Complaint Review: Verizon Cellular - Chicago Illinois division IL, Nationwide

with AT&T in all the years since this orignal post I have not had as many droped calls (no cell antenna avalable in chicago or broken) as when I was a customer of Verison. I have read through the "reports" and conectivity seems to be still a problem that customer service is still sayiing stuff like we are working on beter service. Can you hear me now LOL

I know it's been a while since that reply from an employee of Verizon Communications. But shame on you! If you knew anything you'd know that no thier not the same company, but Verizon Communications does own 52% of Verizon Wireless and Verizon Wireless is the Bread and Butter of Verizon Communications ... thanks to us you have a stable job! Verizon Wireless is a great company and I know your opinion of Verizon Wireless is unclear due to these reports, but honestly, Verizon Wireless is a great customer who cares about their customers. You're our bread and butter and we don't forget that. Have a good day:)

Take responsibility for your actions! I have been a Verizon Wireless customer for over 4 years now. Never once have I had a billing issue. Let me tell you why, I stay on top of my calling plan I know what I have, what I dont have and I keep an eye on my roaming indicator. Its pretty darn simple, hey I live in Seattle, Im taking a trip to Florida I want to use my cell phone what is the 1st thing most people do. Call up and ask will my service work in Florida of course it will, people tend to forget to ask if theyll be charged to roam wherever their destination may be. Thats beside the point. YOU should know where youre covered and where youre not covered. When you sign up for service, change your price plan etc. youre sent literature and a map of where you are covered. Take it upon yourself to know what your price plan offers. KNOW what you have, its not up to Verizon Wireless to remind you all the time what your calling plan is its up to YOU!!!!! If your bill is high because you live in Montana on a local calling plan and you went to Vegas for the weekend called all your friends to let them know you struck it big. Oh and all that time your roaming indicator was on, thats your own d**n fault. You know how much gas you have in your car, If your fuel gage is on empty and you run out of gas on the freeway do you march into the closest gas station yell at the clerk for not reminding you to fill your tank and demand them to credit you back for lost time/ towing fees etc. No I think not!!! Im not sure if that helps, but just want you all to just take responsibility for your actions, know your calling plan!! btw thier service is the BEST

Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience with Verizon. I have had service for about 3 mths now with them and in comparison to all the rest as people with other services i talked one on one with, Verizon now seems to be at the top for quality. I lose a call every now and then but its usually when mobile and between towers where it is changing systems. But your gonna have that on all of them. Even on strictly analog, you could lose a call between systems. Im just wondering if that was the problem you were haveing where you were at. When you refered to the can you hear me now slogan, i might add that a service rep told me that they are still continuously adding more towers and gaining more service area as they aquire it and the call quality has increased greatly to the point of ,As you say, night and day over the competition. I use a pretty decent quality phone myself. It it the Audiovox CDM-9500 and must say that as far as sound quality goes, if you can hear me, you can understand me. It dont garble, it dont cut out. I may lose a call now and then, but even that is rare around most of Indiana. Not taking sides here, but giving credit where its due, Ive heard the rest and used the different services on buddies phones and found that they just dont compare and they would tell you the same after useing mine. Im on the Americas choice plan too by the way. I really hate to hear that customer service is letting so many people down. If they ever get that corected, I think that will be a company thats got it all. Im sure there areas in the US that verizon is falling short on. Too many complaints on here not to detest to that but from my experience so far, i realy think its improveing. Hope all their customer service practices follow suit.

I have been a Verizon cellular customer for almost 4 years. Most of the first year was irritating. We had been assured of services provided by our contract per the salesman that were not available for our plan. We were charged long distance charges even though we had long distance included in our calling plan. There were numerous dropped calls. They changed their billing procedure to produce a most complicated unintelligible 20-page document instead of the 6- or 7-page bill we had been receiving. My battery wouldn't keep a charge. I called them frequently. I complained. I suggested. I don't know whether they listened to ME or not, but things have definitely changed with their company. They worked out a solution to my satisfaction for the erroneous information provided by the salesman. They reversed all of the charges I contested. They gave me credits to compensate my pain and suffering. They changed the billing format so that the bill is readable and understandable. They gave me a new battery. They have adopted a policy of automatically crediting the customer 1 minute for each call that was 'dropped' as opposed to 'ended.' I read the rules for refunds, and got every refund that I was due. I occasionally get a service agent that is less helpful or less bright than what I expect, but I have not spoken to a rude or 'difficult' service agent for some time. When I get an especially helpful agent, I ask to speak with the supervisor and file a commendation for that employee. I hope this has a positive effect equal or better than complaining about rip-offs. Unfortunately, many people and many companies only respond to loud complaints. BTW, I am not associated with the company in any way besides being a cellular customer.

