Why is Verizon still in business ?

[Fardringle]

VZW is still in business because, like GM, Toyota, and Apple, they have most of their customers trained to never ever contemplate the competition.

For some people, particularly those that never leave a large metropolitan area, "the competition" can in fact be a good choice. For anyone that wants better coverage (or any coverage at all) anywhere else, there simply isn't any possible choice other than Verizon. There is a very large portion of the country (geographically) that is only covered by the Verizon network.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Verizon has the best coverage in my area. Also we get a discount (dad works at IBM).

 

[darkewaffle]

The verizon rep I talked to when I got my Win phone was great. Well, he was friendly and moderately knowledgeable at least, can't ask much more from a frontliner.

If you know enough to know what stock Android is vs OEM customized, why not just ask to see the phones you want rather than "show me all your red cars". Help them to help you.

 

[cheezy321]

VZW is still in business because, like GM, Toyota, and Apple, they have most of their customers trained to never ever contemplate the competition.

I love responses like this. As if everyone who is a customer of VZW GM Toyota or apple is some zombie that can't think for themselves. Maybe it's because they found a product that does everything they need, is reliable and they find the value justifies the price.

Nah that can't be true. They gotta be mindless zombies.

 

[vi edit]

For some people, particularly those that never leave a large metropolitan area, "the competition" can in fact be a good choice. For anyone that wants better coverage (or any coverage at all) anywhere else, there simply isn't any possible choice other than Verizon. There is a very large portion of the country (geographically) that is only covered by the Verizon network.

Amen to that. In rural areas GSM is crap. The only carriers that provide decent coverage are CDMA - Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular. And of those only Verizon offers decent nationwide coverage and LTE access. It has nothing to do with being mindless consumers. THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE.

You could go page plus prepaid but then you are on the crappy Verizon 3G data speeds and nearly 3 year old phone tech without doing complicated flashing bypasses.

 

[Anubis]

VZW is still in business because, like GM, Toyota, and Apple, they have most of their customers trained to never ever contemplate the competition.

what competition

where i live its VZW or a fing land line
ATT has spotty at best coverage, there is no coverage from TMo or Sprint. its VZW or nothing

just like home internet. its Time Warner or dial up

there is no competition in a large portion of the US

and even if i could get ATT its not like i would save money. everything pretty much costs the same amount.

 

[billbobaggins87]

People still buy from those stores? Holy shit with the customer service/ return options im amazed or even consider them unless disputing a problem with service but thats better handled over the phone

 

[AstroManLuca]

People still buy from those stores? Holy shit with the customer service/ return options im amazed or even consider them unless disputing a problem with service but thats better handled over the phone

Many people are afraid of online ordering. Or they're not even aware of it. Continuing to buy phones from Verizon directly is sort of like those old people who still have AOL for internet because they're afraid of change.

Though you're actually better off buying from a Verizon store than from Verizon's website. My parents made that mistake a couple years ago - they went to upgrade their phones and ordered online. The phones were pretty bad, not broken just badly made (they were Kins). When they wanted to return them, Verizon told them they would have to cover the return shipping cost AND pay a $35 restocking fee each. Had they bought them from a store, they could have just dropped them off at the store and not paid any restocking fee either.

Much as people hate Best Buy, they are actually a good option for buying phones. They have all the major carriers, they are usually cheaper than the company stores and don't require a mail-in rebate to get the best deal, and there's no restocking fee. If you go through a third-party website like Wirefly or Amazon it works well too, great selection, much lower prices than carrier stores, free returns with free shipping. I've always had good luck with those places.

 

[cheezy321]

Many people are afraid of online ordering. Or they're not even aware of it. Continuing to buy phones from Verizon directly is sort of like those old people who still have AOL for internet because they're afraid of change.

Though you're actually better off buying from a Verizon store than from Verizon's website. My parents made that mistake a couple years ago - they went to upgrade their phones and ordered online. The phones were pretty bad, not broken just badly made (they were Kins). When they wanted to return them, Verizon told them they would have to cover the return shipping cost AND pay a $35 restocking fee each. Had they bought them from a store, they could have just dropped them off at the store and not paid any restocking fee either.

