Verizon Wireless grills exiting customers about the iPhone
Verizon Wireless must be feeling the sting of losing customers to AT&T due the popularity of the iPhone. A reader just alerted us to a survey peppered with iPhone references that was presented to him upon cancellation of his Verizon account. The coup d’etat was the question that posed, “What could Verizon Wireless have offered to keep you as a customer?” Among the optional answers, iPhone. This is not fodder to spurn yet another resurgence in the “Verizon is getting the iPhone” rumor but it does suggest that Verizon is not turning a blind eye to the iPhone and is trying to gauge the negative effect, if any, the iPhone is having on its churn rate. Needless to say, we would love to peruse both Verizon’s and AT&T’s data to see how many of 4.3 million iPhone 3G activations in 2008 were former VZW customers. Anyone care to confess to leaving Big Red and going to AT&T to get your iPhone fix? Hit the jump for a few more pages from the survey.
Thanks, DN!
Roommate left Helio (no comment) to get the iPhone. I left VZW because I wanted a SIM card and GSM, so I got the iphone. Sister and her husband left VZW JUST to get the iphone.
AT&T has been fine for me. No issues. Sister complained about a few dropped calls. Not as stellar as VWZ, but close enough. VWZ was also pricey.
As for the iphone itself, I like it. I don’t love it, but am happy overall. Once you get used to a screen that big, you don’t want anything smaller.
Seriously you dumped Vzw for At&t’s 3g? Wow you do realize Vzw’s 3g is only about 400% bigger right? I mean seriously. Edge is a little faster when you can get it but Vzw’s network is FAR supperior. Yes I wish they had an Iphone but there is not much time on At&t’s exclusitivity contract then they will bolt At&t for Vzw.
Niagra will have Wifi on Vzw. Shows how little you know.
Correction, mobile safari (iPod Touch + iPhone) owns 68 percent of all mobile browsing…stop skewing numbers to make them support your conclusions it makes you look like a republican. Thanks.
You crack me up like At&t isn’t buying customers….seriously…you’re an idiot…. Cingular ring a bell? You can say what you want but Verizon has the best coverage, the largest and most reliable 3g network, best customer service,and the largest number of subscribers they will get the iphone in 2010.
no because the iphone sucks
I left verizon after about 10 years for the iPhone. I had been a customer before it was even Verizon and felt very loyal to the CDMA network. I still think it is a better network. BUT year after year, Verizon phones were CRAP. Even a Palm on Verizon was always way late, like 6 months to a year later than on other networks and it was often crippled. Simple things were just turned off by Verizon for no conceivable reason. I just got sick of it. Also their data rates were always higher. They have good plans for large companies I think but as an independent consultant I got screwed on rates constantly. It sucked.
I don’t think i could never use verizon, because i enjoy buying unlocked phones too much. Even though unlocked phone are more expensive i enjoy the variety and being able to pop in my sim card to any GSM phone i want.
I left Verizon because of iPhone and have never looked back. I have owned 2 blackberries, about half dozen Motorola, a Nokia N95 (a great device, but not as good as iPhone), Sony Ericsson, Palm Treo, etc etc.
The iPhone is in a class by itself. Others will try to copy, so it must keep moving or be eventually overtaken.
It’s not about the phone or the coverage. It’s about the apps…
Can you imagine what VZ would’ve done to the Iphone? You ccould kiss the currently lacking features goodbye, for sure; plus adding more crippling items to the list.
I have been a happy VZW customer since 1995 or before?? My wife & I left last year only because we wanted iPhones…. I certainly cant say that AT&T’s network is any better but the iPhone ROCKS!
I was on Verizon for 10 years. I got tired of their greedy behavior – Locking up WiFi and GPS, No SIM card, Slow 3G, and bumping the length of my contract because of a simple change. I don’t like the I-Phone but my family does so we’re with AT&T. The I-phone drops to Edge more than my HTC Kaiser so the 3G reception problem is the I-phone not AT&T. In testing AT&T’s 3G network back to back with VZW with similar devices, I must say that AT&T’s data flow is much faster than VZW and has less latency (lag time). I do get dropped calls with my HTC Kaiser. However, the faster data on AT&T is well worth it. VZW has another problem – sometimes email and text don’t come right through. If you’re browsing the web, you cannot receive a phone call or text at the same time with VZW. It’s the archaic CDMA network that’s the problem. It saps battery power and increases latency. The whole world has gone to GSM while Sprint and VZW wallow in the dust. Verizon needs to: 1) Offer Wifi on all smartphones; 2) use a CDMA SIM card or at least go to GSM; 3) Not lock up the GPS; 4) Give their customers roll over mins; and 5) offer the I-phone.
Carrier locked phones are illegal in France, Belgium and Italy. What you lose in carrier subsidies you gain in owning a contractless device that will accept any carrier’s SIM. Although my iPhone was expensive I expect the investment to last me several years, allowing me to pick and choose my carrier for the best deal.
The wife and I left Verizon a year ago to get a pair of iPhones. We had been customers of Verizon since 1994, when it was Bell Atlantic Mobile. Back then it was $16/month, no free minutes, 36 cents peak, 16 cents off peak, and a 12 cent landline connection charge per call if not calling mobile-to-mobile. Ouch, I spent a lot on my bill back then.
Er, the verizon line I’m posting from while on the bus to work is from my employer’s phone, btw…
I jumped ship for the iPhone back in July. When I called to cancel they offered me an extra 50 bucks off a new phone. Woo Hoo! I laughed. Then she asked why I was leaving and I said for the iPhone. She said they had better phones than the iPhone, I laughed again.
If Verizon had the iphone, I’d stay in a heartbeat. iPhone or Storm? iPhone hands down winner.
Maybe someday, cell phones will be …..cell phones. You turn them on, plug it into to the network of your choice, and voila, you’re chatting, texting, surfing, and talking to your hearts content. A boy can dream….can’t he?
I agree! An iphone is a fad device that adults can do without!. Let At&t keep it along with its over-priced plan.
I have the bb storm too and it rocks!
The Storm is better. I love VZW.
I left verizon wireless and the crackberry behind to go to Att and the Iphone. The only reason I switched was because of the Iphone. I like the cell phone reception of Verizon better overall but am happy that I switched.
You got a new phone yesterday? That’s kinda of dumb. They are coming out with a whole new phone in June. It’s worth the wait.
Yep, the iPhone is a game changer and AT&T was lucky to be the carrier to get it.
ZuD
New iPhone in June is gonna rock! PS I love the idiotic comments about the iPhone being a toy thats why all other phones try to emulate it and so many keep selling!!! Damn toy LOL idiots!
I love how all these people are talking about switching to Sprint for the Pre. Yeah, good luck with that.
Their network coverage is MUCH worse than ATT. I am on the road for about 20 days out of the month and I go pretty much everywhere in the US and outside of the country. My company uses ATT, Sprint and VZW. When I travel with my coworkers who have Sprint, they have terrible covereage when my VZW Curve has full service.
I had Sprint three years ago, it was awful and I switched to ATT for the original iPhone, then I went back to VZW. It isn’t worth the headache.