My story about Verizon is almost identical as the person above. I switched from Sprint PCS to Verizon for many of the same reasons. I have taken my Verizon phone all across Califoria, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, Illinios, Wisconsin, Lousianna and Texas. I have never been disappointed in coverage or customer service. My trip to Texas took me into the middle of no where down many unnamed dirt roads to my Aunt's Ranch. I was able to send and receive calls just like being in the middle of a major city. A couple issues regarding billing have come up, but the Verizon agents were very friendly and took care of it immediately.

My story about Verizon is almost identical as the person above. I switched from Sprint PCS to Verizon for many of the same reasons. I have taken my Verizon phone all across Califoria, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii, Illinios, Wisconsin, Lousianna and Texas. I have never been disappointed in coverage or customer service. My trip to Texas took me into the middle of no where down many unnamed dirt roads to my Aunt's Ranch. I was able to send and receive calls just like being in the middle of a major city. A couple issues regarding billing have come up, but the Verizon agents were very friendly and took care of it immediately.

Everyone, Recently, my wife and I switched from AT&T to Verizon wireless service, and I must tell you the difference now is Night and Day. We have always purchased Medium to Higher quality phones, and have also had fairly good luck with them. As far as cellular quality, AT&T cannot hold a candle to Verizon wireless. I always dropped calls with AT&T (especially in certain areas). I'm sure all you AT&T customers can relate to what I am talking about!! I have yet to drop one call since switching to Verizon Wireless in April of 2003. I did have a problem with an employee at the store level, but the customer service reps at the *611 line and the 1-800 number are definitely much better than ANY representative of AT&T. The reason for the switch was twofold. AT&T decided that they were dropping the plan we were on and we had to choose another plan. No if, ands or buts about it. None of their plans fit us. Verizon Wireless offered the best plan, the best quality and the best price for our needs. We have the America's Choice plan. We also travel quite a bit and need something to cover a 4-5 state area around Illinois. One of our destinations is quite remote, and cell service is very scarce to say the least. (I'm talking back woods, gravel roads!!) Out of all the services out there, ours is the only one that can both make and receive calls. My parents have US Cellular, my sister has T-Mobile, and all of our friends either have Cingular, Nextel or AT&T. Everyone else has to wait until they reach town to make or take a call. I just wanted to share my complete satisfaction with Verizon Wireless. I am just a customer who got fed up with the mistreatment of other cellular companies politics and poor service.

Ameritech Isn't Verizon it is an SBC Company which is Cingular Wireless now. Get It Right. Verizon was GTE To the Person who Went through 3 FREE Phones Did you ever think that maybe it was the phones. Maybe if you spent a little money on a good phone you may notice a difference.

Ameritech Isn't Verizon it is an SBC Company which is Cingular Wireless now. Get It Right. Verizon was GTE To the Person who Went through 3 FREE Phones Did you ever think that maybe it was the phones. Maybe if you spent a little money on a good phone you may notice a difference.

Ameritech Isn't Verizon it is an SBC Company which is Cingular Wireless now. Get It Right. Verizon was GTE To the Person who Went through 3 FREE Phones Did you ever think that maybe it was the phones. Maybe if you spent a little money on a good phone you may notice a difference.

