Switching...anyone regret dropping Verizon?

[makismagoo99]

So I know Verizon's network is better than AT&T's. I currently have Verizon and get amazing service pretty much everywhere. The question is: how bad is AT&T? Do they really have the fewest dropped calls? How often do you have a dropped call or lose service in your home or office? That's what I'm really worried about. So, who dropped Verizon to get the iPhone and was it worth it? I would especially appreciate input from those of you in the Bay Area (I'm in Redwood City). Thanks!

[jt2ga65]

I've had AT&T since 1997. AT&T was better than Cingular is for customer support, and the TDMA network was much better than Cingular's GSM network was at the time I switched to GSM. That said, my co-workers at the last job all had got Verizon when they moved to Denver, and my AT&T and later Cingular phone has much better service coverage than they did, often times they would have to use my phone as they just couldn't make calls. It was a very large problem when we were in downtown Chicago.

That said, I have had dropped calls in Denver with Cingular/AT&T with my last two Motorola phones. I haven't had any with the iPhone yet.

AT&T is still going to give you the widest coverage area, but if you don't travel outside an urban area, any carrier will do about the same.

-jt2

[The Prise]

att is the best done and done.

[iBookG4user]

I switched from T-Mobile and now with AT&T where I used to have 1 bar in my house I now have 3 bars and where I had two I now have 4. Much better coverage, I now don't have any dead spots in my house, while I used to have most of the house being a dead area. AT&T is great IMO.

[Joshua8o8]

I switched from nextel and have zero regrets switching. I have yet to drop a call, and find a spot that does not have less than four bars of coverage.

[Jovian9]

I am having less dropped calls on AT&T than I did on Verizon (but not by much). I also get reception in a lot more areas now (my basement being one of them). The only regret I have is the amount of $ I have to give Verizon for dropping them :)

[makismagoo99]

The only regret I have is the amount of $ I have to give Verizon for dropping them :)

Ahh yes the ever-daunting ETF. I haven't decided yet if I'm willing to pay that (I have about 10 months left). Part of it depends on the service I can expect with the iPhone. But good news so far. :) Keep it coming!

[machv]

Zero regret. After switch to ATT, my wife and I think that voice quality is better than Verizon at least here in NYC. Couple weekends ago we drove from NYC to Perkasie PA along RT78 and Rt 202, the reception was decent (3 bars and above) and didn't experience any drop call. We were able to get direction from iPhone Google map with Edge connection. If I am in your situation, I will wait till 2nd gen iPhone release and save $175 on ETF. I know it is hard to resist.

[Telp]

I dropped verizon years ago. Their service was horrible, and there support was even worse. When i switched to AT&T (then cingular) the service improvement was great, and the support was just as good. The only thing i hate is how badly the cingular folks (not sure about the AT&T folks) talk about the iphone. I talked to the guy to see what he had to say about it, and he didnt have one good thing to say about it, not to mention the fact that most of the stuff he did say about it wasnt even true. Oh well.

[gceo]

As a 'heavy' user on Vz since '92 (ahh... remember the dpc-550?) in Southern California (SD), I can tell you that, for me, there is no better network than Vz/CDMA. As a computer engineer that worked on CDMA stuff through UCSD (via Qualcomm), I can say that their technology works better in varied terrain (like coastal CA, hills, penetrating buildings, bluffs, etc). The CDMA networks are more reliable in these conditions, and I'll rarely drop one call a month, even with travel and heavy use. I travel extensively through the US, and I can say that at&t has the nation covered very well. In several areas, much better than Vz, notably TX, and surrounding states. That said, they might cover more, but in the areas that Vz covers, they'll do it more reliably. I've been with Att on my iPhone since launch and I have asked myself everyday, is this F'in worth it. I now drop in 3 spots on a seven mile drive to work. No longer can I call someone on my way to work for more than a 1-2 minute conversation without hitting a 'drop' spot. I drop calls in buildings. My signal at my house jumps from 1 to 5. All these problems... thankfully the iPhone makes it worth it (for me). It is my new mini laptop (almost). It's my Newton that I toted around in the nineties, but with a phone! So if it's only on at&t, then, yes, it's worth it (for me).

(disclaimer: happiness varies by service. service varies by area.)

