Why Verizon Wireless is the best. Period.

[Bert]

This has nothing to do about passion.... You made it clear that I was wrong about it being vague.

I dont get how you or anyone could say it is cut and dry. They put the mumbo jumbo in there in a direct attempt to make it as vague as possible. And then made it clear that they werent slamming the door, just that they may do something.

They are dipping their toes in the water. Thats what I got.

lol I quoted the article and said "Seems pretty clear." How is that article vague but my statement is pretty clear? lol

EITHER WAY I meant no offense to you or the good people at Verizon. I just think you are taking it as more of an afront than it is. To me Verizon is just saying that if they identify people who are CONSTANTLY taking up huge amounts of bandwith they may dial back their speed. I would imagine you'd have to be downloading and surfing the web about 20 hours a day to even show up on their radar. Thats just how I took it, I wasn't saying you were wrong, I simply stated my opinion, I was being vague.

 

[Covert Rain]

We are in the process of buying new phones. We evaluated phones and data plans. Verizon and their ridiculous data plans pushed us to Sprint. Verizon isn't AT&T but they are close. We can't complain about our Sprint Service because it has been good. I was willing to give Verizon a look see because of the I-phone. Just can't justify the ridiculous plans. Now factor in the potential to throttle?

AT&T (minus the bad reception) part deux.

 

[Dr. Jones]

We are in the process of buying new phones. We evaluated phones and data plans. Verizon and their ridiculous data plans pushed us to Sprint. Verizon isn't AT&T but they are close. We can't complain about our Sprint Service because it has been good. I was willing to give Verizon a look see because of the I-phone. Just can't justify the ridiculous plans. Now factor in the potential to throttle?

AT&T (minus the bad reception) part deux.

1. The data packages are the same price... It's the rate plans and text messaging that are a bit cheaper.

2. Sprint just added $10 to every data package for no reason. It used to only be on the 4G phones but was just required for all. LINK --> http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/18/sprint-increasing-new-3g-data-plan-contract-pricing-by-10-call/

3...

You know the fine print of your EVO 4G contract that gives Sprint the right to limit throughput speeds without notice? Skipped past that part? Well, consider this your unofficial notice.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/sprint-to-begin-throttling-data-this-summer/

Sprint started this last summer.

Guys.... I understand price. If you want to go with a cheaper service.... Fine. Unfortunately, Sprint is making their pricing comparable to the "big 2's" but they have service that is beyond crappy.

Don't make this your moral stand if you haven't done any research about the company your about to choose. It took google 5 seconds to find that all companies do it, and have been doing it for a while now.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Agreed Bert.... Personal experience is always important. In fact, it should be the most important.... If they work for you.... Great.

My focus is to educate those who have never experienced VZW. Or those who may have issues with their current provider. I provide "3000 foot view information". Thats the best I can do.

As far as the new $10 package... It started on 1/30/11. You will be grandfathered until you get a new phone. 4G or 3G.

Updated 6:10pm ET - On Jan. 30, Sprint will apply its $10 "premium data add-on," previously levied on 4G phone plans, to all new smart phone accounts. We've confirmed this with the company, and gotten answers to the biggest questions. Here's what it means for you.

And remember, it's $10 per new phone, not per plan, so if you have a family plan with multiple phones, you gotta multiply that fee.

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/18/5871356-sprints-10-smart-phone-fee-how-it-affects-you

 

[Dr. Jones]

From the same link....

UPDATE: I decided to do the back-of-envelope calculations of comparable plans. Here's how Sprint measures up with the current rates from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. Verizon may switch up plans for the iPhone's arrival, but either way, you can see that in real-world pricing situations, it's a pretty close race. Sprint's clear price advantage is gone, despite what some people are saying about the carrier still having a supposed 30 percent advantage, after this $10 bump:

Sprint: 450 voice minutes + unlimited data + unlimited text = $70 + $10 = $80 (Note: This includes Sprint's "Any Mobile, Anytime" plan, which lets you call any cell phone in the U.S. without using up minutes)
AT&T: 450 voice minutes + 2GB data + unlimited text = $40 + $25 + $15 = $80 (Correction: AT&T's unlimited text is $20, bringing the total to $85)
Verizon Wireless: 450 voice minutes + unlimited data + 5000 texts = $40 + $30 + $20 = $90
T-Mobile: 500 voice minutes + unlimited data + unlimited text = $80 (Update: T-Mobile has a limited-time-only plan that offers 1500 voice minuts plus unlimited data and texts for $80)

$10 a month.... That's the size of the price difference. Sprint gets worse as you add a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th smartphone.

