I jumped from Verizon to AT&T for the iPhone. It felt like dumping a great dependable girlfriend for some hot new sexy thing. And the sex has been great (awesome phone)! But I miss those conversations with my old one (great customer service and great cell service). If the ex (Verizon) ever looses some weight and puts on a little makeup (gets the iPhone) I'll take her back. But would she still have me?

transzoo

@ianmac47: I actually have stayed with Verizon for the reasons you left them. I have them for my personal phone (Treo 700) and deal with ATT and Sprint all of the time for work. Sprint has had the worst customer service all around and while ATT tries to be helpful they have very uneducated employees. I deal with Apple for the iPhones our executives use on rare occasions because they always direct me to contact ATT.

wrestlingnrj

still with sprint, still happy with sprint, for the most part.

lodleader

I left verizon 2 years ago, and moved to T mobile, a short time ago I also left Them since they dont offer 3G in the toen I live north of San Francisco. I believe that verizon will continue to loose more clients since their phones are old fashion and they come pre installed with the verizon software that puts so many limitations to them. I like my I phone more than my past MotorolaQ, Dash Excalibur, and all my past phones. This is a very sexy, fast and beautifull phone.
what i miss from T mobile is free Tethering and from Verizon fast EVDO connectivity and almost non drop calls but you can't always have the best of both worlds. For now the winner is the Iphone

Benitocarmona

All this ATT network bashing is making me feel better about having Verizon. Hopefully in a month I'll be singing praises about the BB Storm and not wishing I'd left for the iphone... That fact that 90% of the calls I make and receive are to and from other Verizon customers makes it kind of tough for me to switch.

brownsin07

@closhedbb: I'm a professional photographer and for what I need and want in my life, the iPhone fits perfectly. My life may be exactly like the PC vs Mac ads, ie I respect Windows, alhtough I want a phone that will one minute play a movie, the next have one touch Facebook and then next surf the internet the internet the way it looks.

Chester_Copperpot

I jumped ship from T-Mobile for the original iPhone. There's nothing wrong with T-Mobile, they're starting to get a better selection of phones, and they're finally building a 3G network.

Rondogg96

I jumped from US Cellular, and while I loved their service, their phone selection sucked.

rawtoast

I agree 100% with ianmac47. I am an Advid Verizon Customer...I love their Network....hate thier crappy "Cheap Plastic" devices. I am going to switch while "In-Contract from Verizon and take the $150.00 hit) to switch to an iPhone.

Whirl

I would think for the 3G most would leave Tmo... since they still don't have the sidekick 3G yet (or do they). VZW has some decent phones. But I wonder if Sprint took the biggest hit from the original iphone. Back then Sprint's phone selection was the weakest in the market. Luckily HTC stepped in and gave them some thing to work with. Plus Sprint's always had the best 3G, So I can see why Sprint's lost customers would be lower than others.

DssTrainer

I had Verizon for a few years before switching over to att. The real deal breaker for me was when I had two Treo 650's: One on Verizon, on att. The audio quality and reception was markedly better on the att one. I also used to get loads of dropped calls on Verizon, which was embarrassing if it was business related. These things are always subjective, based on carrier coverage & geography. Maybe I lived in all the worst coverage areas for Verizon? I did notice that when I got a iPhone there were a lot of people busting out of Verizon and T Mobile. I also know people who are just waiting for their contract to run out so they can switch.

johnnyabnormal

@Jeb_Hoge: Count me among that group. I now remember why I left AT&T for Verizon all those years ago.

davebg5

"AT&T - Less Bars in Most Places; Most Dropped Calls."
:)

[x7productions]

I too defected from Verizon. While I love the iPhone 3G as a device, AT&T's network is a focking abortion compared to Verizon. Even after the great 2.1 update, I still drop more calls in a month on AT&T than I did in a year on Verizon.

Should the day ever come that Verizon offers the iPhone I will be off like a prom dress, back into the arms of the bestest wireless network in the greater NY/NJ area.

davebg5

Thank god AT&T said they don't want to be a monopoly again! Otherwise I would be concerned by this news.