Much as people hate Best Buy, they are actually a good option for buying phones. They have all the major carriers, they are usually cheaper than the company stores and don't require a mail-in rebate to get the best deal, and there's no restocking fee. If you go through a third-party website like Wirefly or Amazon it works well too, great selection, much lower prices than carrier stores, free returns with free shipping. I've always had good luck with those places.

Your parents should do an AMA on reddit:

'I bought a microsoft kin and I paid full price. Ask me anything!'

 

[AstroManLuca]

Your parents should do an AMA on reddit:

'I bought a microsoft kin and I paid full price. Ask me anything!'

Well, this was after they dropped the price and removed the data plan requirement, so they thought they would be getting a decent WiFi-capable phone without having to increase their monthly cost. The Kin One was free at that point, I think.

I don't think anyone was prepared for just how awful the Kin was, even just as a regular phone. Not even me.

 

[lothar]

I love Verizon and we have a family plan that has 4 unlimited smart phones and a reg phone and pay 231 plus tax and fees that brings it to 251 a month.

4g everywhere we go and I just looked at 3 of the phones and all were well over 6 gb so far this month.

also get a 20% discount for working at Raytheon

comes out to 62 bucks a line after all fees and taxes with unlimted data and texts and 700 min talk time with free nights and weekends and Verizon to Verizon does not take up min.

ya Verizon sucks lol I challenge the op to try and get a better deal somewhere else

T-Mobile is a better deal in my area, and you can get 15% off your by joining a local PTA or National PTA.
With Verizon, employee discount only applies to the primary line.
With T-Mobile, it applies to your entire bill.

All said, your $231 bill for 4 unlimited plan phones and 1 feature phone is nothing to brag home about.

 

[lothar]

They are still in business because they have the best coverage. I never have to worry about it, it seems like I pretty much have 4G everywhere too. GL on other carriers. FIOS rocks cable as well.
Sales reps are retarded, but they are for every company, not just VZW.

This.

And until Google Fiber comes here(if it ever does...), Verizon FiOS beats the crap out of companies like Comcast, TimeWarner, Cox, AT&T U-Verse, and others for internet.
There is no alternative. I will never move into a house that doesn't have a FiOS connection, Google Fiber, or some other high bandwith with sustained rates to prove it(not the "burst" mode speed booster that Comcast does) of some sorts.

 

[AstroManLuca]

T-Mobile is a better deal in my area, and you can get 15% off your by joining a local PTA or National PTA.
With Verizon, employee discount only applies to the primary line.
With T-Mobile, it applies to your entire bill.

All said, your $231 bill for 4 unlimited plan phones and 1 feature phone is nothing to brag home about.

Yeah, T-Mobile is by far the cheapest, and it's even cheaper if you bring your own devices and go with a no contract prepaid plan that fits your use. The issue is rural coverage. They basically have none. If you live in a city, like me, it's great.

 

[lothar]

Yeah, T-Mobile is by far the cheapest, and it's even cheaper if you bring your own devices and go with a no contract prepaid plan that fits your use. The issue is rural coverage. They basically have none. If you live in a city, like me, it's great.

As long as you're traveling through the rural area or only staying there for a short visit and not living there on a permanent basis, a Verizon MiFi + T-Mobile(if they have excellent coverage like is still a better deal than Verizon alone.

Add to the fact that most people in this thread are comparing their old Verizon grandfathered plans that has no longer been offered for over 2 years vs. the ones that Verizon offers now.

But yes...The simple answer to this thread is "coverage" for the majority of people that I personally know, along with anything from the lack of research to just simply laziness for some other people that I know.
Whatever the case, money clearly and certainly isn't the issue.

 

[grkM3]

T-Mobile is a better deal in my area, and you can get 15% off your by joining a local PTA or National PTA.
With Verizon, employee discount only applies to the primary line.
With T-Mobile, it applies to your entire bill.

All said, your $231 bill for 4 unlimited plan phones and 1 feature phone is nothing to brag home about.

231 for free nights and weekends to any number and Verizon to Verizon not taking up any minutes is nothing to brag about along with unlimited texts and one line having insurance? T mobile sucks balls in my area and we all hit well over 10gb a month in data and we get 4g everywhere.

Let's not forget we get zero throttling also

Single unlimited data plans are selling for 400 on eBay so I wonder what our family plan that was signed a week after 3g went live on Verizon is worth.

They don't offer free nights and weekends anymore either.

What will it cost for t mobile to get 5 phones with unlimited data and text?

