Verizon is currently poised to raise its text message charges from its current $.10 point to a whopping $.15 per incoming/outgoing text. That's an additional 50 per cent, so naturally a few folks tried to cancel their subscriptions or services rather than shoulder the price hike. It's a natural reaction, but it seems that not everybody's able to cut off their ties with Verizon successfully.

Now, Verizon's Customer Agreement has a clause in there which states that customers can end an affected service without an early termination fee if any changes to that particular service have a material adverse effect on the customer. According to the Consumerist, one of their readers, Chris, tried to cancel his Verizon subscription due to the "material adverse effect" of the price hike on him. Sadly, it didn't go well.

Upon informing Verizon of his intention to cancel his contract without an early termination fee, Verizon personnel told Chris that a 5 cent increase does not warrant an adverse material effect. Chris writes, "He said it would have to be something that cost more." When he pressed further and asked exactly what amount of money constituted an adverse material effect, he was told that such an amount would be determined by Verizon's lawyers and that he, Chris, would need a lawyer if he wanted to talk to Verizon's lawyers.

Almost sounds childish reasoning, don't you think? You can click on the "read link below" to view Chris' full email to The Consumerist. If enough cases like this surface, Verizon may very well be in line for a class action suit. Hopefully this matter gets resolved without any such thing happening. Now if only contracts weren't so damn hard to understand...