Ever heard of the “bait and switch”? Of course you have. That’s the game in business that advertises one product and then, when it is not available, pushes you to buy something else. In almost every case the “something else” costs more and offers less. It is certainly not the most consumer-friendly approach… to say the least but it works for the bottom line.
Well, Verizon might not be playing the “bait and switch” game but they certainly have found their own way to screw customers. Here’s the story-
Our friend Joel Evans bought a Samsung Tab from Verizon and quickly discovered that their “policies” all play into lining Verizon’s pockets and, in the process, do nothing to treat customers with the respect they are due.
Here is a taste of what Joel encountered…
Verizon Wireless really screwed up the Samsung Tab with pricing and policy
I’ve been playing with a Samsung Tab from Verizon Wireless since November 11th. I will share my impressions of the device in the coming days but in the interim, I wanted to let the world know about how crazy Verizon Wireless has made the monthly payment for data usage, and what other fees are lurking.
When I purchased the Tab I paid $599.99 for the Tab itself, $39.99 for a case, and $44.80 in tax. So, my total price was $684.78. Since I purchased the Samsung Galaxy Tab without a contract, I expected to pay a premium, so this first part didn’t really bother me. However, moments after leaving the store, I read the fine print on the Verizon Wireless receipt. I have just now confirmed what the Samsung Tab will really cost me to operate on Verizon Wireless’s network.
First off, if you purchase from Verizon Wireless and decide that the Tab is not for you, you will be hit with a $70 restocking fee. If that’s not bad enough, if you return it after three days of having purchased it, you will not be credited back your $35 activation fee either. Oh, did I forget to tell you about that fee? Yeah, in addition to the price of acquisition, Verizon also throws a $35 activation fee onto your first bill.
The above would be bad enough, but it gets worse. The receipt that you get when you purchase the Tab has an estimated monthly bill on it. Since I opted for the $20 per month for 1GB, the first estimated monthly payment was a whopping $88.36!! Needless to say, this sounded alarm bells so I called Verizon Wireless to discuss it.
Want to find out what Joel discovered during this “We’re the phone company, we don’t care because we don’t have to” episode? Read it over on zdnet.
Seriously Verizon… there is this new thing called the Internet and it lets people discover the many ways big business tries to take advantage of them. Here’s a thought… charge a fair price for your services and let people pay it.