[drater]

I've had everything, verizon, att/cingular, tmobile, and sprint/nextel.

I dropped tmobile for the iphone and besides having the iphone, I really miss t-mobile's customer service. I've had great experiences with them. WAY more friendly, available 24/7. Seems like every time I call ATT for support the person who answers usually seems angry that I called. Just hate it, I call as little as possible. Probably why it took me so long to get my phone actually activated.

Verizon, eh. And the same with sprint/nextel (they just dropped all customers who complained too much...ouch).

I wish T-mobile was bigger, they are the best so far that I've had. Also, it seems like my service was better with t-mobile and works with ATT, which is weird. Oh well, at least I have the iPhone, and ATT has my soul....wait, what?

[carman63]

att is the best done and done.

I can't agree with that blanket statement. AT&T might claim to have the least dropped calls, but you need a SIGNAL to make a call. No signal, no call, therefore no DROPPED call ;)

With Verizon, I was covered everywhere except 2 (known) dead spots (due to the terrain). With AT&T, it's worse. But the frustrating part with AT&T is, the phone might show a strong signal until you try to make a call. Then you get the 'no service' message. Verizon didn't play this 'switch' trick with me.

Also in the DC area, Verizon is (still) the only service you can get while riding the Metro. And even if the Metro allowed other carriers to extend service into the Metro tunnels, Verizon claimed it took 1 month for every mile of track to extend their service.

That being said, I'm 'mostly' satisfied with AT&T. Of course, the real test will be when I take a vacation.

[Ahiqar]

I switched from Vz to AT&T when I bought the iPhone and have been very happy. I get coverage some places at my office building that I did not with Vz. And the coverage in my home is better. I used to have to make calls from the back porch with VZ. Now I can sit on my couch in the living room. Very glad I switched, especially since I now have the iPhone.

BTW, I am in Fairfax, VA.

[Amblinman]

I switched from VZW to AT&T, and I have no complaints. The coverage and voice quality is virtually even, with a slight edge (HA!) to VZW for voice quality (because of CDMA). And unlike some other folks, I've found AT&T's customer service to be friendly, courteous, and helpful. I'm happy I made the jump. Love my iPhone, love the less expensive data packages, love having more options when it comes to equipment. Not that I'd switch from my iPhone. ;)

Having said that, none of this may apply to you. If you're thinking of switching, you should test drive their network out first to see if you get good coverage in your area. I live in Northern CA, so virtually all the carriers provide good coverage.

Side note on voice quality: I previously tested out AT&T when the BlackBerry Curve was released. Loved the phone, but wasn't willing to switch from VZW just for a camera (I was using the 8830). Also, I thought the voice clarity was a little lower on AT&T. I have to tell you, though, I'm really impressed with the iPhone. It may have the best voice clarity of any device I've ever used.

[PaperQueen]

I’ve been with Verizon for years (going back three companies ago....early 90’s), and have r-a-r-e-l-y had drops, and those have been in remote regions of the Nebraska sandhills where no one gets service of any kind.

I own a boutique in Minneapolis—a city that’s pretty heavily covered by everyone. Still, when customers are in the store, there are distinct patterns. If you have TMobile, you have to stand at the front window or outdoors on the sidewalk to hold a signal. With ATT, you can get about one third of the way into the store before losing a signal. If you have Sprint, you’re safe to the mid-point of the store (ironic, since Sprint is next door).

With Verizon, I can get all the way through the store, through the stock room, down the back loading dock hall, and into the underground garage without a single drop.

As gceo pointed out so wisely: happiness varies by service. service varies by area. Well said.

[Sobe]

There were 2 really nice things about Verizon.

1) They paid me to go to paperless billing

2) In the Wash DC area, the metro is wired for Verizon service.

But, I don't use the metro all that often, and I got a $25 giftcard for being referred, so it's not that big a deal.

I get a dropped call once in a while but nothing I didn't see happening with Verizon.

I haven't had to deal with AT&T support yet, but I never dealt with Verizon support either so I have no experiences to judge there.

Basically, I like my iPhone so much, AT&T would have to be really miserable for me to regret the switch.

[makismagoo99]

happiness varies by service. service varies by area.

