Let's talk Verizon real quick

[kharrigan]

So I've been on AT&T for a while and there haven't really been that many surprises (meaning extra charges). I see the same family plan with unlimited texting on Verizon. Should I expect the same experience or are there "surprises" that others can share?

So far the only potential surprise that I've found is Visual Voice Mail - apparently its not free.

Any other surprises?

 

[ManBearPig618]

Expect:

1) Great coverage/service, speed.

2) Frustrating releases, bloated/locked devices.

 

[TheDave]

VVM is definitely not free.

Verizon is awesome. But you will pay for said awesomeness. They wont do you any favors anytime soon. Buying phones off contract is a joke. On ATT you can get global and pop in a SIM. Verizon is CDMA. Meaning off-contract replacement is a joke.

 

[potatolover1102]

Expect Great Customer Service. Also the best network period at least in most places, great 4g speeds that blow AT&T hspa away also just be ready for a better overall experience in most aspects

 

[BSG75]

My verizon bill is remarkably consistent. I almost never talk on the phone so minutes are not a problem. I use a google voice number so VVM and text messages are free. I don't have a text plan through Verizon.

Coverage is almost always very good, data wise. It's very rare that I am not in a 3G area (live next to Philadelphia), but there are some strange places where I can only get 1x data.

 

[nemov]

Great phone service, bad phone availability, and bloated devices.

 

[mikestorm]

Everything the above posters said is accurate, but I think the OP is mostly interested in surprises, meaning unintended charges on OPs bill that they didn't account/provide for or think of. Gotchas and the like.

The answer is NO. In fact VZW sends courtesy texts if they think you are at risk of going over your minutes or data. So while the plans are on the expensive side up front, the good news is WYSIWYG.

Also, VZW has pretty generous corporate discounts. Not sure what kind of outfit you work for, but you might want to check into that.

Additionally, I see you're in San Fran. I can't speak for data out there, but just try to find any place in and around the city where you don't get full bars (my experience anyway).

 

[philly]

verizon has shown me incredible customer service, tons of favors (I've gotten about 100 in credits on my account), and great coverage.

Every time I've had to deal with customer service It has been pleasant, I have several tech's email addresses and they still to this day respond with any questions I have.

I have a rep calling me @ 8:30 eastern on friday to see if I would like to pre-order the Razr..

Basically as someone who has gone through nightmares with sprint and AT&T when dealing with any customer service issues (basically treated like your a felon at a parole board or something) Verizon has been incredibly refreshing and I am a very happy customer.

It isnt cheap though.. I get Unlimited Data on two lines, 700 family minutes, and unlimited texting and my bill is 172.00 a month.

 

[Bob61]

VVM is definitely not free.

Verizon is awesome. But you will pay for said awesomeness. They wont do you any favors anytime soon. Buying phones off contract is a joke. On ATT you can get global and pop in a SIM. Verizon is CDMA. Meaning off-contract replacement is a joke.

Not sure what you mean by joke. My last 3 phones have been of contract, bought on ebay. Was very simple to activate on my existing account. VZW offers option online as well, no joke...

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

Not sure what you mean by joke. My last 3 phones have been of contract, bought on ebay. Was very simple to activate on my existing account. VZW offers option online as well, no joke...

Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

I even think if you come from a 4G LTE device, you can even switch sims... just as easily as ATT or any other GSM network.

 

[CynicX]

I was pleasantly surprised with my Xoom that has data only. It was sold to me for 35 a month (3gb plan) and I asked the girl at the counter at Best Buy and she didn't know if there were additional charges but she told me she wouldn't be surprised for an extra 10 or so.....I said whatever and got it anyway. Bill is 35.17 every month....so I'm happy. No experience with voice and data though....

 

[DenverRalphy]

Why do people point to VZW when referring to bloatware on phones?

I've seen android phones on all the US carriers, and all of them have their fair share of bloat, and from my observations VZW is nowhere near as bad as some.

 

[Salacon]

Well every carrier has taxes and surcharges and so forth, so you're always going to pay a bit more than the plan adds up to, unless you have a nice work discount.

