Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
RKNE41
Enthusiast - Level 2

Without going into unrelated detail, please explain the fee structure for otherwise identical plans in which

  1. Existing customer purchases a replacement device from Verizon, vs.
  2. Existing customer brings a replacement device purchased elsewhere

By "unrelated detail," note that I am not asking for possible differences related to

  1. amortized cost of the device
  2. trade-ins or rebates
  3. the cost of different data plans, including shared plans
  4. the cost of adding a new line

TIA

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Re: Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
RKNE41
Enthusiast - Level 2

Sorry, was the question too difficult? Let me reword it:

What additional monthly fee(s) will VZW charge if I replace my phone -- not a tablet, not a smartwatch, just a phone -- with one I buy elsewhere. I have not been able to get a straight answer from customer service.

Re: Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
mama23dogs
Legend

There is no additional charge.  You swap your SIM card.   Done. 

You still pay the same as anyone else for service, data and line fees, those are not part of equipment, which is separate. 

You avoid upgrade fee.

Amortization?   Huh?   You own it, you brought it.  No such thing.

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Re: Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
RKNE41
Enthusiast - Level 2

I appreciate your answer, Mother of Dogs x 3. I'd really like to see someone from VZW second your statement, since I trust the company about as far as I can throw it (the plan might have changed in the past day or two, after all). You have no idea how many conflicting, off-topic, even unintelligible answers to that question I've gotten from "support."  One of them went to far as to explain to me that "The account would change, so of course the bill would change." Huh?

Re: Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
mama23dogs
Legend

It’s saturday and forums are primarily customer peer to peer.  You are unlikely to hear from Verizon.

Is there something you left out?   

What are you doing that causes an “account change”?

Example: If you currently have a basic phone, you must upgrade to a plan with data.  That would cost more.

Switching smartphone to smartphone within postpaid there are no changes to your cost.  Same within prepaid. 

New customers pay an activation fee. 

WHAT DID YOU NOT TELL ME?

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Re: Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
joey2007ua64
Contributor - Level 3

New Verzion Plans lock you into a contract with bring your own phones?

RKNE41 wrote:

they increase the line access fee if you're not buying a phone from Verizon. It's $20/month if you are paying for a phone, $40 a month if you bring your own device.

The post you added to this 3 year old discussion is incorrect.  If you are on the New Verizon Plan, your line access fee is $20.  It only increases to $40 if you somehow manage to buy a device on 2 year contract.  Currently only business accounts can purchase phones under 2 year contract.  So if someone transferred their business line with a phone that was purchased under 2 year contract to a personal account, they would have to pay a $40 line access fee until the contract for that device ends.  Did you bring your line of service from a business account?

If you are on the retired MORE Everything Plan, the regular smartphone line access fee is $40.

Just to rule out some bizarre circumstance, what plan are you on and where do you plan to purchase your device?

I'm on the New Verizon Plan Unlimited.  My plan access is $100 and my line access charges are $20.  If I purchase a used phone on Ebay, my line access charges remain $20.  If I purchase a phone directly from the manufacturer, my line access fee is $20.  On June 29, I purchased an iPhone 8 Plus 64GB from Verizon and that line's access fee is $20.  On July 6, I purchased a Google Pixel 2 XL 64GB from the Verizon authorized retailer Best Buy to stack their promotional discounts and my line access fee is still $20(and my device payment is only $6.17/month for 24 months)

RKNE41 wrote:

I trust the company about as far as I can throw it

Then you should just choose another carrier?  I have been a customer for 10 years and have never had any surprise charges on my bill.  The details of all plans are available online. 

Re: Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
mama23dogs
Legend

Joey2007ua_64

Kudos looking for other posts, and BINGO...  what the OP did not disclose makes a difference. 

RKNE41

The old computer saying ”garbage in garbage out” applies.  And that old thread does not apply to you.

If you are buying SERVICE only, that’s all you pay for.  There is nothing tricky and no upcharge for BYOD.

How about we stop playing 20 questions and you actually lay out the full information, so we don’t continue to make bad guesses? 

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Re: Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
RKNE41
Enthusiast - Level 2

As for not trusting Verizon, I've had service with the company since 2004. I fully remember when "upgrade" meant "upgrade," instead of "it's time for you to buy a new phone at full retail price." Remember "new every two"? I do. Now I get full-price phones brimming with bloatware.

I stick with the company because, in my experience, it has the best coverage; not because they treat their customers well. In fact, abrogating support in favor of crowd-sourcing answers is one of the reasons I don't trust them. I'd also like Verizon a lot better if they would reward long-time customers for loyalty instead of treating them like redheaded stepchildren while offering up sweetheart deals for new accounts. Wireless carriers and ISPs are pretty much the same: once they have you enrolled, they ignore you in favor of the next newbie. It's particularly galling to see offers like "four lines for $100" when my two-line plan costs about 15% less for a whoppin' 4GB of shared data. I don't bother to switch because I'm well aware that by going to the competition I would end up with the same support and loyalty issues. It is what it is.

Anyway, when your research turns up someone from the company saying that the per-line charge is exactly the same and that there are no extra fees, let me know. It would be nice if I see find something official, but the only way I can get a price quote from the website is to already have the phone in hand. That kind of defeats the purpose of comparing plans, IMO.

​Content modified as required by Verizon Wireless Terms of Service

Re: Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
joey2007ua64
Contributor - Level 3

I took the IMEIs of phones that I did not purchase from Verizon and entered them into the BYOD plan selection tool.  One phone was purchased used on Ebay and the other was purchased used on Amazon.  For the 4GB plan the total due monthly is $90.  The plan access fee is $50 plus $20 line access fees for each device.  There are no extra hidden fees.

byod4gb.png

Now I selected the current Unlimited plans.  For 2 lines the website says Beyond Unlimited is $80/line with auto-pay for a total of $160.  It is showing $85/line for a total of $170 with a notation that you can save an additional $5 on each line with auto-pay and paperless billing.  Still no extra fees.

byodbeyond.png

I logged into my account and selected add a line on my now retired New Verizon Plan Unlimited.  I chose the BYOD option and the monthly access charge is $20.  No extra fees.

byodnvu.png

Here is a line on my account that is not currently on a device payment agreement.  The line access fee is $20 not $40.

m2m.png

Re: Please provide fee comparison, BYOD vs. device purchase
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

RKNE41, our goal is to provide the information you need the first time, so we apologize for your experience with support. We are here to ensure you do not have any surprise charges. Mama23dogs provided some good information. There will not be any additional charges added to your account when you purchase a phone from another source and activate it. Your account can remain on the same plan as you have now to ensure your cost remains the same. Here is a web page https://www.verizonwireless.com/prospect/bring-your-own-device#/checkDevice that provides the option to ensure the device you purchase is compatible with the Verizon network. Does this help?

David_VZW
Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport
If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!