Very true. The Bay Area seems like it would be one of the most-covered places in the US. I know Verizon is good, and the CDMA voice quality is exceptional, which is why I'm waffling on whether or not to drop them for the iPhone, or stick with them and upgrade my P.O.S. RAZR to Treo or something. I just wish VZ didn't insist on putting their own crappy software on phones...

[GFLPraxis]

So I know Verizon's network is better than AT&T's. I currently have Verizon and get amazing service pretty much everywhere. The question is: how bad is AT&T? Do they really have the fewest dropped calls? How often do you have a dropped call or lose service in your home or office? That's what I'm really worried about. So, who dropped Verizon to get the iPhone and was it worth it? I would especially appreciate input from those of you in the Bay Area (I'm in Redwood City). Thanks!

Depends very much where you live. I don't know about California, but up here in Washington, AT&T has the worst coverage of any providers. I know several areas within five-ten minutes of my house where I will get no cell reception with an AT&T phone.

[scaredpoet]

I can't agree with that blanket statement. AT&T might claim to have the least dropped calls, but you need a SIGNAL to make a call. No signal, no call, therefore no DROPPED call ;)

I think the fallacy that everyone has is that because AT&T or Verizon is good/bad in ther particular neck of the woods, that automatically means that it's bad/good EVERYWHERE. That can't be further from the truth.

I could go on about my experience with Verizon and why I left them for Sprint and later AT&T, long before the iPhone was even announced. But it would be of little relevenace to anyone else in the other 49 states of the US. i don't know what Verizon or AT&T service is like in Nevada, or Arizona, or Minnesota, or many other places. So my experience is irrelevant to people there.

AT&T sucks for you? That's a shame, but that isn't my experience, and it may or may not be the experience of others. Verizon is excellent for you and CDMA is God's gift to cell phones? I'm happy for you, but again, it sure wasn't for me, and others may have different experiences.

This is why you should always follow two simple rules when choosing cell service:

1. Don't base your decision on what others say about the network. Each carrier has a trial period. Use it. And base your decision on YOUR experience, not what someone else tells you. If someone lives near you and travels around the same areas you do, then it's possible to make some general inferences, but I still wouldn't totally rely on their experience 100%.

2. Base your decisions on the network, not the phone. Even if it is the iPhone, what good is an iPhone if the network it's on doesn't cover you?

That said, I'm immensely happy with AT&T, and wish I had been on board much sooner. Your experience may vary.

There are two things no one can deny about Verizon though:

1. They like to cripple all their phones to a standard interface, and I doubt the iPhone we know and love now would have looked the same if Verizon had been allowed to get their grubby mits on it. Even the Blackberries have Verizon-specific schemes to them. And

2. Verizon DOES terminate any data users who, in their estimation, use too much data.

[willxm]

With verizon i couldn't make a call from within my house, now I have 4 bars. Couldn't be happier. My brother also switched to At&T from nextel, same result.

[Amblinman]

Very true. The Bay Area seems like it would be one of the most-covered places in the US. I know Verizon is good, and the CDMA voice quality is exceptional, which is why I'm waffling on whether or not to drop them for the iPhone, or stick with them and upgrade my P.O.S. RAZR to Treo or something. I just wish VZ didn't insist on putting their own crappy software on phones...

DON'T! Treo's are absolutely awful, awful devices. If you're going to get a smartphone with VZW, get a BlackBerry. The 8830 is a fantastic device. Be forewarned, though, the data is expensive. If you want unlimited, it's $45 extra a month. They have a smaller plan, for $25 a month, but you're limited to 10 mb. If you just want to use the data for email or texting, you'll be fine, but if you do any heavy web stuff, you'll be in trouble.

Incidentally, if you live in the Bay Area, I can tell you absolutely that AT&T's service is as good as VZW's. I've been up and down the coast and I don't notice too much of a difference.

[drater]

With verizon i couldn't make a call from within my house, now I have 4 bars. Couldn't be happier. My brother also switched to At&T from nextel, same result.

yeah, cause nextel is AWFUL! If I hear "please hold while the nextel subscriber you are trying to reach is located" one more time, I might just lose my marbles!

[Daiden]

AT&T has never given me any problems and I've been with them about a year.

