We know, we know, it may be difficult to understand how companies that lock you in the moment you decide on a phone / plan -- only to be about as helpful as a bottomless bucket the moment turmoil arises -- could be hated. Nevertheless, we can't say we're shocked at all to hear that cellphone providers are among the
least liked in all of the service industries. In a recent report released by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, it was found that "fewer than half of respondents were completely or very satisfied with their cellphone service," and sadly, that's hardly different than in years past. Among the biggest gripes were high prices and mandatory contract extensions, and while
pro-rated ETFs are fine and dandy, there's still a few less notable
carriers that haven't swallowed that pill just yet. As for internal rankings, Verizon and Alltel each scored higher than the rest, and
Sprint was found bringing up the rear.
[Via
Wired]
Read - InformationWeek
Read - NYDailyNews
posted Dec 8th 2007 11:29AM
I may be in the minority, but I've had Verizon for about 8 years, and have always had well above average experiences with their telephone customer service. Granted, the bar is set pretty low.
Really? I actually have been with Verizon Wireless for 17 years (we're talking bell atlantic mobile) and I have had no issues with them.
Even about a month ago my new schu740 had its front screen cracked and despite the fact that I was out of warranty, it was my fault, and i have no insurance - they replaced it without question!
Sure they're a tad expensive, but I ALWAYS have service and the calls are clear! Not something I can say about those other guys.
In all honesty, they probably only did that BECAUSE you've been a customer for so long.
I'd say that is a bias remark.
you really should see life outside of that proprietary operating system. its nice when i get a new phone and it isnt the same phone i had before except in a different look.
course it's also really nice when my service doesn't blow. Not to mention, I don't have a problem with the updated Verizon GUI. To me it looks a lot better then the ugly Motorola interface or what Sony Ericson is putting out.
Sadly, an iPhone would be nice - but I couldn't afford it anyways from ATT
Verizon is pretty excellent service-wise, sucky phone-wise. Still, I can look pretty smug and gloat at people showing their iPhones off when I can make a call and they can't.
"Not something I can say about those other guys"?
How would you know if you have been with the same company for 17 years?
Back in Kansas City, I had a Sprint phone for one year. As soon as I'd step in the house, calls would drop. Spent a lot of time standing on the sidewalk to talk on the phone. After that miserable year I went back to Verizon -- have been with them for about 12 years, since they were Cellular One at least in KC. Again, no problems.
Now I live in New Jersey and I think nobody in the NYC metro area has cell coverage as good as I had it with Verizon in KC. Usually I can talk on the phone in my basement apartment, but I've had calls drop four times before I gave up due to lost signal, and several pix/txt messages refuse to completely send until I restart my phone.
I'm also not a fan of the UI, but last time I had a Motorola phone the phonebook system annoyed me to no end. Rumor is that they now let you store multiple numbers under one contact instead of having "Bob Home" "Bob Work" "Bob Cell" all as separate entries. I'd switch to Cing^H^H^H^HAT&T for an 8525 but now I have too many Verizon friends to give up the In Calling.
"How would you know if you have been with the same company for 17 years?"
Just from everyone else's experience that I've heard that I know who has T-mobile and ATT. I just had a friend recently switch from TMobile to Verizon because the echo effect was unbearable when talking to him.
I've had very little to complain about the UI. And next year with Verizon's "openess" I'll be able to take other unlocked CDMA phones and use it without the Verizon GUI so really it's not a big deal.
Exchange-Traded Funds? What does that have to do with this?
early termination fee.
Not surprising to see Sprint in last, I'm currently going through some major headaches myself with them. Can't seem to get this idiotic issue resolved (that THEY messed up and caused in the first place) and even if I could the solution they came up with is still less than ideal for me. All the while my service has been interrupted (in total well over a month now) and I'm still having to pay for it.
It's the most contrived, ridiculous crap ever and if I had the time and money for a lawyer I'd think about bringing legal action to the table, but I don't so I just have to deal with whatever is thrown at me.
I hear you!! I was in a similar situation a few years back with Sprint. They messed up, I had to pay for their mistakes, and they wouldn't give me my money back! 5 months later and a formal complaint to the BBB. I got my money back. Ironic that they demanded the money instantly (which I didn't actually owe them) but it took them that long to return it.....
