1. Price: Pros: Verizon is fairly competitive with price plans, and meets the competition head-to-head with promotions. Considering Verizon's extensive coverage, they offer very good value value. They were the first major carrier to launch an "Unlimited" plan. Cons: Verizon isn't a leader in giving the most minutes for the dollar, and, if there is a feature they don't think will bring any new customers through to door, they just don't think they need to offer it.
2. Coverage: Pros: Verizon has areas where they are the undisputed coverage king, especially in the west. Having the largest number of licenses in these areas help. They are still improving their coverage in many areas, especially where they have purchased new PCS spectrum over the years. You can travel across entire states with Verizon service, unlike PCS-only carriers who have coverage only in high-traffic areas. Cons: While Verizon has a lot of areas covered, a few of the rural areas are served by other carriers with whom Verizon has a roaming agreement. Most of these areas were built for users using higher-powered car-phones, so the cells are still spaced a bit too far apart. In a few markets like the Gulf states, Verizon does not have the most extensive coverage. Some small carriers cover their markets with far more cell sites than Verizon.
3. Customer Service: Pros:We call all the service providers, and Verizon's have been noticeably among the best. I am led to believe Verizon is the industry-leader in customer service pay scales. These people seem to be instructed to take your side of a problem, and usually give you credits more readily than other carriers when there is a problem. Cons: Verizon is big company, and many agents just haven't 'seen it all'. It's a high-turnover position, but they do try to find the answers. Requesting information by email seems to be the most unreliable. Customer Service hours end around 11pm, but technical assistance is 24/7.
4. Phone Selection: Pros: Verizon's phones are well-tested on their network, so it is comforting to know the phones they sell fit minimum specs. Verizon is big enough to strong arm manufacturers to create products that set themselves apart, at least for a short time. Cons: They don't have many phones to choose from in the lower price ranges, and some of them are not very 'glamorous.' This situation is improving. Verizon has a nasty policy of installing their own special User Interface, standard in all phones. While it isn't necessarily bad, it does seem to magnify some of the quirks in that you just can't try another phone to get around a feature you don't like. I know many older users who dislike that they cannot choose a larger font.
5. Roaming: Pros: Verizon gives you relatively simple-to-understand coverage areas. Their plans gives you coverage even if you must roam on another system. Roaming does not necessarily mean you won't get all the normal network features...in some cases it is transparent. Cons: Verizon seems to be more restrictive than other CDMA carriers about roaming, especially with their most popular plan, "America's Choice II." They can certainly demand good roaming agreements from other carriers, but if they don't play ball, Verizon just leaves them out of the Preferred Roaming List, to the detriment of their, and our, roaming abilities.
6. Features: Pros: Verizon has all the typical digital features: Call Waiting, Call Forwarding, 3-way Dialing, Voice Mail, Caller ID, Text Messaging, and Web access; and they claim they work nationally. Their "Get It Now" service has many extra goodies that help you pick and choose a lot or just a few snazzy services. Their free Backup Assistant is worth hundreds if you find yourself needing to replace hundreds of lost entries in your phone book. Their "Chaperone" service is another useful feature that some parents now swear by, and their kids swear at. Cons: Verizon restricts some of the features customers of other carriers take for granted, like Blue Tooth. While Blue Tooth headsets work in some models, they restrict data transfer, instead forcing you through the "Get It Now" system, at an additional charge.
7. Audio Quality: Pros: Where Verizon is digital, it is usually as good as any digital carrier. Like many CDMA carriers, when it's good, it's very good. Cons: Verizon seems to have some old equipment, because some digital calls seem to be noticeably distorted. I have heard good and bad quality from the same cells, so I think the problems are in the switching infrastructure. Overall, Verizon does not have the best network audio. This does seem to be market-dependant.
8. Plans: Pros: Verizon offers competitive included-minute
plans, but even better are their promotional
plans. They allow existing customers to switch
to these promotional plans, and unlike most
other carriers, they will let you switch
to a different price plan anytime during
your billing month. If you do the math, a
combination of on-network call ("IN")
and/or off-peak add-ons result in a much
bigger effective bucket of minutes. Old plans
are normally grandfathered. Cons: If you change plans, you may lose any promotional
features of your original plan. Or, even
more of a problem, when you change among
regular plans, the new plan may not have
the same add-on features as the old, requiring
a new agreement. Your plan coverage area
could change as well. Changing to pick up
a new promotional plan usually requires starting
a new one- or two-year contract. Plan changes
are pro-rated. There are some plans available
that are not shown in their brochures or
online...you need to ask.
9. Information: Pros: Verizon is a step ahead in offering documentation
and online information to help users get
maximum value and use from their phones.
Their web site works well, and offers equipment
and feature instructions. They also provide
your bill viewable online, and your remaining
minutes both online and on the phone. Their
coverage locator is somewhat useful in determining
generally where you will find coverage. Cons: Verizon's coverage maps vary greatly in their
detail. Unlike the other major carriers,
their coverage maps do not show a gradient
of signal strength...it's pass/fail. Coverage
shown for roaming partners is relatively
poor. That's why we to provide the old Verizon
coverage maps on our maps page.
10. Data: Pros:Verizon offers 'slow' service that operates
like dial-up and uses your plan's included
minutes, but more useful are their broadband
features, some that provide very fast data
speeds, and multimedia features. Yes, you
can watch TV on your phone. Cons: They are restricting how much access you
have without one of the data plans. You may
need your own ISP to use their 'slow' service.
Using data while roaming off the Verizon
network is not universally available.
Get Online Discounts from VERIZON WIRELESS
(updated Feb. 21, 2008)