Monday, March 23, 2009
Verizon Wireless Sucks
****
Confession: I left AT&T Mobility in a fit of pique. I'd been a customer for many years and clashed with them over having to lock into a new contract when I wanted to open a new line in my family plan, even though I owned several compatible phones outright. I figured if I was going to have to have a new contract anyway, I'd just go to Verizon and get new phones also. I am sorry I did. I'm now in my third month of service with Verizon Wireless and I can say without a doubt that I am dissatisfied, to say the least.
My biggest source of dissatisfaction comes from the phone itself, a Motorola V750 Adventure. Transferring music files involves interfacing with Rhapsody, rather than using the elegant and useful Motorola Phone Tools software that I used happily with my old V365. Transferring MP3 files is an excercise in patience. I do not care for Rhapsody's interface anyway, which is why I use ITunes. I finally figured out how to get the files out of my music folders onto the phone after loading Verizon's version of Rhapsody. Sometime during the course of trying to get the damned phone to work, I inadvertantly activated V-Cast. Getting that credited off my bill was difficult, but finally accomplished, although I still got stuck with a portion of the billing for a service I didin't want and never used.
I've tried to come up with a way to use normal headphones with this unit; not happening. The 2.5mm headphone jack will only work with a two way headset. Attempting to plug a good set of phones into the jack results in nothing, so I seem to be stuck with a MP3 capable cell phone - the reason I chose this phone to begin with - that is a crappy MP3 player. I now also have a pile of adaptors that don't work.
Why Verizon chose Rhapsody over Motorola's own file transfer program is a mystery to me, as I would think the ability to handle all your digital files with one easy-to-use program would make for a happier end user, which as I am beginning to discover isn't too high on Verizon's priority list. This concludes the music portion of my criticism of the V750's shortcomings.
Now for pictures. The Motorola V750 includes a 2 megapixel camera. Apparently, the only way to move photos off my phone and onto something I can use as a photo editor involves sending the photo via text to an online album. Here's a clue: texting photos without a plan costs $.25 per photo, or you can opt for a plan at I forget what ridiculous cost. The Motorola V365 I had while I was with AT&T Mobility allowed me to transfer into my editing software using - you guessed it - Motorola Phone Tools software at no additional cost. So I now have a camera phone - the 2 mega-pixel camera being another reason I chose the V750 - that is a lousy camera.
I've been told that data on an optional memory card can be transferred directly using an USB adaptor - yet another unnecessary expense.
The main purpose of a cell phone is to make and receive phone calls, and at this the V750 is adequate, although, again, it's not as good as the less sophisticated V365. Whether this is due to Verizon's network not being as good as AT&T's or the phone itself, I can't be sure. I'd like to blame all of the V750's problems on Verizon, but Motorola desrves at least some of the blame for allowing Verizon to talk them into making this piece of crap. If all I wanted was an adequate cell phone, I'd have opted for the freebie that comes with the damnable contract and to hell with it.
In effect, I'm paying for something I can't use properly.
I have better things to do with my life than worry about a cell phone, so as I had time, I made several trips to the Verizon store trying to come up with the right combination of software and adaptors to make this phone work, to no avail. By the time I figured out once and for all that this phone was a lemon, or more precisely, a POS, it was too late to trade it in for something else. Apparently, the only way to get a usable phone in the Verizon sytem is to go with a smartphone. How AT&T managed to get it done with a lowly V365 is beyond me. Maybe they're just smarter than Verizon.
Now for the network. Slightly more dropped calls and more dead spots. I generally travel the same beaten path, so comparisons are easy. AT&T's network is simply better in my area. Customer service is much better; Verizon's reps adopt a hard line from the get-go. My experience with AT&T was much better. I can be belligerant, no doubt. I work in customer service myself and appreciate that the rep on the other end of the line doesn't make the rules or design the phones. I do have to say that the two reps I spoke with were professional, if ultimately unhelpful.
I'd be happy to drop my contract, but I'm not about to give Verizon the privilege of $350.00 unearned. If they'd waive the fees, I'd drop them in a heartbeat. Instead, I'll content myself with costing them a customer or two, beginning with my extended family. When I went with AT&T, I brought my family (3 adult children, my parents and their families) into the network. I've already counselled my kids to wait on joining Verizon, and now I'll warn them off completely.
