So.... tell me why I should trust AT&T and not go to Verizon

[NicoleW]

In the area I live in (Northwestern MN) there are basically 3 choices. Verizon. Sprint. And soon to be AT&T. I'm completely ticked off at AT&T right now. The way they have handled this transition from Alltel is extremely poor. I can't believe that every single update I have gotten about this transition, I have had to get from the internet or through my own research. I 100% believe that they dropped the ball on this, and they way they act makes it appear that they don't care if they don't keep any of the former Alltel customers. Add that with being rated dead last with customer relations with Consumer Reports (something I'm starting to believe because of this transition), as well as the blocked Android updates, and their latest trick... disabling the HSUPA on their supposed 4G devices. The cards are started to get stacked more and more in favor of leaving them.

Sprint is a non-option for me. Their coverage in this area is very very spotty, and their plans are quite a bit more expensive for my family. (Two phones, and we are not high-quantity users. Minimal minutes, not a whole lot of data needed.)

Verizon is a bit more expensive than a comparable plan with ATT. If we were to drop the phone insurance, the price would be about $20 more a month than what we would pay with ATT. The Verizon network around here is pretty strong. There is the advantage that if we wanted to use a crap-load of data, we could with their unlimited plan. They are also rated higher for customer service. And I'm not opposed to paying more for something if I can get a better product and better service.

ATT's network in this area will probably pretty similar to Verizon's. Alltel and Verizon both had good coverage, but not sure how much of that was with roaming agreements between the two. The only advantage that I"m seeing ATT has over Verizon right now is the price. $240 a year cheaper. Yeah, there's the whole surf while talking thing, but I honestly don't know how much I'd use it given that it's never been an option before.

So, tell me something I don't know about ATT, and help me to decide if it's worth giving them a bit more of my patience.

[mick662]

I've read your posts over the last few days, and it seems as if your mind is already made up. I just have one question. If your Alltel service is still working fine, what's the big rush for the conversion to happen? I could understand if they turned off Alltel service and we were all sitting here with no service until the conversion. But we're not, so I just don't understand why everyone is so upset that it's taking longer than originally planned.

[NicoleW]

My mind isn't made up. I wanted to like AT&T. I was excited about the transition, I felt they had a better service and better phones to offer their customers, and they cost less than Verizon. I still want to like AT&T. Part of my desire to have this all over and done with is that I am really wanting to get a high-end phone, but I didn't want to have to pay for one with Alltel, only to have to pay for another one with AT&T. The other reason is that I can no longer get my employee discount with this transaction in process. It got dropped last fall, and I've tried several times to get it back, but have been told they can't because of the transition.

But honestly, what has me the most upset is how AT&T is handling the whole process. I'm not the only one saying this, too. There has been very little communication from AT&T any of the times there have been a delay. On their Facebook page, nearly every single day, there are posts from people asking what has happened with the phones they ordered last Oct/Nov/Dec that they were told they would receive in January. Given that it's now the middle (nearly end) of Feb, those people have a right to be upset. Especially those who don't know when their credit cards are going to be charged. If they had told us last June that the transition would take a full year, then I would have been okay with that. Seriously. I can be patient if I know why I have to be.

And then discovering that the two phones I'd been seriously considering getting (the Atrix and Inspire) have been crippled by AT&T, and therefore don't even technically meet the definition of HSPA+ much less 4G. Yet they're being advertised as 4G phones! That sounds like false advertising to me. Not exactly something that inspires consumer confidence in a company that is already rated as one of the worst.

If I was going to bail on Alltel/AT&T, I would have by now. ETF be darned. I seriously do want to know if there is a redeeming factor to this company. And that's why I asked the question I did. But, if there isn't one, then I want to know that too. Based on what I've seen from them on this transition, I'm not impressed, but I'm trying to keep an open mind.

[sprke81]

If you don't care about data speeds you'll be happy with VZW. I have both ATT and VZW and where ATT has 3G they are much faster but VZW has way more 3G coverage and it just always works..and they do have a decent Android line up and now the iPhone.

I can 100% confirm that ATT is playing some fishy game with their 4G Android phones and the public needs to know about it. The data speeds are slower on their 4G phones then their 3G phones until you hack it

[JFV1134]

My mind isn't made up. I wanted to like AT&T. I was excited about the transition, I felt they had a better service and better phones to offer their customers, and they cost less than Verizon. I still want to like AT&T. Part of my desire to have this all over and done with is that I am really wanting to get a high-end phone, but I didn't want to have to pay for one with Alltel, only to have to pay for another one with AT&T. The other reason is that I can no longer get my employee discount with this transaction in process. It got dropped last fall, and I've tried several times to get it back, but have been told they can't because of the transition.

Hey Nicole, I understand your frustration at this point. I am in the same boat! I finally received my iPhone 4 but cannot activate it until April. You also have to understand what AT&T is going through and what they are doing. Not only are they upgrading every tower in the newly acquired area, they are installing brand new components. In my city, Billings, MT, they just finished enabling the 3G service. When I connected with my iPad, the speed of the data connection was astounding. It was neck and neck with my home wifi connection!

