Verizon: Here’s the Truth About Sprint 4G
Today is a historic day in Mobile Tech Manor. It is the first day in a decade that I have no service on the Verizon phone network. I canceled my long-time account as I signed up for Sprint 4G service to go with my Palm Pre voice line on Sprint. It wasn’t a move I made lightly, I tested the Sprint 3G and 4G networks and decided the Sprint service was a better value for me. I entered the Verizon store to cancel my voice and data lines with mixed emotions. The lying I was blasted with by Verizon employees made the process much easier on me than I thought it would be.
I entered the Verizon store and was signed in to wait my turn for service. I told the guy I was canceling my service and didn’t need a salesperson. He immediately sent me to a second salesperson and explained that I wanted to cancel my service. They both then asked why I would do that. I explained I signed with Sprint for the 4G service, and that I was switching as Verizon had nothing comparable at this time.
They both stated, eerily at the same time, that the Sprint 4G was not really 4G, it was “only WiMAX.” I replied that I knew that, but it was much faster than the EVDO 3G service of Verizon. Then they both asserted that the Sprint WiMAX service was not available “anywhere in the U.S. outside of Houston.” I looked at them and told them that was not true. Sprint has rolled out the 4G service in at least 11 cities across the country.
Then they argued that Verizon’s LTE service was almost ready for launch, and would be launched covering the “entire U.S.” all at once. I asked for them to put that in writing, and that stopped that claim in its tracks.
They took me to the Customer Service department, which I’d asked for upon entry to the store, and handed me off to “Steve”. Steve pulled up my account on the system and asked why I wanted to cancel both lines with Verizon. I explained once again that I had already signed up with Sprint, mainly for the 4G.
He called a manager over to the station who looked at the screen and then informed me that the Sprint 4G service was not available anywhere in the U.S. outside of Houston. I was getting ticked off and told him he was blatantly lying to me about that. He then told me that Sprint’s WiMAX was only a little bit faster than Verizon’s 3G. I told him he was lying yet again. Then he told me that Sprint’s 3G network was “nowhere near as fast as Verizon’s 3G network.”
I’d had enough at this point and I informed him that the Sprint 3G was the same EVDO technology that Verizon used, and it was just as fast. I asked to speak to the division manager to complete my business. At that point they tapped a few keys on the screen and informed me I was duly canceled. The whole thing left me with a very bad taste in my mouth for the way Verizon conducts business. Which is a shame after a decade of happy patronage.
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I’ve heard similar stories like that about Verizon employees/service. The times I’ve been in the local shopping center, I always get aggressively greeted by one of those Verizon employees, there are times when I expect to be tackled by one.
I’ve had bad experiences with AT&T store reps too. I think the problem is likely pervasive throughout the industry, not that this is an excuse of any kind.
I’m disappointed to hear this about Verizon since I just switched to them from AT&T several months ago. I had no problem leaving AT&T because I never told them I was leaving. I just ported my number to Verizon (which Verizon happily did even after I’d had my account set up for a month with a different/temporary number while I decided if I liked it). The port process canceled my AT&T account without any such hassles and took about 30 seconds to complete.
I had a similar experience here in the SF Market Street store, they tried to convince me that the 3G of Verizon was faster than Sprint’s 4G service (even though it is not out yet in SF). I showed them screen shots of the testing I had done with the Sprint 4G device (running 3G) vs. Verizon’s Mifi device and proved that actually Sprints 3G was faster than Verizon’s 3G here in SF. They continued to argue with me upon which I told them while there were about 10 customers in the store that I would be happy to do a demonstration of both devices right in the store (since I had both with me at the time) and they quickly agreed to cancel my account. As may already be known Sprint does not have 4G in SF yet (supposedly within the next 60 days) but I have used it in other cities which as you have stated is much faster than Sprint or Verizon’s 4G. I was shocked at how bold Verizon was in blatantly lying and misrepresenting their device vs. Sprint and can’t imagine the number of consumers falling for their scam/claims. It sounds like they are using a script because of how similar the stories are and someone should force them to stop this misleading tactic
Sorry meant to say Verizon’s 3G (not 4G) obviously they don’t have 4G yet
Wow. It’s hard to know with certainty, but it would not surprise me in the slightest that whoever puts their name on that paper as having processed the cancellation has it count against them in their quarterly review.
As for the lying … well, I suppose I’m not surprised by anything some commissioned salespeople will do. I can tell you that I have had a VZW salesperson lie to me about phone availability. Long story short: Sales person swore up and down that they didn’t care the particular Moto phone I wanted any longer. Three weeks later (past return date, mind you), I hear a VZW ad on the radio promoting the very phone I had wanted. I called in and was able to get a swap.
Most cell phone dealing I have ever had usually leave me feeling unusually confused. And I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone back into a store to discuss something and get a completely different answer than I did before.
I think the bottom line is simply this: Sell everything you can in any way you can.
Seriously…. You went to a store to cancel when a call would have sufficed…. And for the record, 4G is just a marketing term. It has no basis in a reality for how fast the service is. If we’re comparing apples to apples, T Mobiles “3G” is faster.
Seriously, I was driving right past the store so I went in. You’re right, 4G is just a term but this was much more than that.
“4G” is not just a marketing term, it stands for Fourth Generation. A Generation is considered when a new network technology is built out, usually comprising of new phones for said network, new speed allotments, new applications that previously could not run on the previous generation, and/or the ability to multi-task voice, data, video, etc simultaneously within said network.
Sprint 4G is WiMAX and YES it is 4G because it is their newest technology. Sprint did not have a 1G, CDMA was 2G, CDMA 1X alongside with EVDO Rev. 0 and EVDO Rev. A all in the “3G” category (ie, 3G and 3.5G since they are overlay networks), and WiMAX is a new network ground up 4G.
Thanks for playing the name marketing game. Oh, and it should be noted that 4G speed CURRENTLY is not the speed that the technology can handle theoretically, no G technology will ever come close to “theoretical” in real time environments, however WiMAX is upgrade compatible to WiMAX 2 which is much faster then “tested” LTE, and capable of being just as fast as the “theoretical” max of LTE. So please get the information correct when you decide to talk about networks and what exactly “4G” means.
You show how little you actually know about cellular technology. First generation was called 1XRTT, second generation was EVDO, and 3G is EVDO Rev. 0 and Rev. A. CDMA is the base technology for carriers such as Verizon and Sprint. You should learn the facts before you start correcting people.
Roger A is right about the different generations, and I am a geek who spends an unbelievable amount of time researching stuff like this out of curiosity and because I have relatives on Sprint service.
Also, Sprint 4G has unlimited traffic. So, even if speed was the same, it is still a better choice. As far as I know, latency is much lower with WiMAX, which by the way is called “4G” in many countries in the world, which makes it de facto a standard and not some cheap marketing trick.
Its a cheap marketing trick taking advatage of the uneducated of society. while you(a small group of people that actually give a turd) might know the difference most people do not and there for take it at face value beiing: “This phone is 4g and that one is 3g the 4 is newer and better cause its 4″. Your an idiot if you dont think that the people that decided these labels knew that and count on it. Every thing your looking at in your daily lives is about money. PERIOD
When I wanted to cancel my Sprint service they tried very hard to keep me as a customer…but not in the way big red hasseled you.
I ended up with a free Airave with no monthly access charge and free unlimited data on my TouchPro. Its been almost 2 years with the airave and no charges at all and just over a year with the data plan and no charges.
David
I worked for an Authorized Verizon retailer for about 10 yrs. Of the 4-6 employees that worked there we all were very much into what was going on in the business as well as other gadgets. It always amazed me when i would walk into a Corporate Verizon store & i would hear some of the crap coming out of there mouths. I would have to interrupt some of the salesmen & correct them because i felt bad for the customer. I loathe having to go into 1 of their stores to do anything knowing that i know more than them. It is absolutely frustrating. They simply just do not train most of their employees. Dont get me wrong im sure that there is a select few that do know what they’re doing but i havent come across any yet.
