Worth leaving VZW to get an HTC One?

[yourbrokenoven]

I left switched from Verizon to AT&T for this phone. Oh, and if they didn't try to screw me over with an early termination fee. Somehow their systems completely cancelled my service two days before my contract was up, which was in line with the BILLING cycle, but was not the same date as the contract, despite being assured there would be no fees, so you've got to watch your actual contract end date.

As far as AT&T's service in and near Covington, LA; it's actually twice as fast as Verizon. I can easily get 30 - 40 mbps with AT&T, and I've rarely seen anything faster than 20 mbps with Verizon. Similar coverage, as well, though Verizon has slightly more coverage when you go to the rural areas (visiting grandparents, etc.)

Overall, I'm very happy. Talk to several users of the carrier you plan on switching to and see what their experiences are. AT&T users in my area praise its speed and reliability over Verizon's which is the exact opposite of what I hear from the tech podcasts I listen to.

I switched for three reasons. 1. I wanted the HTC One and Verizon didn't have it. I didn't want to settle for a Samsung product having had horrible experiences with the Droid Charge. 2. My wife and I would save a little money and still be able to share a 10GB data plan with her sister. It was too early for either of them to switch to Verizon, even if they did have a phone I wanted. 3. AT&T's speed and coverage in my home town and surrounding areas is on par with at the least and sometimes exceeds Verizon's. Also my wife has had no issues whatsoever with AT&T when we traveled to Vermont, San Francisco, Houston, Orlando and so on. Not that we travel a lot.

 

[ki11ak3nn]

I left Sprint and went with AT&T for two reasons: (1) Where I live (Seattle area) there is no Sprint 4G LTE service and Sprint kept telling me, "... you'll have LTE at the end of the year" for two years straight, (2) I really liked the HTC One and wanted to get it. I did my research, and AT&T did have excellent 4G and 4G LTE coverage for all of Seattle, which made my decision pretty easy. I did need to pay a $150 ETF, but it was definitely worth it to get the higher data speeds.

I'm on Verizon thinking of switching to AT&T. Mainly because of updates (I have the Galaxy Nexus) and not having the HTC One yet. I'm also a Seattle native so I'm glad to hear the coverage is good. That was one thing I was worried about.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[walterkurtz]

I'm on Verizon thinking of switching to AT&T. Mainly because of updates (I have the Galaxy Nexus) and not having the HTC One yet. I'm also a Seattle native so I'm glad to hear the coverage is good. That was one thing I was worried about.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

isn't t-mobile HQ in seattle?

 

[ki11ak3nn]

isn't t-mobile HQ in seattle?

Yeah Bellevue, but I heard AT&T has better and faster 4G in Seattle than T-Mo.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[dpham00]

I'm on Verizon thinking of switching to AT&T. Mainly because of updates (I have the Galaxy Nexus) and not having the HTC One yet. I'm also a Seattle native so I'm glad to hear the coverage is good. That was one thing I was worried about.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

If it is just an updates issue, you can wait till next year when volte is deployed, then most likely you can get the next iteration of Nexus phone.

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

[ki11ak3nn]

If it is just an updates issue, you can wait till next year when volte is deployed, then most likely you can get the next iteration of Nexus phone.

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

I just don't know if I can wait another year. Plus my contact is up with VZW this month. I don't want to sign another 2 year contract with them. And I should be able to get the next Nexus on AT&T as well.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[RK928]

I left VZN after many years, I went with ATT on the 60 buck GoPhone plan and I'm pleased so far.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

 

[Kayone73]

A lot of people are on VZW simply because they have choice : its the only major carrier w half decent coverage in their local area. However since you live in NYC, you have options. Id switch to a gsm provider simply because you have a much greater choice of options if you want to root and flash custom roms. The CDMA phones get much less support because most of the world doesn't use CDMA.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[hodan]

Their policies suck, but Verizon for me is way cheaper for my uses. Once factoring $15 per line subsidy, I am paying $65 for 5 lines of service with one line of unlimited unthrottled 4GLTE and one regular smartphone line. Tmo would run me $210.tmo certainly offers more, but for stuff I don't use.

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

Pic of your bill or it didn't happen.

 

[hodan]

isn't t-mobile HQ in seattle?

And Sprint's HQ is in Overland Park, KS (suburb of KC) and I can drive you RIGHT NOW to a spot less than 5 miles from their campus with NO Sprint service, on a major highway (I-435).

 

[Almeuit]

Pic of your bill or it didn't happen.

The other phones he is talking about are dumb phones which he didn't mention.. Which changes things drastically.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[dpham00]

The other phones he is talking about are dumb phones which he didn't mention.. Which changes things drastically.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

It is implied, obviously, when I say that I have one smartphone with unlimited unthrottled 4GLTE and one other smartphone line, that the other lines are dumb phone lines

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

[Almeuit]

It is implied, obviously, when I say that I have one smartphone with unlimited unthrottled 4GLTE and one other smartphone line, that the other lines are dumb phone lines

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

Since most people here have smartphones as you saw they implied that you meant smartphones since he asked for a screenshot of the bill. If you don't explicitly say it people won't assume it since dumb phones aren't the usual talk on a smartphone forum.

I knew what you meant but that's because I've seen you talk about it in the Verizon Forums.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

 

[hodan]

Most new Verizon 4GLTE phones come factory sim unlocked(some older phones were unlocked via update). I don't know about the resell since I usually give my old phones to friends or family to use, and I know it works on AT&T, T-Mo, and other gsm carriers, both domestic and international, without any additional unlocking of the sim required (i have heard some need to be rooted to change the apn to get data, not sure, haven't personally tried).

