if you are increasing the value of your plan.

Here's why:  For better or worse, when Verizon gave us the perk of being able to change our plan whenever we like without extending our contract, they took away our ability to bargain by increasing the value of our plan.  It's that simple.

There's a small chance that you may be able to get a CS rep that will be sympathetic and be able to change your upgrade date, it seems VERY uncommen, but possible.  I think it will probably take more time than it's worth.  You have a working phone, stick it out for 2 months.  There are some nice smartphones due to come out this summer, you may find yourself with the next generation Droid if you want for your contract to finish.

[cthunder067]

What the above poster said. I think if you went with the Touch that long, 2 more months isn't going to kill ya. Instead use the 2 months to reach the smartphones you are interested in. And or do research on the 2 upcoming smartphones due out in July or August.

[hellorockview]

My best friend had an enV Touch. She was having all kinds of problems with it. She didn't always receive phone calls or text messages, had difficulty charging, and the charger actually broke. I'm not sure if there were any other issues.

However, she did go into Verizon to complain. They didn't do anything for her since she wasn't supposed to get another phone for a year. She ended up adding another line for $10 a month and get a BlackBerry. That was the only way she would be able to get a new phone at a discounted price.

Before I got my Motorola Droid, I actually called Verizon to see if I could get a new phone only two days before my upgrade date. The person I spoke with at the store flat out said no. She said I have to fulfill my full contract before I was eligible for a new phone.

I'd say just go in and tell them the problems with the phone. And cross your fingers they'll be nice and give you an early upgrade. Good luck.

[pand3tte]

Go to a different VZW store.  All it requires is a manager approval.  I had my plan upgraded almost 10 months early due to issues with the Envy Touch and I just had a good salesperson.  Thus it all depends on who you can speak with; the right person will give you an upgrade.

[jenn571]

I've read (in other forums) of plenty of people who were able to upgrade early when the DInc came out.  They were mostly w/in 1  month or  so of their upgrade though, some were actually months away from their upgrades and were able to get it pushed to get the DInc.  Are you talking about your NE2 (2 yr upgrade) upgrade or an early annual upgrade on a two yr contract?  I'm the primary acct holder on my family plan (just hubby and I) and my NE2 upgrade wasn't until Feb 2011.  Since I'm the primary line/acct holder and have a phone plane that is eligable, I can do an early annual upgrade.  My early upgrade date was June 13th, but I also really wanted the DInc when it came out.  I emailed customer support about this and asked if they can push my early upgrade to "now" and they totally hooked me up.  I got an email the next day saying they moved my early upgrade to that day, I just had to forfeit my NE2 discout, a whooping $30.  I decided to get the Motorola Droid instead and I'm loving it.  I say go ahead and send them an email and explain how your phone is crapping out and not reliable, etc and be nice about it.  They may just give you that early upgrade.  By no means am I saying that they will definitly push your upgrade date, but it never hurts to try.  GL!

[AZSALUKI]

you can also buy a refurb. yeah, it'll cost $....but you can get a moto droid for $289 (and the media...non-smart phones are much cheaper....the allias II was $110). or buy a phone on ebay. use it for a few months, get your upgrade, then sell the phone.

[TheGreatOne]

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AZSALUKI wrote:

you can also buy a refurb. yeah, it'll cost $....but you can get a moto droid for $289 (and the media...non-smart phones are much cheaper....the allias II was $110). or buy a phone on ebay. use it for a few months, get your upgrade, then sell the phone.

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A refurbished phone is WAY cheaper then buying a completely new droid. You save bucks that way.

[crystal71978]

I had an EnV Touch that I was having multiple issues with.  I called a few times and complained to Verizon.  The last time I called I asked them how much to terminate my contract--they asked why and I said i'm not eligible for upgrade and this phone is junk--he talked to a manager and offered me an early upgrade (but had to pay 1 year upgrade pricing which is like 70.00 more on the phone).  I ended up just adding a line to my plan because it worked out cheaper in the long run. 

[theblackabbot]

Plenty of good advice in here, but since I want the HTC Incredible and it ain't shipping out until late June, I may as well just wait until 31 July.  By then, hopefully, that new Moto Shadow will be out and that will drive the price of the Incredible down a few dollars.  Perhaps another new Droid device will appear and make the Incredible less desirable in the face of the Shadow and whatever else comes out.

So far, the CS people have not budged on the renewal date.  I could have told them that I was walking to ATT and gotten the upgrade moved forward, but without any way of getting an Incredible any time soon, there is no point in playing the "change service card."  I'll just have to wait I guess.

The LG enV Touch never, ever lived up to the hype VZW gave it.  What angered me the most was that about a month or so after I got the Touch, the Droid came out and I got hosed.  Paying a monthly fee to use apps on phone is madness - that is why I am so looking forward to the open source nature of the Droid.  It will so much more useful.