Epic FAIL Verizon, Epic FAIL… Makes me even happier that I’ve been a T-Mobile customer for 9 years.
Verizon sales people are clowns hired right from Ringling brothers. One guy told me that Droid blows iPhone out of water. He continued with “Android has more apps then iPhone app store”.
Well,, hmm, well, hmmmm, okay.
Droid does blow the iphone out of the water. It’s faster and is capable of doing more. The market is growing at @10k apps per month with open source software and that blows away anything apple has to offer with their Nazi tactics for applications. By year end at current progression droid apps will surpass iphone. Quantity doesn’t mean quality so iphone is just a name, a status symbol tied to the worst network in the nation. Nothing to brag about…..
Droid is faster at what and capable of doing more of what?
Why point out that “at current progression droid apps will surpass iphone” then add (accurately) “quantity doesn’t mean quality” you sound more like a fanboy than the apple fanboys. Use what works for you and let other people use what works for them. I for one am glad to have options.
Droid does blow the Iphone out of the water. It is faster at playing my music while i browse the internet and have my photo gallery on one of my cutoms laid out screens. It is better at taking pictures at night. It also has an app for guiding you on the road built in for free. It is also quicker at downloading since most Iphone have spotty 3G. You are right though, we should use what works best for us. us who rather be free to do what we want and not have others dictate what we should or should not do….
I’d have used that Verizon voice line to cancel.
I am also surprised they didn’t make any retention offer.
I waited 30+ minutes today to get my Eris Android phone switched out due to a busted volume control. The “salesman” I got was so arrogant I had to walk out of the store, plus they did not have any Eris in stock. This is the third time I’ve been mistreated. If I had another coverage choice at my house I would say adiós Verizon.
You know it’s funny you posted this James, I canceled my Verizon line two weeks ago over the phone. The lady asked me so many questions about why I was canceling and if I wanted to turn the line into a data line or this and that, she told me that since I bought my phone from Best Buy I will probably be receiving a bill from Best Buy for canceling the service as well.
I basically told her to stop talking and just do her job and cancel the line. After my rude response, my line was canceled within a few seconds and I was finally off the phone with those jokers.
Ouch, thanks for the warning, James! I plan to drop my VZW aircard as soon as Sprint turns 4G on in St. Louis and I’ve had a chance to compare speeds and accessibility. I guess none of those service guys ever read the tech blogs to stay current on the technology.
heres how you should have handled it…
“Sir, may i ask why you want to cancel your service with us”
“just because i want too”
you dont have to explain yourself to anyone. hell in the US you have the right to remain silent in a court of law in your own murder trial, i am sure the same remains at the VZW store!
You are very, very fortunate James to have a popular blog where you can spill the beans on what really happens, albeit to a sizable/knowledgeable audience.
I could share with you a more horrific story regarding my experience with T-Mobile back in 2009. Long story short, the matter is now in front of a commissioner. Yes, that’s right – lawsuit.
Cell phone service providers care NOTHING about a customer’s business – they simply don’t have the faintest idea of how to respect a loyal customer, and I can attest to that for a fact. All they want is your wallet, period, and they will lie their asses off to get it. Oh, and don’t think the mighty FCC is immune either – they’re in bed with all of them and just as dirty!
Your experience James further drives home the fact that a big stake of the complaints the BBB receives are regarding cell phone providers, and that volume has been increasing.
I had the same experience when I left Verizon (Cellular One back then) and moved to AT&T (Cingular back then); and again when I moved from AT&T to Sprint; and again when I moved from Sprint to Verizon. Sounds like you don’t get around much. I look forward to your post when you leave Sprint.
I left Sprint for ATT. I was actually disappointed in the opposite direction. Sprint didn’t fight at all for my business. They were just like, “Why are you leaving? Anything we can do to keep you? Enjoy your time on ATT?” I was expecting like a $200 credit to get me to stay or something. But all things considered, the experience wans’t as bad as this one!
It all depends on who you get at the store and your ARPU. If you have a high-value account, you usually get freebies thrown your way. Also, the in-store reps seem to have less ability/desire/pull to retain your patronage.
I find that I can get more value calling or delaing with Sprint over their ‘Chat’ support option. Plus, you have a written record on the chat log you can refer to if they reneg or tell you otherwise of an offer that was negotiated.
I didnt threaten to leave, I just told them I wanted Pick 3 and got it. During some mistake charges I was upgraded to Pick 5…both times were free mind you. I was also given 60 Bonus Minutes that never expire (even if I change my plan) because I had issues. $50 credits here and there, activation and upgrade fees waived here and there. All in all my time with Sprint as a service has been great. My time with Sprint as a customer has been decent. However, only ONCE have I had a problem with Sprint employees lying to me about this and that, and comparing their network to T-Mobile, which while partly true in speed terms, when it came to GSM phones this guy knew nothing and compared them to CDMA – totally different.
Expecting any retention from Sprint is not likely. They dont care if people want to leave really, because those people who leave are also the biggest complainers who likely wont stay loyal in the long run.
verizons 4g stantard LTE is planned to launch Q4. LTE is faster than wimax and is becoming the worldwide standard. But can’t beat sprints prices though
lte and wimax are extremely comparable in terms of speed. What isn’t comparable is the amount of spectrum that Sprint and Verizon have on which to deploy these techs. Sprint has (on average) 5 times as much as Verizon. I’ll be heading that way when it rolls out. Don’t even get me started on pricing
All mobile companies train their staff to try and retain customers, so don’t get mad they are just following their training and just doing their job. Its just annoying for everyone else, when you made your mind up, and switched supplier.
Secondly have you unlocked your verizon mifi unit, it maybe handy to do so. I always unlock my mobile devices as soon as I can.
:)
CDMA devices are not able to be “unlocked” so to speak. While you may know programming codes, and MSL codes, these all are worthless pieces of knowledge since the carrier networks ban foreign ESN/MEID numbers that are not branded for the respective carrier. Sprint phones will not work on Verizon and Verizon will not work on Sprint, but if you program your MSL with the right information and get a PRL in there, you can use MetroPCS. This is because MetroPCS is the only carrier CDMA-wise that will input any foreign owned ESN/MEID numbers into their database.
So, unlocking a Verizon MIFI to use on Sprint would be pointless as Sprint bans all ESN/MEIDs to any device that is NOT Sprint branded.
Alltel used to allow foreign ESNs on their network also. But Verizhell took them over, and now won’t even allow Alltel ESNs on their network. I just kicked VZW to the curb, along with a brand new VZW Touch Pro 2.
When I walked into a Verizon store to see what it would cost me to move from a Pre to Pre Plus back in January they told me that a comparable plan to simply everything would be $50 more than Sprint. They’re only reasoning for the higher price was that they had better coverage. The Verizon reps had an air of superiority. Compared to a colleague of mine who has Verizon he’s had more dropped calls. Plus if you have a simply everything phone plan your broadband card or MIFI you have unlimited Internet for $59.95. No 5GB cap.
When I deal with Sprint customer service they treat me like a valued customer, and really go out of there way to ensure that I’m satisfied with the service I think because they are the #3 carrier and they want to move up the the ranks where as Verizon is more like we are #1 we don’t have to do a damn thing because you should want to be our customer.
Sprint still has a 5GB cap on all data plans.
3G ONLY Data Plans are $59.99 with a 5GB cap on network and 300MB roaming cap.
3G/4G Data Plans are $59.99 with 5GB Cap on 3G data on network and 300MB roaming cap, Unlimited 4G on network.
Simply Everything does not grant one “unlimited” data for use other then on the phone. Tethering, or Phone-As-Modem is NOT included in this plan. It also will not work without things like “tether” aka Tetherberry, or PDAnet, and even still Sprint reserves the right to charge you per kb $0.03 if they detect any device other then your phone is accessing the data.
If you could…eehhmm…tether, say a Palm Pre, the 5GB cap would not apply. It’s for data cards only. There is no cap for smartphones.
