Verizon Wireless customer service

[stevehoffman]

I just want to tell my fellow Phandroids that I have been blown away by Verizon Wireless customer service/tech support over the past 48 hours.

On two separate occasions (one involving activating my Droid and getting my old cell # ported over, and the other involving setting up email on the Droid), here is what I found when I called VZ Wireless customer service/tech support:

A. It did not take very long to get through to an actual human being. Just a quick voice-menu and practically no wait.

B. The human beings I spoke with spoke clearly, sounded friendly, were very patient, and were able to explain things in a way that I could understand it.

C. Rather than rush to get off the phone, they would not end the service call until we actually conducted a brief test to confirm that my problem was solved!

D. The problem was solved.

Hey, I'm like most everyone on this forum -- I like to post complaints when things go wrong. But fair's fair. I could not be more pleased with the accessibility and helpfulness of the Verizon Wireless tech support people that I've dealt with since getting the Droid.

And that makes me feel very good. I like to give my hard-earned money to companies that give good customer service, and to hell with those that don't! It also makes me feel good to know that I can occasionally call on Verizon Wireless to walk me step-by-step through some of the functions of my Droid.

 

[Tymanthius]

This is the MAIN reason I switched from the Death Star company to Verizon.

And I've never once regretted it.

The ppl are great in stores & on the phone. Sometimes I have to hurry them off the phone.

 

[koticphreak]

Yeah, Verizon really cares about their customers, each time I talk to them, they look over my bill/plan and my actual usage to see if I can go to a lower plan and save money.

If you care about customer service/reception - you're with Verizon - end of story.

 

[shotinthenads]

I can not believe I stayed with AT&T so long! I do not miss my iPhone one bit. I think my Droid is better than the 3Gs

 

[JonKyu]

This is the MAIN reason I switched from the Death Star company to Verizon.

And I've never once regretted it.

The ppl are great in stores & on the phone. Sometimes I have to hurry them off the phone.

I guess it depends on the area but I usually feel rushed when going to the store. I feel like they're always trying to quickly sell something to me. The lady activating my droid almost did some weird things with my account when I switched to a lower plan (so that I could get the smartphone data plan). Good thing I knew what I was doing (well...kind of lol). I made sure to ask A LOT of questions to make sure they didn't screw anything up, and so that I understood everything. I had a couple experiences where we had to go back to the store because of a mis-understanding/really rushed explanation lol. But generally my experience has been good.

 

[uberjeff]

I just want to tell my fellow Phandroids that I have been blown away by Verizon Wireless customer service/tech support over the past 48 hours.

On two separate occasions (one involving activating my Droid and getting my old cell # ported over, and the other involving setting up email on the Droid), here is what I found when I called VZ Wireless customer service/tech support:

A. It did not take very long to get through to an actual human being. Just a quick voice-menu and practically no wait.

B. The human beings I spoke with spoke clearly, sounded friendly, were very patient, and were able to explain things in a way that I could understand it.

C. Rather than rush to get off the phone, they would not end the service call until we actually conducted a brief test to confirm that my problem was solved!

D. The problem was solved.

Hey, I'm like most everyone on this forum -- I like to post complaints when things go wrong. But fair's fair. I could not be more pleased with the accessibility and helpfulness of the Verizon Wireless tech support people that I've dealt with since getting the Droid.

And that makes me feel very good. I like to give my hard-earned money to companies that give good customer service, and to hell with those that don't! It also makes me feel good to know that I can occasionally call on Verizon Wireless to walk me step-by-step through some of the functions of my Droid.

Glad to hear you had a good experience. Who did you port over from if you don't mind me asking? It sounds like it was a different kind of experience than you were used to.

 

[quentinfisher]

Glad to hear this, I'm switching from Sprint to Verizon, love Sprints plans and customer service but the lack of 3g even in big cities around my area as forced me to switch. Can't wait to get my Droid but I heard some horror stories about their CS, hopefully I'll have the same experience

 

[Campah]

I also had a great experience. They guy at Best Buy that set up my phone messed up on the text plan, so I was unable to send or receive SMS. Called Verizon, and the woman I talked to was really nice and personable. She stayed on the phone with me until we were sure it was fixed, and I never felt rushed - it was more like having a casual conversation. She seemed genually concerned with getting my issue fixed so I wouldn't need to call back. VERY impressed.

Way different than the AT&T blames Apple blames AT&T blames Apple game I've been used to playing.

 

[uberjeff]

Glad to hear this, I'm switching from Sprint to Verizon, love Sprints plans and customer service but the lack of 3g even in big cities around my area as forced me to switch. Can't wait to get my Droid but I heard some horror stories about their CS, hopefully I'll have the same experience

That is odd that you have heard horror stories about Verizon's CS. Usually it is consistently rated at or near the top, and far ahead of Sprint's. Verizon actually has 2 CS centers in the Phoenix area that your calls will likely route to. The one in Chandler is excellent and has an excellent tech support group that I helped train. The second one is 2 blocks away and a former Alltel center. I don't know anything about it, but Alltel's CS was usually rated pretty high. I'd say you are in good hands.

