Verizon phone service....opinions about it and which phone to get

[ufcrusher]

Hey All -

I figure some people here will have Verizon and wanted your opinions on the quality of the service. Every person that I personally know that have them report NO problems, great service, and say they love it.

I have been with Sprint for a number of years and watched as the quality of the customer service, number of dropped calls, and every aspect of the customer-company relationship rode the porcelian whirlpool.

My wife is thinking of going with the LG vx4500.

I was thinking about the Samsung Sch-a670 although I am not certain about it.

What phones would you recommend, how is the service?

One other thing, they dont have any bluetooth phones available right now as they have been pulled back for some technical reason. I originally wanted to go with blue tooth, but I need to get rid of my crappy phone.

TIA.

[psycho-]

I actually switched from VZW to SPrint PCS in San Diego in the beginning of the year.

[ufcrusher]

I have to ask why? We have had Sprint in San Diego since 99 and have more dropped calls and other problems than anything.

[bachviet]

Verizon reception is pretty good in California so you won't be disappointed but it costs more than any other company out there.

For phone, I like Samsung and Nokia. I haven't had any experience with LG but I hate Motorola.

[GraingerGuy]

I like Verizon a whole lot. I've had it a little more than a year now and I have no complaints. And I have to say I really like those little LG phones a lot. I have one, my girlfriend has one and one of my best friends has one. (Cheesy has the same one as me) No problems....except for mine being just a tad flimsy.

[speedracer120]

Yeah, LGs are good if you want a loud ringer for in the car. My brother has the Samsung A670. Great little phone. Seems solid, but the only frill it has going for it is the camera w/ flash.

I like Verizon's service. I've had Cingular and Sprint before that, and in my area I got a lot of dropped calls and such with both services. Verizon is a bit pricier but that's what you pay for better call quality. Personally I'm thinking about upgrading to the new Motorola with mp3 ringtones and bluetooth.

[SmokeyDP]

VX6100 is an awsome phone. Its the replacement for the popular VX6000, but now it has a flash and speakerphone and a bettery battery life. If you are looking to spend $100 on a phone and just need the basics this is the phone to get.

EDIT: If you are looking at the VX4500, spend the extra $$ and go with the VX6100. Its much better built that the VX4500.

[SnowSurfer]

i personnaly like the vx7000, great camera, lots of features, bells wistles mp3 ringers ect.

http://www.howardforums.com/index.php?s=

helps alot :)

[Booyamos]

i have a vx6000. i switched from sprint to verizon on the first day i could.

My apartment is lined with kryptonite though so i get a pretty bad signal. With sprint i couldn't even get any signal at all, at least with verizon i can use the test menu to find out where the sweet spots are.

Overall besides my apartment it has worked wonderfully and have never had any problems here in Boston, MA.

I was going to suggest howardforums.. they are great.

[gwilks98]

Verizon is great. On a whole, I'd have to say I've loved LG phones over the other two I've tried: Samsung and Nokia. However, if you REALLY want to be happy with the cell phone you choose, do a bit of research on it using epinions and yahoo groups (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LGVX4500/) . There's all sorts of stuff you'll find out about a phone 10 days after you bring it home.

for instance, the first phone I had came with the worst ringtones imaginable. Not a decent, standard ring sound.
My current phone has a wonderful button on the side that when held down for 3 seconds, will toggle between rings/vibrate/no alert at all so that when I have it in my pocket, my phone will go on silent just by being positioned against my leg wrong. It's also a great nightlight as when it's charging, the backlight stays on until you take it off the charger. (Kind of a pain if you sleep near your phone.)


Google cached this page you might find useful about the LG VX 4500:
link (http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:9ZZbSqMF8jAJ:www.howardforums.com/archive/topic/298981-1.html+what+sucks+about+LG+vx4500&hl=en)

[OremuS]

I have Verizon through work on a Motorola T730 and besides in my office building in Akron, OH, the coverage is excellent. I have AT&T (Cingular) GSM for my personal phone with a Motorola V600 and it is jsut about as good. The phone has a big part in the reception you get. Had a v60 before and it was horrible but my other Motorola's have been great.

[DaFunkyUnit]

Verizon's service is top notch. I find that the customer service is really good too, whenever I have to call them up.

the samsung phones are really good, although the batteries may wear out in time (arent all phones like that?)

[psycho-]

I have to ask why? We have had Sprint in San Diego since 99 and have more dropped calls and other problems than anything.


I have been with the predecessor of VZW for years (since 93 or 94?) and then with VZW itself for a while. THough the network is admirable, I can get the same with the digital roaming option (5/month) on Sprint PCS. Secondly, in-city coverage depends more on the handset itself than the service provider at this point.

With a company like SPCS, I cannot emphasize this enough.

In fact, before My switch; I was exteremely wary of SPCS.

But after my switch to SPCS, I couldn't be happier with coverage and call quality (Customer Service leaves something to be desired).

How I chose my phone was based on non-disclosed SPCS data of phone quality based on certain handsets. I chose a good phone, and went with it. It wasn't free (more like 200 bucks); but then again, I believe that's the greatest mistake people have.

I'm guessing, are you using a (a) Free phone or (b) a Samsung phone.

No matter what service provider you are on, the quality of the phone matters. If you switch over to VZW, make sure youd on't cheap out and get the "cheap" phones, because You'll probably end up with the same experience. get a good phone (like the v710, VX7000) and not the "deal" or "free" phones. you'll end up paying in bad service and constant problems


My creds? I almost worked in the mobile phone consultancy industry (with one of the largest consultancy firms in the field), I used to work for a mobile phone company, and I've written many papers on Mobile telecommunications while in graduate school.

