I very recently upgraded my Verizon service to a 2-year contract and a new Motorola Razr V3c phone. It's unusual that I'll take back a purchase, but in this case I'm going to. I'm within my 15 day return period, so I should get a full refund (except for the holster that I destroyed using a Dremel. I expect to take a loss on that. Uh, I'll tell you the story in another post.)

So, you're asking why? Why return this superb little phone?

It's not the phone. It's the intentional disabling of certain features. Specifically, Motorola sells their Phone Tools, that allow a user to access phone features from a PC, including transfering pictures and ring tones. This ability is disabled by Verizon. The software is an extra purchase (okay, I guess), so I really feel I should get all the abilities. The reason Verizon disables those features is to force their customers to pay for the privilege of getting new ringtones from their online store.

I don't like that.

So, before I return my phone, I'll be starting new phone service through Cincinnati Bell. And, I'll be getting a nice, new blue Razr. And I'll purchase the software, and all will be well. Oh, yeah, I'll also pay $10 more per month and get unlimited calling to any Cincinnati Bell phone number. I'm pretty sure, living in Cincinnati, that most of my calls are to such numbers. I'll probably break even on that part.

I may take a loss on this deal, somewhere, but I'll feel much better about my purchase. I really wanted to stay loyal to Verizon. They've given me very good service in the past, and I have a personal reason for wanting to support them. But this issue tips the scale the wrong way.