Verizon Discouraging Customers From Buying iPhone

We are getting reports from customers of Verizon that when they go to Verizon stores they are being discouraged from buying the iPhone. Does anyone know what this about?

Do Verizon salespeople get paid less commission than when they sell the iPhone so they are pushing the HTC, Droid, Blackberry phones?

One of the comments we have heard:

“you can’t take the battery out”

“you have to signup for iTunes in order to use the phone”

“if you need to reset the phone, you have to take it to Apple”

“Verizon stores can’t help you if you have a problem”

Most of these sound like bad excuses to give customers.