I had similar problems with sprint billing, they kept adding random outrageous fee's to my bill every month, even after having them removed every month. Lately they haven't screwed anything up but reception still sucks with them and i am in roaming more than in service, sad thing is i live in a 2 million people city. Just pathetic. But i hear the rest suck just as much so whatever, i'll just pray to God that google gets the 700mhz spectrum
I had moved to a new state and needed to change my phone number to the new area code. Sprint made me sign on for a new 1 year plan because my current plan was not available in the new area. Sprint then charged a $300 ETF to my visa check card when my old plan was canceled. After several phone calls The best I could get was $300 credit to my sprint account. Since I had just moved and was starting a new job, I would have rather had the $300 in my checking account.
I don't know if there is anything good to say about Sprint. One thing keeps me there, 20% percent discount from where I work. Given the option to apply the discount somewhere else, I'd leave in a heartbeat.
I have Sprint and am fairly happy. The trick is whenever you have problems don't call the call center call the corporate headquarters directly. They are always very willing to help you with your problems. This way you avoid hours of waiting for people to talk to their superiors etc and the people are nicer and more knowledgeable.
I love sprint!
Aw, why'd you gotta delete my post like that?! lol, it's all good. glad to see you've included the Evil Empire (AT&T) in the story image this time. btw, I wasn't hatin on ya, I
[got cut off cause of the heart symbol. to continue...]
...I [less than three] engadget.
and at any rate, I don't care too much for alltel, but their commercials are awesome, right Chad?
I must be an oddball since I'm happy with T-Mobile. I was a borderline PITA when I got a Curve, swapped for a wing, then back to the curve. The reps were always helpful and gave me no guff about switching back.
I very much doubt that I'd ever switch to another carrier due to my consistent good experiences with them.
I agree with you. I have been with T-Mobile on 3 phones for 7 years. 0 problems. I am happy.
You don't like your service provider? You should see how high Telcel's fares are in Mexico. Oh, and their customer service sucks, too.
I love my alltel service, but phone selection and price suck.
i absolutely love us cellular... (i felt obligated to randomly post my opinion)
I was just going to post that they didn't include US Cellular in their image. anyway,
I liked them, too, until last week, when I received an $800 phone bill from US Cellular. Did you know you can be roaming without knowing it? Did you know they won't help you out? Does anybody think $800 is a reasonable phone bill?
ps eat that US Cellular; this is just the beginning of my quest to inform the world that you are just as evil...
Hey, congratulations on missing the point readers!
Anecdotal evidence regarding carriers is meaningless to other people. PERIOD. For every numb nuts who says "Well, my VZW service doesn't give me problems," there are plenty more having the exact opposite opinion.
Now, of course, this comments section is going to explode with people who get huffy about their carrier being 'despised' by other people (as if the wireless consumer has a horse in the race about who wins... get real), fantastic. Obviously the point is that when people go searching for a wireless provider, telling them that "They've been ROXXOR for me!" or "I'd rather have my testicles shaved by Stevie Wonder" is pretty much a worthless statement.
The anecdotal evidence varies COMPLETELY across the board. Working in wireless retail, customers would come to me and cancel their service and say "Man, I just don't get good signal at my place, Verizon works there though, that's who I'm going with" and others who would come in and say "I want to cancel my Verizon phone, it doesn't get signal at my house." If you feel like sharing something with people encourage them to research the companies, take advantage of the "trial period" (every national carrier has this, you only pay for the minutes you actually use), and do thorough research of the handsets offered.
I know it feels good to tell someone that "Well, I had to call customer service and they were great last week!" but there are thousands of customer service reps, good and bad in all companies. The fact that you managed to hit the jackpot on the douchebag lottery when you called isn't going to make them better informed about which company to chose.
People that do research, test out the phone for their uses, ask questions, and temper their expectations to the capability of the company and the device tend to be far more satisfied. I hate the carriers, but in America, at least 80% of it is the customers fault.
But whatever. I suspect my comments are falling on deaf ears, and this comments section is just bound to turn into a "Yes it is," "No it isn't" contest between haters/lovers of the 5 majors... That should be productive.