Toastie

A nice new Blackberry might do a lot to help Verizon recover some losses, but the Blackberry lacks something the iPhone has in spades: trendiness. Blackberrys have their fan club, to be sure, and in my opinion are better phones in many, many ways. But iPhones re the ones that celebrities all wanted to be seen holding when they had pictures taken, and every berret-wearing, coffee-sipping, crappy-poetry-reading townie wanted to be seen with one of these things. Both the iPhone and the Blackberry offer amazing technology, but blackberry's driving force is utility, and iPhone's driving force is trendy.

closhedbb

Verizon doesn't even offer true unlimited text plans. Only for IN, but you get 5000 max for out. I know people that hits 10k a month.. Insane yeah, but they do...

Ken_Darrow

Except for the battery life, I looooove my white iPhone (I call her Eeeevvaaah).

Chester_Copperpot

The big question is how many of those ship-jumpers got on AT&T's network and are bitching about how poor it is? Because it sounds like a lot to me.

Jeb_Hoge

Also throw in the fact that Verizon has already adopted the prorated ETF. It was costing less for me to leave Verizon early. If Verizon could find someone else besides LG (the Venus I had absolutely sucked aside from battery life) they could have kept more customers. Verizon call quality in Houston is stellar but the selection of phones is pathetic at best.

Mayor McRib

I left Verizon for two reasons; awful customer service and poorly made phones. With the iPhone, I have only ever spoken to an Apple employee, and the phone is of a far superior quality than any of the crapgadgets Verizon sold me over the eight years I was a customer.

ianmac47

@RE-L: ...and I meant they have really bad service with AT&T.

RE-L

My friends keep pressuring me to switch to AT&T for the iPhone, but there is no way I'm leaving Verizon. They have really bad service and they admit it. So what's the point of having such a great phone if the service sucks? No thanks.

RE-L

I jumped to Verizon from ATT. The reception is better(but also more expensive). I don't give a shit about the iPhone.

Junginator

@undefined: I tested the IPHONE while still keeping my Verizon line and quite frankly AT&T has a really crappy network. So you got a choice between a really cool phone that doesn't work all the time versus a working phone that doesn't have all the cool features.

Doc Benway

@transzoo:
Comment of the year

brownsin07

@Chester_Copperpot: "Both the iPhone and the Blackberry offer amazing technology". I'm quite sure it does fit exactly what you need. And the blackberry will fit what a lot of other people need. The point I am making is not that the iPhone is bad. The iPhone is good. I'm saying that there is a far greater percentage of people who own an iPhone who don't come close to needing one. I've found most people who have blackberries got one because they needed the features for thier jobs. A vast majority of iPhone users got them because they simply wanted them. Blackberry could make a phone that does everything the iPhone does and more, and do it better, but it will still not sell as well as the iPhone. iPhone's success is not solely due to its technology and utility. It's due to Apple's image. Apple has just done a wonder at building the right kind of image.

closhedbb

I Jumped from Vodafone here in the UK after being with them for 15 years. I did have some issues with them but nothing that would have made me switch if it weren't for the iPhone. Glad i did it too, O2 seem to be so much nicer!

mac_kix_windoze

Dumped my Pearl and got an iPhone... and what a difference, Pearl sucks with multimedia even after upgrading it.
Only thing is... why no MMS? oh well, I can live without that.

ashamaniq

@closhedbb: What a short-sided response. The technology of the iPhone's media player and web browser greatly exceed that of any BB. And the iPhone offers many services that RiM can't touch. And don't ven get me started on how great a mutli-touch capacitance touchscreen is over the one in the one in the Storm/Thunder.

But that isn't to say that RiM doesn't best the iPhone in other areas. For business it's the had down winner in many aspects, just don't make asinine remarks that the only use of the iPhone is to look cool.

Leonard Nimrod

And after sheer dissappointment in both service and the device.... how many will promptly go back after their contract expires? More bars in more places... BITE ME!

