Verizon Wireless Questions and Corporate Discount

[The Critic]

I currently have AT&T Wireless and I am considering a switch to Verizon. It is mainly because Verizon offers annual equipment upgrades whereas AT&T does not. In addition, AT&T's voice quality is mediocre and I am hoping for an improvement with Verizon.

So for those of you who have Verizon, I have several questions:

1) Is Verizon's voice quality better than AT&T's?

2) How's Verizon's customer service in comparison with AT&T? I've had good experiences with AT&T, but I haven't had any experience with Verizon.

3) Does Verizon allow you to check your minutes and text messages remaining from your phone? AT&T will send you a free text message if you dial *646# (voice) and *3282# (data) that will tell you how many minutes or text messages you have used for the month. I'm curious if Verizon has this feature.

Also, if I switch to Verizon, their least expensive family plan is $69.99/mo. With AT&T Wireless, their least expensive plan is $59.99/mo. So, I have to pay $10/mo more with Verizon, even if I do not need the extra minutes. I only get a 15% off discount with Verizon. Does anyone know which companies get more than a 15% discount with Verizon? I was hoping to find someone who works for a company that gets a better discount with Verizon to hook me up.

Thanks!

 

[ThirdeYe]

I have Alltel, which is now part of Verizon, and the voice quality is pretty good IMO. I'm assuming that with the merger, the features will be the same. But basically what you can do to check your minutes on the phone I have, is you can either send a text, or make a phone call to hear your minutes. Keep in mind that Verizon and Alltel customers can talk in the same network now.

 

[Jimmy9190]

I have been with Verizon Wireless since 2006. The voice quality is great and so is their customer service. You can use #min to check your minutes used but they send you a text, which could cost you to open it depending on your plan. I keep track of my minutes used on their website. I am sure you can track data there too. I also get a 15% state employee discount.

Verizon is the best cell provider around here.

 

[sicko]

I've used both networks and in my area (Washington DC area) there's no comparison, Verizon is better. I'm not saying AT&T is bad, but I definitely was getting a stronger signal with Verizon then I was with AT&T. Call quality with Verizon was excellent, I had no issues with their network and will probably return to them eventually. I also never had any problems with their customer service, but in the 5-6 years I was with them I only needed to speak with them maybe 2-3 times at most.

My issues with Verizon are not with their network/service. It's more with the company which makes it painfully obvious that their focus is on business blackberry users and not individuals. B/c of this if you want the latest phone they very rarely had it, usually normal phones would come out first on other carriers, then by the time the features were becoming normal and new features were coming out that's when Verizon would get the phone. It also wasn't uncommon for them to get the phone with either reduced RAM, memory, or processor speed. They may argue that it helps battery life, but others would argue that it reduces performance depending on your use of the phone.

Another issue I had is that with their normal phones, Verizon would make their own OS for it. So for example they wouldn't use the OS that Motorola had for the phone, but would customize their own. A lot (most?) phone carriers do things like this. My issue is that Verizon would often heavily cripple the phone by removing features that were available in the original OS. Also, there are times when I have to question if the designers have given any thought to ease of usability. There are somethings from a design perspective that are obviously flawed, inconvenient, and not intuitive. But as mobile platforms such as Windows Mobile, Android, and the iPhone's OS, come out, I think more and more cell phone companies wont be touching the OS as they see that it's a selling point that could make or break a phone.

I recently switched from Verizon to AT&T and AT&T is fine, no major issues. But like I said, in my area and the places around here that I travel, Verizon gets a stronger signal.

I'm not aware of anyone who gets more then a 15% discount on Verizon. But you might want to call them about the cost of their family plan. They might cut you a deal to get you to switch over from a competitor

 

[Pablo]

I would say Verizon is OK. Voice quality good, dropouts medium.

We have it for our four phone family. Lots of folks have it, grandma, etc so it keeps us off the "overage" minutes (NASTY!!) This is the phone I use for the Amsoil business. Also, we get a nice corporate discount from my "real" job. Not bad. Family is satisfied.

For my SBP business, I decided to go to the corporate "site". Terrible, I'll need to be careful here because my post could easily drop into foul expletive deleted land. Let me just say they were complete idiots - I was trying to give them my business and it seemed like they didn't even care. I knew this was not going to be good....after like 3 phone calls, this one guy could help me. (You need to fax them your business license, etc)OK so he got us going.....another week later, where the frack are our phones? Finally got the phones.....took over a day for them to initiallize and get my phone up. They told me at least 3 ways it "should" work......none did.....and they seemed like I was the one all screwed up. It took my techie partner 3 days to get his phone going (his first experience with Verizon and he now hates them and blames ME! (

J/K))

Anyway, phones OK now, but they nickle and dime you....price is a bit higher and any little thing - cha-ching! One year?? NOOOO - two years........ we will switch.

 

[JHZR2]

Had T-mobile, was very happy anmd they had good prices. Wife and I wanted iphones, so we had to go to AT&T.

AT&T is ok.

I have a phone, blackberry and air card with verizon for work. Phone is OK, but drops calls and has connection issues more than AT&T does. Blackberry is very fast - it impresses me. Air card is good too - full-fledged internet, just like the iphone.

I think that verizon is a little better if youre really doing data. For phone, actually, I have had better luck with t-mobile and AT&T than verizon. Verizon shows less bars in my home (suburb of philadelphia, I can see the skyline closely) than AT&T.

AT&T and verizon were more expensive. I'd never have left t-mobile if I could have had 3G wth an iphone. The only benefit that verizon has that is compelling to me is that it works on the DC metro...

 

[sicko]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
The only benefit that verizon has that is compelling to me is that it works on the DC metro...


Just a quick note on this subject. Verizon's exclusivity on the DC metro is being brought to an end. In October 20 of the more popular metro stations will start allowing other cell service, and then they will continue to work through next year to get the rest up as well.

I don't know what brought an end to this, I've heard mixed info, some people told me Verizon's exclusivity contract has come to an end, others have told me that the recent metro accident showed them that in the case of an emergency all cell phone companies need to work. I don't know what the reasoning is, I just know that I've read that other carriers will start working in more popular metro stops in October and that eventually everyone should be able to work on the metro. Sorry I don't have a link, but I'm sure a web search will return the info for you

 

[tom slick]

I have Verizon because I don't get service in my house with AT&T. I have no complaints with their customer service. Their phones are cheaper on the company website.

Verizon is a bi-annual equipment upgrade. "new every two"

Verizon has a free contact upload/download service that saves and updates your contact list automatically. You can even edit your contacts online and it will update your phone. The cool thing is when you replace your phone all of your contacts are transferred with just a few keystrokes.