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Carrier Is Verizon really that bad?
- Thread starter PCtoMAC1
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I never had problems. A little expensive, but the service is good and they always help me out.
I've only ever had Verizon, as they have the best coverage where I am so I have nothing to compare to. I've never had any major issues and they always provided good customer service when needed. My price per month is comparable, maybe slightly more than others, but again my service works everywhere I need it to, others don't.
Wireless service is definitely a "you get what you pay for" circumstance. I've tried them all except T-Mobile and Verizon has provided the most consistent coverage while having data speeds that are worth paying for (I'm looking at you US Cellular, Mr. "2.5 Mbps is acceptable and you'll have to drop your unlimited data plan to get our true high speed data, which is 7 Mbps max").
While I will agree that Verizon has the best coverage and speeds as a network, I disagree that you always get what you pay for. I'm on MintSIM, which is on the T-Mobile network, and I got a year of service for $13 a month (2GB LTE, throttled unlimited data, unlimited texting and calling). T-Mobile's network works great where I live, I get fast speeds, and 2GB of LTE is all I need. Why would I upgrade to Verizon to spend $62 more a month for relatively no difference in quality/service for me? Also, Sprint is more expensive than my carrier or a lot of other smaller carriers, but has worse coverage and speeds. There are plenty of carriers out there that can provide great service for much less money.
I think this has a lot to do with location as well. I paid AT&T less than I pay Verizon now and I would have been perfectly content with them if I had never left the city. Your coverage may be great where you are and if that's all you need then great. I travel every so often though and Verizon has always provided solid coverage when I'm away from home. Can't say the same for AT&T.
Yeah, it definitely depends on location and needs. For frequent travelers, I can see Verizon being needed. I just wanted to point out that the "you get what you pay for" idea doesn't always apply in this situation. All depends on one's needs.
Verizon isn’t bad at all.
If cost of service was my focus, I would have remained on T-Mobile. I had been with them for years, back when they had Catherine Zeta-Jones as their spokesperson. My husband had been with them since they were VoiceStream. We always loved going into the T-Mobile stores because one of the managers would always let us know when something new was coming down or a way to get even cheaper service. My problem with T-Mobile was coverage. Living in a large metro area and still having dropped calls was just crazy to me. I won’t even get into road trips and the miles with no data coverage. It was enough for me to leave despite having a cheap unlimited data plan.
I went to Verizon and started with a cheap 2GB single line plan. Then I changed to the L plan, and finally the unlimited plan. Thinking of moving to the 5GB plan because I now know I never use more than 4GB in month and that’s heavy. I’d save $30 a month. Plus I get rollover and my corporate discount back which doesn’t apply to unlimited plans (my only gripe). There’s just something comforting about having unlimited though. In all those cases, the payments have been fine for me. Customer service is great. Coverage is excellent. I’ve had times when I switched from WiFi to LTE and forget to switch back and don’t notice because my speeds are just as good as if I’m at home - and that’s been pretty much wherever I’ve gone. I also love their app; it’s come a long way since I first joined them.
I get it though. If I was carrying a bunch of lines, plus paying monthly on phones, then I’d be more concerned about saving the most money as well. I can’t imagine paying $200, $300, $400+ a month on a cell phone bill. My most expensive utility is our cable/internet/phone bundle and I’m working on cutting that now.
FYI - Verizon is running a BOGO on the iPhones. Buy an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or X and you get the iPhone 8 64GB free. I didn’t want to start a new thread about it, so I’m just putting it here.
If cost of service was my focus, I would have remained on T-Mobile. I had been with them for years, back when they had Catherine Zeta-Jones as their spokesperson. My husband had been with them since they were VoiceStream. We always loved going into the T-Mobile stores because one of the managers would always let us know when something new was coming down or a way to get even cheaper service. My problem with T-Mobile was coverage. Living in a large metro area and still having dropped calls was just crazy to me. I won’t even get into road trips and the miles with no data coverage. It was enough for me to leave despite having a cheap unlimited data plan.