MorganRW

[img][img503.imageshack.us]]

ACEzWILD

Verizon cripples their phones and overlays a sluggish custom interface. That was driving me mad. When the iPhone came along, I willingly made the sacrifice in order to have the more functional phone. (Although, the iPhone disappoints on phone features like ringer loudness, voicemail reminders, etc.) I am hoping the increased customer base will allow AT&T to invest in improving its infrastructure, particularly in NYC where it seems 50% of the population now has an iPhone.

bandit

@Jeb_Hoge: I have a personal AT&T phone and have had work phones on Verizon and Sprint. I've never had complaints about AT&T, and actually think it has better coverage than the others.

Zlevee

As you can see, the Death Star, I mean iPhone is fully operational and destroying the competition.

DarthMac

@Doc Benway:

Depends where you live. I live in a Verizon dead spot in Denver where I would get 1-2 bars. However, I get full service with ATT. On the other hand, when I travel back to rural Iowa, ATT often has no service when Verizon gets full service. Overall though, I would agree that Verizon has a more ubiquitous network.

justinpe

@[x7productions]: Actually where I live I haven't a single problem with AT&T's service. It far surpassed Sprint and T-Mob. With Sprint I was having problems getting even a single bar in my basement and sometimes depending on where I was sitting I couldn't even text. However with my iPhone and AT&T I get full 3G in my house. I live about 45 miles from St. Louis and have yet to have a problem with coverage.

Balance_In_Life

I switched from US Cellular to VZW about 3 years ago and the service has been great. The big reason for me to switch at the time was phone selection and price for services. The iPhone is pretty cool, but I'm waiting for an iphone with a keyboard (hopefully available on VZW, I will not switch to AT&T). Now that I have a slide-out keyboard, I don't think I would like an all touch-screen device.

RobotVampire

I was facing the end of my sprint contract with absolutely nothing to keep me hanging around - no smartphones worth their own plastic, ho-hum service in my area, and some of the worst support this side of Verizon.

I'm happy with AT&T with or without the iPhone.

Apoc112

@ianmac47: My contract was up with verizon, and leaving them felt like I was breaking up with a really clingy girlfriend.

At first it was a clean break (Just take your stuff and go),
but then the questionnaires about service quality (What did I do wrong? Am I not good enough???)
and the discounted phone offers and free service (I can change! I'll put out more!)
followed by outright bribery of a $10 check for no apparent reason and some ads for prepaid phones (ok ok I know we're over... friends with benefits?)

lpranal

Count me in that list of people who dropped verizon for the iphone. I did a lot of shopping and investigating and Verizon just can't match the iphone. Also their VZW software is horrendous and crippling. There were so many things my Razer couldn't do that it should be able to do, even with hacking. I wanted a smart phone and the iphone was the best choice for me.

valthun

I also defected from Verizon to ATT. I was with Verizon since 2001. Plan prices were decent and most of my friend and family had Verizon.

The thing that first irked me was the crippling of hardware. Someone was develping a WiFi dongle for the Treo 650. Wouldn't you know that a Verizon firmware update for the Treo completely prevented this from working.

The second thing: Price. Verizon started to force the bundling of data plans. If I had stayed with Verizon, my next smartphone upgrade would have jumped my bill from $40 to $80 + $10 for the smallest text message plan + tax > $100.

I saved over $30 a month switching to ATT and getting an iPhone with the same calling plan features as Verizon and got the bonus of (jailbroken) uncrippled hardware.

epor

i switched for one reason and one reason only, for the same price i was paying a month with verizon, i get about 100 times more with att and the iphone. i will admit that i have dropped more calls since my switch, but that isnt a deal breaker to me. 99% of the time it works just fine. not to mention rollover, i never really thought much about it, but in less then 4 months i already have over 1000 rollover minutes accrued. i never have to worry about going over like i did with verizon.
each carrier has their ups and downs, but lets face it...verizon really f-ed up by not picking up the ihpone when they had the chance.

sti25impreza

HaHa, I ported my # from T-mobile, then disputed the $200 ETF b/c of text increases and wha-la, new iphone, new plan.

cgi5877

I left Verizon 3 years ago to pick up a WinMo phone that I wanted. While reception through Verizon is far superior, it was and is worth it to have the better hardware.

