att network vs verizon

It generally starts with someone in a weak coverage area making blanket statements that ATT is a lousy network overall and how Apple should have gone with the superior XYZ company instead. The part I can't figure out is if XYZ is superior then why didn't the person return the iPhone and select a phone from XYZ company.

If ATT had poor coverage in my area, I would not have bought an iPhone. I would have bought a phone from the company with good coverage.

I agree with you--such erroneous blanket statements/conclusions should not be made based on a handful of experiences; at the same time, telling someone that you (not you personally) get great reception wherever you go doesn't help that person any...and at the same time, sorta gives off the impression that you're insinuating there really isn't any reception/coverage issue (i.e., it is non-existent).

Example--I complain that I get poor <insert network provider name here> coverage when I'm in area A; you counter by telling me that you get great coverage in areas B/C/D. Well I can tell you that I'm sure I probably can get great coverage too--if I was in B/C/D. Telling me that you get good coverage in B/C/D isn't gonna automatically make my coverage issues in area A go away...will it? Or is it that, by telling me that you get great coverage in B/C/D, you're insinuating that there is no reason why I should be having coverage issues in area A?

I agree.

Sometimes, it can be tough if the OP doesn't include their location when they make the statement so people start chiming in with how things are in their area with the hope that the OP might say where they are.

Before you start in with your generalizations and assumptions, you have noticed that I have repeatedly said it does not matter what the coverage is in a state, city, etc., what matters is the coverage where you spend the majority of your time, which for most people is their home and their place of business. Cell coverage is measured block-by-block, not across the US, so find out who has the best coverage in the areas you haunt and go with them.

What I responded to is someone saying that the Verizon map clearly shows that they have the best coverage across the US. I don't care that they do, I do care about the coverage at my house. I've also responded to people who make a generalization like "AT&T has lousy coverage in the Fort Worth area." No, they don't, I live in that area and with some notable exceptions (near radar facilities) the coverage is well above average.

And I go back to the Southwestern Bell Mobile | AT&T Digital One Rate | Cingular | AT&T Wireless days. But I also had a Verizon phone assigned to me for awhile.

And given that the old, now mercifully non-existent, AT&T Wireless had by far the WORST customer service, on the phone and in the old stores, I'm not really a fan boy for them. And I also wish they would get their billing systems consolidated sometime before I die.

And guess what? Sometimes it is an end user/phone problem and not AT&T.

I'm an Apple customer from as far back as the IIe. I have three Macs (and an old Power Computing clone), and about ready to get a new iMac. I'm Mac through and through. I even owned the first Apple digital camera (8 "hi res" pictures at a time). I don't have issues with the iphone, in fact I love it.

But AT&T *****! I live in Washington DC, not some backwoods remote area. I travel up and down the East coast every year. I've had problems with coverage, dropped calls, voice messages taking hours to get through (even from another iphone in Silver Spring, just 10 minutes away driving time). Earlier this week I tried to renew a prescription with the VA's automatic system. They require you to punch in your SS#. There was an echo in the **** phone that happens a lot, causing their system to read 123 as 11 22 33. AT&T even forced me to accept a pre-pay per month account because of suspect credit ratings (I don't have bad credit, I have NO credit. Never owned a credit card, pay as I go). They did this even though I had an EXISTING AT&T LAND LINE account, and a history of over 10 years of cell phone service with Sprint then Verizon. This company is a money grubbing poor service example of how not to do business.

AT&T *****!
At least (for you location specific folks) here in DC, on my block.

But guess what. Now there's a respectable competitor. Google and Verizon's droid!
Google and Verizon. That's a partnership worth taking notice of.
I'm giving it another six months to see if Apple opens to other providers, and to let the droid shake out, and if it's still AT&T or nothing with the iphone, I'm going to commit apostasy, and change phones.

Loyalty has it's limits, with phones as well as football teams 😟

Frazier

Where is "your block"? Have you talked to AT&T, the routine echo sounds like a cell repeater problem somewhere near you.

