What's happened to Verizon Wireless?

We have Verizon yes they are very expensive. I have an iPhone XR and went to get a new screen protector a few weeks ago they told me since this is a 2018 model phone they don’t have them anymore. They had them for my dads Galaxy S10+ and my moms S9+ but none for mine. And at Walmart they are almost $30. My sister has the Pixel 2 and they have limited stuff for it too. If it wasn’t for the good coverage we would switch. It’s iffy at my house but other than that it’s good because my dad is a truck driver and he never loses service like he did when we had US Cellular. I just wish we had unlimited data but that’s even more expensive lol.
 
This all started several years ago when they did away with the plan whereas if you kept your phone for two years, you would qualify for a phone upgrade at a greatly reduced price. You could get a $500 or $600 phone for $200. They stopped offering this purchase plan and now you have to pay full price for a new phone.

In all fairness, the other 2 supercarriers do the same thing where you can no longer upgrade at a reduced price.

What really ticks me off is the "tier'd" plans where I just can't have a normal unlimited everything plan, including 720p+ streaming. Now I have to buy a higher tier plan. With verizon it's $70/month for one line with only 480p. No thanks. Their "business" plan is even worse - my company pays $45/month for hotspots with "unlimited" data that gets throttled after 22GB and the signal goes to complete crap.
 
As noted, the vast majority of Verizon stores around here are authorized retailers, not Verizon owned and operated. You can see what is what online.

Funny how people used to complain about being locked into contracts but liked their "discounted" phones... If you thought you were getting a discounted phone, an economist once taught me there is no such thing as a free lunch...

For two of the phones on our plans, I could have bought the phone outright or paid on the installment plan the exact same price - except the wireless company had discounts on the installment plan - kind of a back door contract, but lower cost for the device in the end. (Not low end devices either - Samsung Galaxy S20 5G and Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G...)

(And I say this as an AT&T customer - not Verizon, due to coverage needs).
 
It sounds like it's time for you to switch carriers. Give someone else your business that wants it. I would never pay Verizon prices unless they were the only carrier available.
 
I don't mind the no contracts thing. You pay for the phone either way; they subsidize it into your payment or you pay outright. The one thing I didn't like is they had to run my credit so I could pay cash for a phone. That wasn't cool - I ended up buying my own and getting a new sim for it.

Their coverage in the last few years here hasn't advanced as much as other networks.
 
TracFone is what we use. Low cost and great coverage.

A basic $80 android phone is just what I need. For work I have an iPhone.
 
I would like nothing more than to get my darling bride and mother-in-law off my old verizon plan. It's $100/month for just the 2 phones and 4gigs of shared data.

Three of my kids and myself are on Cricket (AT&T). Unlimited everything for $100/mo all-in for the 4. We've had it atleast 2yrs now and love it.
 
Our VW store doesn't install them (might be COVID related, not sure because they used to). Assuming you are using a tempered glass screen protector, if you don't want to waste your time with the store, get one that provides a template -- easiest install ever, no bubbles or other issues.
 
Been with Verizon for well over 23 years........back when they were Bell Atlantic with the 30 minute Plan :)p)
Never had issues with Coverage, Billing, Customer Service, etc.......
Like what was mention above, sounds like a Store issue.
Just saying.
The online stuff (not being able to chat) isn't a store issue, and neither was the doing away with the reduced priced upgrades...
 
Few issues here. VW is NOT the same as the Verizion wireless stores. They are in competition with each other. Then end game for the mothership is the stores are needed but keep the services at a minimum until the client base ages out (yes, sad to say when grandma and grandpa pass) and the remaining clients are comfortable with a 99% online experience.

Think about the savings in employees, and management, and all the overhead like stock, rent, lights, heat, AC and multiply by the number of actual stores. Big money.
Whether or not the store I go to is Verizon, or Verizon Wireless doesn't matter. It's the same store I've been going to for years and they USED to be able to do just about anything with an iPhone. Now they do very little with them...something has changed with the company...
 
I'll comment on this.
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
No one was ever getting any thing at a greatly reduced price.
Everyone was paying the subsidy for the discount in their bills.
An Example: When our Iphone 4s's finally died, we were paying $156./month.
We went in and bought 2 Iphone 6's at full price, with 0% financing for 30 months.
My cell phone bill went down $28./month to $128.
When the phones were paid off, my bill went down to $94.
We just had to replace our phones last month (mine totally woofed, Mrs Tdbo's on its last legs.)
We got SE's. Phone bill went up to $128. again for 30 months.
Obviously, this is cheaper than the former subsidies.
However, your gonna pay, one way or the other.
Good info, I didn't know any of this, but this doesn't explain why my store that used to do just about everything with these phones now only does very minor things, or why I can't get any tech support online...
 
