Anyone here use Verizon for cell service?

[brunoflipper]

oh for ****s sake... please, read your first paragraph again and look up the definition of "haughty"...

nonetheless, nice threadcrapping... i'm sure wavoka appreciated your contribution, bravo...

[USRufnex]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

Exactly.  I am selective about my utilization of technology.  I choose to use a home computer and the internet, I choose not to use cell phones, cable or satellite TV.  It is not "haughtiness" at all, just my personal choice.  Come down off your high horse brunoflipper.  The use of cell phones are a matter of personal choice or employer necessity.  Just because I find them obnoxious and boorish does not make me any more "correct" than you.  It is just my opinion, but apparently you can not leave it at that.

Problem is, the question Wavoka asked was not.... "Should I have a cell phone at all?"

Here's the question:
"I've been with AT&T/Cingular/The New AT&T for over 6 years. Lately the coverage has been going downhill and customer service refuses to admit they have a problem. Keep blaming it on my phone. Odd since my wife and I have different phones made by different manufacturers yet we are both having the same problems.

Anyway I am thinking of moving to Verizon and was wondering if anyone here used them and how their service was here?"

Here's my opinion:
I like cheese. []

[Johnboy976]

Much like in Eastern Kentucky, Verizon had some problems getting proper licensing in Oklahoma. Their late entry was due to an out-of-date cell phone law that forced Verizon to wait longer than they had hoped for. Many of the towers for in and around Tulsa were there for a couple years. This was at least what I was told by one of the supervisors for Verizon in Kentucky. She was actually on the money. I would take my Verizon phone to Tulsa, right around 2005, and find no indication that I was in someone else's network.

[tim huntzinger]

Bandwidth was auctioned off in the 90's, with winners given a BTA (basic trading area) and a mandate to expand service to certain percentages of the population of those areas in certain time frames.  Those carriers could sub-lease their bandwidth, sell it, trade it, whatever.  Evidently Verizon has acquired bandwidth finally from an existing carrier, or snatched up licenses let go by a carrier looking for cash.

The CDMA (Alltel, Sprint, Cricket, USHellular) network handles roaming clumsily on other CDMA networks, and data roaming ain't happening.  GSM networks are smoother that way.

Verizon got to where it is by building its customer base, the 'new at&t' got to where it is by buying out companies.  F'rinstance, when Cingular bought the old at&t wireless, it paid about $5000 per customer, while the going rate for acquiring new customers was about $400.

Once Clingular bought the old at&t, Tulsans' prices for phones went up and adminstrative fees (upgrade charges) were non-negotiable.  Now that Verizon is in town, prices have gone down and those fees are negotiable.

[inteller]

competition os good, but verizon, sprint, and all CDMA companies suck.  Untill they get rid of the ESN method of provisioning phones and go to something like a SIM card, I'll never use CDMA again.  Not being able to use what phone I want, whenever I want by just popping in a SIM card is unacceptable.  They further this mentality with their trinket system of selling content and limiting what content you can put on your phone.  GSM carriers are much more lax with this.  Verizon is the one that used to disable bluetooth functionality on their phones so you couldnt copy files to them.  That company is run like the Nazi party.

[tim huntzinger]

quote:Originally posted by inteller

That company is run like the Nazi party.

Griz, look: Godwin's Law strikes again!  Picture the V guy, 'Can yu hear me now, frauhline?'

[Rowdy]

quote:Originally posted by USRufnex

quote:Originally posted by Steve

Exactly.  I am selective about my utilization of technology.  I choose to use a home computer and the internet, I choose not to use cell phones, cable or satellite TV.  It is not "haughtiness" at all, just my personal choice.  Come down off your high horse brunoflipper.  The use of cell phones are a matter of personal choice or employer necessity.  Just because I find them obnoxious and boorish does not make me any more "correct" than you.  It is just my opinion, but apparently you can not leave it at that.

Problem is, the question Wavoka asked was not.... "Should I have a cell phone at all?"

Here's the question:
"I've been with AT&T/Cingular/The New AT&T for over 6 years. Lately the coverage has been going downhill and customer service refuses to admit they have a problem. Keep blaming it on my phone. Odd since my wife and I have different phones made by different manufacturers yet we are both having the same problems.

Anyway I am thinking of moving to Verizon and was wondering if anyone here used them and how their service was here?"

Here's my opinion:
I like cheese. []

Forgetting all the hate from some here towards various companies, you want decent phone service correct? This is what I believe is the best bet for someone living in the Tulsa area.

Get with Verizon. Verizon DOES have the best network as far as how solid their cellsites are.  Why do I say that?  Several reasons.  First of all, I have seen better experience with Lucent technology than with Nortel.  I believe Lucent systems respond better on recovering when taking a T1 hit or a hit from our usual severe weather. Like I mentioned before, some think other carriers have generators and this is partly true.  However, I do know that during this last Ice Storm we had, Cingular and US Cellular were busy running around taking portable generators to various cellsites trying to keep them on the air.  US Cellular mainly has generators that serve their switch and various Microwave hubs.  Other than that, the majority have no backup for power except for 6-8 hours on batteries.  This isn't good if you need to use 911.

Verizon has generators at 99% of their cellsites that run for days on end for situations such as storms and various other reasons for outages.  This alone is an important factor. Some may not see it that way. Verizon has a roaming agreement with US Celllular here in Tulsa and surrounding area.  According to Telephia which is an independent company that tests the performance of various carriers, US Cellular ranked high in a low number of lost calls and inaffective attempts.  They have their service pretty much covered everywhere save for a few dead spots which you will get with any company.