Amen! you're right. of course there are people that are happy with their service. it said so right in the article...40%....the point is that there is 60% (or the majority) that don't and that it is across the board with ALL carriers. Yes, ALL, even the carrier that these people are raving about, have screwed many of their customers and the "well I've been with them for X years and never had a problem" doesn't help those poor souls that have been raked across the coals.
Since when did a service industry stop having to provide customer service?
80% is the customer's fault? And this is why the industry gets crappy reviews? So, what, when AT&T made a mistake with my account (telling me I forwarded my calls to a landline - when I had the phone TURNED OFF IN MY BAG at a remote construction site in Alaska...where there were no phones to forward it to...and I didn't know the commands to do the forwarding anyway), they gave me the choice - pay the $700 charge for two months (each month $350) OR I could renew my contract for a year. What's a guy gonna do? Finish the year and go with Verizon. They may not be stellar, but as another reader posted, they're the best of the worst.
@ jdog
I realize the company gaffe you had to go through was probably rough, but while you feel that Verizon is "the best of the worst" I've heard of plenty of stories just like yours from all the major carriers.
Because one hasn't yet happened to you with VZW isn't statistically indicative of VZW's overall service record. In fact, as the article notes, NO ONE is happy with their national cellular carrier. If you evaluate the evidence scientifically (that is, based on statistically significant trends, and not anecdotal ones, though you'll obviously have trouble eliminating your anecdotal evidence from your decision, it may not be appropriate to relate those anecdotes to people looking for a proper "fit") you'll find that that's an overwhelming problem throughout the industry.
::shrug::
I'm not trying to minimize your struggles, when I worked retail, I did what I could to help people with stories like yours.
My point is that people get together to talk about their awful experiences with Carrier X, and recommend Carrier Y, new customers join Carrier Y and then experience their own awful experience because they implicitly are lead to believe that Carrier Y doesn't have miscues like that.
When friends ask you which wireless provider do you think they should go with, you're going to increase their overall customer satisfaction by recommending, instead of a specific carrier based on your anecdotal experience, to have them research the company, research the coverage, research the handset, and take full advantage of the trial period (usually a week)
"Anecdotal evidence regarding carriers is meaningless to other people. PERIOD. For every numb nuts who says "Well, my VZW service doesn't give me problems," there are plenty more having the exact opposite opinion.
... so your saying that just because I have had a great experience that contradicts what others have experienced, I shouldn't be entitled to post my opinion of service? The article states that NO ONE likes there service. Well I DO like my service so I guess that makes me an outlier and you a total asshole.
@ Zach
Wow, way to hear something that isn't there.
Maybe if you'd try *reading* posts, instead of reacting to them indignantly, we could avoid this problem.
My point isn't that you are bereft of a *right* to speak about such anecdotes, but rather when you offer your friends anecdotal evidence regarding their wireless purchase, you are, in fact, giving them information that is, essentially, useless to making a *good* purchase decision.
There are so many factors that go into making a "good" wireless purchase: where you live, where you use the phone, what type of phone you want, what you want that phone to do, how much you want to pay, type of service, rate plans, contract options, etc. etc.
To believe that because a phone/service worked for you, that it will work for other people is a difficult belief to maintain. This survey just points that out. All I'm trying to say is that while we can all swap war stories (good and bad) about our wireless carriers, statistically, they're all about the same (that is to say, most people are dissatisfied, see TFA). In the grand scheme of things, if you want to REALLY encourage someone to have a POSITIVE mobile phone experience don't try and sell them your carrier and your phone; instead, encourage them to research the company, the coverage area, the handset, and available features and costs, AS WELL AS take full advantage of the national carrier's "trial" usage, that allows you to cancel your service having only to pay for the minutes used.
A holistic approach like that is going to produce happier wireless customers, and happier wireless companies.
My other ax to grind is that while people have Bad Customer Service Story for Carrier X, but none with Carrier Y, there are just as many people with a juxtaposed situation.