Here's to hoping the next version of the iPhone has a CDMA version so I can switch back!

RalphWiggum

@Chester_Copperpot:
you can make your battery go much longer...

vgart

I gladly jumped from Verizon. They have no quality phones and while I was considering the BB Storm, the plans were $10 more for a base plan, so it was a no brainer for me to get the iphone 3G. I even stood in three thunderstorms in Manhattan over 4 hours to get a phone. That said, I do like the Verizon service better, but am VERY pleased with the iphone (after the 2.1 update).

jhnsn_j

@lpranal: haha, nice

ezman

@closhedbb: Very well put. Thanks for clearing that up.

dmexs

@ashamaniq: I kinda have to agree with the masses for the most part. I have Verizon... I love their service, I loathe their phone choices. AT&T (who I had prior to V) had awesome phones and horrible service.

Now, living in the NJ/NY area, you'd think everyone would be the same, but that is not the case... and AT&T is losing horribly in that aspect (only Sprint I believe is worse).

(sorry for the double, the other didnt save to Asha)

Lestat

@ashamaniq: Because Apple is a little slow there... I cannot believe that was left out since well, MMS is extremely popular with everyone :)

Lestat

I kinda have to agree with the masses for the most part. I have Verizon... I love their service, I loathe their phone choices. AT&T (who I had prior to V) had awesome phones and horrible service.

Now, living in the NJ/NY area, you'd think everyone would be the same, but that is not the case... and AT&T is losing horribly in that aspect (only Sprint I believe is worse).

Lestat

@closhedbb: The only issue I have with Blackberry's is that you need to get that stupid extra 30$ a month Blackberry plan which is nothing more than unlim web and email service. If this was not necessary, I'd have a blackberry right now.

Lestat

@Ken_Darrow: That's not true... If you get onto the Premium plan, you get unlimited Text to anyone. I have this plan, no caps on txt or web

Lestat

Bought two iPhones 3G for me and the wife the day after launch and couldn't be happier! Some growing pains with the 2.0 software issues, but all have disappeared with 2.1 and phones are now like BUTTAH! The App Store is amazing and we are in 5 bar 3G area so no dropped calls...

Anyway, we have Sprint family plan (Palm Treo 700p & Sanyo clamshell) for which the 2 year contract runs out next week, and I can't wait to make the call to cancel service!

All I need now is SlingPlayer for iPhone!

jeffu

@closhedbb: If they can do it better then why do have such a crappy web browser and media player? If this is just simple software to make then why is it so poor. You can't get the image without having the product. Sure, the image will linger for some after the product itself falters, but what proof do you have that any BB's UI, web browser or media player is equal to or better than the iPhone's? What proof do you have that a resistive touchscreen on the Storm is equal to or better than than Apple's capacitance touchscreen? These are the features that make the iPhone popular.

Leonard Nimrod

@ianmac47: i left verizon for AT&T and the iphone 3G... its a great phone in terms of capabilities but it dropped more calls in 30 days than my previous 4+ years on verizon, and 3g was intermittent at best, thank god wi-fi is pretty much anywhere i spent time... but i found myself worrying about hurting my phone and it dropped calls like the lions WRs drop passes... and at $100+ a month for 900 minutes and 200 texts it wasnt worth it

i went back to Verizon and i got my next 3 months free and i have a $200 voucher for my next phone on top the discount... yeah im locked in for another 2 years but the coverage and service is way way better than AT&T

purple-pillows

I jumped from Verizon to iPhone 3G. Yes, it was because Verizon has a terrible phone selection.

b33rl0rd

@brownsin07: Agreed! Awesome!!

Lestat

@Lestat: Or everything is all messed up.... UGH

Lestat

@Whirl: You don't have to do that. I got out of my Verizon contract to get the iPhone and didn't pay an ETF. You can too. Here's how.

Every quarter Verizon raises the rate for the Universal Service Fee. This is a fee that the FCC charges wireless companies and they, in turn, pass the cost on to you, the customer. Despite what Verizon's CSR's will tell you, this is NOT a tax. It is a fee. It is a cost of doing business for Verizon; no different than the costs associated with erecting a new cell tower or paying said CSR's salary. Within your contract there is a clause that gives Verizon permission to raise this fee. However, the clause also states that if they do implement a material change to your contract, then you have the right to terminate your contract without paying the ETF.