 

[NMCard]

I need to get a smart phone that will hold up to dust and grim in field situations all over NM. My work phone is a blackberry they are going to get iphones from here on out I doubt they will hold up in a field setting very well. They will probably work great in an office setting. I'm looking for something strong and durable in a verizon smartphone for my personal phone. Any suggestions?

 

[Dr. Jones]

I need to get a smart phone that will hold up to dust and grim in field situations all over NM. My work phone is a blackberry they are going to get iphones from here on out I doubt they will hold up in a field setting very well. They will probably work great in an office setting. I'm looking for something strong and durable in a verizon smartphone for my personal phone. Any suggestions?

Dude.... Otterbox cases. There are some baddass / tough as nails cases for most good smartphones.

http://www.otterbox.com/

You must be registered for see images

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf4n9go9P64&feature=player_embedded

 

[Dr. Jones]

But.... If you need total protection..... Blackberry is still the champion IMO.

 

[Covert Rain]

1. The data packages are the same price... It's the rate plans and text messaging that are a bit cheaper.

2. Sprint just added $10 to every data package for no reason. It used to only be on the 4G phones but was just required for all. LINK --> http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/18/sprint-increasing-new-3g-data-plan-contract-pricing-by-10-call/

I have a family plan with 1500 minutes, unlimited text and unlimited data for $104.00 per month with excellent service through Sprint. When I sat down with Verizon and called them, a similar plan with 100 less minutes per month would cost me $139.98. So, I would have to pay more for less minutes, factor in throttling, Verizon phasing out the unlimited data plan and end up with a service no better IMO. That leaves very little incentive to switch to Verizon. In fact, in the long run it could end up costing me much more when they phase out unlimited data options.

I hardly call that a "bit cheaper".

3...
http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/11/sprint-to-begin-throttling-data-this-summer/

Sprint started this last summer.

Guys.... I understand price. If you want to go with a cheaper service.... Fine. Unfortunately, Sprint is making their pricing comparable to the "big 2's" but they have service that is beyond crappy.

Don't make this your moral stand if you haven't done any research about the company your about to choose. It took google 5 seconds to find that all companies do it, and have been doing it for a while now.

I think you got your facts incorrect. The Sprint throttling only applies to a new feature for businesses looking to restrict disproportionately high usage by employees with company data cards. It does not apply to the average Sprint user. That rumor has been debunked.

So before taking a moral stand against my moral stand....maybe you should do a tad more research. After all it only takes you 5 seconds on Google.

Also, you say Sprint has crappy service but yet I know of nobody out of all the people I know that have Sprint that would agree with you. In fact, I have a Verizon for my work phone and Sprint for my personal. Aside from service, I can tell you my customer service experience with Sprint is better then the customer service I have received from Verizon. Maybe that is just my own experience and the experiences of people I know but it's a fact nevertheless for me.

I would love to take the Iphone 4 for a spin but with other smart phones now starting to be on par in terms of functionality I need an incentive to move services. Verizon service being better then AT&T is a no brainer if your an AT&T customer. However, that incentive quickly evaporates if your experience with another carrier, like Sprint, isn't currently a problem and overall price is a factor.

 

[Linderbee]

Had Sprint for 2 & 1/2 years. NEVER had any problem with reception, no matter where I was, that I can remember. Their customer service, on the other hand? HORRID.

Anytime: You compared a plan that was unlimited text for Sprint, and 5000 texts for VZW. My daughter can plow through 5k texts in 2/3 of a month. Gotta compare apples to apples. That said, our plan is $90/month for 700 shared minutes, plus $10/month for unlimited texts. It's comparable to what I had with Sprint, IMO.

Even though our account was screwed up beyond belief for the first month or so, it seems to be all smoothed out now, and the manager at the 2nd VZW store I went to was great. However, the first store I went to, and the 2nd store I went to--the regular clerks were a-holes. It wasn't until a manager got involved that it got better.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Darren - Enjoy your service... As I said a few posts back.... personal experience is always #1.

Linder - Glad to hear it. Being a former store manager, I can tell you..... Some of them are egotistical a-holes. Others are much better. Sometimes it's like calling customer service..... Russian Roulette.

Please let me know if you need any help in the future.

 

[TheHopToad]

our plan is $90/month for 700 shared minutes, plus $10/month for unlimited texts.

This is the exact plan we have. The problem is that 700 minutes is still overkill several times over, but it's the lowest one offered. We struggle to break 100. Most of our calling is either within the Verizon network or after peak hours. My wife spends half her day texting and I play on my Droid.

Would love to see a lower minute plan, like around 250 minutes for $40-$50.

