November 24th, 2008
Verizon Wireless paid me to take a Storm
I wound up staying with Verizon Wireless and renewed my two-year contract with the carrier. I also ordered a BlackBerry Storm despite a few misgivings based on mixed reviews–it is being sent in 7 to 10 days so with any luck those software glitches that were reported will be fixed.
Many of you asked about the deals I detailed a little more than a week ago. Here’s the breakdown in rounded figures.
My previous plan with Verizon–450 minutes, a PDA plan with unlimited data access and an extra $15 so I could tether my the phone to my laptop as a wireless modem ran me about $100.
The new plan with the BlackBerry Storm (Review; Gallery: User interface) will run me about $80 a month all included.
Also see: Lines around corner for BlackBerry Storm
Boy Genius Report: The real story behind the Verizon BlackBerry Storm OS?
But the real kicker was the enticements to get me to renew my contract with Verizon Wireless. I got:
The Storm for $149 with a mail-in rebate and credits for renewing.
And a credit of roughly $160 for two months free service for reupping.
Add it up Verizon paid me $10 to take the storm. I’ll be back with further reports to see if I got better than I paid for. Various reports of a last-minute OS upgrade may delay further comments–especially if my Storm doesn’t arrive until December.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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