Palm Treo Pro for Verizon, not so fast

Last week I blogged about wanting a Palm Treo Pro as my next cell phone. Since Alltel is being acquired by Verizon, and Alltel offers the Treo Pro, I contacted Verizon customer service to find out if I could buy the Alltel version of the phone and activate it on my Verizon account.

I was very impressed with their response.

Although the legal transaction has been finalized and Verizon Wireless has legally become the owner of Alltel, it will be several months before Alltel customers become Verizon Wireless customers. Also, as part of the regulatory approval process required for this purchase, Verizon Wireless agreed to sell certain properties where both Alltel and Verizon Wireless overlap to preserve competition in those markets. As a result, Alltel customers in those areas will not be part of the merger with Verizon Wireless.

Since the transition period is not complete, Verizon Wireless cannot guarantee at this point that the device is compatible with our network.  There is an substantial amount of testing and programming that must take place before we can determine if the device is compatible.  With that being said I would hate for you to purchase a device that may not be compatible with the network.

In reference to purchasing the device from Sprint, i regret to inform you Sprint is not compatible with our network as well.

I was expecting a simple, canned, yes or no answer. Instead, it almost appears that my request was sent up through the corporate ranks for a proper response. Regardless, kudos to Verizon customer service.