The Nexus 7 does work on Verizon 4GLTE (no CDMA on it though). Next year, once verizon implements volte, then there's a chance that a nexus phone would work on Verizon. I heard that the nexus 4 *might* work on Verizon 4GLTE where Band 4 has been deployed (it is still in the testing phase) with the original software, and may require some hacking.

With that aside, talking about the price now, I pay $140 (before taxes, fees, and discounts) for 5 lines of service with 2 smartphones, one with unlimited unthrottled 4GLTE. When I looked at T-Mo plans, it didn't seem like I would be saving anywhere close to $100+ ($20 subsidy per line x 5). In fact, Verizon's subsidized rate is close to what T-Mo unsubsidized rate is comparing postpaid plans, making Verizon way cheaper, for my uses. I have the 550 minute family plan, with unlimited mobile to mobile and unlimited night and weekend. Rarely do I even get over 300 minutes peak (i use lots of m2m and n&w which doesn't count toward peak usage quota) on my family's usage. In all fairness, my plan is a legacy plan, not currently offered for new accounts, but if someone really wanted it, they could assume liability of an unlimited data line and add a line to make it a family plan, if so desired. The AoL process doesn't cost anything, but you may have to pay for the donor account. My uses are certainly not a typical usage, and in most cases, T-Mo would be cheaper. but in my specific case, it is not.

With regards to phone prices, there are sales on phones from time to time. I got my Note 2 when it was $50 on contract back in February. There was a $50 money maker deal on the DNA a few months ago (get paid $50 to take it). While not the latest device, it is quad core, 5", 1080p, and imo, a great price based on the specs. The Nexus 4 is way too small for my uses, but if it works for you, certainly a good deal. The subsidy on Verizon/AT&T are already built in, so the $140 I pay for my 5 lines, less the $100 ($20pm as per your post above x 5) would mean that I am paying $40 on Verizon compared to T-Mo plan which would run me way more. Granted T-Mo does offer more, but on stuff I don't need.

Man, you have the single best plan on Verizon in America. I bet you also drive a Ford F350 that gets 45 mpg on the hwy as well. Plus you eat whatever you want and never gain weight.

 

[dpham00]

Since most people here have smartphones as you saw they implied that you meant smartphones since he asked for a screenshot of the bill. If you don't explicitly say it people won't assume it since dumb phones aren't the usual talk on a smartphone forum.

I knew what you meant but that's because I've seen you talk about it in the Verizon Forums.

Sent from my T-Mobile HTC One using AC Forums.

Sorry for the confusion then, I will try to be clearer next time.

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

[dpham00]

Man, you have the single best plan on Verizon in America. I bet you also drive a Ford F350 that gets 45 mpg on the hwy as well. Plus you eat whatever you want and never gain weight.

There are better plans on Verizon like the $10 unlimited data plan (per line).

But really, my plan is pretty close to the base family plan, mine being 550 min, which is $10 less than the standard base of 700 min.

I also have a 300mb/$20 plan on my other smartphone, which obviously isn't as good as the $10 unlimited data plan (i am paying $30 for unlimited data. Keep in mind Verizon family plan separates data from voice, I still have to pay a voice charge as well

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

[Raakshas]

I cant but help think that you are a troll ... or a verizon employeee ... I do find it strange that you ... as someone who does not even have an HTC One ... would spend this much time praising verizon on an HTC One forum ...

 

[hodan]

There are better plans on Verizon like the $10 unlimited data plan (per line).

But really, my plan is pretty close to the base family plan, mine being 550 min, which is $10 less than the standard base of 700 min.

I also have a 300mb/$20 plan on my other smartphone, which obviously isn't as good as the $10 unlimited data plan (i am paying $30 for unlimited data. Keep in mind Verizon family plan separates data from voice, I still have to pay a voice charge as well

Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

All right, I'll back off the sarcasm. I appreciate you giving the details of your plan. Obviously the T-Mobile plan would be more for you - but you can get 5! $30 plans on T-Mo for $150, which would give you 100 min. talk/unlimited texts/unlimited 4g data (5gb unthrottled), each. So it's apples to oranges. If you had unlimited or even 5gb data on 5 lines on VZW, I'm sure it would be more $$$ than on T-Mo.

And I'll freely admit that T-Mo has limited coverage. When I drive into the country I download all my music and maps ahead of time.

 

[dpham00]

All right, I'll back off the sarcasm. I appreciate you giving the details of your plan. Obviously the T-Mobile plan would be more for you - but you can get 5! $30 plans on T-Mo for $150, which would give you 100 min. talk/unlimited texts/unlimited 4g data (5gb unthrottled), each. So it's apples to oranges. If you had unlimited or even 5gb data on 5 lines on VZW, I'm sure it would be more $$$ than on T-Mo.

And I'll freely admit that T-Mo has limited coverage. When I drive into the country I download all my music and maps ahead of time.

Absolutely, pound for pound, Tmobile is a better deal. No question about it. Just that for my specific needs, my plan on Verizon offers a lot less than tmobile, but is adequate for my uses. Though, obviously my needs are not typical. One thing to remember is that I get a subsidized phone pricing on Verizon, on tmo plans you mentioned, you do not have the subsidized phone option.





Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note II

 

[samuelk]

I left Verizon at the end of July and switched to T-mobile. I was still under contract, so I owe Verizon $220 for leaving. Worth it.

My monthly T-mobile bill is less than Verizon for two lines and unlimited internet, even considering the fact that my wife and I both got new phones (I got the HTC One, she got an iPhone 5).

Very happy.