Sprint does not place a cap on a broadband card of any kind 3G/4G as long as you also have a phone with them as well.
I’m not tethering my phone this is CDMA so in order to do work and be on the phone simultaneously I would need a broadband card.
Actually, ask James about this he has a MiFi and Palm Pre.
If you login to your account and select detailed usage it will state UNLIMITED.
I sell phones for a living (AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon) and had a customer tell a similar story the other day. I had convinced him that, for his family of 4 to have BlackBerries, Sprint was the clear choice (it is), and that he should switch from Verizon. Apparently, he left my store and went to Verizon to see if they would match or offer him something to stay.
He came back to let me know that when he laid out the deal to the Verizon guy, and asked if they could offer some reason for him to stay, the guy blatantly said, straight-faced and to his face, ‘No, we don’t have to match Sprint because we’re better than them.’ Un-freakin-believable.
In all my dealings with Verizon, while friendly, they really come off as incredibly arrogant.
Similar experiences here. When I was 20 years old and on a family plan, I went in to a verizon store to port my contacts to a new phone. This service was complementary under the plan we had at the time. I told the employee what I needed. He proceeded to try and sell me my own plan with a new phone for the next ten minutes. I walked out and said I would do it by hand.
the fact is that when a better device will pop there you will switch again. its a shameless strategy that works. they loose less customers by lying and postponing.
i am coming from a country where all service providers behave that way regarding service cancellation … my strategy is to get into the shop with a recorder and inform the rep that i am recording. it simplified things for me in the past.
Wow…just wow Verizon. I left V about 5/6 years ago for…get this…coverage. I just couldn’t get coverage at my project site for those 18 months I was there and my main office….in the SF Bay Area if you could believe that. I switched to Sprint and couldn’t be happier since.
I rarely get dead spots and 1x coverage, but it does happen…although Sprint will roam on Vzw where there’s no signal, so I’m good.
Value wise, no carrier can touch a 5-smartphone plan with unlim data/text/navigation for $170/mo…ALL 5 LINES (yes, I do have loyalty discounts in my package). That also includes all mobile calls to ANY US carrier for FREE (Sprint Any-Mobile) and each line has it’s own Pick-3 free calling (like T-mo’s Fav-5). Also, the main line on that account has every 12mo upgrade eligibility.
Again, for the savings, Sprint is really hard to leave.
As for V, if they do get the iPhone…expect the arrogance to be kicked-up a few notches.
Call Account Relations (Cancellations) and without threatening to cancel, simply ask them if your Pick 3 on each line can be upgraded to Pick 5. I heard they dont offer it to people who cancel anymore, but since you already have Pick 3 on your line, you may be able to upgrade to Pick 5. Just ask them politely. If not, no big deal, sounds like you have an amazing plan!
I tested MiFi the other day in SF. Here are my results Via Twitter
trevorpressman @Verizon MiFi vs. @Comcast WiFi vs. @ATTNews 3G iPhone speedtest showdown. AT&T not so shabby. If I could only make calls http://twitpic.com/1fl55k
I think you are liable to find this sort of tiered gauntlet anytime you want to end service with a company that is subscriber based. I’ve been through the same thing with Cable and satellite TV service. I suspect, should you ever want to leave Sprint, you’ll get the same treatment.
My experience when I was thinking of leaving Sprint was to get all sorts of offers: 5% loyalty discount, additional $50 off the new phone I wanted, plus $50 off the next month’s bill (essentially getting the phone for free), plus no activation charge for the new phone. I stayed with Sprint and everytime I renew I get another loyalty discount. Never treated rudely. My partner tried the same with Verizon and got no deals.
Lol cancel service with anyone. Pretty much the same experience across the board. There are some exceptions, but I find this depends more on individual representatives, and less on company.
You didn’t need to pick a fight with them.
As Mr Churchill once said, if you’re about to kill somebody, it costs you nothing to be polite.
Funny enough, I had the opposite experience moving from Sprint to T-Mobile when I got a Nexus One. My brother-in-law wanted my Blackberry, so I wanted to see if I could port my number away without canceling the service (i.e. get them to assign a new number). The rep I talked to said “they don’t normally do that” but escalated the issue and got his manager to OK it based on the fact that I’ve been a Sprint customer since 1996 or so. My brother-in-law is now a happy Sprint customer using my old phone and I’ll probably be switching back when the HTC Evo comes out.
I wonder if you could cancel it via calling their customer service line instead. The internet is a good equalizer, that these bad experiences are exposed for all to know. Next time when asked, you can say “must there be a reason?”, then you say, “no right? Because I can.” They just want to drag you along, drag you along, drag you along, no end in sight. But your purpose is to cancel, get a confirmation of some sort and get out.
In our country, Fido is notoriously of not cancelling the actual account after telling the customers that it’s done.
You must live in Canada.. I know Fido well.. Aka Rogers.
My roommate had Verizon and the guy at Sprint said, “…just have us do the port when you are ready. Talking to Verizon they will tell you anything to keep you, especially if they lose you to Sprint, since we run the same technology, have coverage in almost the same areas and offer better plans. Its doubtful Verizon can offer you anything comparable but likely will increase your bill by offering you a “free data plan” for 3 months” after that its $60 more!”
Sure enough my roommate was like “They already tried that crap” and ported over immediately.
Be sure to confirm that they actually closed the account. I had a similar experience when returning a MiFi and while they gladly accepted the return and noted on the paperwork that they were closing they account, they did not terminate the line and I got a bill the following month for the active line. Getting that taken care of was another frustrating hour on the phone with VZW.
I am fairly certain that this same situation would happen at any store you go in to cancel their service. Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, AT&T…they will all tell you ruthless lies to get you to stay
Actually, Sprint is probably the only carrier that will actually try to offer you something to entice you to stay. Recurring credit on your monthly bill, additional airtime minutes at no extra charge, etc…
Been on Sprint for over 12 years, and I’m surprised they’re not more popular. I hear them scoffed at, but I’ve never had a coverage problem or dropped calls.
Been hooked on Palm phones for years, and the data plans been great. My bill went down when I bought a Palm Pre with an unlimited plan.
Their customer support regularly goes off script with me, they don’t seem outsourced outside the US, and we have reasonable conversations. Every time I’ve mentioned switching or being unhappy to customer service, I get something. In fact, I regularly just get something every year or so just for still being a customer.
You are kidding, right?
Customer support in the Hesse world is annoying. You call to get something changed and they start walking through a script to upsell you.
I am still a Sprint customer, but I’ve gone to pre-paid on Virgin Mobile (yes, Sprint’s MVNO) for data and am saving a ton of money since phone-as-modem support on my phone disappeared when I migrated to Win 7.
Irony of ironies, I get the phone call and papermail from Sprint saying they’d like to “help” me select the best plan once I cut my monthly bill from $90 a month to about $50 a month.
While I don’t think I’ll be going towards sprint anytime soon (on T-Mo) I HAD been considering Verizon since I have and like FiOS. After reading this… some how I don’t think that is as much a possibility anymore… I guess T-Mo can assume they will have my business a few more years. Thank you for relaying your experience, regardless of Sprint’s network, even if it was worse than Verizon, I’d rather have good customer service on a crappy network than crappy customer service on any network.
Companies are in the business to keep your business. This happens at Sprint and AT&T stores too. If you wanted to cancel your account and already did your research just cancel it and give no reason or only explain your self once. It was as simple as that.
I have closed accounts at AOL, Dish Networks, Cox, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile in the past and was barraged with questions and marketing BS. This is what they do.
Go into a Best Buy and try and hold a conversation about Monster HDMI cable.
Nothing new here….
I count something like 36 cities with sprint 4G and those cities don’t have anything like total coverage. While verizon was inaccurate, sprint is making a lot of claims nationally about they’re 4G network that just aren’t true.
