Verizon cuts 10 phones off of the $350 ETF list

By on Jan 22, 2010 at 7:35 AM
Services January 22, 2010

Everyone and their mothers were up in arms when Verizon announced its new early termination fee policies last year. For a select group of smartphones and “advanced devices,” canceling one’s contract would incur a hefty $350 fee. Customers fumed, the FCC got involved and Verizon said they were just doing everyone a favor because it allowed them to provide favorable subsidies on handsets. Verizon decided to chop the advanced devices list down a bit by removing 10 handsets, but to be honest, they aren’t the most exciting ones. Included are the Motorola Krave, Samsung Rogue and five LG devices — BlackBerrys and Android devices are still very much in the $350 ETF category. Is this progress on Verizon’s part, or did they just demote those phones to not-so-advanced status?

[Via PhoneScoop]

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  • tallperson117

    @spicychicken

    Lol, family guy FTW

  • Chad

    The Krave, really?? The grandparent’s phone?? Come on Verizon, it should have never been on there to begin with.

    • cleanhippiechick

      the krave has a html browser and would not be for most grandparents.. the point of the etf is supposed to pay for the phone in the event you break your contract, if the phone costs more, it makes sense you pay more, I think its cool that you don’t have to pay more up front… and if you die, or move, have a terminal illness, or go in the military,(to name a few reasons) they let you out of that contract and you don’t have to pay etf.. if you’re paying an etf, you either didn’t pay your bill, or didn’t bother to make sure you understand what you were signing up for.

  • droid owner

    Anyone notice that the palm pre plus and palm pixi plus is not subject to the higher etf. Maybe they are not in the system but they are offering the bogo for those phones once released. So might not be because of the whole bogo deals as some may have thought that has caused verizon to increase etf.

    I don’t back out of contracts anyhow but it just sucks non the less if I lose my job or such that it would really cripple me to cancel my contract at that price.

  • Diabl0

    ETF issues to go, I for one, got a headache with the strange policies of N1 phone with its ETF plan on Tmo, albeit now there’s a rebate of 100 USD which serves as a good news (a least, we have a 100 USD return) ETF details: http://bit.ly/nexus-one-rebate-details.

  • la verdad

    The true culprit here is not the egregious ETF; the mechanism that brought it into being IS – BOGO. An ETF of $200 or so is significant enough to make most people think twice about skipping out of a contract – for ONE device. Selling a smartphone for $300 on an auction site makes perfect sense if your ETF is only $200. There’s still $ to be made.

    Lose the BOGO garbage, and the need for the massive ETF immediately evaporates.

  • Happy AT

    Did VZ remove the $350 ETF from the Iphone? Ha that’s right they don’t have it……

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

    • Vzwguy

      Yet.

    • cleanhippiechick

      thats cause you cant make calls on the Iphone and the open platform apps on the droid phones will blow that pos out of the water.

  • Truth hurts

    Hot advanced devices often sell for $400+ on Ebay soon after release. Don’t believe me? Do an ebay search for VZW Palm Pre or Pixi in the upcoming week and look at the ending auctions. If you’re unsure if you can honor the contract, pay more for a device upfront and an extra $5/month and get it prepaid. Stop whining.

  • Chancellor

    It’s pretty obvious the people this upsets are the people that switch for the “newest” phone, or the scammers who take advantage of Verizon. This probably won’t actually change any legitimate buyers mind on the purchase. If you know you aren’t going to cancel….what’s the issue?

  • cleanhippiechick

    I don’t understand why everyone thinks something is owed to them lately, Verizon had a bunch of issues with people taking advantage of the 175 etf on advanced devices, thats why it was changed. There was a netbook that retailed for over 500.00 that went on sale around black friday for 30.00 with a 2 year contract, people were buying it and canceling service the next day… 175+30=205. I can guarantee there are plenty of other examples of the same. its really not a big deal that they’re raising etf’s at least they are not charging that up front.

  • Danimal

    Try rereading the post

  • Mark Hunsaker

    No it doesn’t allow people to walk away from their contract ETF free…geez. You can only if they change fees that will “materially affect you.” For example when they changed the price of text messaging…but that ONLY works if you don’t have a text messaging plan already as they will say, “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t really affect you since you have a text messaging plan.” But if you were paying per message it could “materially affect” you. Do your homework.

  • I Got Mail…YAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

    Please refrain from trying to regurgitate that ironically humungous dictionary you swallowed. The faithfully observant readers of BGR still don’t think you are incredibly intelligent even if you could spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

  • JMP

    nicely put.

  • Brian

    The way I understand this is that it will only affect new customers, if a customer already signed a contact with a lower ETF, this doesn’t affect them.

  • Azeron

    Exactly.

  • TomTpm

    boy your smart – what happens when Verizon moves to LTE AND everyone has to have a new device? You think they are going to honor your old contract and terms? YOU all will eventually be new customers -

  • bob boberts

    exactly miguel……dont you love how VZW trainers get there fanbois out in front of bad PR…..oh poor VZW or poor VZW reps……please……

    VZW sucks ass

  • henry cole

    @miguel hey miguel, throw your horrendous mouth on the streets where you and your filthy tounge belongs.. Got Troll? :)

  • henry cole

    Hey miguel let me ask you what is 1+1? :D

  • henry, USA

    Hey miguel, in what place were you came from?

    Ass-hole, butt-hole, Pussy-hole..? Kindly, choose

    Troller.. Fuck you! :D

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