Overview
Verizon recently acquired Alltel, making it the largest wireless provider in the United States. They are very involved in the community, and are committed to top-quality service. Along with wireless technology, they offer their customers business and residential solutions.
Pros: Verizon has many plans to choose from in many categories. Plans are reasonably priced and let customers choose what tier they want, from basic to premium. They include a lot of features with their select and premium options. Also, data plans include both PDA and BlackBerry compatibility. Verizon also gives seniors a discount with their 65 Plus plan on both family plans and individual plans. The acquisition of Alltel brought about a Friends and Family program which allows unlimited calling to five numbers of your choice.
Cons: A termination fee of up to $175 is required to end a contract early. Their over-minute charges vary with each plan, up to $0.40.
Detailed Provider Information
Plans: Verizon offers a variety of plan categories, including individual, family, and prepaid. They also offer voice and data plans. There are four tiers for each category. Basic plans give you a monthly allowance of minutes and require you to pay for text, picture and video messaging. You’ll also have to pay per megabyte when you use Mobile Web 2.0. You can add a package at a reduced rate, if you wish. Select Plans give you unlimited messaging with anyone in the U.S. on the Verizon network at any time. This is true for text, picture and video messaging. You will still have to pay for Mobile Web 2.0, but you can get a VCast VPak package which will give you unlimited megabytes. Connect plans offer everything the Select plans do except Web browsing is unlimited, and mobile email is included. Finally, Premium plans give you unlimited messaging, navigating, and email. You also get unlimited megabytes.
In the Basic Individual category, there are four plans. The monthly minutes range from 450 to unlimited, and the price ranges from $39.99 to $99.99. You get unlimited night and weekend minutes and unlimited national in-calling. The Select plans have a minute range from 450 to unlimited, and a price range between $59.99 and $119.99. These plans also have unlimited night and weekend calling and unlimited national in-calling. Connect plans range from 450 to unlimited minutes, and range in price from $69.99 to $129.99. They offer everything the Select plans include, with the addition of mobile email. Premium plans range from 450 to unlimited minutes and have a price range between $79.99 and $139.99. They include everything the Select and Connect plans include. The 65 Plus plan gives seniors 200 minutes for $29.99, and 500 night and weekend minutes.
Verizon has FamilyShare plans, which allow families to share minutes from a common pool. There are six plans in this category, starting at 700 minutes and going up to unlimited. Pricing is determined by how many lines you want, ranging from $69.99 all the way up to $499.95. The Select plans have the same number of minutes, but different pricing, ranging from $99.99 to $529.95. Connect plans also start at 700 minutes and go up to unlimited, with a price range of $199.99 to $579.95. Finally, Premium plans start at $139.99 for two lines on the 700 minute plan, and go all the way up to $629.95 for five lines on the unlimited minute plan. All of these plans also include unlimited national in-calling and unlimited nights and weekends. The 65 Plus plan is also available on the FamilyShare plans.
Check out Verizon’s prepaid calling plans here.
Verizon also offers business plans. These include unlimited national in-calling minutes—which is essentially mobile-to-mobile calling with Verizon wireless customers at any time—no domestic roaming or long distance charges, unlimited nights and weekends, and Mobile Web 2.0. The plans start at 450 minutes and go up to 6,000 minutes. You can choose Basic pricing, which ranges from $39.99 to $199.99, or Select pricing, which ranges from $59.99 to $219.99. Select plans, as always, include unlimited text, picture, and video messaging to anyone on any network in the USA.
Customer Service: Verizon has several methods of customer service, including an online knowledgebase, email, or phone support. You can also choose to sign up for an account online to manage your account and pay your bills online.
Credit Check: Credit checks may be performed throughout the duration of your services with the company.
Contract: The minimum contract is one or two years for most plans. A termination fee of up to $175 is charged to people who break their contract early.
Payment Options: You can choose to pay online, with automatic payments that will be taken out of your account with your authorization; by credit card, over the phone, or through the mail with a check or credit card.
Text and Picture Messaging: All plans except for those in the Basic Category include unlimited text, picture and video messaging. Basic accounts will pay per message.
Data Plans: Select and Premium plans include unlimited data through Mobile Web 2.0. Verizon charges $1.99 per MB used on their Basic plans. Click here for a list of BlackBerry and PDA plans located at BBGeeks.com.
Downloadables: Verizon has a plethora of items available for download, including ringtones, video clips, mobile TV, games, music, wallpaper, and lots of cool tools and applications. Downloading charges may apply.
International Calling: You can make international calls through Verizon. Check what rates are charged when you’re calling the country of your choice here. You can also choose to add an international calling plan for $3.99 per month to provide discounted international rates when you call overseas.
Roaming Charges: There are no domestic roaming charges on any plan. However, international roaming charges will apply if the customer uses his/her phone overseas.
Calling Features: All plans include three-way calling, caller ID, and voicemail.