Maybe before you start handing out the "asshole" awards, you ought to consider what I'm saying. I'm glad you're happy with your service. I'm not making ANY personal attack on you. If it works, *FOR YOU* then I encourage you to use it. I think when you start telling other people "Oh yeah VZW has great customer service" what you really mean is "I've had great experience with VZW customer service, but there are thousands of CSRs in a given company, and sometimes you stumble across a total douchebag, particularly in wireless."
Like I seem to have done now. In these comments. When everyone else didn't seem to have a problem with it. (Sorry, that was a personal attack, you got my hackles raised by telling me what I was saying without apparently reading what I had actually said).
US Carriers suck, fact. Here's hoping for Carlos slim to come and fix something here! (I'm on AT&T right now and yes, I've already used Mexico's Telcel and Brazil's Claro)
I choose Verizon just like I vote for my constituents... best of the worst.
You, as one of the constituents, vote for your representative. You don't vote for your constituents. Sorry.
AdamY, that was a great post, I have to say. And now, I'm going to do exactly what you wanted us not to do and give my experience. I mean, that is what the comments section is for, right? What else will we waste our time with?
Im my personal experience, Sprint has been great for me. I've always had clear calls and on Sprint I didn't even know what a dropped call was. I'll be honest, I hate going to the Sprint store, because it would take forever. And sometimes so does calling them. But for me, if they ever screwed up, they fixed it fast. About a year ago I also had to get an AT&T phone for work, and that was probably the worst experience I've ever gone through. I learned the true definition of dropped calls (every other, actually) and bad reception. Not only that, they call me randomly to tell me the company hasnt paid the bill yet, would I like to take care of it? They do get great service out near my ranch house that's in the boonies, but that's really the only plus I've had with AT&T. I dont care who loves whom, but I figure I'd throw my two cents in.
I love AT&T's policies and technlogies. (GSM, unlimited bandwidth MEANS unlimited bandwidth, ability to use obex, hspda, mp3 as ringtones, mp3 downloads, ability to change plans and features online without trying to convince CSRs to give you handset data plans on your PDA, minimal modification/branding on phones' OS).
I'll admit i've had success with customer service. They've exchanged 6 razrs because i pretty much kept bricking them while trying to hack with next day delivery. i have like 7 chargers now :).
but all customer service is crap. it's really a crap shoot. but usually, if you know what you want, you're the one helping the CSR find a resolution to your problem, not the other way around. Whatever, I'm used to it. Verizon landline phone service and Verizon DSL is the same way. I've come to think all CSRs are like that. Low expectations = few disappointments.
NO!
Can't understand it!
Must be misreported, it's almost like saying that some people don't like going to the dentist. Or, that politicians are purveyors of great untruths. Can't be true can it?
Love it when 'research' reveals the bleeding obvious. Known to all except the researcher it seems.
The worst part is that it never seems to affect their incomes, unlike the rest of us.
Assume that this will be discredited on the grounds that it 'isn't representative' or that 'our research shows very different results' etc.
Amazing that these people with their tongues so far up the backsides of the politicians count for more than the mugs who vote - and why don't people remember these things at election time?
The service provider that I hate the most is My cable company, that would be Comcast. They rip you off in every way they can. I couldn't be happier with T-Mobile, I would sign a lifetime contract with them if I could.
I bet there would be fewer complaints if it was more logical, say like in places such as ...ooh, Europe, where basically any phone can be used with any network, you have good coverage and service for any number of G... and none of this over-saturation of different technologies that is expensive, pointless, and confusion.
To be fair, we get murdered on price. Especially with the £/Euro - $ there is these days.
It's kinda hard not to hate them when they all just wait for you to overage then rob you as hard as they possibly can (well, with the slight exception of Sprint's fair and flexible plans, but even then if you overage enough it'll be a nightmare).
I love T-mobile. Plans are affordable, I can switch my plan on the fly online, unlimited EDGE costs an extra 6$.
However, the reason I'm so happy is perhaps because I've been buying my own unlocked phones on ebay (not illegally unlocked, just not tied to a provider, i.e. for the rest of the world). So I can get the exact model I want *and* don't get the crippled bluetooth, limited ringtones, lack of flash, etc. that my friends have on similar locked phone models, I don't worry about termination fees, and I can swap SIM cards into my handset whenever I visit a different country, etc. Maybe that's not the "regular" T-mobile experience.
