There’s a big marketing battle going on in Bridgewater and nearby communities among Verizon, Cablevision, and AT&T. The big prize, especially between Verizon and Cablevision, is to get you to sign up for an all-in-one bundle consisting of your phone, high speed internet, and TV services – all on one bill, all from a single company.
That’s OK, but all of us may not yet be ready; and, when we are, it would be a good thing to know the alternatives, what we are signing up for, and what the rate increase will be at the end of the contract requirement, if any.
Verizon requires a one-year sign-up for its bundled, lowest priced, fiber optic deal. But it does not specify in its ads what happens to the rate at the end of the year. Nor does it disclose the cost of fees, taxes, and box rental, in addition to the promotional price of $94.99 for this entry-level, fiber optic service combination.
For example, in one of its other high speed internet services (DSL), Verizon’s current marketing strategy appears to include locking up new customers for one year with a teaser rate of $14.99 for its low-end (768 Kbps) high speed internet service, if available. See Verizon’s current promotion at http://www.verizon.net/getdslnj34.
Watch out! Legacy Verizon customers are shut out of best rates at renewal time. Make sure that you read the fine print because, once the year is up – as is now the case for customers coming off-contract – the teaser rate jumps up by 47%, to $21.99 month-to-month. If you choose to renew for another year, it’s $19.99, a 33% boost. Should you be satisfied with DSL internet service, but would like to double the speed to 1.5 Mbps, Verizon’s rate increases to $29.99. The company will happily upgrade you to its newer fiber optic technology (FIOS) for $39.99 and provide 5.0 Mbps, contract required.
Confusing, isn’t it? That’s the plan: What Verizon really wants you to do is to drop your DSL internet service and switch over to its new fiber optic offering (FIOS) – this is the big marketing push dictated by Verizon’s pricing, even if you don’t want to go there.
Buyers beware!
(Note: This writer is a Verizon DSL customer.)
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