How's this for speed also?

I just checked out T-Mobile and there plan is 70 per line plus fees and taxes and its 50 for the reg feature phone so how exactly is paying 340-350 better then my grandfathered plan?

 

[lothar]

231 for free nights and weekends to any number and Verizon to Verizon not taking up any minutes is nothing to brag about along with unlimited texts and one line having insurance? T mobile sucks balls in my area and we all hit well over 10gb a month in data and we get 4g everywhere.

Let's not forget we get zero throttling also

Single unlimited data plans are selling for 400 on eBay so I wonder what our family plan that was signed a week after 3g went live on Verizon is worth.

They don't offer free nights and weekends anymore either.

What will it cost for t mobile to get 5 phones with unlimited data and text?

That's right.

And there is no throttling with T-Mobile as well.

Based on their website, $210.
Add in 15% National PTA discount that anyone can sign up for and it's essentially $178+tax.

 

[lothar]

I just checked out T-Mobile and there plan is 70 per line plus fees and taxes and its 50 for the reg feature phone so how exactly is paying 340-350 better then my grandfathered plan?

I don't think you're looking in the right place.
http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/family-plans.aspx

You're automatically assuming that because 1 line costs $70 unlimited so 5 lines is $70x5 which is incorrect.

 

[grkM3]

That's right.

And there is no throttling with T-Mobile as well.

Based on their website, $210.
Add in 15% National PTA discount that anyone can sign up for and it's essentially $178+tax.

Your not doing it right.when you do the family plan like you did for the 210 price it resets the data to 500mb and you have to manually change it for each phone and it adds 20 bucks per line.

Go ahead and look for yourself

 

[lothar]

Your not doing it right.when you do the family plan like you did for the 210 price it resets the data to 500mb and you have to manually change it for each phone and it adds 20 bucks per line.

Go ahead and look for yourself

What?

 

[grkM3]

What?

Add to cart and go to check out.only one line is unlimited and the others are 500mb you need to manually pick the service plan on each and it adds 20 per line to get them all unlimted

You see in your picture on the right where it says the plan and under it add services? Well you need to add unlimited service on each line as the 210 deal is for one line unlimited and all the others at 500 mb

You didn't complete the plan and only selected the 5 line family plan and did not add the services.

All you have to do is click view plan details and you will see the other lines are not unlimited plans for the 210/month deal

 

[techie81]

Sorry I didn't read the whole thread but I have had similar experiences with Verizon. I had an account with them for about 10 years. The manager at a local store would not give me any discount whatsoever on a new phone. He was pretty much like I don't give a f about you since we have so many other people willing to thrown money at us attitude, which was ok, and I took my business elsewhere.

I may not have the best network anymore but I will be saving a lot of money a month.

 

[lothar]

Add to cart and go to check out.only one line is unlimited and the others are 500mb you need to manually pick the service plan on each and it adds 20 per line to get them all unlimted

You see in your picture on the right where it says the plan and under it add services? Well you need to add unlimited service on each line as the 210 deal is for one line unlimited and all the others at 500 mb

You didn't complete the plan and only selected the 5 line family plan and did not add the services.

All you have to do is click view plan details and you will see the other lines are not unlimited plans for the 210/month deal

I'm not getting the problem that you're having.

 

[grkM3]

you are not completing the plan,now pick 5 galaxy s4 phones and see what happens when you go to cart,they add another 100 bucks to make it 310 a month

 

[lothar]

you are not completing the plan,now pick 5 galaxy s4 phones and see what happens when you go to cart,they add another 100 bucks to make it 310 a month

That's only if you decide to buy the phone from them and finance it instead of paying out of pocket.

You have to pay for your own phone out of pocket to keep your Verizon unlimited grandfathered plan anyhow, so paying out of pocket for a T-Mobile capable phone shouldn't be any different.

 

[grkM3]

That's only if you decide to buy the phone from them and finance it instead of paying out of pocket.

You have to pay for your own phone out of pocket to keep your Verizon unlimited grandfathered plan anyhow, so paying out of pocket for a T-Mobile capable phone shouldn't be any different.

Huh we transferred our upgrades to the feature phone and then swapped the phones to our lnes

Got a gs3,nexus,iPhone 5 and gs4 this way and all at subsidized pricing

I think I'll keep my Verizon plan Lol