Screwed after 7 years

Question

Almost two years ago I upgraded my phone to the Iphone 5, and my service to a plan that cost almost double what it ever had.  I wasn't complaining. In fact I was very happy.  About a year into the contract my phone got stolen while on vacation.  I went with apple care and they didn't help me one bit.  I almost expected it after finding out more about apple's business practices in that year.  That's neither here nor there.  While on vacation I bought a VZW prepaid phone to use on the service as a temporary fix.  After I paid for it VZW tells me that the phone has to be active for 6 months before I could do something like that.  I tried to be understanding and I paid for a month so I had a lifeline on the road home.  After getting back I reconnected my previous phone (which had issues. hence the upgrade)  Soon after the phone became almost unusable and my contract was four and a half months from being up.  I talked to a few people who are with one of vzw's top competitors and they had gotten early upgrades in situations like mine.  I called vzw and was told the best they could do, since the phone was still working enough to use it at all, was 30 days before the upgrade date.  I figured it was there for emergencies and i'd have to wait it out.  my phone completely stopped working within a month.  I'm now about 60 days out.  I just got off the phone with what I assume is a third party call center (with a rep that told me that she wouldn't talk to her superior)(and didn't care if I stayed a customer at all) where I was basically told that I can pay full price for a phone, pay for a service I can't use, or pay the disconnect fee.  Maybe I'm wrong but I feel like it really wouldn't be a big deal to make an exception for a customer of 7 years.  I have not had a  phone for months and I've been patient.  If Verizon doesn't need my business, they won't have to worry about it.  When my contract is up I'm switching to AT&T.  As silly as it may sound, that big corporation appreciates it's customers.  Verizon does not.  Not only am I leaving but my entire family (brothers, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins) have all started looking at at&t family plans.  I'd recommend to anyone that doesn't have to money to pay list price for a ****** phone if an accident happens, to switch now before you get screwed. 
Goodbye Verizon! I wish I could say it was nice doing business with you but you are what's wrong with businesses today.
Mike H. 

Answer 1

vzw_is_the_worst wrote:
Not only am I leaving but my entire family (brothers, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins) have all started looking at at&t family plans.
With THAT many people(9 at least) who you have sway over to make a switch to another provider, you would think there would be at least ONE person with an old phone you could use until your upgrade date. Sounds kind of unbelievable if it is not the case. I know I have personally given/loaned many of my old phones to friends/family who have broken/lost their phone when they either didn't want to upgrade or weren't eligible, NONE of which could persuade me to switch if I was happy with my service. Since you appear to have so much influence with those people, it would seem they would be willing to loan you one of their old phones.