Please be patient through this whole transition process. It will be the best network in your area and besides, it will be cheaper than big red.



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[sprke81]

Hey Nicole, I understand your frustration at this point. I am in the same boat! I finally received my iPhone 4 but cannot activate it until April. You also have to understand what AT&T is going through and what they are doing. Not only are they upgrading every tower in the newly acquired area, they are installing brand new components. In my city, Billings, MT, they just finished enabling the 3G service. When I connected with my iPad, the speed of the data connection was astounding. It was neck and neck with my home wifi connection!

Please be patient through this whole transition process. It will be the best network in your area and besides, it will be cheaper than big red.



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Uhh ATT and VZW are pretty the same in price. The only way ATT is cheaper is there capped data plans and then that isn't comparing apples to apples

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[mick662]

You also have to understand what AT&T is going through and what they are doing.

This is a good point, too. To quote you from another thread:

I have some inside information about the phones shipping out to people in Montana from the Post Office. My mother works there.

17000 phones arrived today from Fort Worth, TX.
17000 phones will arrive tomorrow.
27000 phones will arrive Sunday.

That is a lot of phones and that's just a small part of the transition. How many subs did AT&T acquire? If I remember correctly, it was ~1.5-2 million. That's how many phones need to be shipped, along with network upgrades, account transition, etc.

[NicoleW]

Yes, I understand that there is a heck of a lot of work to be done here. I honestly do understand that. I know that not only is it hardware that needs to be installed, but also millions of accounts to be dealt with on the software side. I know that it's not a simple flip of the switch. But I also know that ATT knew how many people and accounts when they completed this transaction in June of last year. That number hasn't suddenly increased by magic. And this isn't their first time taking over a market area, so it's not like they went into this blind. So it's not completely unreasonable on my part to expect them to know how long it will take to transition. Yes, deadlines slip. But how many times is acceptable? Their first deadline was by the end of 2010. Now, I've been told that it will be late May before my phones even ship out. Yes, LATE MAY. I got that directly from an AT&T customer service representative, not a rumor off the internet. The beginning of Feb, a rep told me my phones would be shipped by "the end of Feb, no later than March." Not even two weeks later, that was shifted back over 2 months to late May.

I hope this makes sense. This is why I'm frustrated and impatient. I am honestly trying to be reasonable. I don't want to come off like some of the people I see on Facebook with their childish threats of "give me my unlimited data back, or I'm dropping all 20 of my lines tonight!" I'm trying to do my research and trying to keep an open mind. I know that sometimes things get worse before they get better, but I have yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel with this transition, and in fact, the tunnel seems to be getting longer and darker. (Okay, really lousy comparison, but it's late and I'm tired. ) I fully planned on committing to a two year contract with AT&T, but I don't want to end up on day 40 with buyer's remorse and wondering why I didn't get out while I had the chance, if that makes sense.

Oh, and in response to sprke81, I've gone through and compared plans with Verizon and ATT. The absolute lowest plan for both carriers with two smartphones, comparable texting and data, and insurance, ATT is considerably cheaper per month than Verizon. As I said in my first post, we don't talk a lot, and definitely don't text a lot. Hubby actually doesn't even use that much data on his phone since most of the time he uses it, he's in the house. If we needed bigger talk, text, and data, I'm sure the numbers would tell a different story.

Thanks guys for reading through this and letting me vent a bit. For now, I'm hanging tight and just waiting to see what ATT has next up its sleeve.

[JFV1134]

Yes, I understand that there is a heck of a lot of work to be done here. I honestly do understand that. I know that not only is it hardware that needs to be installed, but also millions of accounts to be dealt with on the software side. I know that it's not a simple flip of the switch. But I also know that ATT knew how many people and accounts when they completed this transaction in June of last year. That number hasn't suddenly increased by magic. And this isn't their first time taking over a market area, so it's not like they went into this blind. So it's not completely unreasonable on my part to expect them to know how long it will take to transition. Yes, deadlines slip. But how many times is acceptable? Their first deadline was by the end of 2010. Now, I've been told that it will be late May before my phones even ship out. Yes, LATE MAY. I got that directly from an AT&T customer service representative, not a rumor off the internet. The beginning of Feb, a rep told me my phones would be shipped by "the end of Feb, no later than March." Not even two weeks later, that was shifted back over 2 months to late May.

I hope this makes sense. This is why I'm frustrated and impatient. I am honestly trying to be reasonable. I don't want to come off like some of the people I see on Facebook with their childish threats of "give me my unlimited data back, or I'm dropping all 20 of my lines tonight!" I'm trying to do my research and trying to keep an open mind. I know that sometimes things get worse before they get better, but I have yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel with this transition, and in fact, the tunnel seems to be getting longer and darker. (Okay, really lousy comparison, but it's late and I'm tired. ) I fully planned on committing to a two year contract with AT&T, but I don't want to end up on day 40 with buyer's remorse and wondering why I didn't get out while I had the chance, if that makes sense.

