AT&T v. Verizon and Helpful Tips From a Verizon Employee
As much as I haven't loved my AT&T service in the Bay Area, I discovered something this week that has made me happier and perhaps now a more loyal AT&T customer. Turns out, only AT&T customers can have their data plan grand-fathered in, while Verizon customers give this up when they upgrade to a new phone. While I may not use a lot of data, I still want to keep the plan because it's nice not having to even worry about it. This isn't something that I knew about before, however, and it certainly isn't something that Verizon customers seem to be made readily aware of.
When I went with my friend this weekend to a Verizon store, he discovered that he was both ineligible for a new phone right now (because it had not been 20 months since he last upgraded) and that if he were to upgrade, he would then loose his unlimited data. While initially bummed, I think he discovered something quite helpful, because the Verizon employee advised him that if he went to Amazon or eBay or another third party, he could maintain his data plan if he bought a phone, as long as it was Verizon. I feel like if I was a prospective Verizon customer, this may in fact be the most important information to be made aware of because I would imagine most everyone would be upset to learn as an existing customer that they can't keep their data plan when they upgrade. I can't speak on whether my friend was ever told this before but just didn't remember, but something makes me think that he wasn't. I was especially impressed that the representative shared this information with us, because my friend easily could have lost his unlimited plan forever. Now, at least, he has an opportunity to make an educated decision, understanding all of his options.
When I googled AT&T vs. Verizon just now, this article with a comparison of AT&T, Verizon and Sprint plans for iPhones popped up, but no where did it seem to mention this. It would really be a nice thing to tell customers. Now, I may not change to Verizon after all, despite AT&T's bad service in the Bay Area.