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Is there an economical way for me to switch cell phone providers mid-contract?

• Is there any economical way to switch cell phone providers without waiting months for my contract to expire? I've had a cell phone with Verizon for about three years now. I'm not a huge fan of them, but renewed my contract a year and a half ago so that I wouldn't have to pay full price on a replacement for a phone I broke. So, I'm stuck in a contract with them until January. I really, really want to switch from a regular cell phone to something like a Blackberry or Iphone, and have found plans through other carriers that are much better deals than what I'm getting from Verizon now. Sure, I could wait until the middle of January for my contract to expire and switch to a cooler phone with a carrier I like better, but you know how this stuff goes...I want a new phone now. I seriously doubt there is any way I can get out of my contract with Verizon early, but am wondering how others have switched providers mid contract in the most economical way possible. Is there any way I'm overlooking that I can do this without breaking the bank?

• Answer:

  There are two ways: One: Verizon now prorates their early termination fee (ETF), from $175 and deducting $5 for each month you had service with them. So if you fulfilled 19 out of 24 months of your contract, then your ETF would be $175 - 19 * $5 = $80. Pricey, but better than hnothing. Two: Get out via a clause in the contract. 1) Many people change contracts if you don't have sufficient Verizon service. I'm assuming that's not the case for you. Then: 2) Get out via a small clause in the customer agreement. Read http://consumerist.com/5023655/want-the-new-iphone-heres-how-to-escape-your-current-cellphone-contract-etf+free. Basically, the Verizon http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/globalText?textName=CUSTOMER_AGREEMENT&jspName=footer/customerAgreement.jsp says: Our Rights to Make Changes Your service is subject to our business policies, practices and procedures, which we can change without notice. UN LESS OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WE CAN ALSO CHANGE PRICES AND ANY OTHER CONDITIONS IN THIS AGREEMENT AT ANY TIME BY SENDING YOU WRITTEN NOTICE PRIOR TO THE BILLING PERIOD IN WHICH THE CHANGES WOULD GO INTO EFFECT. IF YOU CHOOSE TO USE YOUR SERVICE AFTER THAT POINT, YOU’RE ACCEPTING THE CHANGES. IF THE CHANGES HAVE A MATERIAL ADVERSE EFFECT ON YOU, HOWEVER, YOU CAN END THE AFFECTED SERVICE, WITHOUT ANY EARLY TERMINATION FEE, JUST BY CALLING US WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER WE SEND NOTICE OF THE CHANGE. (emphasis mine) And in the http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=planFirst&action=viewPlanList&sortOption=priceSort&typeId=1&subTypeId=17&catId=808: # Monthly Federal Universal Service Charge on interstate & international telecom charges (varies quarterly based on FCC rate) is 11.3% per line. Beginning July 1, 2008 the Federal Universal Service Charge will be changing to 11.4% per line. So there you go. Call a Verizon rep. Say that you got a notice in the mail about a rate increase. Ask if the MFUSC applies to your plan. He/she'll say yes. Tell him/her about the clause in the customer agreement, and that you'd like to cancel your plan. The rep will be confused. Ask to speak to his/her manager. Repeat -- make sure that you mention that you got the notice in the mail, and also make sure to ask if the change applies BEFORE you mention the clause in the customer agreement. What they'll say at one point or another is that the MFUSC are government taxes, so it's not Verizon Wireless's fault. Refer them to the plan information again:# The Federal Universal Service, Regulatory and Administrative Charges are Verizon Wireless charges, not taxes. For more details on these charges, call 1–888–684–1888. And keep on trying to escalate, or hang up and call again if necessary. Call on a weekday morning, since it'll be the start of the workday for the call center, and therefore the call reps will be noticeably less annoyed and will be nicer than if you call at 4:55pm. Oh, and the key is that 'materially adverse' is not defined anywhere -- so it doesn't matter if the rate increase is small -- it's a monetary charge regardless.