Sadly, I'm probably going to switch to Sprint

I'd think twice about it,of I were you. Sprint likes to play games
with you. They hang up on you when you call customer service, they
charge you for things you don't even subscribe to, & in the off chance
you get a customer service rep that doesn't hang up on you right away,
they're most likely sitting in an office in India, unable to
understand a word you're saying, anyways (& vice-versa). Yes the
coverage is great. but is it worth having to deal with the headaches
almost on a monthly basis? I've been with them for 9 years, & have
seen them progressively go downhill each year. My contract's up in 5
weeks. I'm already looking around. I have heard good things about US
Cellular. You may want to check them out. Good Luck!!

I heard back from Verizon and they explained to me that because of
federal law, they cant offer one customer a discount and not give it
to everyone. They explained that this is regulated different from
cable companies and otehr services you have more bargoning power
with.

After reviewing my account, they were able to save me $10 a month.

I give them an A+ for customer service handling this issue

Thanks everyone for your well-though-out feedback. Honestly I do not
expect Verizon to match the price. The purpose of this letter was more
to let them know why I am probably leaving.

Yes, there is a reason I dont want to leave Verizon. The reason is I
switched to them after a very bad expirence with T-Mobile. My car
broke down in a bad neighborhood and I had to walk 6 blocks before I
could get even 1 bar on my phone. I told the Verizon rep the story and
they cut me a great deal and I have had no problems with "dead zones"
since. Fast forward to today... I dont know what to expect if I switch
to Sprint. I have been told by co-workers that the coverage in the
area is the same, but I'm very comfortable and confident my current
phone will never let me down.

Yes, I think through any major purchase before I decide and I'm not a
math wiz by any means but I would break even in roughly 3 months
(depending on how much I spend on a phone) even after Verizons ETF
which is currently $90 and declining $5 every month.

I will be porting my number and have already verified that if I end
the contract early, I still can without issues. I'm not going to
terminate service before I have new service that works.

I recieved a call today about this letter from Verizon's "Exec account
office". I called back the guy and left a message. Not sure what to
expect.

The cell phone industry has moved to a practice of not negotiating on
rates, at least in this way. Sprint used to give huge discounts to
people who threatened to leave. No more. Sprint's new official
policy is to have a specific set of plans, a specific set of company
discounts, and if you don't like it... you can leave. And this is the
company that's losing millions of customers.

Verizon, on the other hand, has been gaining customers. AT&T, too.
They generally do not negotiate on pricing. If you don't like what
they have to offer, you can leave.

In part, this is because each company is working to distinguish itself
in other ways. AT&T, for example, is the iPhone company. Verizon is
the "largest network" and "no dead zones" company. Sprint is the
"unlimited plan" company. There are, of course, other distinguishers.
But the point is: if you want a ton of minutes, unlimited text and
data, free navigation... you go with Sprint. With that, you put up
with their ify customer service, generally blah phone offerings, and
spotty service (in certain places).

This all said, there is no harm in asking. Verizon has shown that
they are good about responding to PlanetFeedback letters. At worst,
they will say "no" again.

What you can do, as a last resort, is call and tell them that you want
to cancel. Make it clear why. Do not bluff, because it's quite
likely that they will remind you of the ETF and let you go. But,
maybe, they will hear your explanation and will ask if they can keep
you. At worst, they let you go, which is what you really want. After
all, you seem content with Sprint. So, what do you care what Verizon
says?

Just be aware that if they close your account, you may lose your
number. Make sure to contact Sprint ahead of time to let them know
that you plan to port and to ask them what'll happen if Verizon closes
your account. Most likely, they'll say "sign up now and we'll reserve
your number... wait and you risk losing it."

In other words, since you'd prefer to go with Sprint, why not just
call them and sign up. No risk of losing your number, that way.

Most people would just do it. My guess is there is something about
Verizon that makes you want to stay, or you would not have written
this letter. I doubt they will match that price, and they did tell
you they don't lower the rate to keep customers.

The amount people are paying for telephone, cable and internet is
really vulgar to me. I pay around $19 for phone, $14.95 for DSL, and
nothing for tv.

it's too bad the company is making you pay your own phone bill for
work-related calls.


I say sure, go for the cheaper bill...

but also you might want to consider seeing if the company can
reimburse you or perhaps do one of those "walky talky phones" to keep
in contact with you.

Go for it. If you are getting everything you have now then by all
means switch and speak with your wallet.
And if it is that significant of a savings, you get a new phone, and
you break even within 3 months, it sounds like you have this all
planned out in your benefit.