When you are not on a Verizon tower, you will go to the "EXTENDED NETWORK" on your phone which is US Cellular here in Tulsa.  I believe when you are under US Cellular, you are not charged for being in an Extended Network when you have Verizon.  I would say go with US Cellular if Verizon wasn't here but I question US Cellular's longevity concerning their independency in the business.  Verizon will continue to build out aggressively and in my mind be better when they have their final buildout.  At least if you go with them now, you have the best of both worlds with two carriers' coverage. I would check on the Extended Network policy and make sure it's free because I have been told that when you roam on the Extended, the customer doesn't pay anything additional for it.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

quote:Originally posted by inteller

That company is run like the Nazi party.

Griz, look: Godwin's Law strikes again!  Picture the V guy, 'Can yu hear me now, frauhline?'

We need a hitler emoticon..

Ya know, like this:

[Rowdy]

sgrizzle-fo'shizzle

[USRufnex]

The "extended network" won't affect your calls... it's just that certain features may not work right on another company's towers (like #min to check minutes, #pmt to make a pmt, or mobile web)... there is no extra cost for using the phone while in extended network, which in OKC, Muskogee, etc will be US Cellular's network...

http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/pressrelease.aspx?id=2007040

Verizon Wireless performs particularly well in the study, ranking highest in four of the six U.S. regions examined, while tying with Qwest to rank highest in a fifth region. U.S. Cellular also ranks highest in one region. Study results by region are:

Northeast Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest in the region, with fewer problems reported with interference/static, dropped/disconnected calls, initial connections and voice distortion.  

Mid-Atlantic Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest, with fewer problems experienced with voice distortion and echoes.  

Southeast Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest in the region, with fewer problems with interference/static and voice distortion.

North Central Region: U.S. Cellular ranks highest for a third consecutive time with fewer problems in interference/static, initial connection, dropped/disconnected calls and voice distortion.

Southwest Region: Verizon Wireless ranks highest in the region for the first time, with fewer problems with echoes.

West Region: Qwest and Verizon Wireless rank highest in a tie. Qwest customers report fewer problems in the area of voice distortion, and Verizon Wireless performs well in initial connections.

The 2007 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study—Volume 1 is based on responses from 29,346 wireless users. The results are from the two most recent reporting waves, September-October 2006 and January-February 2007. Volume 2 of the 2007 Wireless Call Quality Performance Study will be issued in September 2007.

Nazi's indeed.  [}:)]

[inteller]

"Rankings are based on numerical scores and not necessarily on statistical signifigance"

wow, some survey.  Who every gets the most votes wins.

[tim huntzinger]

The striking thing about that, then, is that even with fewer customers Verizon ranks higher than at&t or Sprint.  One notable exception is the Catoosa call center for the 'new at&t,' actually spanking Verizon for customer service and increasing the number of customers and beating churn expectations.

[Rowdy]

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

The striking thing about that, then, is that even with fewer customers Verizon ranks higher than at&t or Sprint.  One notable exception is the Catoosa call center for the 'new at&t,' actually spanking Verizon for customer service and increasing the number of customers and beating churn expectations.

I challenge you on AT&T or whatever their current name is of the month on spanking Verizon in any category. Please provide these details on customer churn to us where they are beating Verizon and customer service.  AT&T does not rank at the top in Customer Service I guarantee you.

[AMP]

Churn and burn...

I was in telecommunications for a few years.  With AT&T, SWB, Cox.  They all have their gimmicks and downsides.  Never found one, other than AT&T, that seemed much better than the others.

That was because AT&T and SWB were the Public Utility at record, and could disable your UNE-P clients phones with the snip of a pair of dykes at the pole. Not do an install of a new line, they were only contracted to drop the line at the exterior box.

Or forget to list the customer in the SWB phone book after the customer dropped them for a CLEC.

Larger firms using Trunks or T1 circuits found they had EVERY phone number listed the next year in the telephone director. For a large business that including all data and fax numbers in a random sequence in the white pages. The main nuber was hidden within 20+ other DID numbers.  That was one of their favorite tricks.  

Another inside problem they had was theft of the sales commissions generated by their outside sales reps.  If a business had an existing Toll Free number(s) with AT&T and an outside rep wrote any business with that existing customer you could rest assured that your comission on your sale would be swept up by corporate in Overland Park once you provisioned the sale.   Trick we learned was to write the change orders, leaving off the Toll Free Numbers, wait until you were credited with the sale and the comission was recorded,  then come back a month later and add in the Toll Free number to the new order.  That way you got paid for your work.  

Then of course they sent out their sales reps to get as many business ownwer on a 48 month or longer contract.  Poinging out all the horror stories of their neighbors that had attempted to switch to a CELEC.  LOL

There is alot of dasterdly deeds among the ILECs CWA Union and the Non-Union CLECs, carriers and the public utilities at record phone companies.  At one time it was taking over 4 months to get an install of a T1 circuit in Tulsa/Broken Arrow.  

Judge Green apparently did not do the consumers much of a favor with his rulings.

[inteller]

quote:Originally posted by Rowdy

quote:Originally posted by tim huntzinger

The striking thing about that, then, is that even with fewer customers Verizon ranks higher than at&t or Sprint.  One notable exception is the Catoosa call center for the 'new at&t,' actually spanking Verizon for customer service and increasing the number of customers and beating churn expectations.

I challenge you on AT&T or whatever their current name is of the month on spanking Verizon in any category. Please provide these details on customer churn to us where they are beating Verizon and customer service.  AT&T does not rank at the top in Customer Service I guarantee you.

what is funny is looking back through the earlier year studies its almost a different carrier each time.  sounds like the same group of customers are moving from carrier to carrier.