Verizion customers, input?

[cbrunny]

Apparently there are some changes being made to some telecoms policies in Canada that will allow for large American companies to bid to buy spectrum bandwidth. Verizon is rumoured to be among those that are seriously contemplating dropping into the Canadian market.

Verizon customers, is Verizon good? I've pretty much ignored the American cell industry, but with this on the horizon I'm looking for customer experiences.

Chances are good that this is years away, but its making news in Canada right now. All kinds of lobbying going on.

 

[podspi]

Depends on your definition of good. They are very expensive but the service itself has been top notch. Could be different in Canada though, since they don't have any infrastructure (that I am aware of) up there.

 

[Drekce]

Verizon is definitely the most expensive carrier in the States, but it works well everywhere. To me it is well worth the premium.

They used to offer terrible, restriction filled phones, but now they have the same hardware as everyone else.

 

[Red Storm]

They have the best overall network and speed from what I've experienced, and they're prices reflect that. I left them because I was tired of not having phones I wanted offered on their network.

 

[Anubis]

most expensive sounds worse than it really is. in reality its not really much more expansive vs ATT which is really the only other player

 

[Red Storm]

most expensive sounds worse than it really is. in reality its not really much more expansive vs ATT which is really the only other player

For those living way out in the boonies as I once did, sure. But T-Mobile's coverage is pretty darn good and I don't live in an urban area either.

 

[Anubis]

For those living way out in the boonies as I once did, sure. But T-Mobile's coverage is pretty darn good and I don't live in an urban area either.

your location says DC, thats pretty urban

 

[corkyg]

I used Sprint for over 10 years. I tried AT&T. Coverage where I travel was lousy. 18 months ago I switched to Verizon. I do not find it that much more expensive. As a matter of fact, I have a cheaper package than I had with Sprint. Bottom line, Verizon coverage is excellent everywhere I travel, and it is reliable. The most expensive part of my VZF contract is my hotspot data package with 6GB/month. That is $50. The nationwide talk 450 package costs me $40/month. I'm very happy with VZF.

 

[PowerYoga]

canada telecom sucks balls according to the details from my friend, makes verizon's "expensive" plans look like awesome deals by comparison. Some telecoms are even lobbying to ban "un-canadian" companies from invading their monopolies.

 

[Red Storm]

your location says DC, thats pretty urban

Also pretty generic.

My uncle lives an hour and a half from DC, I still get 4G service at his house with T-Mobile.

 

[tommo123]

hold on, does it matter how good they are in the US? i mean once they start in canada they're going to put as much money is as they need to be good enough to steal business away from canadian telcos. they're not going to put more money in than necessary

 

[vshah]

Also pretty generic.

My uncle lives an hour and a half from DC, I still get 4G service at his house with T-Mobile.

from DC to NYC is a giant stretch of t-mobile happy land. go more than 100 miles inland and you'll be in trouble.

can't wait till they refarm their edge to hspa.

<<happy t-mobile customer since they were voicestream.

 

[Entropism]

Verizon, as stated before, will give great coverage, better than average speeds, and charge you an arm & a leg for it. They've brainwashed the American public much like Apple has, that they're giving you something absolutely spectacular and magical, and there's a premium for it. They'll also try to screw you over every chance they get, be it through fees, "regulations", taking features from your plan, etc. They're quite frankly, one of the worst companies in this country, but at least they deliver a usable product.

 

[TuxDave]

Verizon is definitely the most expensive carrier in the States, but it works well everywhere. To me it is well worth the premium.

They used to offer terrible, restriction filled phones, but now they have the same hardware as everyone else.

Except my old workplace. That was the longest two year contract I ever had. Home was fine, work couldn't get a signal and my battery died daily (on a dumb phone!)

 

[boomhower]

By far the best service in the country at comparable prices to AT&T. They've both gotten pretty ridiculous at $100/month for a single phone and 2GB's of data. If you live in an area with good T-Mobile coverage your better served going that route.

 

[openwheel]

You will never be able to get the latest and greatest. Their phone selection is hideous. I know, I am on Verizon.

 

[openwheel]

Verizon, as stated before, will give great coverage, better than average speeds, and charge you an arm & a leg for it. They've brainwashed the American public much like Apple has, that they're giving you something absolutely spectacular and magical, and there's a premium for it. They'll also try to screw you over every chance they get, be it through fees, "regulations", taking features from your plan, etc. They're quite frankly, one of the worst companies in this country, but at least they deliver a usable product.

well said.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

We get a discount at Verizon (dad works at IBM) so its not that expensive. I still have unlimited data and I put that to good use

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Its hard to generalize since each area is different. Here in LA, Verizon is great. In Orange County where I live, its getting worse and worse because of so many people on LTE now.

 

[Oyeve]

I live and work in NYC and have been on tmobile for 13 years. I have a VZW phone from work and at home I get 1 bar of LTE if im lucky and for the most part I am on 3g. On my personal tmobile phone I get full bars on LTE or 4G everywhere in the city and when I travel I have always gotten much better bars on tmoblie than I get on VZW. I know and hear all the time how VZW is sooooo superior but I have yet to see it.

 

[bearxor]

What's the spectrum frequency and what area is available for purchase?

 

[Accord99]

Verizon customers, is Verizon good? I've pretty much ignored the American cell industry, but with this on the horizon I'm looking for customer experiences.

Verizon is basically what the Canadian Big 3 want to be, a company who builds a premium network and charges a premium fee to access them.

Typically their plans are about the same as the Big 3's new 2 year contracts (the Big 3 were basically inspired by Verizon's plans), however:

-Verizon has a poorer phone selection
-Verizon locks down their phones far more
-Verizon adds more carrier stuff to their phones
-Verizon's network won't work with existing modern Canadian phones

 

[dagamer34]

Verizon is the network you get your employer to buy a phone plan on.

 

[hans007]

i'd say they are great.

the main issue is its expensive. if that isnt a huge issue for you , then i'd say at the minimum its better than at&t which seems to be just as expensive.

i've had t-mobile before which is good only in certain cities and definitely not say on the freeway between 2 large urban areas (horrible on the drive from LA to SF for example or from LA to las vegas).

i dont like paying $100 a month for verizon vs say $70 for t-mobile and the worse phone selection.

in the US at least whenever voLTE rolls out that should take care of at least the phone issue. i've heard at least where i live that T-mobile isg etting better so im hoping this at least makes verizon have to compete more. they can only command those prices while their competitors are not providing the service/reliability/speed that they can.

 

[88keys]

It really depends on how you look at it.

Money isn't that tight for me and the way I look at it is the primary reason that I have a cell phone is so I can make/receive calls and texts virtually anywhere, so I will happily pay the premium for the better network even if that means downgrading to a dumbphone plan. The best smartphone in the world is just a glorified PSP you are without service.

But seeing as you are in Canada, I would let others be the guinea pig before I would make the leap myself.