Disastrous Experience with a VZW Phone From the Google Store

[kenorian]

Ordered a Verizon 6 from the Google store. Spent a couple of hours transferring setting, files and downloading apps. Then another hour setting up my work profile. Went to make a phone call and.... no service.

Then spent NINETY MINUTES on the phone with Verizon. Helpful person, but could not get their network to recognize the SIM the phone shipped with.

And "preferred care".... What a crock of sh!t. Impossible to get anyone on the phone. I'm number 56 on line for a chat session. Grrrrr......

Horrible customer experience. I've bought every phone since the Pixel XL from the Google store. This experience will push me to go to a carrier store where I can at least speak to a human being.

Back to the root of the problem, anyone else have issues activating a Verizon phone bought on the Google store?

 

[reb0957]

If it is the same phone number pop your old sim in!

 

[firebirder]

I did not have any issues. I've always have VZW so I have had a SIM card since, well, a long time, whenever they really started using them in smartphones. So my phone did not ship with one, just took it out of the old device and put it in the new 6P6, which was purchased unlocked through Google.

Maybe the day after I got it set up it acted weird. Got to work and it should as having no service. Some places at work have horrible service, but I was the same place as the day before when it had service. A few days later when I was driving on the interstate I tried to make several phones calls and it took FOREVER to connect, to the point it concerned me.

Both these problems have not shown up since. So I'm not sure what the issue was but have service at work like always and phone calls work as normal.

 

[bkdodger2]

I'm sorry to see you had issues with it. I took the SIM from my ZF3 and just inserted it into the P6P and no issues whatsoever. I swapped phones constantly so I take the SIM out and switch with no issues. I'm just thinking that SIM that you got with the phone was no good and you probably needed to get a new one from a Verizon store. I've seen that happen before to other people

 

[kenorian]

If it is the same phone number pop your old sim in!

The Verizon tech checked and said the SIM in the 5 wasn't compatible. Does that make any sense?

 

[kenorian]

I'm sorry to see you had issues with it. I took the SIM from my ZF3 and just inserted it into the P6P and no issues whatsoever. I swapped phones constantly so I take the SIM out and switch with no issues. I'm just thinking that SIM that you got with the phone was no good and you probably needed to get a new one from a Verizon store. I've seen that happen before to other people

On a chat (finally) with Google. They said to install a system update, which is taking it's sweet time. If that doesn't work, I'll try swapping the SIMs regardless of what Verizon said.

 

[Dws51]

I was with Verizon for over 10 years. I switched to T-Mobile Mobile. There I can talk to humans in a timely manner. Verizon has like as t it in customer service. It took me over 2 weeks to get someone to let me quit Verizon.
SAD....

 

[reb0957]

Took sim from pixel 3 XL and worked right away! Both unlocked

 

[hannsoft]

The Verizon tech checked and said the SIM in the 5 wasn't compatible. Does that make any sense?

No, and if it doesn't to you then give it a try!

 

[hub1]

The Verizon tech checked and said the SIM in the 5 wasn't compatible. Does that make any sense?

I took the sim out of my pixel 5 and put it in my p6p and it works great. Don't know what the tech you talked to means.

 

[kenorian]

Thanks for all of your comments. The Pixel 5 SIM did work. The SIM that Google shipped with the phone wasn't going to work. I still have to go to a Verizon store, because I paid $100 (perhaps foolishly) for the VZW SIM with the hope of mmwave 5G service at some point.
Six hours of my life I'll never get back!

 

[PixelKing]

I used the SIM from my 4XL. Then had Verizon activate my eSIM and pulled out the old SIM. The chat services for Verizon are useless. eSIM was activated talking to an actual rep on the phone.

 

[swampbaby]

If it is the same phone number pop your old sim in!

Is SIM cards tied to the specific phone plans? I had upgraded my 3XL to a 6 Pro and the 6 came with a factory Verizon SIM installed. When I was on the 3XL I was on a specific data plan but the moment the 6 shipped I decided to switch plans and have it take effect once the new phone arrived. Since then I get inconsistent network speeds and often time chalk it up to "network congestion". I'm wondering if I should have just put my old SIM in the new phone.

 

[bkdodger2]

Is SIM cards tied to the specific phone plans? I had upgraded my 3XL to a 6 Pro and the 6 came with a factory Verizon SIM installed. When I was on the 3XL I was on a specific data plan but the moment the 6 shipped I decided to switch plans and have it take effect once the new phone arrived. Since then I get inconsistent network speeds and often time chalk it up to "network congestion". I'm wondering if I should have just put my old SIM in the new phone.

SIM is tied to your telephone number on your plan but you can switch to any plan within that line. SIM should not dictate the plan from my experience

 

[hannsoft]

I used the SIM from my 4XL. Then had Verizon activate my eSIM and pulled out the old SIM. The chat services for Verizon are useless. eSIM was activated talking to an actual rep on the phone.

What exactly is an eSim?

 

[ras47]

Google's support staff is tremendous. But unfortunately their hands are often tied. They'll work with you though to get issues resolved, and they follow up. Who does that nowadays? My Pixel 5 saga was a disaster movie but with a happy ending (NO, not THAT kind of happy ending!). Bought a brand-spankin-new P5 from Google and it crapped out within the first 12 hours. Google couldn't find a replacement to send me, which was frustrating and puzzling at the same time. The Google support folks worked with me every step of the way to eventually change a warranty replacement into a straight up return. The happy ending part came when I bought one from another forum member right here.

 

[ras47]

What exactly is an eSim?

Its a virtual SIM card. No physical plastic chip to insert. Instead its software. Back in the CDMA days for Verizon (and Sprint) they did something like this, activating your new phone based on the IMEI number that was stored (hard coded) in the phone itself. To activate you had to call the telco or use their web portal. AT&T and T-Mobile always used a physical SIM card so all you had to do to activate a new phone was pop in your existing SIM card.

 

[hannsoft]

Its a virtual SIM card. No physical plastic chip to insert. Instead its software. Back in the CDMA days for Verizon (and Sprint) they did something like this, activating your new phone based on the IMEI number that was stored (hard coded) in the phone itself. To activate you had to call the telco or use their web portal. AT&T and T-Mobile always used a physical SIM card so all you had to do to activate a new phone was pop in your existing SIM card.

Thank you! Is this how the Pixel 6's work?

 

[diesel97]

Do I need to upgrade my sim card? My sim card with Verizon came with OG pixel 1 then into 3XL (both 3g and 4g) moving up to a pixel 6 Pro with 5g do I need to upgrade to get 5g?

 

[reb0957]

Do I need to upgrade my sim card? My sim card with Verizon came with OG pixel 1 then into 3XL (both 3g and 4g) moving up to a pixel 6 Pro with 5g do I need to upgrade to get 5g?

I was in the same boat as you, and because VZ customer support sucks I can't answer the question. My phone worked with my sim from Pixel XL and 3 XL. Pixel 6 would never show 5g, they assured me that sim would work with 5g. I ordered a new sim, still no 5g. Come to find out there is only about 1 mile with NW 5G.