[ufcrusher]

Nope, definitely not using a free phone. The handset was $300 when I bought it a few years ago. That said, it is a Samsung. SCH8500 which was at the time I bought them and for at least a year later the top phone in the Sprint choice. In fact, it was the phone they always pictured in the tv ads, all the Sprint Reps swore by it, and had top ratings.

Now that you know the facts.........care to expound on your comments?

One other thing to point out, as I said in the original post the phones we are considering with Verizon are the LG VX4500 and the Samsung SCha670. Both phones were highly recommended by reps at a few different locations, including 2 who said that the Samsung is the one that all the verizon employees purchase and use. Neither of which are the free phones either.

Frankly after paying out $600+ for the 2 phones and accessories, constantly going through the hassle of bringing them into the stores to be updated, and finally having the idiots there tell us that the bad service must be because our equipment is too old and thats the issue, I really dont feel like shelling out large amounts of money on cell phones. I have no problem paying to have a quality product that will last a while. I do have a problem paying through the nose and being told before the contract even expires that the phones are the problem and should be replaced. Of course, since the phones were fully operational by all tests, the entire replacement would rest on my wallet. What is going to reassure me that if I shell out another $300 for a Verizon phone that I wont have the same problem.

[SmokeyDP]

all the Sprint Reps swore by it
....
Both phones were highly recommended by reps at a few different locations, including 2 who said that the Samsung is the one that all the verizon employees purchase and use.
I would do yourself a favor and not go by what the reps say. More times then none they recomend a phone by its features which is all they have to go by. Sometimes you can get one who really knows the quality of the phone, but I have yet to find one yet locally to me.

If you a serious about ending up with a phone that is not only a quality phone but worth the money I would take the advice above and check out Howard Forums. After ending up with my POS T720 which was the 'recomending phone and all over all the advertising' I took their advice and saw the VX6000 as the top notch phone at the time. Not just for its features, but even with a camera and color screen it was getting 4 days on the normal battery.

Here is a direct link to the Verizon Forum. You can also do a quick seach on the VX4500. But belive me when I say that a lot of people are experiencing signal problems with that phone. The VX6100 is replacing the VX6000 with is their best mid range phone and now has a speaker phone. The speaker phone on the VX4500 is not up to the quality of the VX6100 either, but for the extra $50 the phone will cost you will NOT be dissapointed.

http://www.howardforums.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=51

[psycho-]

Nope, definitely not using a free phone. The handset was $300 when I bought it a few years ago. That said, it is a Samsung. SCH8500 which was at the time I bought them and for at least a year later the top phone in the Sprint choice. In fact, it was the phone they always pictured in the tv ads, all the Sprint Reps swore by it, and had top ratings.

Now that you know the facts.........care to expound on your comments?
.


Yikes! Based on the internal reports i recall, that was one of the worst performing phones of all time (along with the Samsung 3500, A460, A400, A500, N400) Samsungs tend to perform bad, for some reason. I had a few friends with that phone, and I woudln't touch it with a 10 foot pole. Samsung fixed some of their problems on recent models though.

As for anything you purchase that you carry around, I always recommend you to get insurance. Most poeple don't understand that when they buy an (example) 50 dollar net cost phone, the provider is underwriting it by as much as 400 dollars. When it comes to replacement costs, it will be $$$.

Don't get a phone that the reps recommend. Instead, go research around on places like Howardforums.com and such and find out what phones have what problems, which phones are good, and what phones meet your needs.

All phones vary in RF, capabilities, design robustness, etc. All carriers have goods and bads.

[Hopper1]

Personally I have verizon after switching from attws with a motorola v60, with the Samsung sch-650(it was on special and small). The phones been great in the seattle-tacoma area and the last time I went to Chicago it worked fine except in my buddy's apartment. I get a decent amount of use out of it off a charge and the reception is better than attws. YMMV

[ufcrusher]

Yikes! Based on the internal reports i recall, that was one of the worst performing phones of all time (along with the Samsung 3500, A460, A400, A500, N400) Samsungs tend to perform bad, for some reason. I had a few friends with that phone, and I woudln't touch it with a 10 foot pole. Samsung fixed some of their problems on recent models though.

As for anything you purchase that you carry around, I always recommend you to get insurance. Most poeple don't understand that when they buy an (example) 50 dollar net cost phone, the provider is underwriting it by as much as 400 dollars. When it comes to replacement costs, it will be $$$.

Don't get a phone that the reps recommend. Instead, go research around on places like Howardforums.com and such and find out what phones have what problems, which phones are good, and what phones meet your needs.

All phones vary in RF, capabilities, design robustness, etc. All carriers have goods and bads.

Hmm, well I bought them when they first came out. I was working at Goodguys! and between the on-site reps and all the literature/reviews that we received it appeared to be the best phone that was out when I bought them. I find it odd that you said the internal reports were that it was one of the worst performing phones of all time. In my family we had 5 of them, 6+ friends had them, plus all the ones that were sold to customers. I had tons of customers who would come in and rave about how much better it was than their old phone. (Suffice it to say, I was a Home Audio/Video specialist not a phone specialist...but the spiffs made it so knowing your phones was an easy way to make a lot of money quickly)

Now I have been looking at that Howardforum but from what I am seeing its more about mods and updating equipment than rating the phones. Am I missing the area where they discuss the phones?

As for our reason for going with the 4500....my wife CANNOT have a camera phone. Her job forbids them and she needs to be able to have her cell at work.

[SmokeyDP]

It could take a few weeks of the phone in the hands of customers before some of its shortfalls actually do show up...

The link I posted above is directly to the verizon forum. There is alot of tech stuff in there, but you can either post up a question on what you are looking for or do a search.