Verizon poised for SMS rate hike
by Michael Caputo 
posted Jan 6th 2007 at 8:40PM
We wondered how long it would be before other carriers followed the price-jacking ways of Cingular / Sprint-Nextel and decided to raise their own SMS rates, and now it appears Verizon won't be the low guy on the totem pole for too much longer. Word on the street is that The Network could be in the process of raising its SMS rates just like the other guys, which would hike the price from its current $.10 point a whopping 50-percent, leaving you loyal customers to pay $.15 per incoming / outgoing text message. Of course, this sudden, detrimental change to your agreement could warrant an easy way out of that contract, but as always, your miles may vary, and we're starting the countdown until Alltel (sadly) joins the fray right about now.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Owen @ Jan 6th 2007 10:17PM
still 5¢ per text on t-mobile, or a penny a text with the bundle. I guess IN texting makes it worthwhile for all you verizonwireless faithful, right?
Tommy @ Jan 6th 2007 10:40PM
Oh I hope it does happen. I would love to cancel my VZW account.
noob @ Jan 6th 2007 11:47PM
you mean there are people who pay per text?
i get more than enough free text messages with my plan per month.
Ry @ Jan 7th 2007 12:26AM
No source?
Robert Vassar @ Jan 7th 2007 12:19AM
Great deal...what does that work out to...almost $1000 per megabyte?
SMSer-extraordinaire @ Jan 7th 2007 12:35AM
The big carriers are using the per-text rates to drive captives, er I mean hostages, er rather subscribers to buying bundled minutes that, statistically, most will never use the full allotment, thereby overpaying. I have been on the lowest possible Sprint voice minute plan, but unlimited data & SMS for the past two years. 24 x 7 push-pull email and averaging over 3000 text message a month; voice is so 2004. Virgin Mobile will continue capturing the SMS addicted market with 1-cent-per-text rates!
Donald @ Jan 7th 2007 11:12AM
Owen: You must have a grandfathered rate, because I'm looking at T-Mobile's website and it's $0.10 each for pay-per-use messaging.
And if you think they're not going to jack their price up at some point, you're deluding yourself. They eventually fell into the 2yr contract line...
I Need Out @ Jan 7th 2007 1:07PM
Where can I read that Verizon will or could let me out of my contract by doing this?
Should I cancel my bundle to stand a better chance?
Jerome @ Jan 7th 2007 4:34PM
It really doesnt matter if you cancel your allotment or not. Verizon doesn't have unlimited texting plans so even if you were to go over your 10 buck text plan by one text, you will be affected.
elgee02 @ Jan 7th 2007 5:44PM
Dammit I wish Verizon would use Sprint and Cingular's text hike as an opportunity to stand out and differentiate themselves, not as an excuse to follow suit and jack up the prices themselves.
aifanforlife @ Jan 7th 2007 6:42PM
so if they raise the rates for txts we can get out of our contract?
Carol @ Jan 7th 2007 10:27PM
Same question as #11
If I purchased a Verizon cell phone and even if it was only a few weeks later the SMS rates changed, I could get out of the 2 year commitment and keep the phone for the full discounted price?
John MadDog @ Jan 8th 2007 6:32AM
I've been searching the VZW Intranet all day and have not seen hide nor hair of this rate hike. I would like to know where this rumor is coming from.
~JMD
Jerome @ Jan 8th 2007 12:34AM
In our terms of service they said that they will send a letter to us if they ever changed our service price. And we will be given 60 days to get out of our service without an ETF. So I guess if we recieve letters that's basically saying we can get out of our contracts.
vzw customer @ Jan 8th 2007 2:30PM
so if they do this, we can get out of our contracts? when r they gunna do it?
vzw customer @ Jan 8th 2007 5:29PM
so if they do this, we can get out of our contracts? when r they gunna do it?
WOCK @ Jan 8th 2007 1:34PM
What a joke. Word on the street says that Hillary Clinton is going to the next President of the US too. Read the psot this Jack A## is just looking for something negetive to say.
"Word on the street is that The Network could be in the process of raising its SMS rates just like the other guys"
Isn't that the same as saying my friend told me that his mom is thinking about making meetloaf for dinner?
Idiot
truckruler @ Jan 8th 2007 12:31PM
Everyone, this will not get you out of your contract. Text messaging is a feature. You can turn it on and off by making a phone call. There is no contract involved in text messaging. Basicaly, the only thing that will get you out of contract is a price increase in your monthly plan, which will probably never happen. Sorry, but you will not be getting out of your contract because they raise the price of text messaging, since text messaging is optional.
Jerome @ Jan 8th 2007 2:34PM
No matter what people say, you will be able to leave vzw with no ETF if they raise the price of text messaging. when they raised the price from .02 cents to .10 cents they gave people 60 days to leave because vzw breached their end of the contract.
truckruler @ Jan 11th 2007 9:37AM
you are wrong. Why do you think they would let you out of your contract for raising the text message rates. There is no contract tied to text messaging, none. You can shut text messaging off whenever you want to. Unlike your calling plan which is under contract. Think about it. Everyone try it. Call in and shut down your monthly service while under contract. They will tell you about the ETF. Call in and shut off your text messaging, they will say ok, no problem even if you are under contract.
Text messaging has nothing to do with your contract, and it is not tied to your contract. If they let you out of contract because of text messaging, then you got a rep that did not know what was going on, and will probably be looking for a job soon.
Jerome @ Jan 10th 2007 3:33AM
This will only apply to people that do not currently have texting plans. Everyone that is in a text plan will be grandfathered in.
jeff @ Jan 12th 2007 6:16PM
If anyone is successful in cancelling their contract, please post! I would love to get out of mine!
Rex @ Jan 14th 2007 1:58AM
Its not a rumor.They raised the cost.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/globalText?contentType=Legal%20Notice&textId=122