Verizon Wireless has updated its Customer Agreement to change how it handles early termination fees for people who cancel their service while still under contract. But rather than simply jacking up the total amount you would have to pay, Verizon now has an 8-month delay before the total begins to decrease.

Before today, VZW early termination fees started at $350 for people with smartphones who canceled service immediately after starting a new contract, and then decreased by $10/month over the course of your contract. This will remain unchanged for people whose current contracts started before Nov. 14.

Those contracts starting today and moving forward will still begin with ETFs of $350, but the $10/month decrease doesn’t start until the eighth month of service. Then in the 19th month that increases to $20/month off your ETF, until the final month, in which you get $60 off the fee.

So imagine two siblings, Jim and Jill. Jim started his VZW contract on Monday. Jill didn’t get around to it until today:

Six months from now, when they both have to drop their service because they are being transferred to the Tuva Republic for work, Jim’s ETF will have dropped to $290, while Jill’s will still be $350.

But suppose that Tuvan transfer gets delayed for six months, meaning Jim and Jill don’t need to cancel their service until the 12th month. At this point, Jim would have to pay $230 to Verizon while Jill would owe $300.

Even after the monthly ETF drops increase for Jill, she will continue to owe more than her brother. When that transfer to Tuva is finally confirmed in the 22nd month, Jim’s ETF bill is $130 while Jill must pay $160.

It’s not until after that final $60 gets chiseled off that Jill’s ETF is cheaper than Jim’s, but by this point it might be cheaper to stick around the last few weeks than face an ETF of either $110 or $80.

The above numbers are for subscribers who also got their smartphone through Verizon. If you have a contract with Verizon for tablet or basic wireless phone service, the ETF starts at $175. Current subscribers immediately see that fee drop by $5/month. New subscribers must also wait until month 8 to see that fee decrease by $5. For months 19-23, it’s $10/month off the ETF until the final month, when they take off $30:

In both cases, it’s now always more expensive to cancel your Verizon service (unless you wait until month 24).

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