Well, actually Clearwire is building out the Wimax Network, it is not Sprint, Sprint is a partner and resells the network as they brand it Sprint. Clearwire is lighting up 80+ additional markets with small cities like New York, LA, Miami, DC etc. Coverage Maps dont tell the entire story as the maps only show areas where In Building penetration is at 90%+ so the out of building coverage is actually much larger. We use the network in Baltimore and get 10/2 Mbps speeds and pay $45 for unlimted usage…If you dont travel across the country does nationwide coverage really matter? Have you tried to get reception in parts of Idaho or Denver with any carrier…goood luck……
Sprint owns over 50% of clearwire
Why would you let them play you like that?
Just walk in, say you want to cancel and don’t answer any of their ridiculous questions.
Yes, their behavior is disgraceful but why feed the trolls?
That’s unfortunate. I’ve had good business with Verizon, both in and out of stores. But then again, I’ve never tried to cancel my service. I hope that this is primarily the fault of the store manager, and that Verizon isn’t training all of their employees to be such a pain in the butt when costumers try to switch.
I’ve had the same experience with Orange in the UK. Typical customer service. Grr!
curiously, I left sprint for the same reasons. lying. it might have been simple inability to do their job, but the net effect was the same.
Very interesting. Way to go switching to Sprint. I think they have a niche market for the next 2 years because they have a strong network play with WiMax. Looking forward to LTE but hey WiMax now is better than LTE later. We have to make decisions based on what is available to us now.
It doesn’t really matter why you want to cancel, if you are out of contract, they should cancel. 3G/4G is all irrelavent. You pay for a service from them, when you want to be done, you are done.
My wife had Verizon for almost 4 years. In the 4 years she had two phones. The second was a voyager. She had to return the phone 11 times because ever 3 months or so it would break down. Verizon is obligated to give you a new phone of the same vale or similar style. They would never give her a new voyager it was always a “certified” referb. After 11 replacemnts over a little less than 2 years they offered her nothing for her troubles. Verizon customer service always has and always will blow. Tmo and Tmobile for the win.
Not sure where you got that idea. After the first 30 days, Verizon has no obligation to give you a new, or different, phone. The policy is to give customers certified like new replacements of the same model.
As for the situation James went through. All I can say is this flies in the face of the training and the culture of VZW. There are bad seeds everywhere, though. Things happen, and the fact that this small situation was blown into a blog post is kind of lame.
You must work for VZW…
These are the same jokers that tried to push the Droid Eris on me when I asked to look at the (ahem… VASTLY superior) Palm Pre Plus. … Only it was in a different store.
Remember that next time you talk to a sales rep, folks. They’re a “special” bunch of people.
Verizon is a bunch of fu$&%#ing morons, a bunch of stupid greedy motherfuc*#@rs.
Licensed thieves.
While I’m on the topic… while I’m hoping Palm releases a 4G-capable device, the current Palm Pre doesn’t have a 4G radio in it. Did I misunderstand your first paragraph?
I swear, these guys sound like they went to the same school of another company that pretty much lies and refuses to honor its customers wishs …AOL. Perhaps there is a master class in the technique.
I think what they meant to say is that there are no phone’s running on Spring’s 4G (expect for Houston).
Sprint is an interesting animal. My understanding is that they essentially said they wanted to “own” the dense city centers and forgo good connectivity in less populated areas. In major metropolitan areas, they have fantastic service. Go outside those places and it is hit and miss.
Yep. Out here in the wilds of Central Illinois, Sprint can be hit or miss. I live outside of city limits in downstate IL and dropped calls have always been a big problem for me. A big problem, as I do not have a land line, only cell. To Sprint’s credit, they set me up with an Airave, selling it to me for 99 cents rather than $99, and waiving the monthly fees in perpetuity.
I now get 4-5 bars anywhere in the house. It works like a charm.
I’ve been with Sprint for almost 10 years now, and I have to say that not only are they the least expensive option amongst the carriers (I’m grandfathered in under some old calling and data plans, plus I get 23% off because of my employer), but they’ve also been extremely accommodating whenever I’ve had issues or wanted phone upgrades.
It’s not like I’m a high-volume user either. I spend a grand total of $40 a month with them including data and TEP (equipment replacement).
Sprint is tops in my book.
james kendrick = luke wilson?
Lower west side Chicagoan/1.5 miles from Sears tower.
My Sprint Blackberry service has been good for 18 months.
In January 2010 I decided to move from a local slow wifi provider to Sprint 4G/3G for my home. In 3 months I have experienced a mere 14 days with 4G (unlimited) access. Sprint has finally admitted there is no 4G in my lower west side hood. I am forced to the 3G (capped at 5gb)and went over data usage to the tune of $300 of which they eventually/ angrily gave me a credit because nformed them if I had 4G as I was sold and contracted for I would not have over usage issues.
NOW, this last week when I spoke with an account manager he said “4G is not unlimited”. He began to resist when I informed him that was untrue. I reminded him my
purchase stated 4G UNLIMITED. Is Sprint trying to change the rules on customers? 3G is often just 2-3 bars in this big city of Chicago. I am speaking with Sprint today and either demanding no cap or a full refund for 3 months and I will find another provider. BEWARE of Sprint 4G in Chicago is all I am saying. I would also like to add that since the economy and government are currently in disarray I have experienced more and more companies cheating you outright and making what are illegal moves on the consumer. Consumer protection is nil in the US anymore so tread carefully yee powerless consumers.
If you still have your Blackberry through Sprint your broadband card regardless if it’s 3G or 4G has unlimited Internet. Complain and ask to speak with management there is no cap as long as you have a phone plan with them. You should get a refund too if they charged you for going over a cap that shouldn’t have been there to begin with as long as you catch the billing error within 90 days I believe.
Geena, I wouldn’t put the blame on Sprint. That’s the idiot rep you spoke with.
@Prethought, there is a cap on 3G regardless if you have a phone plan.
@TK Can you show me where it says so in Sprint’s smartphone T&C’s? No one had been able to produce that evidence for me. I understand and have read it in regards to data cards, but not smartphones.
I have a phone plan and asked the rep when I got the Overdrive if I was subject to the 3G cap. He said yes for 3G, unlimited for 4G.
Phones have unlimited 3g, mobile broadband cards (ie. Overdrive) have a 5gig cap on 3g but unlimited 4g if the device is capable and it’s on a 3g/4g data plan.
Hi Geena,
Was just wondering if you got your issue resolved. I am a Sprint employee and am sorry that you’ve had a bad experience. There’s an email address that you can send this complaint to – it’s sprintcare@sprint.com. They can handle special issues like this. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.
One more thing…we can also have someone call you to try and help with this issue.
What did you expect? A friendly smile, thanks for your service, and have a good life from them? It’s apparent you haven’t dealt much with changing service providers of any type. They’re all the same and will do or say anything to keep your business. Is it right? I don’t think so, but it’s the way businesses are run these days.
You’ll get the same treatment from ATT, Verizon, Sprint, or any other service you try to use. Corporations don’t care if you’re happy when you visit their stores. They want your money and as much of it as possible.
Surprising news would have been if you’d gone in there and been treated friendly, promptly and professionally.
I have always had Sprint and love the service. We have two camps here in our offices that are scattered throughout Ohio. One uses Sprint and one uses Verizon. Our verizon users have much more trouble with there service. I never understood why Sprint got a bad wrap except for absence of confrontational marketing against other providers. They just may have never stuck up for themselves and made a loud enough noise. My experience with Verizon reps is very similar to yours. They would tell me anything to close a deal or reverse an opinion no matter how outlandish. I recently read an interview with Sprint execs. and they said they know Wimax is not the better product as far as its ability to be rolled out. They are simply trying to grab 4g market share faster than the others. They even eluded to switching the network back over to LTE 4g when the time was right. Not a bad plan to grab market share as long as they get way more aggresive in promoting there 4g RIGHT NOW. It will be a while before any of it hits Ohio. But that just gives time for phones to ring out a few hardware variations before I jump in.
