Convince me to stay with Verizon... Please!

[jstwondrng]

Ok, like most in this forum, I purchased the Bionic around the same time two years ago and I'm up for a new phone this month. Like some, I'm unhappy with how Verizon is forcing us to pay for "tiered" data (which, even at the lowest speed, I'd be paying more per month for service) and dropping our grandfathered unlimited plans. Also, the fact I have to pay 30 for an upgrade AND I'm probably going to lose my employee discount since I no longer work for Verizon, I don't see the incentive in staying with them.

I talked to a sales rep via IM and they only gave the option for purchasing the new phone outright in order to keep unlimited data. Granted, they did offer breaking up the payments over 12 months, but this will increase my monthly bill by 50.00!

Sprint and T-Mobile offer unlimited plans and Sprint's service has GREATLY improved over the years... Should I stay with VZW or go elsewhere???

Btw, sorry if this isn't a true Bionic post, but I really need advise

J

 

[mattjenn]

Granted sprint has improved I know several people on sprint and they regret every second on that network all of them say if you are not in 4G coverage their network is unusable. As for t-mobile I don't know much of anything about that network if you choose to leave vzw just do your homework in your area as far as coverage and data speeds

 

[aaf709]

Ain't gonna try to convince you as I'm not you.

Consumer's Reports used to put Verizon way on top with T-Mobile and Sprint after that. Now they very close together in their ratings. I suggest getting their cell phone issue as they show what works best in a variety of cities. In San Diego, Verizon is best so that's what I'm on.

Look what phones the companies are offering if that'll help. Some are exclusive to a carrier.

 

[jstwondrng]

Ain't gonna try to convince you as I'm not you.

Consumer's Reports used to put Verizon way on top with T-Mobile and Sprint after that. Now they very close together in their ratings. I suggest getting their cell phone issue as they show what works best in a variety of cities. In San Diego, Verizon is best so that's what I'm on.

Look what phones the companies are offering if that'll help. Some are exclusive to a carrier.

Good point! I was with Sprint years ago and didn't hate that company. The only thing I didn't like was their selection of phones. Verizon tends to get the best selection, next to AT&T, of course. I really wanna get the S4, but if I don't do so next week, I'm waiting til my contract ends in September and jumping ship.

J

 

[adrenalinemotion]

My thinking is this;

My current bill is $86/month, monthly unlimited 4G with t-mobile is $70 + tax IIRC. I live in an urban area with great t-mobile coverage now, but the area where I work isn't so great (strictly based on their online maps). For me, saving MAYBE $10 by switching to t-mobile isn't worth the potential coverage loss and slow data speeds. I can't say it isn't something I've very seriously considered though.

 

[rcblate]

I feel your pain. Was an art customer for 8 years and loved it. Moved into a new area 4 years ago that is attached cell phone hell. In my time with Verizon, I've had the Bob storm and storm 2 and bionic. If iPhone could talk and surf (not falling about WiFi) I would be there on upgrade date. I just want a phone that works, svdo, has great camera, etc..

Spend way too much time messing with this kind of stuff!

Anyone plagued w/the z10 from Berry?

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Droid Forums

 

[FoxKat]

Personally, I've been a Verizon (previously Bell Atlantic Mobile) customer since I was a Bell Atlantic Mobile employee in 1994. Since then, I've maintained my Verizon/Bell account with a minimum of 3 phone lines. I initially had 4 lines and all 4 were numbers were issued to me - by me as an agent, each ending in 00, and all in the same area code, same exchange and same 1st digit of the last 4, so all 4 numbers had only one digit different - and in numerical order starting with mine which is ending in 000, the wife 100, my second line 200, and my mother was 300. Now I still have 000, 100, & 200, but my son now carries 200, and I have since added a 4th line for my wife's father (recently deceased).

Since I've been a loyal customer of Verizon for over 19 years, I've seen the good, bad and ugly of cellular growth and development. In that nearly 20 years, I have been no less than completely satisfied with the service and support that Verizon has provided. They've been there in every situation and resolved all issues with courtesy and compassion. They've replaced phones as needed without question, they've advised me on changes to my plans that would save me money and in situations where I've had disputes with billing and such, they've always been able to make good on those disputes and see the errors of their ways. Nothing and nobody is perfect, but if they're willing to recognize and make proper reparations, that's all anyone can hope for. In cases where there was verifiable loss of functionality, they've been there with money applied toward phone service credits to offset future bills.

Verizon has upgraded our phones under the normal upgrade processes in the distant and recent past, and in some cases even well before the upgrade was available. They've been willing and able to provide additional incentives in the form of credits to service to make the changes, including subsidizing the costs of accessories that went with the new phones (i.e. car kits, etc.), so that the costs I paid toward similar accessories on the old phones wasn't wasted. They've even upgraded phones we've had for newer models and done so without charge. The same goes for Motorola as I've been carrying (or driving with) Motorola phones for nearly 90% of the time over the last 19 years.

