Verizon Wireless Launches Free Contact Backup (and Other Cool Stuff)

Joseph Laszlo | June 29, 2006, 10:38 AM

Among the kajillion Verizon Wireless press releases Julie Ask and I get daily, it's sometimes hard to find the ones that are really interesting, versus the ones that, well, are not.

But from yesterday comes the interesting notion that as an incentive to get folks to pay bills online, Verizon's offering a suite of services under its "worry free guarantee" package gratis. This includes low cost phone replacements and free upgrades, and most importantly, optional server-based backup for phone-based contacts. This coincides neatly with the following story I got from a friend on Monday.

"... so what's a NY girl to do? Well, a soothing pedicure on a rainy Sunday, naturally!! Midway through blue goo gel soak (indeed, very calming to inflamed balls of feet), reach for phone to find it missing ... apparently slipped silently and unseen into the blue foot bubble gel depths ... fished out, taken apart and put to dry under cool nail dryer by caring nail salon manager ... bravely continue through mani-pedi while trying not to focus on losing 400-some personal/work contacts ... phone doesn't revive. All-knowing nail salon and doorman suggest prolonged drying or Verizon personnel TLC."

I asked this friend about online backup of contacts and she said she had heard about the existing program but the $1.99/month charge "added up quickly." VZ (and the other carriers) should totally be giving this away for free--tying it to online bill pay seems very fair. I can't think of a better loyalty builder, especially for uber-communicators like my friend...

Oh yeah, VZW's also going to start pro-rating early termination charges, which is pretty amazing, too. Just less immediately relevant. Said Denny Strigl, "We believe dissatisfaction with flat early termination fees is tarnishing the entire industry." Now that's throwing down a gauntlet!