It’s amazing how little attention some companies give you until you try to cancel your service.
In 2004, I switched from Comcast to Verizon DSL. The Comcast rep tried telling me that you have to pay for 2 phone lines to use DSL. I said that wasn’t accurate (since I’d already hooked up DSL before cancelling Comcast). She told me a few more lies.
DSL sucked and I was back with Comcast within 6 months. I guess Comcast’s rep didn’t lie to me about that.
I had Cingular and T-Mobile from 2002 and on. Both providers had spotty service where I’m at and dropped calls all the time. Ever since I switched to Verizon I haven’t had a problem. Now that I have the DROID, I’m loving it.
Figured I’d post some love since none of that is happening here.
clearly kendrick is an angry person and dealing with him must be difficult. Baiting people for view point? You already switched and went into the store looking for exactly what you found, BLOG MATERIAL. A company interested enough in your business to attempt to keep you around… did you do it with an open mind? Sound’s like you already knew everything… Verizon will launch LTE and it will be available, in the end, in more places than spring… Your 4G won’t be available in fringe areas around Houston… good luck with that mobility…
So how many years have you worked for Verizon? Is the profit sharing any good?
I’m a 22-year Verizon customer (before VZW, Bell NYNEX, and Bell Atlantic Mobile), but I’ve about had it with them. My contract runs out in November, but they’ve been calling me several times a month trying to get me to upgrade to a new phone now, which is getting very annoying.
When I tell them that they don’t offer any phones I’d want right now (I have a Touch Pro), they act stunned..STUNNED!!!
unfortunately, this is the case for all cell phone company stores. i’ve had the same experince at verizon, but then i’ve also had similar experiences at AT&T. I think that in an environment where it’s all comission based, a culture of “say whatever we have to to keep the customer” is pervasive amongst the sales staff. probably the manager would have given them crap had they not said the outlandish stuff they said. The strategy probably works too – people (who don’t keep up with blogs like this) are pretty easy to dupe.
does anybody think about the fact that sprint wimax 4g is ip based and not stacked upon the voice carrier network like some overgrown modem and furthermore evdo is whack from jumpgate because the upload is so slow, i got 1100 up on a netbook i bought from radio shack for $100 back in 2008. i own an overdrive and am certain that it will be the best wireless experience hands down. when lte comes out it should be better but sprint is the now network, sorry verizon, you lose this one and thx andy abramson for the heads up on the real dig regarding clowns that should be trained properly to represent their respective networks afterall they are the face of the companies in question.
I had a couple of issues with Verizon in the past. Namely blatant lying. But I had to take responsibility for half of it my self. I went into a Verizon Wireless store here in MA with a phone that I owned out rite. I asked the sales Rep to activate it without a yearly contract. And was told that I had to sign at least a one year contract. And that the phone was not eligible for pre pay. So I told him that I will do a one year. Well, come one year later and a bunch of troubles. I decided to canceled the contract. Well I was told by the woman on the phone that I had signed a two year contract. I argued it untilled I was blue in the face. Any way I eventually found my contract receipt. It said two years. I was blown away by how much of a douch bag that sales Rep was for sneaking that past me. But it was my fault for not acting like a responsible adult and reading the receipt before I signed it. I know better next time. And not just on a cell contract. That goes. For everything I put my name on. Any way, I have another account with Verizon Wireless. It is a family planning with my wife. I have the DROID. And I must say, other than this absolutely stupid expensive bill. I am pleased nine times out of ten with the service and especially the phone. And I am not lying when I say, all my friends that have the I phone. Would rather have this. And I made it so that it is as fast and in some cases
Faster than the Nexus one. I have this phone overclocked at 1.1Ghz. And it has a customer version of Android 2.1 on it. Yes, it is hacked so that it works the way I need and want it to. I pay the bill. I need something that it can do but doesn’t. You bet it will when I am done with it. Any way, Verizon should smarten up. Even though this phone kicks a$$. I will move to a different carrier. Verizon should drop all of there voice and data plans and stop charging some of those non tax charges. Then they will get more customers. This stuff is not cheap. Come on Verizon give a little back to the people. We pay your bills just like politicians. So technically you could be voted out. So to speek. And with the powerbof the Web. Don’t underestimate it. But this goes for everything and everyone. I want more minutes for less money same with data. And no political tricks in between the lines. And the new VAT tax that will be brought to us. The bills will just get bigger. Value added tax? The government can go fly a kite. That’s right people. No taxes will get raised on income for most. Just the taxes on all items will. Any way, I believehe I am done ranting. I hate every one and love them at the same time. What can I say? I’m funny like that.
“Verizon should drop all of there voice and data plans and stop charging some of those non tax charges. Then they will get more customers. This stuff is not cheap.”
SERIOUSLY?? You want a company to give you FREE service??? I want free car insurance and free gas and I would like my Chick-fil-a sandwiches to only be 5 cents because I could really take my business to McDonalds, so they should be grovelling for my business. It’s a business, not a charity. I hope folks that work at cell phone companies go to your place of business and demand something for free just because they are your customer.
….and Obama’s health care plan
“Wall of text critically hits you for 10,000 damage.”
To summarize the above post:
“… and I want a pony. A pink one. Yes, definitely a pink one.”
I live in one of the elite 11 cities that supposedly has Sprint’s 4G service. Unfortunately, the Overdrive Hotspot unit I tried out never left 3G. I also tried out a Sprint phone and could not get any reception in my house.
Verizon’s customer service is atrocious, but at least I can get a signal.
I do not work for any of the cellular companies, However I have in the past. To me, this story seems like a load of BS for one main reason. IF you were simply “switching service”, why did you not just port your number to Sprint? In doing so, the port would have canceled your Verizon account once it was completed. It sounds to me that you were using Sprint’s service as leverage to get a better deal at Verizon and did not get what you wanted. So, you decided to trash them in this post. AS I stated, I do not work for Verizon,nor any other cellular company at this time. But when I did, I saw this type of tactic by customers (especially long time customers) all the time. They feel that since they have been with the same company for a long time, that everything should be given to them. Where I live, Verizon Sprint, and ATT all have equal coverage. Not sure about your area, but i hope you are happy with Sprint.
I didn’t switch service. Read the post again. I canceled service as I also have Sprint voice and data. I no longer needed Verizon service of either kind. I wasn’t trying to get “something for nothing”. I just wanted to cancel my service, which I eventually did.
Your customer experience is only as good as the specific wireless employee you’re dealing with. Theres great reps and horrible reps in every company. If you want to go by the annual customer service satisfaction ratings though market by market you will see two consistencies. T-Mobile and Verizon at the top spot sometimes tied sometimes edging the other out but those two are consistently regarded as tops in regards to customer service.
sorry the company that provided you service for 10 years was sad to see you go and was trying to do what they could to keep you. misguided maybe, but do you want to have a company that just says…. “sure man, peace out”?
You think you had bad service at Verizon! Boy have you got a major suprise coming. Try cancelling your service with Sprint. They make Verizon look like puppy dogs (if you haven’t already figured that out alraedy). Sorry, but you would have been better off waiting for Verizon 4G than getting in bed with those guy’s for 2 years!
so tired of people basing a company on the people that work there. You know, the reps are just doing their job. If I walk into any business that is trying to avhieve the purpose of success, which is growth by the way, and I tell them I want tobcancel my exact service with them and go next door, of course they will try to stop me. If they don’t try to stop you, the first thing that would probably come to your mind is “wow after 10 years with them and they didn’t even care that I left.” Also, to let you know…if a rep lies you, misinforms you, ridicules you, etc…how in the world is that something the company can control 100% of the time? Dear, I’m sure you’re human and probably at times feel like you don’t give a shit about that job, if I’m mistaken, let me know where to apply for employment because I want to work somewhere, where I will be happy every single second I work there. You might have a point with the data speeds, price, or that the reps could of fulfilled your demands quicker but yet again, were human. You could of gone a different route with this article but you based it on the most insignificant piece of the puzzle. I’m sure when you decide you want to leave sprint, they won’t boggle you down with objections about leaving. But then again it’s sprint were talking about, and if we were basing this on what it should have been named, “consumer hates customer service,” then you just contradicted yourself by signing two years over to sprint, but I’m sure you’ll do fine.