Now, as I said, the CSR's will fight you on this. They will lie by telling you that this is mandated by the FCC and therefore a tax, which is not covered under the clause. Not true. I even had one Supervisor try to tell me that the fee actually went down. I then had to call her out on her deception, as my previous bill had been excessively high due to a temporary increase in my plan minutes b/c I was working from home for an extended period of time. She was solely presenting me with the total dollar amounts charged and glossing over the fact that the percentage had been increased.

You may have to fight them on it. You may have to escalate it to executive level customer service or write an executive email carpet bomb to the President of Verizon Wireless. Eventually they will give in. They have no choice. Not only do you have the law on your side, you also have the internet on your side. The last thing they want is for people to spread this information around, as it would allow all of their customers to break their contracts every three months with no ETF.

davebg5

The reason the Sprint convert number is so low is that most of us already left when the original iPhone came out.

bms

@closhedbb:
I do not agree. BBerry is doing a great job expanding their market beyond the niche. I don't like their recent clamshell phone (die! phone! die!) but I understand why its there; just another attempt to expand their market.
I recently sold my old Pearl on CList. I sold it to a parent who was buying it for her 13 year old girl. The girl asked for a Pearl. How does SHE fit into the standard BBerry fan club?

justsomereportingguy

@EVEs_Mako: I meant "dog".

EVEs_Mako

I've said it before and I'll say it again....I wouldn't hit a god in the ass with Verizon. I lubs my iPhone 3G.

EVEs_Mako

WOW! I am very surprised to hear a lack of T-Mo bashing in the comments.
I left T-Mo for the iPhone (3G) after MONTHS of begging them to do something to keep me. I had been with T-Mo for over 8 years when I left. 8 YEARS CONTINUOUS SERVICE on a high rate plan (the last 3 years my bill was over $100 mo). T-Mo did nothing. I mentioned the phones avail on T-Mo UK (I'm in the US) and they all but laughed at me. I offered open-ended requests. "I don't want to leave T-Mo; offer me SOMETHING to stay" and they couldn't do anything for me.
My last experience with them was a bad deal phone replacement. I needed to replace a phone on the second line on my account. Replaced a Moto with a Blackberry Pearl. The pearl didnt work, the guy in the store was an ass along with not being helpful, Customer Service was useless. The issue just kept snowballing until I finally contacted executive complaints (by LONG email; i blew off a lot of steam). They resolved my issue fairly quickly but made no attempt whatsoever to keep me. EC asked me "It is obvious by your email that you are not happy. What do you want?" When I replied "Cancel all my lines with no disconnect fee..." she replied so fast I was surprised. All she said was "Would you like to disconnect now (today)?"
I was a loyal T-Mo customer for over 10 years (I worked for 'em for 2 before the 8 years as a customer). I will NEVER have T-Mo service again. The last 3-4 years everything went to crap, service, signal, handsets, their ability to keep up with the tech curve just everything.
I hate Steve Jobs, I like the iPhone and ATT has not pissed me off yet. Only time will tell if I stay after this contract is up.

justsomereportingguy

Ive seen more people with Voyagers than iphones BY FARRR!!! i dunno, i hear about all these new customers and millions of iphones sold but... cant really see them.... if someone takes out their phone most the time its a verizon phone... it seems like all we hear about is people leaving verizon but no one talks about how much are switching to it... some people would prefer good service and bad customer service (that they would only use like 10 times in the 2 years) rather than good customer service and crappy service (that they can only use like 10 times in 2 years) :D

and keep in mind, different cities or states have different service, so you cant take advice from someone who lives on the other side of the country because maybe they have good TMobile coverage there(i dunno how that would happen tho...) :D