Our VW store doesn't install them (might be COVID related, not sure because they used to). Assuming you are using a tempered glass screen protector, if you don't want to waste your time with the store, get one that provides a template -- easiest install ever, no bubbles or other issues.
Our store said they would install it, but they said I had to go online and register our phones on some website in order to get the protectors, they would send them to us, then we'd bring them into the store and they'd install them...sounds like a lot of hooy just to have screen protectors installed...like they don't want to be bothered with it...
 
I struggled and failed putting on a screen protector. My wife found a kiosk in Vegas. It's in Bally's on the level below the casino. There was a guy, Moses there. He put the screen protector on my wife's iPhone in about a minute while talking on his own phone and flirting with my wife. That screen protector lasted 3 years and never peeled a bit.

There are lots of kiosks and cell phone experts around. Don't need to go to Verizon store for accessories like this.
 
I've been with ALL (major) carriers and I don't see where you guys can say Verizon is more expensive? I've literally set in my car with an iphone 8 on Verizon, one on ATT and one on Sprint. Verizon killed them all time and time again on data speed and call quality.

Between my quest for better service at my very rural homestead here in North central Florida, I have found Verizon to be the best and use it both now for my family plan and my company cell and hotspot. The cost difference is minimal with any other major carriers.

FYI- wait until they are doing the BOGO deals on phones to really save! We bought my wifes iphone X and got my daughters XR free, then my sons MotoS was completely free as a promo. I pay $180 a month for 4 lines all with unlimited data. That is less than what I paid Sprint for their total GARBAGE service and data and the same as what I paid ATT (within $2-3) for comparable plans.
 
Oh and FYI- those of you touting the off brand carriers, need to realize there are only 3 major carriers (T-Mobile/sprint, ATT and Verizon) towers in the US. Anything else is bottom tier shared from these guys. Total wireless, cricket, Boost etc. All "buy" data and lease towers from the majors. You are getting the throttled and slowest data available. Not an issue unless you are like me and my wife, where we depend on our phones and hotspots for work daily.
 
ATT is no better.

I setup a prepaid annual account for my wife and I.

I called the 1800 line, they said I could purchase two SIM cards at the ATT store (official), and they would activate the plan in store.

I get to the official store, the guy says no we don't even have access to do anything to Prepaid phones. We can't do anything for you.

Prepaid had to overnight me two SIM cards which I was told would be activated.

They were not and I had to spend several hours on the phone with them to do the simple task.

I deal with ATT because in San Antonio, and rural Texas, they are king for coverage. On Tmobile my phone would have no service regularly.
 
I've been with ALL (major) carriers and I don't see where you guys can say Verizon is more expensive? I've literally set in my car with an iphone 8 on Verizon, one on ATT and one on Sprint. Verizon killed them all time and time again on data speed and call quality.

Between my quest for better service at my very rural homestead here in North central Florida, I have found Verizon to be the best and use it both now for my family plan and my company cell and hotspot. The cost difference is minimal with any other major carriers.

FYI- wait until they are doing the BOGO deals on phones to really save! We bought my wifes iphone X and got my daughters XR free, then my sons MotoS was completely free as a promo. I pay $180 a month for 4 lines all with unlimited data. That is less than what I paid Sprint for their total GARBAGE service and data and the same as what I paid ATT (within $2-3) for comparable plans.
I agree the coverage area (lack of areas with no service) is absolutely the best with VW. No question. My complaint is with their recent lack of support at their stores, and their poor online customer service now that USED to be the best in the business. The only thing that keeps me with them now is the horror stories I hear about the other companies. Total Wireless definitely sounds like one I need to check out though...
 
ATT is no better.

I setup a prepaid annual account for my wife and I.

I called the 1800 line, they said I could purchase two SIM cards at the ATT store (official), and they would activate the plan in store.

I get to the official store, the guy says no we don't even have access to do anything to Prepaid phones. We can't do anything for you.

Prepaid had to overnight me two SIM cards which I was told would be activated.

They were not and I had to spend several hours on the phone with them to do the simple task.

I deal with ATT because in San Antonio, and rural Texas, they are king for coverage. On Tmobile my phone would have no service regularly.
I've had plenty of experience with AT&T and I can say I would never even consider going to them. I had them when I had DirecTV, and we had to deal with them at work all of the time because our system's internet was through them. They are one of the THE worst companies I have ever had to deal with.
 
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