Device payment plan not explained very well
jstuart83
Newbie

I was wondering if anybody has tried the device payment plan.  My wife went to try to trade in her 64 gb iphone 4s on the new iphone 5 64gb and use the payment plan to pay off the balance.  He looked at the account and told her it was no problem but after he went through the steps were denied.  He said that our account was perfect and we only had one late payment in 2 years.  He told me straight up he had no idea what was going on and that we were the first one they had tried to do at that store.  He called COOS which has something to do with the payment plan and they told him we weren't approved because the system said so but could not offer an explanation, I don't think its a credit problem we both have pretty good credit.   So he put in an Emil to somebody higher up for his district that is suppose to be able to let us know whats up.  He told me that if they couldn't get me and my wife approved than the plan was going to be pretty much useless.  He did say that it said something about an existing upgrade but looking at the account we cant upgrade till June and the contract was officially complete in October.  The only thing I can come up with is that the payment plan is not useable if you are still under contract or the system is glitchy.  Anyway does anybody have any success stories I would be intrested  to know if you were still under contract or not.

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Re: Device payment plan not explained very well
tikibar1
Community Leader
Community Leader

Wonder if it's because "The Device Payment Program is a payment plan that lets you purchase a new full priced smartphone" and you have a trade-in? 

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Re: Device payment plan not explained very well
jstuart83
Newbie

Im not sure I asked customer support and my manager buddy at the store and they both seemed that you could still do it with the trade in.  It would be in essence the same as putting a down payment.  It would be nice for a Verizon rep to chime in and explain things better.  Your comment does make sense that could be the way its set up and Verizon has just not informed there people to the exact details.

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Re: Device payment plan not explained very well
jstuart83
Newbie

I talked to a rep yesterday on the phone and it seems like your only allowed if your not under contract. I don't know if this is true there still seems to be some confusion but in my situation it makes since we're still under contract. If it is it would have been nice for that to be spelled out.

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Re: Device payment plan not explained very well
Not applicable

I haven't seen the details of the new plan, but from what I have seen, it's an alternative payment method vs paying full retail price upfront for a new phone.  I have not seen anything about trading in old phones and certainly not if they are still under contract.  You would have to finish paying for what you already owe first.  Also, having missed or late payments anywhere on your account at anytime would be problematic.

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Re: Device payment plan not explained very well
21stNow
Master - Level 1

jstuart83 wrote:

I talked to a rep yesterday on the phone and it seems like your only allowed if your not under contract. I don't know if this is true there still seems to be some confusion but in my situation it makes since we're still under contract.  If it is it would have been nice for that to be spelled out.

This isn't inline with what was stated in the press release.  I copied the relevant text below:

  • Customers also have the option of purchasing a phone at full price at any point before their contract expires and beginning April 21, some devices will be available for purchase through the Verizon Wireless Device Payment Plan.

from: http://news.verizonwireless.com/news/2013/04/verizon-wireless-upgrade-statement.html

Maybe the "some devices" part doesn't include the iPhone 5.

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Re: Device payment plan not explained very well
MacBreez
Newbie

I tried this today with the Blackberry z10. The sales associate stated that the system wouldn't allow it to be placed on the device payment plan as it was not eligible. Apparently Verizon needs to be more specific. On the website http://support.verizonwireless.com/faqs/Features%20and%20Optional%20Services/device-installment-plan... it clearly states "fully priced smartphones, tablet....". There is nothing there that says "some".

I also spoke with Customer Service who said the z10 should have been able to be added on the payment plan.

Either the system needs to be updated, or Verizon needs to explain this to ALL of their employees how this plan is supposed to work. And yes I am eligible to use the device payment plan since I have no overdue or past balances on my account.

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Re: Device payment plan not explained very well
21stNow
Master - Level 1

According to your link, the Z10 (and the iPhone 5 from my previous post) should be included in the eligible devices.  There is the restriction that the smartphone has to exceed $349.99, but your Z10 would qualify for that.

This sounds like a training issue for the store associates.

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Re: Device payment plan not explained very well
jstuart83
Newbie

That's not true if you buy the phone at full retail then they can do a hardware swap without affecting the current contract. True you are still under contract but they don't care which device you use. The other posts did shine some light according to what I just read the contract doesn't matter.

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Re: Device payment plan not explained very well
pharaoh
Enthusiast - Level 3

21stNow wrote:

This sounds like a training issue for the store associates.

Could very well be true if the store employees don't mention this part of the Device Payment Program:

Are there any additional charges for the Device Payment Program?

Yes, there’s a charge of $2.00 per payment for 12 months or until your balance is paid in full, whichever comes first.

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