skyline6

I SWITCHED FROM VERIZON TO GET MY IPHONE AND I GOT TO TELL YOU VERIZON WAS EXPENSIVE BUT THERE SIGNAL WAS THE BEST. ATT IS GETTING BETTER, AND DOES HAVE THE BEST PHONES, BUT ITS SIGNAL PALES IN COMPARISON. I THINK THE 3G IPHONE WITH THE 2.1 UPGRADE IS THE BEST PHONE EVER MADE AND I WOULD NEVER SWITCH TO A PHONE TATS NOT AN IPHONE. I JUST WISH WE HAD A NATIVE MMS AND TURN BY TURN NAVI FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE ITS STILL A DEAL BREAKER.
MMS MMS MMS MMS MMS

richillion

@lodleader: still have no bars and no good phones... yah, dont worry there are a lot of people like you :)

skyline6

@Ken_Darrow: Dude your living in the past... Verizon had unlimited text for a looong time now...

skyline6

@Mayor McRib: Pathetic selection of phones?? WTF?? there are barely any good phones for AT&T! verizon has much more phones that have higher ratings than at&t...

skyline6

@ianmac47: Well hey, i rather have awful customer service than awful service. :D

skyline6

@closhedbb: iPhones aren't all style and no substance. Much like the $200 jeans you talk about there is more than just utility to an item. Expensive jeans are tailored differently than Levi's, they have much more intricate embroidery and the type of denim they are made from has a different feel.

So yes, from a glance iPhones and expensive jeans are more about style, but there's much more than meets the eye.

Oh Megan Fox....

Chester_Copperpot

@closhedbb: See the thing is Blackberry "COULD" make a phone that is better than the iPhone, well the iPhone exists NOW, so everyone who wants what an iPhone NOW buys it NOW. Maybe when BB makes an iPhone killer I might go and get one, but until then, it's all about NOW.

And also love them or hate them, the fact that an iPhone is also an iPod has got to be another huge reason people go iPhone. I know that when my 60GB 4G iPod died, I just waited til 3G iPhone came out to replace it. iPods with video are great and Blackberry will never be able to catch up there.

Chester_Copperpot

@closhedbb: NOTE: Thew above post should be past in the string. I mis-directed it.

closhedbb

@closhedbb: Wow. Some people need to work on their reading comprehension. I don't recal ever bashing on blackberries, or even bringing technology or features into play in any of this. I AM TALKING ABOUT IMAGE. That is all. I am saying that utility is not the biggest driving force in the overwhelming lead in the iPhone's sale. The iPhone is awesome. Blackberries are awesome. They are both awesome in different ways. I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT REALITY. I'm talking about the same phenomenon that had idiots paying hundreds of dollars for jeans that are made by a certain brand, despite quality. I am talking about the lines upon lines of people that gathered to buy the iPhone before they even had a hands-on idea of how good or bad it was. It is image based. I am not saying that image is the only thing Apple has going for them. What I am saying is... blah blah blah...

Forget it. See what you want to see in what I wrote. You're going to do it anyway...

closhedbb

I left Verizon because their phones suck balls.

goodcow

I have to say, I like my Voyager Titanium more than the iPhone, and I also like the Verizon coverage far more than AT&T's. I must admit, Verizon's customer service is downright atrocious though... They're batting .000 in actually helping me out with anything or making my existing problem worse.

MURPHtheSURF5

@Doc Benway: EXACTLY! I have been trying to say that for months. If you don't live in a major metropolitan area ATT is terrible.

maven2k

I too left Verizon for the iPhone. And it's a bittersweet situation. I have the most amazing time with my iPhone (it's a real joy for the touching.) But I am vastly disappointed with the AT&T network. I have mediocre reception at home, and even when I have "full bars" I still get dropped calls and other connectivity issues.

I would gladly pay termination fees to take the iPhone back to Verizon if only I could. I love you Verizon.

greatpear411

A while back I left Verizon for T-Mobile. T-Mobile has excellent customer service. I don't mean in store because this will vary greatly depending on the store you go to. I had an issue that I needed to call them about and they kept following up with me until my issue was resolved. Very good in my opinion. If they ever get their network together I will try them again.

Today I'm back at Verizon. In my area there is no better service. Most of my friend's have iPhones and they drop calls constantly. I NEVER drop a call period.