 

[Linderbee]

This is the exact plan we have. The problem is that 700 minutes is still overkill several times over, but it's the lowest one offered. We struggle to break 100. Most of our calling is either within the Verizon network or after peak hours. My wife spends half her day texting and I play on my Droid.

Would love to see a lower minute plan, like around 250 minutes for $40-$50.

I agree with you on that one, for sure. They were like, are you SURE you only want 700 minutes?? I'd be cool with 300.

anytime: Yeah, I'm happy. I don't care as much about a few extra dollars a month if it gets me better customer service. My nightmare with Sprint was that you COULD NOT discuss any issues in-store. Had to be done over the phone, if it involved your bill...and over the phone is all out-sourced. Woo hoo. Ugh, getting flashbacks...I can feel my blood pressure rising. Done talking about it now, lol.

 

[Beaver]

 

[Dr. Jones]

LOL.... She's hot. Whats her name?

AT&T and Apple put out a very legendary software update that artificially ramped up the bars on their display. Didn't fix anything, just made everyone think they had more service than they actually had.

 

[Town Drunk]

So I've decided to move on from Verizon and switch to Tmobile. Tmobile's pricing is just better than what Verizon is currently offering. I'll be saving about $120 a year and I'll be upgrading both my phone and my wife's phone to a new smartphone, probably the My Touch 4g as they've been offering it free to new contracts.

Verizon's retention dept put out a special offer a couple of months ago regarding an unlimited family plan for $149.99 a month including data, but unfortunately, they said I did not qualify. Had I been able to, I probably would have stayed. But so far, I've received no offers from them.

Now, my question for those of you who have switched carriers is this: My contract ends on May 5th. Am I able to go ahead and port my number over that day to the new carrier, or do I need to wait until May 6th? I don't want to go ahead and make the switch the day my contract expires if they're going to claim I have to pay the ETF.

 

[Linderbee]

I thought AT&T bought T-Mobile?

 

[Town Drunk]

I thought AT&T bought T-Mobile?

They did, but it's going to have to go through all the hoops for the next 12 months before it becomes official. In the meantime, I was told that AT&T will be honoring Tmobile contracts made before the deal becomes official. So I'll have my price for at least the next two years. After that, we'll reevaluate things again.

 

[Linderbee]

They did, but it's going to have to go through all the hoops for the next 12 months before it becomes official. In the meantime, I was told that AT&T will be honoring Tmobile contracts made before the deal becomes official. So I'll have my price for at least the next two years. After that, we'll reevaluate things again.

Ah, cool. Didn't know it was going to take that long to be official. Regarding your question, I believe you can port your number over on the 5th, but if it were me, I'd wait the extra day just to be safe.

 

[LVG]

They did, but it's going to have to go through all the hoops for the next 12 months before it becomes official. In the meantime, I was told that AT&T will be honoring Tmobile contracts made before the deal becomes official. So I'll have my price for at least the next two years. After that, we'll reevaluate things again.

Just a side note - I was talking to a PhD in Economics who worked at the FCC as one of their head economists during the big deregulation in the mid 90's - he said that there's a scale that they apply to these types of mergers to calculate the monopolistic entity that it would become after the merger.

Usually, if the points go above 100, most companies don't even bother to submit for ruling to the government.

This particular merger is rated at 750.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Ah, cool. Didn't know it was going to take that long to be official. Regarding your question, I believe you can port your number over on the 5th, but if it were me, I'd wait the extra day just to be safe.

I Agree. Wait the extra day. No worries then.

Sorry to hear your leaving.

 

[Town Drunk]

Thanks for the info, folks.

Contacted Verizon CSR and was told that I will be forced to pay the entire months bill, as it won't be prorated even though I'm only going to be using the service for 5 days this month. Super excited about that.

 

[Bert]

Well I'm though with Sprint, all it took was one issue that required me to contact "customer service" they use that term loosely apparently. I wont get into the whole thing but their customer service is so beyond bad it's not even comical. So that's that, I will check out what else is out there. Verizon have any good deals going?

 

[Linderbee]

Well I'm though with Sprint, all it took was one issue that required me to contact "customer service" they use that term loosely apparently. I wont get into the whole thing but their customer service is so beyond bad it's not even comical. So that's that, I will check out what else is out there. Verizon have any good deals going?

I honestly thought I would have a stroke or heart attack having to deal with Sprint's customer service. HATE them.

 

[puckhead]

I'm probably sealing my own fate here, but I've been with Sprint over 10 years and have never had to deal with customer service. Must be why I'm still with them.

I am curious as to what your negative experiences are/were. Maybe I should be checking my bill a little more closely??