[OCOTILLO]

I was a Verizon customer for 17 years until I recently got my iPhone. I got my first phone when I lived in California. It was then PacBell. I traveled extensively throughout the US and never had a significant problem with Verizon connectivity. I did not care for their service in the stores but because the phone worked well I stuck with them.
I am now retired and live in the Houston area, The iPhone on AT&T works fine for me here. The test for me will be when I go on the road for personal travel to places like SoCal, Az, etc.

[mrtune]

I switched from verizon to att for this phone. In my area (chicago), verizon has a far superior network IMO. I dropped less calls in my 1 1/2 years with verizon than with att since I got the iphone opening day.

Do I have any regrets? Nope. My phone is for personal use, not business, so the occasional dropped call is worth it so I can have this phone. If it were my primary business phone, I would have probably gone back to verizon.

[rjphoto]

My personal experience with ATT(Bellsouth>Cingular) was about 12 years ago, so that wouldn't be relivant now (even though it was BAD).

I haven't switched and don't plan on it until iPhone prices come WAY down or the boss buys me one...

However, I have several co-workers that have jumped on the band wagon. (One of which sold me his Verizon Treo 650 at a good price. I haven't had any problems with it.)

Sitting around listening to all of them talk about ATT makes me glad I haven't switched.

Again, like gceo said, happiness varies by service. service varies by area.

The area I live in is very hilly and the EDGE network cuts off about 1 mile down the road according to the map.

[gceo]

=> @ Makismagoo99:

In CA you have 30 days to cancel the contract WITHOUT paying an ETF. I got my iPhone about a month before my Vz contract renewed knowing that if I didn't like the at&t service and/or the iPhone I could just cancel the sevice with at&t, not pay an ETF, continue with Vz, and sell the iPhone on eBay for only a small loss, so I felt like I had a safety net. I actually did this years ago when the Razr came out on Cingular first, after 29 days I cancelled my contract with Cingular because the service was terrible (for me) and I didn't like the Razr enough to put up with lesser service. So I say get yourself an iPhone and try it out, if you don't like it, cancel within 30 days and sell the phone. If you're super careful not to scratch the phone in those first 30 days, you can get fairly close to full retail for the phone on ebay.

[makismagoo99]

Base your decisions on the network, not the phone. Even if it is the iPhone, what good is an iPhone if the network it's on doesn't cover you?

Precisely the reason I'm researching it as much as possible. The more input I get regarding AT&T's signal/service, the better feel I can get for what to expect if/when I switch.


If you're going to get a smartphone with VZW, get a BlackBerry.

Yeah I've heard pretty good things about the Blackberry. But, like you said, the data plans are expensive. I'd probably opt for it over the Treo, but I was just saying I want/need a smartphone.

In CA you have 30 days to cancel the contract WITHOUT paying an ETF.

How does this work with porting your number over? If I port my number from Verizon, they will probably charge me the ETF. But I doubt that if I go back to Verizon after a few days they would give me my $175 back. I wonder if I could get a new number with the iPhone, try it out, and then if I decide to keep it, port my Verizon number after the fact.

[taylorwilsdon]

Verizon's network is trash around my hood. I had Verizon for about 4 years before I dropped it for AT&T this year, what a difference! I get coverage everywhere that I never did before and I got more bars in the places that I would have with Verizon. As always, YMMV and for some people VZW is better then the GSM carriers, but its not for me.

Specifically, I went from 3-4 bars with the Motorola Q to 4-5 bars with the iPhone in downtown, 1 bar or drops with verizon to 3-4 bars with cingular in wedgwood (close-ish to ravenna), from 4-5 bars to 5-5 bars in upper queen anne.

3G coverage isn't perfect. Its about 50/50 in wedgwood (I use an 8525 too) but its still better then dropping all the time with verizon.

[zap2]

Verizon's network being better is NOT a fact...it all depends on where you live. In my town, AT&T is much better!

[gceo]

How does this work with porting your number over? If I port my number from Verizon, they will probably charge me the ETF.

Activate a new number with at&t when you get your iPhone, then just forward your old number to it. It's an ugly fix, but it's ok for long enough to check it out. If you like it, then port your original number to at&t. It helped me justify the jump.

[makismagoo99]

Activate a new number with at&t when you get your iPhone, then just forward your old number to it. It's an ugly fix, but it's ok for long enough to check it out. If you like it, then port your original number to at&t. It helped me justify the jump.