I do pay more money than they do. I get dumbed down, out dated, equipment and a general feeling that I am unappreciated at Verizon. I also feel like Verizon tries to nickel and dime you by charging for other features, namely GPS.

If they would stay up to date with there equipment and not block features like GPS and WiFi I wouldn't have any complaints. Even at the higher prices.

SDB1

@Lestat: Thirded!

Alex2643

@davebg5: OH SHIT THIS NEEDS TO BE AN ARTICLE!!

Alex2643

I dropped Verizon because they disabled the media player on a phone, and didn't remove the link to it. Because they didn't want it to compete with they're vCast.

Verizon can bite me.

Ornament

@Alex2643: Here's a copy of the email I sent to a slew of VZW executives. Feel free to use it:

I would like to discuss an issue with you that I am having with Verizon Wireless Customer Service. I recently left Verizon Wireless for a competitor while I was mid-contract with Verizon Wireless. Under the terms of my contract I am eligible to be released from my contract without incurring an Early Termination Fee. I have attempted to resolve this matter with first level customer service, as well as executive level customer service to no avail. In fact, I feel as though your first level customer service agents (at best) misrepresented the facts and (at worst) flat-out lied to me.

First, let's determine why I qualify to be released from my Verizon Wireless contract without having to pay an ETF. The following clause is in my contract:

"Unless otherwise prohibited by law, we can also change prices and any other conditions in this agreement at any time by sending you written notice prior to the billing period in which the changes would go into effect. If you choose to use your service after that point, you're accepting the changes. If the changes have a material adverse effect on you, however, you can end the affected service, without any early termination fee, just by calling us within 60 days after we send notice of the change."

The following information was included in my July statement:

"The Federal Universal Service Charge (FUSC) is a Verizon Wireless charge that is subject to change each calendar quarter based on contribution rates prescribed by the FCC. On July 1, the FUSC changed to 2.42 percent of assessable wireless charges, other than separately billed interstate and international long distance charges. The FUSC on these charges changed to 11.4 percent."

The increase of the FUSC is a material change to my contract. As such, I have ported my number away from Verizon Wireless and should not be required to pay an ETF. I should also point out that your notification of this rate increase is in direct violation of your own contract, as the notification of the increase came in my July statement, which doesn't post until mid-month, while the rate increase took effect on July 1. As per your own contract with me, notification is supposed to happen prior to the billing period where the change takes effect.

Now, let's get on to the dubious responses that I have received thus far from Verizon Wireless Customer Service.

When I contacted first level support and told them why I shouldn't have to pay an ETF I was told that the change to the FUSC didn't count, as it was mandated by the FCC. I calmly and clearly tried to explain to her that the FUSC is not a tax. The FCC charges Verizon Wireless a fee. Verizon Wireless passes that fee on to their customers. It is a cost of doing business for Verizon Wireless; no different than the cost of erecting a new cell tower or paying a CSR's salary. Just because Verizon Wireless chooses to break this fee out as its own line-item in my statement (presumably to artificially lower the advertised cost of service) does not change the fact that it is an increase in Verizon Wireless charges.

I was then given a supervisor/trainer to speak with. This person flat-out attempted to lie to me. She claimed that the FUSC actually WENT DOWN. She pointed to the dollar amount that I paid for FUSC in my previous bill…a bill that was artificially high due to the fact that I exceeded the minutes in my plan that month. I then countered that in April Verizon Wireless raised the FUSC charges to 2.38 and 11.3 percent and that in the July statement it was raised to 2.42 and 11.4 percent, respectively. That is an increase. The dollar amount is irrelevant to the discussion, as it can easily fluctuate based upon the total amount for the bill that month.

Then, after getting caught trying to deceive me, this supervisor asked me in an accusatory tone why I hadn't cancelled my service back in April. The simple explanation being that I didn't notice it right away in the April statement. By the time I did notice it, it was past the 60 day period that I had to cancel. So, I followed the letter of the contract and didn't cancel my service, but that I now knew to keep my eye out for these fee increases. I noticed it in my July statement and I am now availing myself of the rights afforded me in my contract. At that point, the supervisor rudely told me that the ETF hadn't been posted to my bill yet, so she could no longer help me. Frankly, I find it a bit suspicious that Verizon Wireless CSRs can tell the exact amount that I would owe on an ETF, but cannot actually waive said ETF until it posts.