Based on my experiences, I do believe that if one of the big networks were to provide cheaper plans with no contracts for those of us who like to get our phones independently, they might get the same amount of customer loyalty and retention that they get with their 2 year contracts! Something to think about...
And I thought I was nearly alone in doing this. I was sick of buying into contracts. When I am in Europe, dropping a prepaid SIM in is so easy and comforting knowing I can always be in communication with family or friends. That's why I decided to move from Verizon. I felt T-Mobile gave me more options without feeling robbed. Their CS has been good the two times I've had to call them with an issue in three years. The service does drop out behind thick walls or in basements but I understand the limitations of GSM in regards to that. But under normal circumstances in the Main Line (western suburbs of Philly) I have no connectivity issues.
I read the title and thought this was going to be about those silly belt clips that hold cellphones. I loathe those! Put it in your pocket goofball.
Awesome! So random!
Mandatory extensions? Only if you want your phone subsidized by your cell carrier. If you can stomach paying the full price for a non-subsidized phone, you do not have to be locked down in a contract.
I refused to get a cell phone until I graduated college and got a job. I went with Nextel because my buddies all used them and the push to talk thing was good for us to have. It was fine at first, but once they switched to Sprint their service because absolutely awful. I lived in the middle of a decent sized city and could not get above 2 bars ever. I even moved to a different state during the middle of my time with them and could not get a decent signal. Once my contract was up, I switched to Verizon. I only need basic service and for me Verizon does a fantastic job. I only pay $35/month and never have a problem with service. As I look at my phone right now, I have full signal strength. I even get full signal strength at my parents house, and they live way out in the middle of nowhere. I can't say that I'm surprised that Sprint is the worst and Verizon is rated the best. That was definitely my experience.
For the most friendly customer and tech service in NYC belongs to AT&T. They were great compared to Verizon who are plain obstructive. Sadly AT&T coverage is pathetic in NYC.
As for Sprint I love their phones, plans but they have the most idiotic customer care which makes them impossible to deal with. Helio which borrows their backbone has inherited their idiocy to the point of appearing bankrupt and crooked. I returned a Helio Ocean on the 24th of September.. 15 days into my Happiness guarantee and I still have not received my money back.
So it's a good lesson, Verizon, T-Mobile and AT&T all have their foibles but compared to Helio at least they do not employ dubious and possibly illegal practices.
I'll put up with my 2 year contracts, crippled phones as long as Verizon stays honest. So far they have. I wish they could allow my voyager add on paid for email read jpegs and send them. Little things like that would be nice.
Also the more expensive the phones become the less problematic the penalty for breaking contract becomes. To be honest most of us p&*s away 175 bucks in a week yet we whine about paying Verizon the penalty.
Helio offers the best deal in the whole industry, yet clearly you get what you pay for. Helio is a virtual carrier but non the less is a clear warning that when costs are reduced too far you also lose the benefits we have all come to expect from every carrier except Sprint.
Verizon is fine except for their intent to cripple/limit every phone they sell.
It seems like no one is happy with anything anymore lets be honest. We live in a country or world were people think things are better elsewhere thats why marriages fail half the time. Customer service for almost every type of company is not great and where i live i cant stand shopping in half the stores like best buy,circuit city because of the retards who work in these stores. -
Reasoning of a verizon customer: I am going to stick with Verizon because I've given up on having individualistic touches to my phone and I like my phone number.
Whether I like it to or not, I use my phone for only its most basic and central function, which the big V admittedly excels at... As for other things, like handset quality, music, and decent ringtones, I'm finished trying to fight the power. Until this sentence, er, contract is up, I'll be a happy people talker.