I have just today gotten a free upgrade for my wife's car mount from Motorola (see below), because Verizon recently replaced my wife's Droid RAZR (after the warranty period), with a Droid RAZR MAXX, since the MAXX doesn't fit into the RAZR's dock. The phone replacement was done by Verizon over one year after purchase, because the battery on her RAZR would no longer get her through a full day. Verizon sent her a CLNR Droid RAZR MAXX, we shipped back the Droid RAZR, and now Motorola is shipping a Droid RAZR MAXX Vehicle Navigation Dock and we'll be shipping back the Droid RAZR Vehicle Navigation Dock. All that was completely free from both companies...something they both did for me several months ago as well - and yes...they were free then too. I have NEVER worked with a company like these two who would provide such extensive, generous support, and do so even after the warranty periods are up as they've both done for me. It might (admittedly so), be partially due to my loyalty to both companies, but then that makes complete and good business sense to me.

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The actual phone service in my area - a suburb about 15 miles due West of Philadelphia, PA has been superb with Verizon and nearly as reliable as a wireline. Dropped calls are non-existent. Poor service areas are now as hard to find as an Easter Egg 30 seconds into the hunt (reference to how fast those little kids can clean up 30,000 plastic eggs on the Church lawns...amazing!). The only places I find it difficult to get service now are inside a couple nearby big box stores and places like Staples, (all steel construction). In those cases, so I don't have service while I shop...so what?

In the past, where my phone would work without a hitch, friends and associates struggled to get service. Where my phone wouldn't work...nobody else's would either. I know that the build-up of infrastructure has been quite extensive in the other carriers - especially in the last few years, but given how strong Verizon has always been, and how quickly they've upgraded their system to meet the new demands of faster protocols and more powerful services, I would say that past performance is indicative of future expectations. 5G is going to be rolling out in the future and I'd rather be with the carrier that's most likely going to have a viable network of the next protocol up and running before the others.

I now the tiered plan is a big issue with people now, and frankly if I were upgrading my main two lines and didn't have the other two to "steal" the upgrades from, I'd be a bit bummed too. It would of course, require me to move the other two lines to the tiered plan, and that would bust my Family Plan and the Friends and Family, but at this point I don't use but half of the allotted minutes since nearly everyone I speak to that isn't a business is on mobile now, and most are on Verizon - so the calls are Mobile to Mobile and free. As more and more "home phones" go the way of the Dinosaur, I see the plan minutes becoming less and less of an issue. I do however intend to keep the Unlimited Data on the two main lines until they rip it out of my bloody hands.

Verizon's phone selection (as you alluded to), is - and has consistently been the best of all carriers IMHO. That said...for the teacher's pets it wasn't - but I don't and never have desired the fruit of that tree, so I couldn't care less.

For me, another carrier would have to jump through some pretty big hoops with lead weights around their wrists, waist & ankles to get me to change...and even then I might regret it.

I don't mean to sound crass, but if you were a Verizon employee wouldn't you have been the person I would come to in order to be convinced by you to use Verizon over other carriers? In other words, I would expect you might know even more about the system and reasons why Verizon would be the better carrier than the others.

Of course, if you weren't on the front line, or you didn't work for Verizon Wireless, but instead Verizon - the parent company then those questions or expectations would be mute.

I suggest you call 800-922-0204 and plead your case to the support staff. If you get no satisfaction from level one "Customer Loyalty" (formerly "Customer Retention"), ask to speak to a supervisor. Don't forget to mention you are on an employee plan as a former Verizon employee.

Anyway, I hope I've helped you.

 

[bhp117]

Depends how much data you use monthly and if you'll be satisfied with slower data connection and limited lte coverage.
Even though I can upgrade but I didn't bc I don't want to lose the unlimited data so I bought a new note2 on Craigslist for a great price.
My friend switch from vzw to sprint and he is regretting it since he also gave up his vzw unlimited data
Personally i would spend $300-$500 to keep the unlimited data and better coverage to save a few bucks and if you think about it spending that money on newer phone can last you another 2 years or more before you need a new phone later down the road.
Another thing is if you decide to buy a phone make sure it a quad core because honestly another dual core isnt much of an upgrade compared to the bionic

 

[jstwondrng]

The actual phone service in my area - a suburb about 15 miles due West of Philadelphia, PA has been superb with Verizon and nearly as reliable as a wireline. Dropped calls are non-existent. Poor service areas are now as hard to find as an Easter Egg 30 seconds into the hunt (reference to how fast those little kids can clean up 30,000 plastic eggs on the Church lawns...amazing!). The only places I find it difficult to get service now are inside a couple nearby big box stores and places like Staples, (all steel construction). In those cases, so I don't have service while I shop...so what?

I live in a suburb roughly 15/20 mins the West Side of Philadelphia as well and I agree, service is stellar with Verizon. One of the reasons I'm afraid to jump ship.

I suggest you call 800-922-0204 and plead your case to the support staff. If you get no satisfaction from level one "Customer Loyalty" (formerly "Customer Retention"), ask to speak to a supervisor. Don't forget to mention you are on an employee plan as a former Verizon employee.

Anyway, I hope I've helped you.

