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!
I recently called to inquire about the remaining months of my T-Mobile contract because I, too, want to get an iPhone. Obviously frustrated by my infatuation with the iPhone, the T-Mobile gal told me on the phone that I should go ahead and buy the iPHone and jailbreak it to work on T-Mobile’s 3G network. It had me wondering if the company has an unofficial “script” for customer service reps that encourages customers who want to leave them for the iPhone to jailbreak iPhones. I just wish the damned iPhone wasn’t exclusive to AT&T. My only beef with T-Mobile is they don’t have the phone I want.
There ARE better phones than the iPhone… read all these comments, it’s speaks true. The iPhone is a great device but is popular due to simplicity. It is a good handset that is extremely popular, but it is far from being the “best” or “better” phone. It all depends on individual needs.
I dropped Verizon for the iPhone but also because when we got our Verizon phones the Verizon store manager lied to us when we signed up (long story). It took me 2 months to fix. I would/will drop AT&T as soon as Verizon gets the iPhone. Both my wife’s family and my family have Verizon.. The service was way better. Customer service just sucked. I’m willing to pay for good customer service.
please I have had multiple BB, Nokia e71, HTC phones etc etc and just because there are a few things missing on the iphone in the end the pluses way out way the minuses
I switched from Verizon to AT&T specifically for the iPhone 3G. I waited for the Storm but was not happy with it when I used it in the Verizon store (personal choice). I am very happry with the iPhone and AT&T so far. If Verizon had offered the iPhone, I would have stayed with them. I was a Verizon Wireless customer for years. When my wife’s contract with Verizon is up, she may do the same thing, since she really likes my iPhone.
I jumped ship from VZW to ATT for iphone. Truth be told, I liked the call quality and coverage of VZW but lack of a handset matching iphone was a problem. I waited till the release of Blackberry Storm, checked it out at the local store and then jumped ship. I do miss the quality of VZW network, but will stay with ATT as long as iphone is exclusive to that network.
@ DM:
Maybe you want to read the truth here:
http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2009/03/05/photos-of-the-blackberry-9630-niagara-emerge/
NO WiFi like most other phones on VZW. Facts keep getting in the way of good stories for fanboys!
The only thing keeping At&T afloat is the Iphone. If they didnt have it, they wouldnt have any customers. Period!
I first got the iPhone then followed my dad, mom, and my sister!
@ BBOnMyMind:
WOW, you are amazing. What a revelation. Only problem is this is the most ridiculous statement on this post! HAHA
AT&T wireless has over 75 million plus customers and was the largest wireless carrier in the US until Verizon spent lost of cash and acquired big debt to purchase Alltel.
According to you ALL the customers on AT&T wireless are iPhone users? HAHA I guess you FAILED math in school, if you went to one!
@ BB-ON-MY-Mind:
Did you ever think that the best Blackberry, the Bold is sold on AT&T and NOT VZW! Do you have a mind?
All my friends that are with Verizon and want the iPhone just get jailbroken iPhones and keep their service.
@GeeWiz
@Paul
Awww..Did i strike a nerve guys? haha! Grow some balls…toughin’ up and stop taking this blogging thing so seriously. SO LAME…Such a SHAME.
@ BBOnMyMind:
You struck no nerve, you just made very stupid statements that served no one. If growing balls mean inaccurate and lame statements you must have big ones. I will keep my normal ones thank you as you just proved what a moron you are.
@ G Bananas:
Good name. Maybe you might want to know that Verizon is a CDMA provider and AT&T is GSM and jailbroken iPhones will not make them work on Verizon!
They need to put a for cheaper more flexible data plans. I want to get my wife a Smart Device. She would use data, but probably about 1/5th of what I would use. I think a 9.99 for 200 mb would be nice. You could set a reminder when you are about to hit those limits restrict your data usage possibly.
Did the writer graduate from high school? Coup d’etat? How about the coup de gras? And “fodder to spurn” instead of “fodder to spur”? This is a pretty short article to contain two fairly large errors. Makes me wonder about Kelly.
Came to AT&T just for the original iPhone and LOVE IT. No issues with coverage or dropped calls, and I travel out of the city a lot. Love the rollover minutes; after a year, I carry over 2,000 anytime minutes. Love having Wi-Fi. Finding new apps constantly makes the iPhone feel like a new experience. The $20 a month I pay for the data plan (on top of my $40 voice plan) is the best money I spend. Originally left Verizon because I couldn’t stand the poor phone selection and how they crippled their phones, went to T-Mobile, then to AT&T. I was happy with T-Mobile, but they didn’t have the iPhone. I miss VZW’s great coverage a little, but it’s a no brainer — I’m sticking with the iPhone.
I liked Verizons service. I purchased an Omnia instead of switching to ATT to get the iPhone. The Omnia is OK but not a iPhone. VZW said it would turn on the Omnia GPS but not as of today. It would cost several hundred dollars to dump VZW…ATT is looking better.
I talked my whole family into leaving Verizon not for the iPhone but because Verizon cripples their phones and makes you pay for services that most phones include for free with other carriers. This survey should be revised just a bit in my opinion.
Is Verizon that much better? I have T-Mobile for last 5 years and thought they were very good. What are some of the pluses?
i left verizon after a few years of touch-and-go service. after my replacement blackberry started malfunctioning (deleting all my info randomly, keys not working, lack of world functioning in a “world edition” phone) verizon wanted me to pay 50 dollars for a new phone…or 90 dollars to break my contract.
i quite literally told them that for an extra 40 bucks i have no problem breaking my contract rather than buying another POS from them and would appreciate some incentive to stay after years as a customer (free phone, service reimbursement, anything). no dice. i cancelled my service in that same conversation, got me an iphone3G the next day and haven’t looked back.
Who cares about the iPhone, the basic rate plan is better. I’ve got two words for you- rollover minutes. Look at any other providers plans, you just can’t compare to AT&T. Everyone has been there when you get that bill where you went over on your minutes—brutal! Hasn’t happened to me since rollover started several years back. Customer service is great, and if it wasn’t, you didn’t get the right person on the line and you should have hung up on them and called again. Good coverage depends on where you live. Maybe AT&T sucks where you are, if it does, get a pay as you go and tell AT&T to make their service better where you live(trust me, they will listen, because there are probably a thousand more people where you are that they would love to have as customers). With revenue from iPhone sales and service, i’m sure it will be getting better all the time. There is nothing wrong with any of the providers out there, but for me, the clear choice, iPhone or not is AT&T. Also, to all those trollers, i’m not going to waste my time and respond to your BS. Stick and stones man…
Boy this is HILARIOUS! Fanboys and Haters having it out. Personally, Verizon’s insistence on that fugly branding (free advertising) on all their handsets and crippling of features just so they can nickel/dime the customers to death has always kept me away. I have original iPhone on Tmo and can’t imagine life without it. PS. Forgot to mention that VZW suckz major.
Would like to go and get the iPhone but At&T sucks outside of big cities
Verizon has Friends and Family plan.
pick 10 numbers on any network and call for free.
@ Keymaker
and your roll over, they will go away iafter a year.
haha!
T-Mobile, takes away mobile to mobile on my faves.
you downagraded.