I have had almost all the major cell phone carriers as well. I had bellsouth as my first one 8-9 years ago,then sprint,verizon and cingular twice. I have not had to call customer service one time so I would argue that half the customer service calls could have been resolved by going online or some other way and the people calling there are just being a pain in the ass. People in general are a pain in the ass as i have worked for a family business and also now own my own online retail website. Anyone who worked in retail or with customers will know what I mean.
you americans have it easy. i'll go with ANY of your carriers over fido or rogers or bell canada. canadian cell phone service prices are about double what you guys get. unlimited long distance and roaming on pay as you go? forget it. and coverage is far worse in rural areas of canada (most of the country last time i checked)
At&T and Verizon
i had verizon for almost two years until the iphone came out. now i have att and i can honestly say in nyc verizon has the best signal, but they charge for everything the plans are so expensive 15 dollars for vcast, 2.99 for ringtone, 9.99 for vz navigator, and if you have there mobile tv thing, or texting plan its another 20 dollars, and then you add a plan in there its alot, most of there phones are good if all you want use is lg, there smartphone are ok but you loose regular verizon features, vcast, vz nav etc.
when i had verizon i didn't complain because despite everything else in ny the signal was great, but now that i dont have them i can see the att has alot more phones to pick from, a great network, I get decent signal everywhere and the plans are cheaper. love those rollover minutes, and my iphone.
I can't say I love Sprint at the moment. We've been a customer with them for going on nine years now. Two members of my family got phones that cost 50$ each after contract discounts, one of them was broken (hinge had to be pried open, plus they couldn't activate it) and the other was bordering on falsely advertised (the apparently-usual story of severely crippled firmware). It took a total of 12 HOURS (including one five-hour nonstop call) on the phone and a period of two weeks for us to exchange these under their "30 day trade-in" policy, no extra discounts were offered for the crap they put us through and we ended up getting the free ones anyway. Probably two people out of the dozen we talked to were competent *and* spoke english; one guy seemed to know what he was doing but we could barely understand him.
Basically, if I was making the financial decisions, we'd be using a different (and probably equally bad) carrier.
Verizon has been treating me all right.
Yeah I agree. I think their contracts should be eliminated. That in itself would lower prices for service because they could compete better. If I don't like them, switch to a different carrier. That would also cause phone manufacters to lower their prices for handsets. BUT.. I don't see them getting rid of contracts anytime soon.. :(
One big part of the problem is that all the carriers are more interested in signing up NEW customers than keeping the existing customers happy. There are all kinds of promotions and deals for new people but once you sign, they couldn't care less about you. Number portability was supposed to improve service, but it clearly hasn't.
I recently switched from Verizon to Union Wireless. I had VZ for about 4 years, changed plans and phones once in a while. The ONLY time they tried to offer me anything was when I ported the number over (and then it was some crazy 1000 minute package and a "new every 2" phone). Of course, I was calling to ask them to release the line as I was signing the new contract in the Union Wireless store... Too little, too late.
Long live the Open Handset Alliance!
i have had t-mobile for over 4 years and their customer service has been great.
From what I've noticed, virtually every person has one cell provider they say "I'll never use again", even if they don't love their current one, they view another as worse. It's not always the same company, but everyone seems to have one like that.
Which is why Apple are INSANE to only sell their phones on one carrier. You've just chopped out all the customers who hate that carrier.
ever since the switch from cingular to att.. i have hated my service..
I have 2 carriers...Sprint which has absolutely horrible customer service and a local Wisconsin company called Einstein PCS that offers unlimited 24hr/day service for $49.00 per month. UNLIMITED and the most outstanding service of any company going...Wake up Sprint, you are the bottom of the barrel .....maybe take a look at Einstein and see how the little guys try harder...they are outstanding, sound great, and totally unlimited, no minute counting...and reasonable priced...go figure.
1992 - Cellular One (McCall cellular). Crazy billing that was always more expensive than it should have been.
1999 - cell one becomes AT&T. One Rate introduced, but I gotta buy a new phone and sign a contract.
2001 - moved over to Verizon because I wanted to tether a laptop (at 14.4kpbs!), something that was "impossible" with AT&T. Cheaper, but call quality not so good.
2002 - got rid of Verizon after everyone I know had a Nextel, and chirping was cool at the time. Very good coverage in populated areas, out in the sticks out of luck. Call quality excellent, best I've had on a cell.
2003 - moved. Was told that area I was in wasn't a Nextel system, but a "Nextel Partner" area (maybe the other way around, I don't remember). If I wanted a local phone number, I'd have to cancel my contract and sign a new one. Determined it was cheaper to let my contract lapse and pay the late fees. Went back to Verizon for coverage.