The only time I went to the store to cancel was when I also was returning a product (the over-priced verizon hub) during the trial period. I always used the phone to cancel until I started getting my number ported which automatically cancels the service.
How dare they try to keep a customer. but they are right I have done side by side comparisons with verizon and sprint phones of the same make and the verizon phones are faster. Verizon has recently rolled out some of the fastest fiber in the world in europe and are laying plans in the US to have the fastest network. I have a feeling when they roll out the new network it will be impressive. instead of rushing out a low functioning version like sprint did.
!!!!!!! READ THE CONTRACT BEFORE YOU SIGN IT !!!!!!!
Right now we’re paying nearly 3 times what the Verizon salesman told us we’d be paying. Looking back, he was careful to only mention service charges and not other fees. We were foolish and excited and didn’t read the contract. How are a couple of hillbillies supposed to know the difference?
The way these salesmen lie, though, looks too consistent across the board. I’m guessing that a lot of them honestly believe what they are saying. Like, maybe it’s how they are trained. That doesn’t make it right or even okay. It just makes it difficult to lay blame in the right place.
My family is probably going to be eating hot dogs and Ramen noodles for the next 2 years. I hope the salesman got a decent commission.
!!!!!!! READ THE CONTRACT BEFORE YOU SIGN IT !!!!!!!
I really hopes the evo turn out to be like the crap palm pre. and sink sprint like the dirt they are.
I’ve had many horrible experiences with Verizon. My wife and I had them when “The V” was new (before the EnV and the EnV2 and Touch and all that crap). Our phones would bug out and freeze in the middle of a call or a text or just out of nowhere and when the phone came to, something wouldn’t be working anymore. One time and entire row of keys on the Qwerty were no longer working. Once the front screen failed. Another time the inside screen failed. Every time we had to have the device(s) replaced and the reps would act like it was our fault their crappy device keeps failing. We took very good care of our phones, they were just crap. And they would give us attitude every time (plus, every time we went to a different store because we didn’t want to deal with the same rude people again). The last time it happened they refused to do anything and manager himself said, “I don’t have to help you if I don’t want to. It’s obviously something you’re doing, not the phone.” A couple months later our contracts were up and we moved to Helio who was amazing. After two years of being with them they were bought by Virgin Mobile, bought by Sprint, so we went straight to Sprint.
Best decision ever.
“Every time we had to have the device(s) replaced and the reps would act like it was our fault their crappy device keeps failing…”
In fact, Verizon doesn’t manufacture phones. They do offer a warranty exchange program, in which they ship you a refurbished phone and you return the old broken one- which may be more convenient for the customer than shipping the phone to the manufacturer for a couple weeks while they repair it- which is, in fact, always an option for the customer if they don’t want the warranty exchange. The thing is, you may only send the original phone back to the manufacturer, not the refurb replacement.
I find it hilarious what everyone is saying about Sprint’s 4G network. In all actuality, no, Sprint does not have an actual 4G Network, they have a higher grade 3G network that still falls under the 3G category. Every phone carrier has to purchase a tower which are owned by the government. That’s why some places have more coverage than others, it depends on whether or not that phone company has the money to purchase towers in different areas of the U.S. Once they own the towers they then can work on them to create faster speeds. AT&T and Verizon are the largest wireless companies and could care less about what Sprint or T-Mobile are doing. Hence when Sprint and T-Mobile have such cheap bundles however Verizon and AT&T are still much more expensive. Just recently, Verizon dropped their unlimited calling plan from 99.99 to 69.99, one day after it was announced, AT&T dropped theirs. This happened months after Sprint and T-Mobile offered unlimited data, sms and voice calling plans for way smaller monthly mrc’s. Bottom line, even if Sprint did come out with 4G first, Verizon and AT&T will not even glance their direction as these Sprint and T-Mobile are not competition to these much larger companies.
When it comes to cancelling your service and there are no save attempts, it is due to your LTV. Sales reps in the store do what they can to anyone who comes in the store, it depends on what mood they’re in. Generally they’re more in the mood to get you of the way and get the new customer going in a contract. However calling in to CSE is a whole new story. The very first thing they see on their screen is your LTV, Life Time Value. It ranges from 0-5, 0 being the lowest, 5 being the highest. To be a 0, you’re generally a brand new customer and they will do what they can to take care of you. 2-5 ltv is based off how much you pay each month per line, how many credits you have received, when you last upgraded, your payment history and suspension history, and how many times you call in. The more you pay, the less you call in, and the less credits you receive the higher your lTV, therefore the more likely you are for the reps to fall all over themselves trying to help you stay with their company. However LTV1 customers is the all time worst you could be. They honestly could care less about you and have training classes on how to get rid of you. The company will indicate that an ltv1 customer actually costs the company more money than what they are worth. So much in fact that if you have 12 or less months left in your contract they will waive your ETF fee and cancel your service on the spot! This is clearly stated in company policy. If you call in simply requesting a credit early upgrade, etc, and you’re an ltv1 they will deny you at all costs hoping that you will say “cancel my service” so they can get rid of you. They are trained to do this guys!
This also goes hand in hand with upgrades, the higher your ltv rating is the quicker you will be eligible for an upgrade.
Bottom line, the less you call in to CSE complaining the more they’re going to be willing to help you. If you feel you are not receiving the best service, (this especially in the case of AT&T) ask for a manager. You will get what you want! The manager is willing to give you it all because they do have a chain of command that goes all the way up to the CEO. However if it goes past a manager, things can get bad for the employee and the manager. Therefore the manager you receive is going to do what they need to do to make you happy. If you ask to go above the manager (this would be an area manager) and they decline this, continue to ask for one. There is always at least 1 area manager on site until the call center closes for the day. Chain of command in company policy means if the customer asks to speak to someone higher, they get taken to someone higher. Managers are only worried about their own jobs. They know its their asses if a call escalates to an area manager, so do not let up. Tell them you want to speak to an area manager and will not disconnect the call until you get one, if they hang up on you call back with their name and speak to another manager about the situation. You will get what you want!! (…unless you’re an LTV1, no scenario will work for you)
Also, remember that employees are still people. They get up and go to work everyday just like you, they are controlled by another person behind a larger desk, just like you, they have policies they have to abide by whether or not they agree with them, just like you. The nicer you are the further along you are going to get.
Those leaving these larger companies for Sprint and T-Mobile, good luck. These companies will soon be as far off as Cricket. AT&T and Verizon are here to stay, and so are their high ass prices.
I’m a Verizon 3G user for the past 2+ yearss. Last week, I signed up with Sprint 4G, the download is much faster, I would say twice, but uploads are very bad, I’m getting .03 KBPS in 4G network vs VX easily gets me 30+KB.
Bottom line, Sprint is nice for movie watchers or song downloaders, for people who work on VPNs, VZ is still the way to go.
Sprints 4G is a crock of balonie! They are being sued internationally right now for falsely claiming their BS WIMAX network to be 4g when the LEGAL definition of 4G requires GSM technology which is why LTE is the closes thing to it and which is why Verizon is switching to GSM
I’m not sure about Sprint’s 4G, but your post is definitely a crock of baloney. Why would Sprint be sued internationally for service they brand as 4G in the US?
