Cell phone carriers? Verizon?

[Scattman]

Been a long time Sprint/Nextel subscriber(10+ years).

Gonna finally upgrade to some smartphones and thinking about switching carriers. Getting tired of the dropped calls, no service one second then full sevice the next, etc etc

Looks like Verizon is where I should go. Anybody have any complaints with them? How is the C.S.?

Anybody know what the coverage is like at Little Rock City? My Sprint/Nextel was almost non-existant.

[binaryterror]

Anymore its about service in your area, not national opinion.

What works best around you will be the best for you.

What works best here in Detroit may not be worth a crap in your area.

[crawlinnTN]

i have/like verizon bout the only time i dont have service is when we go 4-wheeling in some deep mountain valleys. but customer service is great. coverage is great too.

[Scattman]

Originally Posted by binaryterror

Anymore its about service in your area, not national opinion.

What works best around you will be the best for you.

What works best here in Detroit may not be worth a crap in your area.

Didn't ask about the service where I live, I can read the Verizon coverage map, not that it really means anything, Sprint shows I have great coverage here and I still get dropped calls.

I asked about customer service, dropped calls, and the ever important coverage at LRC.

[romulus22]

I've been with Verizon for 6+ years now. Only place I get bad service is my basement. Ask for a trial period before you cancel your plan. Not sure if places do that or not but you may find that sprint is better for you. I personally hated sprint and nextel. Had both before they merged.

[binaryterror]

Originally Posted by Scattman

Didn't ask about the service where I live, I can read the Verizon coverage map, not that it really means anything, Sprint shows I have great coverage here and I still get dropped calls.

I get that, I'm was in the same boat with AT&T, showed coverage but it was spotty in many areas it claimed were covered up here.

I had AT&T at ECC in 2010, I don't believe it worked at LRC, but did at the hotel we stayed in. FWIW, I thought I'd post that info.

[TexasSP]

I have owned phones from both carriers and done work on both carriers systems. ATT or Verizon is who you want period.

It's really a wash in the end. Sometimes ATT is better and sometimes Verizon. National poles are useless for the most part as they only sample small portions of people in just a few areas.

Verizon is probably the better if on the east or west coast, I have had better luck with ATT every where else.

[boisetrucker]

I drive all 48 states and have a DROIDX on the Verizon system. I love everything about them cs is great and based in the states and they are more than willing to help me with any problems.

[GRIMGREG]

Originally Posted by crawlinnTN

i have/like verizon bout the only time i dont have service is when we go 4-wheeling in some deep mountain valleys. but customer service is great. coverage is great too.

Same here, but I've been surprised at some of the locations I do get service out in the middle of nowhere. Usually if I don't have service, it is just a small spot that if I move 1/4 mile I'll get service again. I've had Verizon for 9 years now, and have never had a drop in actual service.

[slowngreen]

I was with them clear through the Us Cellular then Alltel then Verizon and had trouble with them the entire time, over like 5 years. Always had extra charges on the bills, always dropped calls, had horrible horrible horrible customer service here locally. Switched to ATT last year, bill dropped by $43 a month, gained 400 anytime minutes as well as unlimited data compared to a fixed amount that I had with Verizon. I very rarely have any trouble with dropping calls now too and customer service is pretty good....

Guess it just depends on where you live?

[spookyseven]

Another note when switching to a smartphone is research your options, read reviews, talk to people that have the phone you are interisted in. Don't just buy the first thing the salesperson hands you. That's what I did and I'm stuck with a pile o' crap phone.

[Destroyer]

Verizon coverage at LRC is OK. That's what I had my laptop tethered with but it wasn't the fastest.

[666]

I love At&t! I have been with them since the beginning of cell phones! Always treat me right. I have tried Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, Cricket, in between looking for more and never dropped At&t.

And my phone always works great at LRC!!

[OSRC]

I had Sprint, and told them to go spray up a rope when I could not upgrade my phone at a discount when contract resigning, but a new customer could. Dumbest thing I've ever heard of. Went to T-mobile, and the CS was great, but the service around my area was terrible. I have AT&T now for work, and they are pretty good. Wife has Verizon and she gets service EVERYWHERE. Never drops a call, ever. Both are pretty good, comes down to price, plans and coverage in your area really.

[chip cross]

I was with AT&T 10 years and finally got enough of their junk went with Verizon in January of this year and I could not be more happy! 4GLTE is FAST!

[RANOVRU]

Verizon has the largest national network period. Does that mean itll work where you are? As already mentioned, not neccessarily.

They arent the cheapest and they are usually behind in the latest & greatest hardware by a year or so. But thats not why most of their customers are with them. Its for the overall coverage.

CS is a gamble with any carrier. It all depends on who you get on the phone. Still, calling is usually better than trying to go into a corp store where youre dealing with XYZ and thats it. You can usually get farther on the phone because you can always hang up and call back. You WILL get someone different every time.

[chip cross]

Originally Posted by RANOVRU

Verizon has the largest national network period. Does that mean itll work where you are? As already mentioned, not neccessarily.

In those areas where there is no Verizon coverage which is very small does anything work? I know you do not know the answer to that but just as a general question. I do know Verizon works in areas where AT&T has no service.

[RANOVRU]

Originally Posted by chip cross

In those areas where there is no Verizon coverage which is very small does anything work? I know you do not know the answer to that but just as a general question. I do know Verizon works in areas where AT&T has no service.

Most people that are out of VZW service will go with a local carrier (those companies vary depending on location). Its possible that one of the other big 3 might work there but not likely if Verizon doesnt. You have to keep in mind that all of these guys have "roaming agreements", even though "roaming" isnt an issue anymore. Many carriers that claim national service actually use VZW's network in a lot of places. Verizon has a few of these too, but not nearly as many as the rest. They have the largest network that they can call "their own".

Like BT said, go with what works where you are.

[TexasSP]

There is a lot more to a system than coverage maps can tell you. This is why I say ATT or VZ. The have the most redundancy and the best systems on the market. Your phone is useless without the back bone system. ATT and VZ spend twice per cell site than others and in some cases 3-4 times that. Their systems are designed to handle more traffic and move calls between towers better as well.

Yes they both cost more than the others but in the end you get what you pay for. I can't tell you how many places I am with others who have cricket, sprint, t-mobile and I get perfect signal while they get none.

Also note that ATT and VZ are the only carriers who invest in microcell sites which help in heavily congested areas and bring better services into places such as sports arenas and large buildings.