I am not saying this is true in this situation but people need to think before they act. ON BOTH SIDES of the fence. Every service has flaws. I know it is frustrating in dealing with problems but what I would like to stress here is you represent yourself when you call or write a note. If you are heated in your letters here about a company when you write it chances are you were just as heated on the phone when trying to get your problem resolved. If you are replying as an employee and use terms like "DUH" you are probably as ignorant on the phone to the customer who has a legit problem. All of which add up to on wasted phone call with nobody gettting the problem resolved. I am going to give you my opinion and let you know what it feels like to be in customer service. I am employeed with another communications company. We take tons of calls a day and I can happily say I love my job. I do have those days.. we are all human. Ihave had a person call me names on the phone that if he did it in public I would and could of had him arrested because of how foul it was. If I did not think I would lose my job I would post his name on here!!!! I think people need to realize you represent yourself when you call in for problems just as I represent the company I work for. WE ARE HUMAN JUST LIKE YOU. If you call in yelling or cursing then you are more then likely (by human nature) to get company policy rhetoric thrown at you and off the phone as soon as possible with notes put on your account stating you were "verbally aggressive" etc.. The next time you call it is a big flashing red light on the account. I know this because I am also a consumer and have learned that since I started doing this job. I use to get heated on the phone, and of course was still upset. You get more flys with honey then .. whatever that oldsaying my grandma use to say! One other thing is if you are a person who owns a business or on your account your employer name is listed, think about WHO the customer service rep is and how they are going to formulate an opinion about your company or your businees based on your behavior on the phone. You may be yelling at the wife or husband of the descison maker on that new account you were trying to land as a insurance rep or as a car salesman etc.. You represent yourself constantly and your employer. Think before you speak. If i feel myself getting heated or upset that the customer just complained that they have been on the phone for 15 min but will not let me get to the point of the problem instead of listening to yelling, (hence they call hold time because if they would just get to the point they would not have been on the phone so long thus far) I take a deep breath and think about my paycheck and how I need it. you can bet if on your account it is listed that you are a local business owner or person who I would deal with in the public I would think twice about using your product or services. The same goes for rude customer services reps. You just lost a customer and the bottom line IS IT WAS YOUR CUSTOMER NOT ONLY THE COMPANY YOU WORK FOR! The bottom line here is job security. Thanks for reading! I feel better already.... =)

I still have the same AT&T phone for like what 4 years and the service is like night and day. I never have to beg for lost minutes and the connection rate is well above 90% ALL OD THE TIME and no trumpet (Wahh wah wahhe) sounding calls. Yes I never have to ask with AT&T can you hear me now Customer attude has NOTHING to do with sub par products. Verison customers are in your face because they are tired of using non connecting phones and then calling service and then being stalled.

Verizon wireless does have the most coverage nationwide. With the merger of Airtouch, Bell Atlantic, GTE, Primco, and others, there is by far more coverage than with any of the other providers. That does not mean it's the best for everyone everywhere, and, like most companies providing wireless service, you have an opportunity to try it out where you use it most to find out if it's the best one for you. If it's not, return it. I have never given anyone less than excellent service whether purchasing or returning equipment. I feel that those who don't do that(whether serving those who are happy or dissatisfied with a product )shouldn't be in the service industry. I have seen other posts from people who work for Verizon and other wireless providers who seem as angry and belligerent as some customers are sometimes. I think it's disgusting to make fun of customers and call them names just because they are upset about something that they 1)didn't understand about their service, or 2) was some sort of error on our part. The best way to handle these things is in a professional manner regardless how frivolous and stupid you think their comncerns are. I can't say I've never gotten frustrated with a customer's behavior, but I bet there's some out there who don't think I'm batting 1000 with them either. I try to do the best I can with the tools available to me, and I'm not in the habit of promising things without follow through. I'm kind of off topic now, but I think I'm addressing several matters referred to in other posts here rather than write 10 individual ones. I hope at some point service professionals(and I stress the word) and consumers can work together to improve the deficiencies inherent in the transition from a bunch of small regional companies with differing policies, into one large company with a national vision. I worked for the company when it was one of those regional entities. There were a lot of things I liked better about it. However, with the merger, coverage is WAY better(once again, not for everyone) and many more services are now available. I think every person's gripe on this site is valid, and I think if these things happened to me, I'd be furious too. Looking at similar postings for the other carriers, I think the whole industry needs to take a look at how it operates and how it could better serve the customer. Also, I think that a lot of the time the customer has unrealistic expectations of how the service will perform. This is an extremely imperfect technology. No one should RELY on it entirely for business, safety, the development and sustainig of relationships, etc.It is a tool that can be useful, but don't become dependent on it because it WILL fail you sometimes. I'm sorry when that happens and I will always sympathize with you, even when there's nothing more I can do to help you with it.

Althogh we share the same company name, verizon wireless and verizon (formerly bell atlantic, nynex, new york telephone)are seperate. I am disgusted by the service that verizon wireless gives and feel it is giving us(Verizon)a bad name....customers do not realize that we are two seperate companies... mr charles hand, the president of verizon wireless, needs to invest in training and teaching his representatives and managers..

2 years ago I got my wife Verizon service mostly for use when she drives/travels between Austin and Oklahoma City with our daughters (frequently). She drives along IH 35 and Verizon's map showed coverage along the entire route. Four times within 6 months she travelled and did not have service in an 60 mile area along IH 35 just north of the TX/OK border and towards Oklahoma City. We called customer service and the only way they would "fix" the problem was if we would call them when we were in the 60 mile area so they could figure out why the towers wouldn't pick up a signal. How could we call them if we had no service? The experience was frustrating, however they did allow us to cancel the service without any problems or early cancellation fees. I would just urge people to be wary of the coverage map Verizon uses....