That's a pretty good idea, and it never really occurred to me. I didn't think that you could forward your old number to a phone. It makes sense that you should be able to do that, though.

[adilux]

I've had AT&T in Hawaii before it took over Honolulu Cellular (TDMA). After the switch to GSM, reception was horribl, but has gotten much better (personal phone)

Recently, I ported my company's first 28 lines over from Nextel to Verizon and got a mix of Blackberry 8830 and Casio GzOne Type-V. It's only been 2 weeks into the trial period and we're experiencing a wavy voice quality on all the lines. I mean, it's not clear. Do you verizon experienced users notice this? The verizon guys were telling me it's the phone(s) and insisted on letting me try different phones. I declined.

I began my port of the 28 lines over to AT&T on Friday and I'm going to get the Blackberry Curves and Motorol V365 to replace them. I got about 13 days to get the phones activated, phone book transferred, and find boxes to send each phone back to Verizon so I don't have to pay for the phones.

The reason why I went with Verizon first was because the numbers for Verizon is slightly better (better Churn rate, larger amount of customers, etc). Apple first went to Verizon first to see if they would want to support the iPhone, but Verizon turned them down, so they went to AT&T.

I know AT&T's billing is messed up for corporate accounts. They lump all the minutes onto one number and I need to perform calculus to get each phone's breakdown.

more benefits i see going with AT&T,
1. phones are sim card driven, so if a phone fails, i could transfer the sim card to the new phone and no further work is needed to transfer the contacts (just make sure the contacts are saved on the sim card)
2. Phone selection is bigger with AT&T
3. AT&T blackberries support native AIM, ICQ, and MSN (also YIM, Google talk, and Blackberry IM). Verizon's blackberries only support YIM, Google talk, and Blackberry IM.
4. AT&T's Blackberry 8830 allows you to use the GPS with third party applications (google maps) Verizon's 8830 locks it for only for emergencies.

Benefits i saw going with Verizon
1. the phones seem a little more durable
2. billing is much more cleaner

[jjamesv]

I love my new iPhone, but AT&T has not been good. I live in Sacramento and my service has been spotty. I never knew what a dropped call was before I became an AT&T customer. How can they claim they have the fewest?

Having sad that, the phone itself is so revoltionary, it's worth generally sub-par service.

[sigamy]

You really have to mention what part of the country you are in when discussing coverage.

I'm in northern & central NJ and Verizon is king around here. I have an iPhone but my wife is still on Verizon and more than a few times she has said she calls me and it doesn't go thru. She just gets a fast busy signal.

I've called AT&T customer service twice. First time they told me it was a tower issue and they did nothing. Next time they sent an update to my SIM card and fixed a problem with VVM.

I bought the phone more for an internet device and iPod. I'm not a big phone user so right now it's not a big issue.

[Amblinman]

I live in Northern CA and have had no issues switching whatsoever. I generally give Verizon the highest marks for voice clarity, but I haven't noticed a difference with the iPhone. People I call also tell me they can't hear any difference. Perhaps I'm just lucky.

[scho52386]

i miss verizon. i hate cingular/att, but i love the iphone :-)

[damienvfx]

i miss verizon. i hate cingular/att, but i love the iphone :-)

Same here. Verizon was good to me.

[QCassidy352]

Also in the DC area Veriizon is (still) the only service you can get while riding the Metro. And even if the Metro allowed other carriers to extend service into the Metro tunnels, Verizon claimed it took 1 month for every mile of track to extend their service.

This is the only thing I miss about verizon. I have found AT&T's coverage to be every bit as good. My gf and I have spent the last week in decidedly non-urban areas - she has vzn and I have AT&T, and we've had equivalent coverage the whole time (both really quite good btw).

[donlphi]

Switched from Sprint to AT&T.

Sprint = EVDO
AT&T = EDGE

I can't think it works if you aren't in a hurry. I haven't had any UNEXPECTED problems with EDGE. It sucks though.

My phone coverage is MUCH MUCH MUCH better with AT&T.

The function of Safari is much better than anything the other phones have. Hands Down.