 

[Lisa W]

I can't say enough good things about Verizon Customer Service. Whenever I call they are friendly and helpful.
Switched to Verizon about 18 months ago because the AT&T insisted I was roaming in Mexico City anytime I talked on the phone when I was headed home from work (border in AZ). Could not get them to believe there was a Mexico Cell tower along the border! Compared to AT&T, Verizon is the best - give them a 4 star rating. Would make it 5 if they would just put in more cell towers so I have service out here in the country. "Can you here me now" doesn't work at my house.

 

[stevehoffman]

Uberjeff, I ported over from AT&T .. but I can't compare AT&T Mobile customer service to VZ Wireless customer service because I was a "low maintenance" customer of AT&T, had been with them for ages, used a simple (non-smart) cell phone, wasn't dealing with all the complexities of using a device like Droid.

Also, my praise of VZ Wireless relates to their customer service/tech support I got via calling their toll-free number. I have no idea whether the folks who work at VZ Wireless stores are that good, or not.

As to places like Best Buy, I'll admit -- Best Buy does try pretty hard to provide customer service on high-tech devices, but realistically the clerks there, who have to deal with a thousand different products (and who are working in a big-box discount store) aren't as likely to be as smart about VZ Wireless products as VZ Wireless' own people.

 

[build319]

Since I have a govt. account I rarely have had to deal with VZW CS however, the few times I did, they had me in touch with the right people every time. The first time was for setting up Exchange support. As me being the administrator of Exchange, I had to figure a few things out. I called their service and they had me in touch with people who even helped me on my server side issues!

 

[johnlgalt]

They may gouge us on the accessories, but I will say that they CS is top notch as well. I called them no less than 10 times from the end of Oct til D-day, and every time I got the answers I was looking for, and often enough I got advice on how to go about purchasing my phone and how best to maximize my money saving strategies.

Every single time I was asked if I had any other issues, several times I was told to be ready for the DROID as the rep talking to me had already played with it, and once I was even advised to stay away from the fancy unlimited everything plans based upon my current usage of data and SMS....

In the store it *is* quite rushed - if they had 10 even 15 employees walking the floor it would not be enough at our dinky little store (with authorized repair center). Hence, it is natural to feel rushed - they have other customers behind you to serve as well....

 

[Soultics]

CS on the phone has always, always been amazing, I've been a customer for I think 4-5 years now. Maybe longer...in store, well it depends on the store, but in general once you're at the counter, they usually do a good job taking care of you. I've bought at least 10-15 phones from Verizon (I have 5 lines on my plan) and never had any issue that wasn't resolved.

 

[dmodert66]

VZ Wireless does have great CS. A year ago, without going into details, they changed when "Late" was and when they disconnected your service for non payment. The first time they disconnected me, they immediately turned my phones back on and gave me the new information on when a phone would be cut off or late. This info was new, and apparently the rep got it wrong. The next month I was shut off yet again. I called and again they had me reconnected and waived the reconnection fees and explained (apparently correctly) the new rules...

Please keep in mind that my phone bill is for 5 phones, so sometimes I am late due to monetary reasons. I am not just trying to get out of paying fees, etc...

Just yesterday, I called to see if they could move up my upgrade (currently at December 8th) so I could get a Droid. Instead of just telling me "No, I can't do that", she noted that one of the phones on my account was due an upgrade, and I could upgrade that phone and immediately switch it over. I then went to Best Buy and they confirmed that it could be done very easy. It was really fantastic of the rep to offer me that advice.

Verizon Fios however, don't get me started. Very poor customer service, but nothing compares in my area so I have to deal with it. That is for another thread on a different forum though .

 

[aileendq]

Yeah, Verizon really cares about their customers, each time I talk to them, they look over my bill/plan and my actual usage to see if I can go to a lower plan and save money.

If you care about customer service/reception - you're with Verizon - end of story.

Yup, I almost fell over when I called last week to inquire about whether I would need to change my data plane if I ordered the Droid, and the rep told me that I barely use my 900 hundred minutes and asked me if I'd like to switch to a lower (and less expensive) plan. Talk about shocked!

 

[cooterbrown]

HUGE fan of Verizon. I've been with them for years and they are the best. And not just the best of the mobile service providers. I can't count how many times they saved me money by contacting me to warn me that I was trending over my minutes and I may want to look at retroactively change my plan or offer me free minutes to get me through a high call month.
Once in a while I'll forget to make a payment and they'll call me and just remind me. Never threaten to cut service just a friendly reminder that I'm late on my bill. Very refreshing. I know they're a bit pricier than others but it's worth it.