I'll definitely try your suggestion and see if it works. Although, I am tempted to go with the purchasing of the phone (S4) so I don't have to be stuck with another 2 year plan. I guess I have at least three days to decide Thanks again!

J

 

[jstwondrng]

Depends how much data you use monthly and if you'll be satisfied with slower data connection and limited lte coverage.
Even though I can upgrade but I didn't bc I don't want to lose the unlimited data so I bought a new note2 on Craigslist for a great price.
My friend switch from vzw to sprint and he is regretting it since he also gave up his vzw unlimited data
Personally i would spend $300-$500 to keep the unlimited data and better coverage to save a few bucks and if you think about it spending that money on newer phone can last you another 2 years or more before you need a new phone later down the road.
Another thing is if you decide to buy a phone make sure it a quad core because honestly another dual core isnt much of an upgrade compared to the bionic

Very Good Points! Thanks! If I upgrade this week, it will definitely be a quad-core S4.

J

 

[ozo012]

I highly recommend checking out swappa . com and buying a gently used phone, guaranteed to have a clean ESN and uncracked screen. I bought my Note 2 from there and love it.

 

[mykl376]

Personally, I've been a Verizon (previously Bell Atlantic Mobile) customer since I was a Bell Atlantic Mobile employee in 1994. Since then, I've maintained my Verizon/Bell account with a minimum of 3 phone lines. I initially had 4 lines and all 4 were numbers were issued to me - by me as an agent, each ending in 00, and all in the same area code, same exchange and same 1st digit of the last 4, so all 4 numbers had only one digit different - and in numerical order starting with mine which is ending in 000, the wife 100, my second line 200, and my mother was 300. Now I still have 000, 100, & 200, but my son now carries 200, and I have since added a 4th line for my wife's father (recently deceased).

I've only been with Verizon since 1999-2000, but I got two nearly identical numbers for me and my wife. Both end in 00, and the only difference is the hundreds # in the last 4. My wife since switched to AT&T when the iphone 3gs came out, but kept her #. Stupid Apple not coming to Verizon first, now she feels stuck since unlimited data has been off the table for a while now.

To the OP though, I've always told anyone who asks a similar question, go with whoever gives the best coverage where you'll be using it the most. For me, Verizon has the best coverage, with very few dead zones. My wife's 4S will drop calls/service more often, and I have to bite my tongue to not say something smart ass-y about how good my coverage is!

 

[jstwondrng]

To the OP though, I've always told anyone who asks a similar question, go with whoever gives the best coverage where you'll be using it the most. For me, Verizon has the best coverage, with very few dead zones. My wife's 4S will drop calls/service more often, and I have to bite my tongue to not say something smart ass-y about how good my coverage is!

Thanks! I agree, ultimately, it's about coverage. A smartphone is only good when the service works. I think I'm going to stick with Verizon.

J

 

[jamjr74]

I was in the same boat as you with my feelings on Verizon. Well I left and tried Tmobile on 2 separate occasions!!!! Needless to sat I am back with Verizon!!!!! Tmobile is not bad but I had several dropped calls in the week I had them and have never dropped a call with Verizon! Also Tmobile coverage drastically drops off when inside a building. If you need unlimited then make the switch but if you do not then stay with verizon!

 

[Dalvik_Cache]

Here's the scoop... I can't convince you to stay with Verizon, nor do I care to. Im not a salesman, and I don't get commission. All I can do is give you the facts, and let you make the call. So, having said that, here we go: Verizon Wireless has the largest, strongest, and fastest network, especially in regards to LTE. Their network infrastructure far surpasses anyone else, period. As a result, it cost's a lot more to maintain, and some of that cost gets passed on to the consumer. Secondly, they are doing the exact same thing that most other carriers do in regards to tiered data. It's not just Verizon. In fact, tiered data has went from being the exception to the rule, for the most part. It is true that you can get unlimited plans on a few smaller carriers. The issue with said carriers is that they have inferior networks, considerably less bandwidth, and there is even speculation that they won't be unlimited forever, especially in regards that it's simply not cost effective. As more people jump ship with VZW, AT&T, and others, the unlimited carriers networks, spectrum, and bandwidth will become over-saturated, and they will either dump unlimited data or sink.

Keep in mind that spectrum is a lot like real-estate. They don't make any more. Currently all of the major carriers hold the majority of the spectrum. T-Mobile for example, is trying to expand their LTE networks, but they are having issues in the regards that they don't have spectrum, nor can they buy the spectrum, because it's already owned. There comes a point where they become as good as they will ever be.

Now then, to be fair lets talk about the pro's of leaving... Really the biggest pro is cost. I actually considered leaving VZW myself recently because of the cost for my little sister. Granted, I was looking for a single line of service, family share plans have improved over time. Basically, for a single line of service I found that almost all the carriers I check, for similar service, were within about $10-$15 of each other.

So, I don't fault anyone for opting for the better prices, if you're OK with less reception, slower speeds, etc. Alternatively, other carriers seem to get new devices to market MUCH faster than VZW. So, its all up to you. You may be able to save a little money, but is is worth the trade off? Only you know that!