I'm in DC every year, and up and down the coast and did not experience the same problems with my iPhone 3G. Did have a very weak EDGE connection in the county outside Mechanicsville, VA. Of course so did everyone else no matter what service it was.

Since you're so dreadfully unhappy, sell the iPhone and buy a phone with a carrier that suits your needs. What I don't understand is you must've known the phone would not meet your needs in the first 30 days yet you did not return it and buy something that would. If I didn't have rock solid coverage with ATT and the iPhone, I would've returned it ASAP and bought something that would work for my area.

I'm sure you will be thrilled going back to Verizon. Especially as they have just doubled the Early Termination fee to $350, and announced that a tethering plan for the Droid will be $30 ON TOP OF the $30 data plan for the new phone.

<chuckle> Hel... oops I can't say that. Heck, I stuck with Sprint for 4 years just waiting till you could take your number with you. I LIKE THE PHONE (absolutely love the guitar tuner app). It does serve my needs. It's the service AT&T provides that's substandard. I've been patiently waiting for Apple to get the message that they chose poorly when picking AT&T, and for them to open the phone to other providers. This is nothing new, hackers were doing unlock patches almost from the get-go. Just re-read the rest of the posts on this thread, I'm NOT alone in this. Apple is so good upgrading their product line all the time, why can't they see the light here?

And now they've got competition. It may be pricy, it may have other issues, but the droid looks to be serious competition. I'm patient, I'll wait till next summer, then decide.

I hope this was constructive community hosts.

I think service varies with all providers. where i work in Vermont ATT has service where Verizon does not. Other places it is the opposite. My experience has been great. Rarely do i get disconnected unless i am in a fringe area. The iPhone is an amazing tool. If you want one get it.

The only other carrier in the US that uses GSM is T-Mobile.

For the majority of people, ATT works just fine. Every single carrier will have weak areas. In my area, T-Mobile has very spotty coverage and Verizon has good spots and bad. I don't know how well Sprint works in my area because I don't know anyone with a Sprint phone.

If ATT were truly as bad as you say, iPhone sales in the US would be falling off and returns would be skyrocketing.

Not just with iPhone sales. AT&T's churn rate would be sky high as well with or without the iPhone which was not the case before the iPhone was released. AT&T was a close 2nd to Verizon with the number of subscribers before the iPhone was released exceeding Verizon with the number of subscribers due to the iPhone. Verizon exceeded AT&T with the number of subscribers again after acquiring Alltel, which was the only reason they did so.

If AT&T were so bad everywhere, they would not have been a close 2nd to Verizon with the number of subscribers before the iPhone was released.

More than likely the iPhone will be available with another carrier in the U.S. at some point, but Apple's options are limited in the U.S. with GSM. It will be interesting to see what happens after Verizon's LTE network is available in the majority of the U.S. with AT&T doing the same, but Verizon will have to change their business practices in regards to the control they require with the phones they carry including limiting music and video purchased from Verizon's online store only. Unless I had no other option with cellular coverage and reception, not a chance I would return to Verizon.

Excellent points Allan!

Perfect coverage in Los Angeles. I have friends on verizon who claim they are better, yet when they drive through specific neighborhoods, have to call me back because of a dropped call. AT&T is pretty solid here. In busy areas like La Cienega & Melrose/Beverly where there are shopping areas, etc., sometimes the 3G service will revert to Edge.. I'm assuming because the 3G network is full.

I have had AT&T before and left them. At that time the network was okay not a lot of dropped calls or data problems. Then the iPhone came along and I hopped on the train this is where I started to have problems and it only has gotten worse as time has gone on.

As a side note, I added mw wife to the plan and she too has an iPhone a year later. Kind of nice every year I get the new iPhone and she gets my old one. So I get an iPhone at the new contract price.

But anyway, my thought is that when and if the Iphone comes to Verizon it might degrade their network as much as AT&T network took the hit.

Does anybody think that this might happen? How many of you would switch when and if it happened?