By Molly McLaughlin on November 7, 2009 in
Hot on the heels of the Motorola Droid release, Verizon Wireless is upping its early termination fees (ETF) on "advanced devices" to $350, double the current fee of $175, effective November 15. Earlier this week, BoyGeniusReport.com got hold of some internal documents and posited that Verizon is trying to prevent consumers from reselling devices for a profit. In BGR's example, you could take advantage of a buy-one-get-one deal on BlackBerry smartphones, pay the $175 fee and sell one of them on eBay for $300.
Whatever the reason, what does this mean for the average customer? PCMag.com reports that "advanced devices" refer to smartphones and phones that include features such as HTML browsers, Wi-Fi and other premium capabilities. This would include the Motorola Droid, but shouldn't affect a basic flip phone like the Motorola VU204.
Our advice, as always, is to read the fine print before you purchase your next phone from Verizon. Keep in mind that Verizon has a 30-day return policy that waives the ETF, so if you're unhappy with your purchase, make sure you act fast.