2005 - upgraded my phone to a VX-9800. UI sucked, mp3 playback poor, unable to multitask. EVDO network not bad, but no reason to use it (vcast selection sucks, tethering not that great). Had to renew my contract to get it. Lots of promise, terrible delivery.
2007 - canceled with VZW after seeing N95. Signed up with Union Wireless, a small regional provider. Other than the lack of a store in my town (only VZW has a dealer, everyone else is an hour or more away), not bad customer service (so far), a bit pricier, but unlimited data/mms/txt $40/month. 2 year deal sucks, but everyone else is the same way.
While researching carriers, I spent a lot of time in stores and reading web sites. Here's my take:
T-mobile: The best looking sales staff in town. The blonde with the big cans didn't know squat about GSM, but she was a lot of fun to talk to. The white t-shirt was a nice touch.
AT&T: Ahh, I'll have to get back to you on that. Let me get your number, and I'll check with the manager and call you Monday.
Verizon: Please sign in, as we're very busy today. Waited about half an hour to ask a few questions about smart phones. While waiting, I eavesdropped on a few conversations. Most of them were people trying to get problems resolved, not buying new products. Another very good looking staff.
Union Wireless: Only open M-F 8:00-5:00. Only guy working there knowledgeable and able to answer any question easily. Simple plans. Dialing 611 gets the main switchboard for the company. First cell company I dealt with that had me looking at their web site for job openings. I wonder how long they'll be around.
I love my cell phone company. I'm donating my firstborn to them, and my kidneys and liver, and giving them all my earnings until I die. I've indentured the rest of my family to them for all eternity, and Their logo will go on my tombstone. I've asked the CEO to send me his shoes every week and I'll lick them clean for the next week. They do such beautiful things for people. I'm putting in an application to have the whole company beatified,especially the CEO.
I started out with AT&T Wireless in 2002 because of 9/11;that and the fact that my family had been a customer for several years and had no complaints. Went from pre-paid phone to their GoPhone plan because of bad credit and that they entered the Albany,NY market. NEVER had any problems with the old AT&T Wireless. Customer service was great and 24/7;not like it is now. When Cingular took over AT&T Wireless,my problems started;fraudulent billing and roaming on data but not on voice. Our illustrious current govenor who was the attorney general at the time,did nothing about this problem. I and millions of AT&T Wireless customers were being screwed by Cingular because of this unwanted merger. Signed up for Cingular last year at Radio Shack and was approved for a contract plan;have had some billing and tech issues,but otherwise a very satisfied customer. My hair stylist,who had Nextel,switched to AT&T and is saving over $40/month on their bill and they have better reception and service. Here upstate,I'm roaming off of Cell One (which,from what I heard from several sources,is being bought out by AT&T) and I rarely have dropped calls. People must understand this is WIRELESS;radio frequncey signals are sending landline calls over the airwaves. That,and the NIMBY attitude of people over towers to IMPROVE service are the reasons why people complain about wireless service. And I do travel into NYC,and I ALWAYS have service. I have better service than my friend does with his Verizon Razr. I have a SonyEricsson W300i which I love. I just wish AT&T would bring in 3G SonyEricsson phones. Oh,and another thing;all these phones in the U.S. are LOCKED onto the carrier's wireless network;buy an unlocked phone and certain features are blocked or unavailable. EU carriers don't do this;that is why EU visitors go to Sony and buy unlocked phones.
I have Sprint service. To be exact i have a hybrid ic502. Recently i called to complain about the crappy cdma coverage i have on the cell part of the phone. When i first called sprint i was trying to get a nextel phone because i know at my home they work perfectly having had one thru my job and my g/f having one. Well the sprint rep told me that looking up my address i had excellent cdma coverage and that the hybrid phone was the wave of the future. Well i can't initiate a call inside the house even though i have 2 or more bars. If i try to answer without immediatley running outside i drop the call. even outside i drop1 out of 3 tries. Well i finally called retentions to get it turned off. they don't prorate ETF's. and i have had my phone checked out before. retentions things was to offer me a 50 dollar credit and that i should call insurance to get my phone replaced. cause it is obviously the phone and not their crappy cdma coverage. when i first got the phone the coverage chart showed mid-level coverage, now when i go to coverage check, it is low level. But according to Sprint "i can't be satisfied by them and if i want to terminate i gotta pay. no were else but my home do i have probs. I will just have to call everyday 3-4 times a day til they cancel me themselves and then i will go with a carrier who values their customers, and doesn't say 'it's just you'. how about trying to fix something and listening to the customer instead of trying to screw them. No wonder sprint is last in customer satisfaction. I wouldn't place higher then a cable tv provider and we know the majority of them are worth 2 SH*ts, maybe less.As far as who gave me the best customer service and actually fixed stuff, it was nextel before sorry @55 sprint bought them.