 

[Vulcan1600Rider]

I worked in a Midwest call center for 2 1/2 years and I always enjoy reading these threads, the good, the bad, the misinformed customers and reps, and the ones who make the experience so good you are an instant "Promoter". I can tell you that there are two different types of VZW call centers. There are the VZW owned call centers and the outsourced ones. What you can usually tell is if you're on your cell phone and when the rep answers and still asks for your phone number and to verify your name and password, there's a possibility it's an outsourced call center. The outsourced ones are still within the U.S. but their training lacks. You can always say "are you a corporate call center or outsourced". If they say they are an outsource, you can request they transfer you to a corporate call center. The corporate call center rep goes through 6 weeks of training before they take one call. After that there is a "transition" that is another 6 to 8 weeks where they work with a "SME" or Subject Matter Expert to ask questions if stumped. Being a former VZW Sr. Rep I can sniff out a new rep very easily. If you get a rep who just jumps to conclusions and sounds like they're making educated guesses, then you just say thank you, hang up and try again. Just remember, skill levels vary by rep. When I worked there, I was the old man with the newest devices. So, I loved whenever a Blackberry call came in. Many reps, probably 75% don't know the first thing about a Blackberry, so they have the resources at their disposal to help you out.

Why did I just write all this, heck, I don't know but just wanted to share some insight into a VZW call center to you. Think of your own jobs and consider the fact different reps are at different levels of their employment and may not have ever dealt with your type of situation yet. You probably didn't start your job, whatever it was, knowing all the answers.

 

[stevehoffman]

Vulcan,

Thank you for your very informative insights!! And you are right, this sort of thing isn't limited just to phone company call centers but to businesses and institutions of all types!

Don't even get me going on that out-sourcing stuff! One of the sad, sad things about this country right now is a race to the bottom with U.S. companies always trying to find the cheaper (low-wage) place to have part of the job done!!

Again, thanks to taking the time to share real insights into customer service from the perspective of someone who really knows!

 

[aaron5610]

Verizon has the best service IMO. They even called me back after I took a servay because I gave them a 8 out of 10. The only reason I did was because of there monthly prices are a little higher than some of the other company's. but it is true you do get what you pay for. They have coverage everywhere and give the best prices on phones with agreement and they stand behind you after the sell. A++++

 

[stevehoffman]

Well, as the person who started this thread, and now that I see that many other people have had the same excellent customer service from Verizon Wireless, I completely understand WHY the monthly prices are higher!!! That, plus their having the greater G3 coverage!!

I mean, if one company makes a BMW and the other company makes a Hyundai, it is NOT unreasonable that the BMW costs more. Nor should one be shocked that while Nordstrom's is more expensive than Target, you WILL get better customer service at Nordstrom's.

All things being equal, as a general matter you DO get what you pay for.

As long as I have some money in my pocket (and some saved up in the bank), I will never begrudge spending a few bucks more for a quality product or for quality service!!

 

[mplevy]

I'll tack on my experience as well.

I've been with Verizon for 6 years now, every time I've gone for an upgrade it's been a good experience. My first GREAT experience was when the Moto E815 came out (still in a drawer even), I had walked out of the Circuit City store and found a button on the NEW phone didn't work. I walked back in, the guy swapped it for me, giving me his LAST one of that model.

For my most recent upgrade, the rep was knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. She BS'd with us (myself, my mom, dad and sister, my plan but I piggybacked them for savings) and spent close to an hour working on our sale, and we walked in knowing what phones we wanted. In the end, the plan appears to be correct, we got the phones we wanted, got the accessories we needed and EVERYTHING worked when we walked out of the location.

I've rarely had to deal with CS on the phone, but when I have they've been helpful. A co-worker WAS on Verizon, he switched to ATT because Verizon's CS was "terrible". I wouldn't know, I so rarely call them that I can say I "never" have to call them...

 

[Vulcan1600Rider]

Vulcan,

Thank you for your very informative insights!! And you are right, this sort of thing isn't limited just to phone company call centers but to businesses and institutions of all types!

Don't even get me going on that out-sourcing stuff! One of the sad, sad things about this country right now is a race to the bottom with U.S. companies always trying to find the cheaper (low-wage) place to have part of the job done!!

Again, thanks to taking the time to share real insights into customer service from the perspective of someone who really knows!

I just want to make sure it's understood, even though VZW has outsource call centers, they are all in the U.S. and every call center rep lives in the U.S. In other words, if you have trouble understanding the rep, they're not in India or the Philippines. The outsourced call centers just don't have the knowledge and understanding as the corporate call centers or can make the same decisions a corporate CS center can.