[devilot]

But the frustrating part with AT&T is, the phone might show a strong signal until you try to make a call. Then you get the 'no service' message. Verizon didn't play this 'switch' trick with me.ARGH! I hate hate hate that about AT&T. Happens constantly! iPhone says I have full reception and then a couple hours later, I'll get emails/ IMs from folks asking why I didn't pick up-- my phone never rang despite showing full reception. :rolleyes: Now, I've asked people to leave a quick voicemail as the phone still seems to pick those up. Hmph.

I live in Northern CA and have had no issues switching whatsoever.I'm in the Bay Area and I've had horrid AT&T reception. On one corner of my desk, the phone gets no reception, period. In the middle of the desk a mere 8" or so away from the corner, the phone won't ring, but if I dial out, it'll work.

Likewise, having been with Verizon prior for over 6 years, I had never had a dropped call. With AT&T? Had over six dropped calls my first week. And everyday I get "phantom" calls-- meaning people call my cell but it never freaking rings. :(

All that said, I love the iPhone itself and I love that most of the people I ever talk to are on AT&T so I really make sure of the unlimited m2m. If, if I can ever get a reliable signal. *grumble*

[NewSc2]

I live in SoCal. The reception supposedly is "good", and I live in an area where I get 5 bars, but I get 1 or 2 at work, and 1 or 2 in random places (Costco, the mall, etc.). I don't have to walk far to get somewhere with good reception, but AT&T really needs to work on those 1000 sq. ft. dead zones. I switched from T-Mobile, so the coverage is exactly the same (bad). I don't have much regrets with the network, as I can still make 90% of my calls, but the coverage could certainly be better.

[Amblinman]

I'm in the Bay Area and I've had horrid AT&T reception. On one corner of my desk, the phone gets no reception, period. In the middle of the desk a mere 8" or so away from the corner, the phone won't ring, but if I dial out, it'll work.

Likewise, having been with Verizon prior for over 6 years, I had never had a dropped call. With AT&T? Had over six dropped calls my first week. And everyday I get "phantom" calls-- meaning people call my cell but it never freaking rings. :(

All that said, I love the iPhone itself and I love that most of the people I ever talk to are on AT&T so I really make sure of the unlimited m2m. If, if I can ever get a reliable signal. *grumble*

Just goes to show that coverage is an incredibly case-by-case situation. I've never had any of the issues you're describing. I have to tell you, though, that if I did I wouldn't have switched. I love the iPhone, but not enough to put up with the kind of sub par service you're describing.

[d21mike]

I live in SoCal (Torrance) and it works great here. I was with AT&T 5 years ago before switching to Verizon. At the time I could not use my phone in a couple of places. Now back to AT&T and I get better service at home and at work.

I recommend you go to the AT&T Web Site and check the places you use the phone the most (on the service coverage map) and make sure it says "Best" service. I have found that it you are in the "Best" then you are in good shape. But it only says "Good" or worse then maybe you won't be as happy. My home and office are both classified as "Best" coverage.

[thomash]

When AT&T was TDMA they had, bar far, the best coverage nationwide. Now it's a different story. They have rolled back most of the TDMA in favor for gsm. Granted i've been happy with their gsm coverage but it definately isn't as good of coverage as the old TDMA network.

[thomash]

The challenge AT&T has to overcome, as I see it, is the way that GSM networks are designed to be setup vs how tdma was designed to be setup.

Traditionaly tdma networks are built of of massive towers spaced far apart with lots of trancievers on each tower that go to ground immediatly. This works great for tdma, but not as good for gsm. It takes alot more towers to do the same thing (always going to ground) with gsm, and that gets very expensive.

GSM is designed to work with a few large towers that go to ground, and lots of little repeater nodes scattered around the cities to overcome dead spots. In europe you will see gsm repeater nodes every block mounted on everything from traffic lights to billboards, to subway walls. They even will place repeater nodes inside large public buildings.

[stockscalper]

I switched from Verizon Worthless two years ago, long before the iPhone came out and I have no regrets whatsoever. I travel a lot and overall I would say coverage is equvilent for the two carriers. There are going to be areas where Verizon has better coverage, but I go into areas all the time where AT&T has coverage and Verizon is either weak or non existent.

With an AT&T phone I can travel to Europe, take my phone with me and make and receive calls. Try that with a Verizon phone. Plus battery life on average with GSM phones is almost double CDMA phones. Not to mention CDMA phones are generally thicker and bigger all around than GSM phones.