Then I contacted Executive Level Customer Service. I was told that they had been notified by upper management/legal that Verizon Wireless was no longer releasing people from their contracts without paying an ETF when there are changes to the FUSC. I informed her that this answer was not acceptable. Verizon Wireless has no right to determine what is and is not a materially adverse change to my contract. This is something determined by law and legal precedent…NOT by Verizon Wireless corporate policy. "Material(ly) adverse" has no quantifiable limit; one definition is "of such a nature that knowledge of the item would affect a person's decision-making process." Verizon Wireless seems to be raising the FUSC every quarter. The fact that the cost of my contract would increase eight times over the full life of my two year agreement with Verizon Wireless is something that would and has impacted my decision to be a customer of Verizon wireless and, as such, it is my right to terminate service without being charged an ETF.

Please feel free to contact me to discuss this matter in greater detail. I hope that you take this opportunity to restore my opinion of your company, as my recent treatment at the hands of your customer service staff is making me reconsider my wife's status as a customer of Verizon Wireless as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

davebg5

@maven2k: I live in THE major metropolitan area (work in Times Sq and live on the NJ side of the Hudson w/a view of 105th St) and it is still terrible.

davebg5

@Lestat: Yeah but 139.00 for single plan in order to get unlimited text. Unlike the typical adding 20 buck for unlimited or 30 for family unlimited text.

Ken_Darrow

@[x7productions]: Actually the new tag should be "more bars in imaginary places"

Ken_Darrow

@skyline6: its called a select plan. It's $20 for an individual and $30 for a family plan. FTW!

Daytodaz3

@ianmac47: Amen. I can't stand their phones/firmware, even if they have the coverage.

Avielus

Can you imagine what the US mobile phone market would look like if Verizon had accepted Apple's terms for the iPhone (they were Apple's first choice)?

Matthew_Maurice

Everybody is different but this is fact: I left VZ because their phones are a joke (HTC XV8600 or HTC Titan 100?). Apart from the fact that their phone acquisition experts should be fired, they strip all the goodies from the phones they will ALLOW you to buy. They stripped the gps unit from the Titan. You can only have gps if you pay for GetItNow. "You are going to pay extra and you are going to like it btch!"

I was a WinMo fanboy... I loved VZ's customer service (i had luck i guess)... Loved their coverage. But I am too smart to have a chubby VZ store manager tell me they cant do gps because its not safe. Plz. At least say, "why free when we can charge you!" If they trash that is ATT can implement gps safely, VZ should be able to too.

Now that i've tasted the iphone, it will be VERY difficult to not have 16GB mem, GPS, Browser, form factor, apps. I'm vamping out on it man! However, I will drop the iphone so hard it will make a hole in the ground, if google teams up with a decent device maker. Why? because they are nazzis with their app store. I want the most freedom. Nobody puts baby on the corner! How slow and incompetent do you have to be to have a model of a phone that everybody wants and not be able to at least copy it? BB, HTC, MOTOROLA... incompetent losers. They dont even have to come up with the idea, just copy apples design for God's sake!

EuniceServius

think about it verizon is cdma, if you want the iphone it is 100 percent impossible to get it while on verizon but with t-mo you can simply jailbreak it

hillaryh8tr

ATTENTION AT&T: WANT TO RULE THE WORLD? UPGRADE YOUR COVERAGE!

ATTENTION VERIZON: WANT TO RULE THE WORLD? SECURE THE iPHONE ASAP!

Do you think I'll get any takers?

VNSROCK

@Jeb_Hoge: Likewise as well. I left T-Mobile which had decent customer services and a great metropolitan network. Living in downtown seattle AT&T is total shit. I can't remember a dropped call on TMo and I easily have 1 a week on ATT. I love the phone but hate the carrier. I plan to switch back to TMo once the ATT contract ends.

dkoemans