Oh, and in response to sprke81, I've gone through and compared plans with Verizon and ATT. The absolute lowest plan for both carriers with two smartphones, comparable texting and data, and insurance, ATT is considerably cheaper per month than Verizon. As I said in my first post, we don't talk a lot, and definitely don't text a lot. Hubby actually doesn't even use that much data on his phone since most of the time he uses it, he's in the house. If we needed bigger talk, text, and data, I'm sure the numbers would tell a different story.

Thanks guys for reading through this and letting me vent a bit. For now, I'm hanging tight and just waiting to see what ATT has next up its sleeve.

Venting is good.

[elgee02]

Oh, and in response to sprke81, I've gone through and compared plans with Verizon and ATT. The absolute lowest plan for both carriers with two smartphones, comparable texting and data, and insurance, ATT is considerably cheaper per month than Verizon. As I said in my first post, we don't talk a lot, and definitely don't text a lot. Hubby actually doesn't even use that much data on his phone since most of the time he uses it, he's in the house. If we needed bigger talk, text, and data, I'm sure the numbers would tell a different story.

Your "research" is faulty, their calling and texting plans are exactly the same, the only difference is smartphone data as ATT has 2gb VZW has unlimited for $29.99

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[NicoleW]

Your "research" is faulty, their calling and texting plans are exactly the same, the only difference is smartphone data as ATT has 2gb VZW has unlimited for $29.99

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Umm.... No, they're not. ATT's smallest family talk plan is 550 minutes. Verizon's is 700 minutes. They have different rates for insurance as well as for texting.

Comparison for unlimited texting (which is NOT needed, as I've explained)

ATT
550 FamilyTalk
Unlimited Messaging for Families
2 lines - both with DataPro 2GB
2 lines of insurance
$149.97

Verizon
700 Talk & Text
2 lines both with insurance and data
$173.95

The actual plans we would use:

ATT
550 FamilyTalk
Both lines with insurance
Line 1 DataPro 2GB
Line 1 w/ Messaging 1000
Line 2 w/ DataPlus 200MB
Line 2 w/o messaging
$119.97

Verizon
700 Talk
2 lines with insurance and data
Line 1 500 messages
Line 2 w/o messaging
$153.95

Please don't tell me my research is "faulty" unless you can prove it to me.

[elgee02]

VZW has the 550 minute plan for the same price as AT&T but it's not advertised on their site. Anyone can get it however.

[NicoleW]

That is interesting to know. I will check that out.

[zifnab06]

Just to post a quick (almost two year) Verizon interaction:

I bought an LG env2 when they first came out. After 4 replacements (all due to the front keypad going out, a manufacturer defect), Verizon decided they'd give me a 'Free' one year upgrade, which I was okay with. The Droid Eris they sent me was great, the problem was it was Certified Pre-Owned. Which you would think would make a good phone.

The first phone had a heat problem. It would die within about 30min of turning on, and after about a month wouldn't turn on. Phone 2 had a blown speaker, and you couldn't hear anything out of it when you called someone. Phone 3 didn't even turn on. Phone 4 came rooted (I was even told by a representative that the warranty was 'void' on phone 4, even though it had never been activated on my account...).

Here comes replacement 2. Verizon gave me a "Contract Free" upgrade. They send me a "brand new" Motorola Droid. And said they wouldn't extend the contract, whatsoever. A year or so later, I go to cancel my account with them (after the contract was up), and guess what...I had one year left!

With that "brand new" came a few problems. The "brand new" phone had pictures of someone's kid on it. Explain that to me. So, Verizon sent me a replacement phone (as they lied about it being "brand new"), and it was another CPO piece of crap. The phone locked up like crazy when almost anything (web browsing, Here comes replacement 3. Replacement 3 lasted for about a month, and then refused to turn on. Replacement 4 came.

Luckily I had a phone that worked finally. Until Verizon decided they would try to charge me a "Data Overage Fee" for using too much data on my (seemingly) unlimited data plan. So, as per their contract, I went to cancel the service (which should have been out of contract by then anyways...). Verizon tells me that I can't cancel over that fee, as I caused it. So, I pay the cancelation fee, go over to Alltel (soon to be AT&T), and sue the hell out of Verizon. I sent them a nice letter, explaining what my demands were, how they broke the contract I had with them, and how I expect a payment of the amount of the ETF plus the price of a comparable phone on another network. I guess their legal department realized they didn't have a chance...They sent me a nice check for the price of the ETF and the 32gb iPhone i purchased on AT&T.

So, if you do decide to go to Verizon, just be careful. For some reason, I'd recommend a square trade warranty or something, just to make sure you actually get a new phone. Or if something goes wrong, go through the manufacturer instead of Verizon. And if all else fails, get them to pay for an iPhone on another carrier!

[cycledude]

So you say verizon customer service likes to tell lies ? It's unbelievable the lies they have told me the past few months, my 8 year old alltel phone still works great on verizon but verizon customer service is about the worst I have ever seen.