[gceo]

That's a pretty good idea, and it never really occurred to me. I didn't think that you could forward your old number to a phone. It makes sense that you should be able to do that, though.

Did you pull the trigger yet? Enquiring minds want to know.

[jbellanca]

ARGH! I hate hate hate that about AT&T. Happens constantly! iPhone says I have full reception and then a couple hours later, I'll get emails/ IMs from folks asking why I didn't pick up-- my phone never rang despite showing full reception. :rolleyes: Now, I've asked people to leave a quick voicemail as the phone still seems to pick those up. Hmph.

You know, I've had AT&T for 8 years and NEVER had this issue - until I got my iPhone. Now it happens pretty frequently. Other people I know with non-iPhones also don't have this problem. I'm convinced this is an iPhone bug/issue, not an AT&T issue.

[aloofman]

Just goes to show that coverage is an incredibly case-by-case situation. I've never had any of the issues you're describing. I have to tell you, though, that if I did I wouldn't have switched. I love the iPhone, but not enough to put up with the kind of sub par service you're describing.

I completely agree. The spotty coverage is much more varied than "in northern California" or "in Washington DC." I knew someone whose cell network had a dead spot right on top of his house. He could barely get a signal there, even outside in the front yard. But if he walked 30 yards down the sidewalk, it was crystal clear. People using other cell providers have had no issues at his house.

The best method I've heard of testing a potential new cell company: invite someone you know that already uses them to your house or office or wherever you make most of your calls. See how the reception compares to what you're getting now. Some of the variation will be in the phones, so this isn't perfect, but it's better than asking total strangers around the country how many bars they're showing.

[svu-boat]

We left verizon so that we could be prepared to get the (newer) iPhone in Summer 2009. We've been with ATT for 6+ months and have been chiefly disappointed in the quality and breadth of their coverage.

I always knew the smaller networks (Sprint, T-Mobile) were mediocre unless you were dead-center in a major city, but I was surprised at how intermittent the reception was with ATT in the surrounding/county areas, compared with Verizon. Just an absolutely huge difference in the number of dropped calls and/or quality of the link.

That said, while we are able to switch back to Verizon, there's nothing that really compares to the iPhone... especially now with the 3.0 software and other additions connected to that (talk-n-turn GPS, tethering, stereo blue tooth, etc.). And with the new Palm-Pre and 2nd Gen Android phones staying locked to their networks (Sprint and T-Mobile, respectively) and Apple and ATT locked together until mid-2010 (at the earliest) we are reluctantly sticking with ATT... because of the iPhone. Of course, by 2011, both Verizon and ATT will be sporting 4G networks and the research and decisions start anew!

M.

[Untaken]

As I posted in another thread, Verizon's network really is the best but the way they cripple their phones and screw their customers as a result is why I have no regrets ditching them. I'd rather be able to use the AT&T network to its full advantage with my iPhone than be crippled with some POS from Verizon.

[marine610610]

Verizon's network and customer service trump ATT. I have more problems with the ATT phone i use for work than my personal Sprint phone.

My biggest gripe with ATT is talking to family that have them, the calls CONSTANTLY drop or fade. I have yet to drop a call with someone using Verizon...

[rjphoto]

ATT coverage is pitiful in my area.

I've been with Verizon (and the previous named company's) since the 80's with indulgence from company paid phones on the side at the same time... all of the ATT service was sketchy everywhere I travel most (lots of hill and open rural areas). Verizon covers those same areas.

My wife and I both drive older cars so service is important and trumps coolness of the phone.

Don't get me wrong... I would jump on ATT for an iPhone in a heart beat if the coverage was here...

Since it's not, I steal my son's iPod Touch every chance I get... I have my email set up on it...

[mechanesthesia]

I rarely if ever get dropped calls.

The only time a drop calls is a few times here and there when I call my parents who live in a pretty small town.

[Nanook]

http://www.applefritter.com/images/zombie_1-9316_640x480.jpg

I gotta agree with the guy with the Marley avy who posted on page one two years ago. Los Angeles is pretty mediocre with AT&T compared to Verizon. Call quality is worse, and more dropped calls. Still usable, but definitely noticeable.

[Crotalus_Joe]

I dropped Verizon 4 years ago and haven't regretted it at all.

I was really shocked at the way they cripple thier phones.