Dunno about you guys, but when a panel puts an iphone, trejo and blackjack in the top 3 and no nokias, there's something wrong.
I hate that in America, you're forced to sign that 2-year contract for postpaid. In Japan you get 50% off your service plan as an incentive to, but you're not forced to. And they increase the discount each year you're with them. America sucks so bad...
Been with Verizon for 15 years. They're horrible. Absolutely horrible to deal with in any fashion. Bad customer service and really I only stick with them for two reasons:
1. AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have bad coverage in Southern Cal.
2. My friends and family use them.
My company is even willing to give me free AT&T and a smartphone. Won't do it.
Sprint ... they're dishonest, stupid, and downright evil. A worse bunch of bastards I've never encountered. I called my state's Attorney General's office and they confirmed that Sprint receives more complaints than the other carriers.
Avoid Sprint at all costs.
I have Cellular One,I love their service.
However AT&T have just bought them out.
My only problem with Cellular One is my brother had just signed up with them at our local Wal-Mart and they gave him a long distent number.
My mom used to have Verizon Wireless their service and coverage was the worst. About a year after my mom ended her service with them Verizon cut features off of her home service because of a missed payment on her wireless bill.
Verizon Wireless and Verizon home teplephone services are two entirely different parts of the company, they are not interrelated in any way.
Anyway, I've had Verizon since 2003 and have not once been dissapointed with them. If anything goes wrong with a phone they have no problem taking care of me. My phone works excillent, which is not what I hear from my friends who have AT&T or Sprint and are always complaining.
I also never drop a call and always have excillent reception everywhere excluding the typical places like casinos or subways, neither of which don't create an overwhelming concern with me (I can step off the casino in seconds if I need to use the phone).
I've dealt with Sprint before through my brother and my best friend and they each hate it (my brother finally switched to Verizon) Their customer service treats them like crap, they get hassled by the billing department even after they pay their bill (odd, I know, but hey, apparently they want their monthly bill every week?), and they were dropping calls with everyone.
Nextel gets horrible reception in our area and sounds like crap.
AT&T for whatever reason has problems in everyone's houses around here. I used to have to go outside to make or receive a call, my friends on their network still cannot make a call inside their own homes.
They somehow found a connection dispite the change of address.
One of the great annoyances of cell phones in the US is having to pay for *incoming* calls and text messages. Not sure why anyone is willing to put up with this absurdity. In Europe and many other countries, incoming traffic is FREE, the way it should be - why am I supposed to pay because someone tried to contact me???
To tell you the truth. I have been with sprint, alltel, nextel, cingular, T-mobile, and Verizon (all 1 yr contracts.) I am with Verizon, not because they have the better phones because they are hands down the BEST provider around. I have read that some of you have AT&T and it's better than VZW but let me tell you all something. I know where they all work, and where they all don't work. Ask Truck drivers. They know. I drove for 2 years myself one with Alltel my last year with VZW. I had better results with VZW as did most Truckers. It not only depends on the coverage itself. Most have missed another important factor. The phone itself. Some phones are worse than others when it comes to reception. This is true for ALL carriers. So basically just find not only a carrier but a phone as well. Never trust the sales rep, they work off commisions. They'll tell you anything to make the sale. Talk to a variety of the carriers customers and determine for yourself. The carrier with the worst reception and worst customer service is Sprint with a great lead. I speak this from experience of others and myself as well. As for Alltel being better than VZW. Hmm......do your research, VZW and Alltel share towers. Again as stated before The phone factor. Do your own research people. Find the one that best serves your needs, not others needs.