I went to Verizon and started with a cheap 2GB single line plan. Then I changed to the L plan, and finally the unlimited plan. Thinking of moving to the 5GB plan because I now know I never use more than 4GB in month and that’s heavy. I’d save $30 a month. Plus I get rollover and my corporate discount back which doesn’t apply to unlimited plans (my only gripe). There’s just something comforting about having unlimited though. In all those cases, the payments have been fine for me. Customer service is great. Coverage is excellent. I’ve had times when I switched from WiFi to LTE and forget to switch back and don’t notice because my speeds are just as good as if I’m at home - and that’s been pretty much wherever I’ve gone. I also love their app; it’s come a long way since I first joined them.
I get it though. If I was carrying a bunch of lines, plus paying monthly on phones, then I’d be more concerned about saving the most money as well. I can’t imagine paying $200, $300, $400+ a month on a cell phone bill. My most expensive utility is our cable/internet/phone bundle and I’m working on cutting that now.
FYI - Verizon is running a BOGO on the iPhones. Buy an iPhone 8, 8 Plus, or X and you get the iPhone 8 64GB free. I didn’t want to start a new thread about it, so I’m just putting it here.
The 5 GB plan works for me @ $55/month. Def worth it to have great coverage in 99% of the places I go. No comparrison IMO and I have also used them all. Location always will play a factor tho. In oregon and my Pacific Northwest travels I have no complaints
Just chiming in with, as others have mentioned, location, location, location. And probably device(s).
I've been on ATT since 2008 when I got my iPhone 3G, and I have had no complaints (previously Sprint). Previous home address, did have a weak signal, but current address is even weaker (lousy line of sight to nearest towers), but my ATT has not dropped a call while friends/family with Verizon have a tough go of it. Car camping in middle of CO with friends, my ATT had signal while their Verizon was "No Signal".
I generally take these type of threads with a grain of salt due to variables involved with each person's experience/use-case.
I've been on ATT since 2008 when I got my iPhone 3G, and I have had no complaints (previously Sprint). Previous home address, did have a weak signal, but current address is even weaker (lousy line of sight to nearest towers), but my ATT has not dropped a call while friends/family with Verizon have a tough go of it. Car camping in middle of CO with friends, my ATT had signal while their Verizon was "No Signal".
I generally take these type of threads with a grain of salt due to variables involved with each person's experience/use-case.
I’ve been with Verizon for a long time. I am happy with their service.
I have the unlimited plan and only pay for 1 line.
I have the unlimited plan and only pay for 1 line.
I have used all 4 major US carriers. Although I really enjoyed T-Mobile, Verizon is my favorite. I always have a signal and unlimited data is great. I do miss T-Mobile however. I just did not have service at my work with T-Mobile.
Verizon is the only carrier that has service starting 10 miles from my house, though it’s 1X only, no data until I get 15 miles away and then I get LTE. Verizon WiFi is wonderful, I think they’ve done some changes recently because previously I couldn’t get SMS messages on WiFi, and now I can. So it’s nice to have ‘cell’ coverage at home through WiFi. I just changed to the unlimited when I added my husbands SE to the account.
Don’t base your decision on what you may read here. A lot of people around here love to complain. They seem to live for posting complaint after complaint.
The best thing to do is give Verizon a try in your day to day area. That will give you time enough during the trial, to see if you are happy with the service.
I have no issues with Verizon. Excellent coverage. I have the $40 per month pre-paid plan. With tax it is $40.60. Unlimited text and talk plus 3 GB/Month data with rollover to next month. Usually have over 5 GB available at any given time. Wi-fi calling, tethering, and all the usual features. I'm happy with the service, the plan and think that the price is fair.
Love to complain, really? It looks to me like most posts were in favor of Verizon. I think it depends mostly on the area you're in and somewhat also which device you have. There's no way to predict how the actual service will be for the OP, however the initial question was "Is Verizon really that bad?" regarding their business practices/ethics, to which most people have agreed not that bad.
Verizon has been great for me, but the one charge that I'll never understand is the line access fee. We pay for data, then pay to access it... at $20 per line, it can add up. I'd switch providers but I drive through rural areas everyday and Verizon is the only carrier with coverage in the area that I need it the most.
