Cell phone contract.

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Found out that my hateful niece conned my Dad into signing a cell phone contract a few months ago. She's been racking up the charges to the tune of about $100 a month. She's so lazy, she calls 4-1-1 several times a months, at $2 a call.

About a week ago, she gave everyone the middle finger. Dad now wants to cancel the contract, but he figures that it'll cost him two or three hundred dollars to do so.

Plus, she's now hateful enough towards everyone that she'll probably throw the phone away once it stops working.

What are the options here?

I have cell service with the same company (Verizon), and haven't been under contract for a couple of years now. Can I assume the unused potion of the contract, and help my Dad get out of his mess?

I can't lose my phone number... I'd have to be able to keep my cell phone number too.
 
you could activate a new line, change the number and deactivate her phones I'd. Talk to a Verizon store rep. No need to add a third or additional line.
 
Originally Posted By: Anies
you could activate a new line, change the number and deactivate her phones I'd. Talk to a Verizon store rep. No need to add a third or additional line.


This.


I've seen it done, and it should work....
 
with most carriers you can also put limits on the phone (no 411 calls, no overages) although they usually charge extra for the "limit" service
 
If it's in his name you can report the phone as stolen until she returns it to you, you can also put a pause for 90 days on the contract and you wont be charged but those months will still remain as time you are still tied into the contract.
 
Just get a spare used Verizon handset from Craigslist or ebay and log into your online account manager or go to a Verizon store and ask that the line (i.e., phone number) be transferred to this handset. Yes, you will not get the original phone back, but you can regain control of the line without cancelling the contract and paying the early termination fee. The only other possible option is to report the original phone as being lost or stolen which will lock the handset's Electronic Serial Number (ESN) from further use. All of this is assuming you are the account holder for that phone line. You can also log into the account and disable the "high-cost" features such as texting and web access.
 
Yeah, Id transfer the line over to another phone and then after its contract is up, just gracefully cancel that number. Makes it real easy. Make sure that any account passwords, voicemail numbers, etc. are changed for security. I'd also turn off all functionality on that line so it cannot accept text messages, etc.

good luck!
 
Sounds like she needs a swift and hard kick to her [censored] the ungrateful way she acted.

There is no reason why she can't have a basic NET 10 type phone and buys minutes every few months.
 
Only thing I can contribute is to tell em about Bing 411. 1-800-bing-411, free automated 411 service.
 
You can do all of the above, either cut your niece off with your new line and transfer your own number (best) to calling 411 to deactivate texting, 411, data plan, etc.

In the worst case, confiscate her phone.
 
If your dad is the authorized user on the contract he can do any of the above suggestions. I would just report that phone missing and cancel the phone ,activate a different phone for you or someone else to use.
Dont say anything to the niece but ry to be there when her phone stops working for the satisfaction, hello-hello is this thing on? why the heck is my phone not working
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It's a couple hundred dollars to get rid of the contract and the problem. Unless someone else in the family needs the line or service, get rid of it. And don't have anything to do with the niece again.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
It's a couple hundred dollars to get rid of the contract and the problem. Unless someone else in the family needs the line or service, get rid of it. And don't have anything to do with the niece again.

This.

If she's running up $100/month bills, a $300 termination fee is 3 months-worth of calls (assuming she doesn't become even more of a 'witch', escalate her abuse and inflate the bill). Sometimes you just have to take the hit and learn from it.
 
Verizon can transfer your line to a new account no prob. I just did that with my line- my brother and i combined the whole family on his plan since his company has a great discount and verizon had no problem tranferring the lines. We retained our phone numbers too.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Found out that my hateful niece conned my Dad into signing a cell phone contract a few months ago. She's been racking up the charges to the tune of about $100 a month. She's so lazy, she calls 4-1-1 several times a months, at $2 a call.

About a week ago, she gave everyone the middle finger. Dad now wants to cancel the contract, but he figures that it'll cost him two or three hundred dollars to do so.


It sounds like breaking the contract would be money well spent.
 
If she just gave everybody the finger, why not just have dad man up and go get the phone?

Good grief.

Otherwise, go the Verizon store and change things up. Either cancel, or make other arrangements.

Chalk it up as lesson learned for your dad. Where are her parents and why did she come to him for a phone instead of them? Big red flag there.
 
mrsilv04,

How old is your ungrateful niece ?

I would take the phone away and let her buy what ever phone she wants. Java, her grandpa was trying to be nice and get his grand daughter a phone, unfortunately he got a kick on his butt for being nice.

Some kids have zero respect for their family.
 
We got the phone back, and evaluated the options.

We put it on a 90 day service hold, to buy a little time, and to stop the service charges until we could figure out what exactly to do.

Turns out, just this morning, I received a job offer... at the level of my old salary. So.... once I start working again at the new job, I'll be able to afford this phone.

So, I'll likely assume the contract from my Dad, and ultimately solve the problem. Get my number transferred over to this phone, and maybe I'll weasel a couple months of free service out of him.... that would be a win-win for both of us.

The biggest problem is that the back of the phone is purple (LG Vortex). Now, I need to figure out how to fix THAT problem...
 
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