I'm the orignal poster. I have had AT&T cell service and the difference is just amazing I now get like 98% connectivity and no trumpet sounding calls and in the length of time owning it I have only had maybe 4 dropped calls. To the moron (obviously Verizon personnel) who loves Verizon you don't have your facts straight at all. Verizon traded out for FREE 3 phones trying to correct the messed up service and with the paper documentation that proved constant dropped calls they let me discontinued my service with out the pay off. Now think here what phone service trades out 3 phones in one year for free! I have had the same Nokia since that time and we dumped the other Verizon phone also for AT&T flawless service. Ever see the new Verizon commerical, why do you think they are checking for cell service???? Because before there was hardly any cells for customers to use. Verizon in E-mails to me told me they have less "cells" than AT&T. AT&T started cell or radio to phone service years ago and AT&T has more cell antennas than any other company.

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report: Their email: [email protected] Their name: Kate Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion Rebuttal: Did anyone read paragraph 3? It was 3 different phones. The problem was not with the phones themselves. The problem was with the service. I suggest the customer ask the people who were at the meeting that have working phones, who are their service providers.

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Duh

Their relationship to the company: Consumer Suggestion

Rebuttal:
Hey!!! Read the terms and conditions of the contract that was agreed to by you with Verizon Wireless.

"Disclaimer of Warranties. YOUR WIRELESS PHONE COMES WITH A SEPARATE WRITTEN WARRANTY FROM THE MANUFACTURE. WE MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ABOUT YOUR WIRELESS PHONE, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF ERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

THIS DOESN'T DEPRIVE YOU OF ANY RIGHTS YOU MAY HAVE AGAINST THE
MANUFACTURER OR ANY THIRD PARTY VENDOR OF YOUR WIRELESS PHONE. IN CERTAIN AREAS, WE OFFER OPTIONAL WARRANTY COVERAGE FOR AN ADDITONAL CHARGE.

EXCEPT AS EXPLICITLY PROVIDED IN THIS AGREEMENT, WE MAKE NO
REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO YOUR SERVICE."

I read that when I stared service with Verizon Wireless and I kept a copy of the terms and conditions so I could read it again if I forgot. So what does that say above in plain English? Verizon Wireless doesn't manufacture phones. I know that hind site is 20/20, but knowing what you're agreeing to before you agree to it is a wonderful idea. Duh.

EDitor's Comment to the above REBUTTAL:

Dear Duh,

US West and AirTouch had better customer service. Remember, VeriZon bought them both out, clsoed down offices, fired employees nationwide, raised the rates, reduced customer service, over-sold many markets creating poor quality constant dropped-call service, over-charging consumers on their bills, long waiting for customer service, fraudulently charged customers who had calling-party-pays by double billing both caller and their customer for local calls, .... and the list goes on.

O' ... I almost forgot, ..what contract? I never signed a contract with VeriZon. Never.

This email is a rebuttal to RipOff #3572.
It was sent by Bryan at [email protected].

Ameritech - Verizon cell service is eratic at best (#3572)

They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:

Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Bryan

Their relationship to the company: Advocate

Rebuttal:
DUH! We are VERIZON WIRELESS!!!! We do not manufacture nor do we produce cellular phones. We provide them as a convenience to the customer at time of activation. If you have a problem with the cell phone take it up with the manufacturer not the provider. We provide wireless service, not equipment service. It would be like purchasing a car and getting crappy gas mileage and blaming it on the gas station. A genius like you should really be careful about pointing fingers.

DUH! We are VERIZON WIRELESS!!!! We do not manufacture nor do we produce cellular phones. We provide them as a convenience to the customer at time of activation. If you have a problem with the cell phone take it up with the manufacturer not the provider. We provide wireless service, not equipment service. It would be like purchasing a car and getting crappy gas mileage and blaming it on the gas station. A genius like you should really be careful about pointing fingers.

EDitor's Comment to the above REBUTTAL:

The person who wrote this REBUTTAL hasn't a clue!

The cellular phones are manufactured for VeriZon, to VeriZon specifications.

You provide them as a convenience? BULL! You make money on the phones and the shitty service you provide.

And, about the crappy gas mileage, ..if you get crappy gas, it's because the gas station either got a carppy load of gas, or the gas station put the low octane gas into the higher octane tank, or there was sediment in the tank at the gas station that is poorly maintained, or they bought a poor low-grade bootleg load of gas.