Activation Fee: Verizon charges an activation fee of $35 per line, and $25 per secondary FamilyShare Plan line with a two-year minimum term.
Nationwide Long Distance: Long distance isn’t charged domestically; however, you will be responsible for paying any international charges.
411 Calls: $1.49 plus airtime.
911 Calls: 911 calls are free.
Phones: Verizon has the latest cell phones and accessories available. With great plans to match, you are sure to find a combination that works for you. Try the LG Versa.
Some Additional Phones Available:
Samsung Models
Motorola Krave ZN4
Verizon Wireless XV6900
Nokia Models
Average Reviewer Rating
Great service all around. I've never had an issue with my signal in this area.
I have had Verizon now for the past 4-5 years and over the years I have seen other companies start to offer some interesting features but Verizon still hasn't offered me anything to make me stay. Other carriers offer 6 or 7 PM nights, rollover, more minutes for the money, etc. and Verizon never offered anything above and beyond their regular pricing. Now Sprint had an unlimited plan for $100 that includes free internet, unlimited messaging, unlimited Sprint TV, nights at 7PM which Verizon's unlimited plan for the same price is just unlimited calling. You have to pay $20 extra to get unlimited messaging and them even more for internet service. I am sorry I am going over to Sprint which is also on the CDMA network as Verizon. Verizon needs to jump on the band wagon and offer something out of the ordinary.
As far as coverage is concerned I have always enjoyed Verizon's service. I live in San Diego and could take my phone to Mexico and still get coverage while having lobster in Puerto Nuevo.
On the downside, I did leave them before because I had a phone (and their insurance)that broke. When the phone broke I brought it back for replacement. They gladly replaced the phone with another BROKEN phone. When I informed them that the phone that they had replaced was broken they said they could not do anything about it because it had to be returned by a certain deadline! I didn't even use the phone and let them know within a day it was broken.
They did not want to replace the phone so after reading the riot act to a few people and a few different Verizon service centers I canceled my plan and of course paid the fee for early cancellation.
Bottom line I enjoy the coverage and I haven't had any problems with the "business" account. But as far as customer service goes. I will leave before I seek their help again.
I guess the fact that I've had Verizon service for about five years now is my best recommendation for them.
In the bay area (San Franscisco, Mountain View, Oakland, etc) I've always had great coverage. Friends on other networks are always complaining about dead spots, but that's never been an issue for me with Verizon. It's rare that I don't have reception. And they were great when I lost my phone a few weeks back - I ordered online and had a new Motorola RAZR delivered to me the next day.
That said, I'd recommend keeping an eye on your service plan over time. I've had a couple of instances where there were much better plans available, and I only found out when I went on their site for something unrelated.
Overall, Verizon has been a solid mobile provider. I don't see myself switching anytime soon.
Verizon has a great network domestically - best of breed in my opinion. In my local, major metropolitan area (NYC), I have used AT&T, Sprint and Verizon and can tell you hands down that Verizon was the clear winner in terms of voice clarity, signal strength, and overall reliability throughout the region.
I've had both positive and negative experiences with Verizon. I travel a lot and I notice that in some cities, I always have excellent access and the EVDO network (both through the laptop card and through my phone - a Motorola "Q") are screaming fast. These include San Diego, New York & quite surprisingly, rural Vermont. However, in my home market of Seattle and in the hills and valleys of the Bay Area, I've seen very inconsistent service.
The worst part about Verizon for me is the inability to go overseas. The rental phones they send you for European or Asian travel not only suck, they barely work and they're exorbitantly overpriced.
As for the "Q" itself, it's not a bad machine. The battery runs out pretty fast, though, so unless you're very conservative, you'll want the thicker, longer life battery (which makes the phone about 50% thicker). The full keyboard is good, and the interface is decent, at least for a Windows Mobile device. The screen size and scroll wheel on the right are probably the best features.
Overall, I'm probably not going to stay with Verizon for long due to the inconsistent local service and overseas issues, but if you're planning to stay around San Diego, NYC or any other market where it works well, and you can get a good price, it's not a terrible option.
I was a Verizon customer for over 5 years, and I *hated* it. The actual phone service wasn't bad, but when it comes to customer service: they don't have a clue! I would spend 2-3 hours waiting in line trying to get my phone fixed, and as soon as I'd get to the counter, the Verizon guy would give me attitude and give be a worthless answer.
On top of that, I actually dreaded that 2 year anniversary date when I would get to upgrade my phone. Again, the long lines, unfriendly employees, and overall horrible customer management.
A few years back I had T-Mobile and even though they had better phones (they always seem to newer technology), their service would always drop my calls, which was really frustrating. I switched to Verizon and I have never looked back. Verizon's rates are usually higher than the rest of the carriers - but to me it's worth it. The coverage is awesome, I never get dropped calls, it works well all over the US.
Verizon may be more expensive, but their coverage is by far the best of any service I tried.