It’s really in every major carrier, i’m going the other way from sprint to verizon. My coverage went down and down till I had almost no signal at my apt, so I called Sprint and to my surpise they offered to send me a mini tower signal booster (airrave). After 3 weeks of not getting it I called them and was told I “slipped through the cracks), so one was then sent out in a few days, I tried getting it to work, but had lots of audio problems while using it so I called tech support and they did a few tests and told me their techs would look into the connection and call me in 72 hours. A week later I called them and surprise I had “fallen through the cracks” again. I unplugged the airrave and found a $36 charge on my bill for activation I wasn’t informed about so they said they would remove it and I asked to have the airrave cancelled but that dept was closed. When my payment was processed, it was processed with the fee, since I had planned on cancelling the supervisor decided that the fee would go away if I cancelled so he never bothered to refund the fee or tell me what he was planning, so I get charged for his laziness. I called and was transfered to account services where the person told me I couldn’t speak to a supervisor unless I told him why, this was my 3rd time discussing my airrave problem and I didn’t need my English translated to English, so I refused and he finally put me through.
This is only the latest example if why I’m leaving sprint (don’t get me started on the extra $10 fee for the EVO, 3 different answers why from 3 different sprint people), I have similar horror stories with AT&T’s uverse and phone/dsl people, there are no good companies left, I don’t ask for much, the service I’m paying for should work and if not fix it.
Hey JK, can you tell us where this store is?… would be interesting if they still say the same thing with the Evo out now…
um guys? my plan is being switched from verizon to sprint but i cant seem to part with my dare. anyone know if i can use it with sprint legally? thanks
If it says “Verizon” on it, you can activate it on Verizon’s network, if it says Sprint on it, it can be activated on Sprint’s network…otherwise, “No”, you can’t.
The Dare is nothing more than a mediocre phone. Sprint has many phones in that category….why not get an Android or webOS device….that’s a significant set-up in all categories there.
Um… What the hell did you expect? I’m a network engineer and every time I see false claims in an ad I chuckle. The simple fact is that the people in the stores are fed lines to regurgitate and that goes for ALL wireless companies out there. Welcome to America.
I see your frustration but verizon’s lte will be faster than the 6mb wimax 4g while lte is around 12mb. Though not out yet this type of stuff may push them to release faster. as for the sales representatives they are just that trying to make a sale just as any car dealer would haha! I don’t think your palm pre is capable of 4g seeing how the evo 4g is the first 4g phone for sprint and we have yet to see more. though some city’s have 4g many don’t to include phoenix Arizona. The big differences in my opinion is the cost sprint has version spanked in all means of cost.
With all due respect Sir…
Ignorance can be found in abundance anywhere you look,
namely at Cell Phone kiosks, Franchisee and Corporate Verizon
stores because they want the business. Verizon as a company
is very good and they don’t need to LIE to sell their services
to the public.
I don’t care what service provider you end up with but I can tell you that your experience sounds over the top and overly angry considering a man of your age and purported experience.
Get used to having under privileged workers who are uneducated
and do NOT do their due diligence, this economy breeds mediocrity and suffice to say isn’t getting any better.
For what it’s worth Sprint uses deceptive marketing, double speak and (blatantly) overcharges their customers.
Show some tact, humility and compassion for those around you.
The world cannot be what you wish it to be, ever.
Remember that.
Stop having expectations.
I can’t tell you how happy I am to have recently changed from Verizon to Sprint. Verizon’s pricing approach by forcing expensive data plans based on phone choice made it easy. I’m east of Cleveland and yes there is a difference in coverage area, Verizon’s seems to be more expansive than Sprint’s. Although there is no comparison in terms of features provided for the price. A comparable level of features on our 5 line family plan would have been $60 more per month with Verizon. What made it easier was Verizon playing games with the contract date associated with each phone rather than the main line and not prorating my final bill, even though I only used 20 days out of 31. My recommendation is move from Verizon ASAP.
I’m with Sprint, and I think I’ll be with them forever because their data plans. I’m in Las Vegas which is a small city area wise and I get full strength signals everywhere. The only knock on Sprint was they’ve always had crappy phones, but that’s changed with the EVO. The other day my phone dropped a call, my first dropped call in years. It was disturbing, I felt confused and disoriented for a second. Then I thought “iPhone 4 users don’t think this is a big deal? Wow!”.
I’ve come close to getting a phone on Verizon before, but I just couldn’t justify spending an extra $500-$1000 over the life of the contract just to use a better phone, especially considering the service couldn’t possibly be better (since Sprint has been really close to perfect since I’ve had them). What really gets me is the $20/month for unlimited text. I mean a text is like a kilobyte of data, and you could send 20,000 texts and not add any strain to the network. Just a total rip off.
I have a 5-phone smartphone Family plan on Sprint. The same plan with the same options would run me $3200 MORE over a 24month contract on Verizon….$2700 on AT&T. The Droids and the iPhone can kiss-my-azz. I’m taking my family to Disneyland instead.
I work at a verizon location in AZ Mills and I have been told by my customers that Corporate stores, Not just verizon but any corporate store has poor customer service, I would really recommend people to go to the small kiosks in the malls and have them take care of you. these guys get pay commission and are willing to do anything for your business. As well as better customer service and discount phones!
Obama phones are the way to go. I work at a civic center and overheard a conversation one day between some known low level drug dealers. They were talking about how some of their family members or someone they knew were low income or on disability. Somehow these people qualify for what they were calling Obama phones. The phones and plans are completely free. According to these guys anyway. These young drug dealers end up with these phones and use them in their drug trade. I don’t know what carrier they are on or what type of plan they have, but it must be pretty good because they are constantley burning these phones up all day long everyday.
Sign me up dammit!!!
Once your in you don’t come out alive …
dang when i went in to my verizon store they offered to give me a moth of free service and free phone upgrade when a 4G device was available. Maybe it was just your store.
I think people forget the spirit of America and the ability to actually converse with others in public- Rumors and pride a side, when Verizon Wireless completes its 4-g network, their again will be little competition for the reliability of the Verizon Network..See there are just some things in life I accept.
All these talking heads and not one right. All people exaggerate their experiences. You just want to be heard and seen. Get your facts straight otherwise you look ignorant.
you know it’s funny, I’ve stood around cellphone stores for service related things and listened to the reps spouting off numbers and creative hogwash. Probably the funniest time I’ve had was when I walked into a verizon center, and got to overhear a customer ask the difference between the HTC Incredible and the MOTO DX. What was funny was the rep obviously had no idea and simply read off the two cards that showed just the initial primary specs, (i.e. camera, storage, things like that) I’ve heard sprint and t-mobile reps do exactly the same thing, and all in all it’s a great laugh at the end of the day.
My Primary reason for responding to this post is actually something I’ve noticed in the stores and has helped me out immensly in getting the service that I need exactly, be it updates, additions and things of that nature. Find a rep that has YOUR model of phone, or the phone you want. It’s truly amazing how many employees of the carriers have their phones modded, rooted, customized right down to the kernels and firmwares. When Big Red rolled out the 2.3.15 update for the Moto DX my initial model refused to update, (whether this was due to my uninstallation of the bloatware previously I still have no idea) but my rep had the Moto dx running cyanogen 5. He told me directly under his breath that the warranty voiding was easy to get around as long as you unroot before you bring it in, and basically told me every backdoor and thing to get for truly making the machine my own custom device. Funny thing is anytime I have to go in, I always ask for him now becuase not only does he know his stuff, but a modder for cellphones is your best friend when you need phone help.
I don’t have a dog in this race, not with either carrier, but you’re kind of saying, I don’t mind if Sprint lies to me about their service, WiMax being 4G, but it bugs me when Verizon lies to me about their service.
Interesting contrast. I just left AT&T to switch to Sprint. I had the exact opposite experience. AT&T was extremely gracious to me, and even apologized that I had to call them to transfer my three numbers to Sprint. I was fully expecting them to argue with me or be snide, but AT&T made my transition to Sprint a very pleasant experience.
Ron
Thanks for a great explanation. I am now becoming aware that Verizon reps lie when there mouths are moving.
I have a blacberry bold with verizon, and I signed up for the wifi and the email efficiency of the phone. I noticed that my wifi light never came on, like when I had t mobile. I went into a verizon store, and after a sales rep failed in trying to get the wifi light come on, he took it back to a phone tech onsite at the store. 15 minutes he came out and told me the light does not come on ever. I told him it comes on when you disconnect phone service from the Verizon network.
