I stopped by my local VZW Corporate store today (Cincinnati) began closing my accounts and paying my ETF's. My total bill was about $500 for 3 phones (2 Dares and 1 LG Chocolate Touch), and my netbook. My NE2 date was April 3 but my actual contract date is August. The CSR repeatedly tried to get me to upgrade to the Droid, saying he can "guarantee" the 2.1 upgrade this week for it. I went off on the Droid and how if they really wanted to keep me as a customer they would release the N1, since it was promised in January to be released in spring or AT LEAST give a release date for the Incredible. The regional sales manager and store manager were at the counter talking and the CSR spoke with them. After a couple of min my CSR was gone but the regional sales manager came to talk to me. She had a hand held "computer" and pulled up my account. She asked my why I wanted to cancel my accounts. I explained the same thing to her that I'd said to the CSR.
She said that the N1 is NOT their phone and that it is up to Google to make it work on their network. The delay in that phone is all on Google. The ONLY part they play is when Google says it's ready they give it to testers around the country to try it. If it is not good enough to meet their "quality standards" then they kick it back and say fix it. I mentioned that T-Mobile has it and now it's available for AT&T. She said that T-Mobile got it to jump into the Android market and let their customers suffer with it as the bugs were worked out and that VZW doesn't work like that. She said she can't offer ANY info as to when it will be ready.
I asked about the Incredible then saying it is THEIR phone and asked when she thought it would be released. She said by the end of the month. I said that is what was said about the phone in March at CTIA. She said VZW NEVER gave that date. I said VZW hasn't even "officially" acknowledged the phone. She said that with the advent of Twitter, Message Boards, etc. the company has had to become very tight lipped about new products, and they STILL get out. She asked me to wait until May 1st to cancel my accounts. I said no concrete date? She said I should know something FOR SURE by April 29th. I questioned this time line and said when the Droid was announced VZW marketed the CRAP out of the phone for 3 weeks prior to release. She said that is b/c it was their FIRST Android phone and they wanted to pump it up. She said that we will begin to see promos for the phone very soon. I asked how she was so confident. She said that there are testers in her region that had to have the phone back last week. She said that she's worked for the company for years and that when the phones are sent back ALWAYS without exception the phones are released within 2 weeks.
I did not cancel my accounts. I told her that I'd wait until May 1st. If not, here I come Sprint.
Take it for what it's worth, anyone interested in the validity of this info PM me and I will give you more info about the Regional Sales Manager.