As far as Verizon goes, I'm very happy with them. Sure, they're a bit more expensive because I pay ~$80/month for just myself (as a reference, I have 450 minutes, unlimited texting, unlimited [$30] data plan), but they seem very worth it as well.

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

Well every carrier has taxes and surcharges and so forth, so you're always going to pay a bit more than the plan adds up to, unless you have a nice work discount.

As far as Verizon goes, I'm very happy with them. Sure, they're a bit more expensive because I pay ~$80/month for just myself (as a reference, I have 450 minutes, unlimited texting, unlimited [$30] data plan), but they seem very worth it as well.

Yeah, I have the same plan, with my employer discount it is consistently $75 a month... give or take a buck or two.

 

[Holsum]

my experience with verizon is nothing but expceptional. When i got my xoom it was through Verizon. They replaced my xoom when i had a tiny pixel issue no questions asked. They i sold my xoom later and i canceled my data plan (or thought i did). I later recieved a bill for $45. I called and explained the situation. They removed all my charges and canceled the account over the phone. The agent was VERY nice and respectful.

I am very happy to go to Verizon from Sprint once it is released. I dont get more then 60kbps on sprint and no 4G where i live, but with verizon its great service and 4G downloads of 25mbps consistant. #FLYING!!

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

my experience with verizon is nothing but expceptional. When i got my xoom it was through Verizon. They replaced my xoom when i had a tiny pixel issue no questions asked. They i sold my xoom later and i canceled my data plan (or thought i did). I later recieved a bill for $45. I called and explained the situation. They removed all my charges and canceled the account over the phone. The agent was VERY nice and respectful.

I am very happy to go to Verizon from Sprint once it is released. I dont get more then 60kbps on sprint and no 4G where i live, but with verizon its great service and 4G downloads of 25mbps consistant. #FLYING!!

1 downside to the blazing fast LTE... it will eat up your tiered data quickly :/

 

[racedog]

I hadn't really planned to respond to this thread but I will. I've only been with Verizon for a tad under three years (which is why I didn't think this was enough time to warrant an entry here).

I've had one negative experience with support and that was within the first week of my leaving Sprint and signing up with Verizon. However, when I went back to the store to close the account and go back to Sprint the store rep that I dealt with when I signed up made it worth my while to stay and was very apologetic and assured me that my experience was not typical.

In the three years since then I've had a few ups and downs with phones but Verizon has bent over backwards to keep me happy. If I act like a reasonable person when I call, am firm but treat the phone rep with courtesy I find that I usually get what I want or some reasonable response.

Service and service area are key for me since I live in a very rural area and Verizon has it covered almost completely. ATT is not even an option out here, TMO signals literally drop from room to room and sprint is very spotty and only goes out a few miles from the interstate.

I will be staying with Verizon until they do something to make me want to leave but so far they have worked to keep me as a customer and I'm still here so they must be doing something right.

And yes, you will pay for the coverage, quality and service.

 

[milan03]

Verizon Wireless probably has the most amazing corporate discounts:

 

[humpagardengnome]

Why do people point to VZW when referring to bloatware on phones?

I've seen android phones on all the US carriers, and all of them have their fair share of bloat, and from my observations VZW is nowhere near as bad as some.

Manufacturers realize that the " bloatware" issue, is rapidly becoming an expanding & polarizing issue in the adroid community. In reponse, many of the big name device manufacturers announced they were now willing to remove/ severly minimalze the bloatware or ship out w/ bootloaders unlocked. Hearing that was epic, to the ears of many. Verizon immediately spoiled the fun, the only one of the four, by stating no present, nor future device they shall carrier will come w/ an unlocked bootloader. That statement pissed off many developers & disgruntled customers. That's why the spotlight is on them. It's a big reason that the SGN is such a coveted release. SGN, is the sole exception, because Googles name is slapped on the back.

 

[ManBearPig618]

P.S. this thread title sounds like a stupidly phrased Apple event invite.