If for some reason you still want to go with Verizon, stay away from the Motorola Adventure V750 and more power to you. There may be a better cellular company out there than AT&T, but it ain't Verizon.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Confession: I left AT&T Mobility in a fit of pique. I'd been a customer for many years and clashed with them over having to lock into a new contract when I wanted to open a new line in my family plan, even though I owned several compatible phones outright. I figured if I was going to have to have a new contract anyway, I'd just go to Verizon and get new phones also. I am sorry I did. I'm now in my third month of service with Verizon Wireless and I can say without a doubt that I am dissatisfied, to say the least.
My biggest source of dissatisfaction comes from the phone itself, a Motorola V750 Adventure. Transferring music files involves interfacing with Rhapsody, rather than using the elegant and useful Motorola Phone Tools software that I used happily with my old V365. Transferring MP3 files is an excercise in patience. I do not care for Rhapsody's interface anyway, which is why I use ITunes. I finally figured out how to get the files out of my music folders onto the phone after loading Verizon's version of Rhapsody. Sometime during the course of trying to get the damned phone to work, I inadvertantly activated V-Cast. Getting that credited off my bill was difficult, but finally accomplished, although I still got stuck with a portion of the billing for a service I didin't want and never used.
I've tried to come up with a way to use normal headphones with this unit; not happening. The 2.5mm headphone jack will only work with a two way headset. Attempting to plug a good set of phones into the jack results in nothing, so I seem to be stuck with a MP3 capable cell phone - the reason I chose this phone to begin with - that is a crappy MP3 player. I now also have a pile of adaptors that don't work.
Why Verizon chose Rhapsody over Motorola's own file transfer program is a mystery to me, as I would think the ability to handle all your digital files with one easy-to-use program would make for a happier end user, which as I am beginning to discover isn't too high on Verizon's priority list. This concludes the music portion of my criticism of the V750's shortcomings.
Now for pictures. The Motorola V750 includes a 2 megapixel camera. Apparently, the only way to move photos off my phone and onto something I can use as a photo editor involves sending the photo via text to an online album. Here's a clue: texting photos without a plan costs $.25 per photo, or you can opt for a plan at I forget what ridiculous cost. The Motorola V365 I had while I was with AT&T Mobility allowed me to transfer into my editing software using - you guessed it - Motorola Phone Tools software at no additional cost. So I now have a camera phone - the 2 mega-pixel camera being another reason I chose the V750 - that is a lousy camera.
I've been told that data on an optional memory card can be transferred directly using an USB adaptor - yet another unnecessary expense.
The main purpose of a cell phone is to make and receive phone calls, and at this the V750 is adequate, although, again, it's not as good as the less sophisticated V365. Whether this is due to Verizon's network not being as good as AT&T's or the phone itself, I can't be sure. I'd like to blame all of the V750's problems on Verizon, but Motorola desrves at least some of the blame for allowing Verizon to talk them into making this piece of crap. If all I wanted was an adequate cell phone, I'd have opted for the freebie that comes with the damnable contract and to hell with it.
In effect, I'm paying for something I can't use properly.
I have better things to do with my life than worry about a cell phone, so as I had time, I made several trips to the Verizon store trying to come up with the right combination of software and adaptors to make this phone work, to no avail. By the time I figured out once and for all that this phone was a lemon, or more precisely, a POS, it was too late to trade it in for something else. Apparently, the only way to get a usable phone in the Verizon sytem is to go with a smartphone. How AT&T managed to get it done with a lowly V365 is beyond me. Maybe they're just smarter than Verizon.
Now for the network. Slightly more dropped calls and more dead spots. I generally travel the same beaten path, so comparisons are easy. AT&T's network is simply better in my area. Customer service is much better; Verizon's reps adopt a hard line from the get-go. My experience with AT&T was much better. I can be belligerant, no doubt. I work in customer service myself and appreciate that the rep on the other end of the line doesn't make the rules or design the phones. I do have to say that the two reps I spoke with were professional, if ultimately unhelpful.
I'd be happy to drop my contract, but I'm not about to give Verizon the privilege of $350.00 unearned. If they'd waive the fees, I'd drop them in a heartbeat. Instead, I'll content myself with costing them a customer or two, beginning with my extended family. When I went with AT&T, I brought my family (3 adult children, my parents and their families) into the network. I've already counselled my kids to wait on joining Verizon, and now I'll warn them off completely.
If for some reason you still want to go with Verizon, stay away from the Motorola Adventure V750 and more power to you. There may be a better cellular company out there than AT&T, but it ain't Verizon.
Don't say I didn't warn you.
Labels: cell phones
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