They insisted the wifi was working even though the light did not come on. Not satisfied with this answer, I contacted Blackberry themselves. The rep told me that it is a software issue with Verizon. You can only connect with wifi when you disconnect your Verizon network service! I contacted Verizon, and after quoting the blackberry reps answer, they confessed, yes that is true, wifi only works when you disconnect your verizon network service. I am pretty upset about all of this and yes, am thinking of going to Sprint as well. Verizon’s mentality seems to have taken on the air of a car sales person. I have little respect for verizon now and after reading your story, it just confirms my experience as well.
Or, you could have simply called customer service (800) 922-0204 and asked to be disconnected “because the service was too expensive” or “because (other carrier) offered me a better deal.”
Of course, disconnected numbers can’t be ported, so (other carrier) will have to give you a new number.
Sure, they’ll give some “save” offers, like changing plans, discounts on equipment, converting to a mobile broadband plan, but those are part of the metrics that determine how much they paid- as are percentage of disconnects.
Or, as mentioned previously, just set up service with (other carrier) and port the VZW number- and follow up to make sure your VZW line is actually disconnected- and don’t wait weeks or months to follow through (that’s called “C your own A”).
Picking a fight with a sales person is always a pointless exercise, be it cell phones or used cars or microwave ovens.
Hi Everyone, Interesting post, i work for sprint right now for business customer serivce, i spend my days trying to provide the best service possible for customers although i mostly speak to account managers and such. would just like to let you know that the epic and evo are some of the best phones out there! on top of that, you can get unlimited texting . data access and a minimum of 450 minutes for 69.99/month this is our everything data 450 plan. now if you want to talk unlimited it would be $99.99 a month, any other types of discounts or anything would have to be issued through from your sales representative. but simply everything cannot have discounts applied to it. for family share plans we offer everything datashare 1500 for 129.99 for the first line and 19.99 for the second line and $0.00 for the third line for the 4th and 5th line it is $19.99 extra each a discount can be applied to the master / primary plan as it is over the price of 29.99 and the 1500 minutes pool in together , so a total of 5 lines at 1500 minutes gives you a total of 7500 minutes. These plans include unlimited texting and messaging . although For premium 4g data services will cost an extra $10.00 for each line that that has an evo or epic. these are great prices considering that most other carriers already charge that price in their family plans, and the best thing is you can call any carrier at anytime without being charge m ore minutes. plans also include mobile to mobile, telenav services ( gps ) and much more. go ahead and switch to sprint, we are much more friendlier and have phones! on top of that, if you aren’t happy with your sprint services within the first 30 days of activating your phone you can simply press *2 on your phone and let us know we’ll gladly send you an return kit and you will only be charged whatever services you used and the equipment and contracts will be credited back . thats right ! 30 days to experience the sprint network and if you are happy with it you can just stay on with us and enjoy 4g networks in 68 markets email me if you would like a referall
Very Happy with Sprint service,switched from T mobile after 6 years….
I work for Verizon Wireless customer service, in a call center. I used to have T-Mobile as a wireless carrier ~05-07, and my family had Verizon back in ~2002-04. I’ll be honest with you guys. You can have good experiences, and you can have bad experiences. As one person on this forum said, it does come down to the representative that you get.
That being said;
Any issue can be fixed, but it will require some degree of three things: time, patience, and the willingness to compromise should the need arise. These are three things the American public sorely lacks.
I understand the need to get issues resolved, and I realize that taking time on the phone to fix issues is frustrating. The bottom line, however, is that if the reps you are speaking to are going to have any chance of fixing your issue, it is going to take some time (assuming the issue is something complicated, such as a service that was never cancelled, ports gone wrong, extended technical difficulties, etc), and we need to do our research to make sure what we offer you and recommend is correct so that it won’t backfire. While if 1 rep tells you in error you have no ETF, if you still have an ETF, then you have an ETF. When multiple reps tell you you don’t have an ETF and you really do, then at that point it’s representative error and we’ll usually eat the cost. Situations like this take extensive amounts of time to research and fix, however, and you screaming at us and demanding credits, free phones, free minutes, and other ludicrous expectations etc doesn’t really help. If you call in knowing what you want to have done and work with the representatives until you get it fixed, then you will end up on the phone for a long amount of time, but it will more than likely be the only call you have to make and it will hopefully be much better for both of our blood pressures.
This is the case with ANY wireless provider. My sister has sprint, and she’s had issues with them. A friend of mine just ported from VZW to Sprint for a free Evo, and she’s had issues with both carriers. My dad’s having a lot of issues as a customer with his VZW phone, and it is taking some time to get it fixed.
Just calm down though. More than likely, we want to work with you, but if you come in screaming, then we really can’t work with you because we can’t get the information we need to make an informed decision.
In regards to all of the lying, cheating, etc that is being reported on this forum in terms of claims from store reps, it always saddens me to hear it. I have integrity, and VZW as a company stresses integrity. I had a great chat with an AT&T wireless rep tonight. All of my past dealings with T-Mobile were great (short of dealing with their financial services, but that’s because my friend ran up my phone bill and I got disconnected due to non-payment D:). I’m sure if I ever have to call Sprint, they’ll be fine as well. Every cell carrier is a good company with good services and good devices, but we are all limited by the constraints of our company policies and the wireless technologies we are using. Will retail reps cross-talk and distort the truth? Probably, much like a car salesman would. Get someone who’s paid hourly and you’ll probably have a better experience.
I know this has been a long and rambling post, so I’ll just close with one last point. When you try to disconnect, it hurts the company (obviously); we, as reps, are usually marked down to some extent for having you disconnect. The bad reps of any company will simply try to stall it long enough for someone else to take the hit. The good reps will try to fix the issue to genuinely save your business. Know your reason for disconnecting, know if it’s something we can fix, and if so, give us a call and give us a chance.
I wonder if they use that excuse here in houston….
Actually, WiMAX is not the worldwide standard as CDMA technology is not readily available in most countries outside of North America. GSM is the Global Standard for Mobile Technology and is the worldwide standard. LTE is the Long Term Evolution 4G technology being deployed worldwide. 4G does represent 4th Generation data network. T-Mobile is calling HSPA+ their 4G, Sprint is using WiMAX, Verizon is upgrading their network to LTE and AT&T is deploying HSPA+ (enhanced 3G)with up to 7.2 Megabit speeds then upgrading to the LTE which should double or triple that. AT&T is also upgrading the fiberoptic backbone to allow remarkable speeds to be completed by 2013. Download speeds are dependent on the cabling technology, distance from the cell site and congestion on the cell site. All terms are relative to each specific carrier. In the long term, those carriers implementing LTE will be able to deliver better data speeds. Currently, AT&T has the fastest 3G network which rivals T-Mobile’s 4G speeds. Look for speeds to increase mightily in the years to come.
Well I agree and disagree. Since I personally have worked on the 4g system. Which if you do some research. Its almost like the AT&T version. Sprint has a tool that they can see where the 4G antenna is. But if there is a tree or if the antenna is in a valley. Forget about it.They have 2-4 cell phones w/4G. No really push.
Sprint has dropped the ball allot. The blackberry torch, and the Google phone itself. Once Sprint 4g is truly out. The 3G is the best. Or the Evdo version for the blackberries….
How Sprint makes their major money. Ask any Sprint customer. Then go hmmmm…
With in the last 2-3 years. Sprint came up w/ and idea. They tack on a 4.99 charge for account manager..So if your credit s bad. Then they place this on your bill. Simple way around it. Give them your credit card info, or banking info.. Hmmm?
So if Sprint has 20 million customers. Lets just say 1 million customers have the 4.99 per charge. Per month, that is 5 million dollars. Now multiple that by 12 months. That is a big chunk of change. Then they charge you android cell users an extra 10 for data usage. Umm hmmmmm..?? Then why did they ask for help from the united states government for financial help in 2009/2010.?