Verizon buyout of Alltel

[Sire]

Verizon has been approved to buyout Alltel for 20 some billion dollars.

I've got Alltel service in Rural Wisconsin and have been pretty happy with it. Anyone have experience with Verizon? Anyone think I have to worry about this? Or is this just coporate stuff that won't affect me?

 

[Colt W. Knight]

I have Verizon and it gts significantly better service than my mothers Alltel phone here in WV, and Verizon doesn't even have any towers here yet. I know, because I haven't hooked the power up to them yet.

 

[KokoTele]

I had Verizon before and never had any significant service problems with them. Around here, at least, their network is probably a little better than anyone else's.

Buyouts like this are often about expanding the service network without building anything new, and about eliminating competition, so I think you'll get fine service from them.

 

[emu!]

Looks like Chad has made the Wizard angry.

 

[guitar1amp2000]

Is your concern about land line service or cell service? If it's cell service, there will probably never be any change o QOS. Land line service, if not up to par with Verizon standards, will be upgraged in a reasonable period of time.

 

[TelecasterBlooz]

I have Alltell prepaid service...is this gonna affect me?

 

[jimd]

Up until I got an iPhone in Sept. I had Alltel. They had great service, both coverage and customer service. I never had an issue with them. My only gripe with Alltel is that their phones were very uninspiring. Verizon has better phones, but they have a reputation of crippling them and charging extra to get that functionality back. Since Verizon is buying Alltels network, your coverage shouldn't change. I would just be concerned with customer service and pricing.

BTW, I am not a big fan of AT&T. They drop more calls and their customer service is really bad. But, the iPhone is too cool.

 

[bo]

Fear for your customer service! Verizon's is notoriously awful. There is at least one website dedicated to this topic. They usually subcontract their repairmen in this area. Like clockwork every other time a Verizon repairman showed up to hook up a new customer in my building they would mess up my line. For a few years I got away with refusing to pay for their mistakes but they eventually established a policy where if the wire goes into a building it's no longer Verizon's problem, but they'll send a tech out to fix it at a cost to you. The last time this happened they said it would be 14 days before someone could come out. Not wanting to be without a phone for two weeks I asked if they could expedite it. They came back and said yes, they'd be there in 12 days! I scheduled the appt. and then decided to check out the phone kiosks at the local mall. I got a T-Mobile cell phone and cancelled the Verizon service. Not 5 minutes later I had some angry redneck subcontracted repairman calling me and wanting to know why I had cancelled my service. I didn't bother to explain it. I haven't had a single problem with T-Mobile in the three years I've used them.

 

[Intonator]

One nice thing about that is that around here, we have Comcast cable.
I have their 3 package deal...Cable/Internet/Phone.
We also have Verizon in the area.

In alot of the rural areas, they too have Comcast cable, but cannot get Comcast phone service due to some agreement the FCC has with Alltel.
If Verizon does buy them out, this could be some good news for the rural customers.

 

[jimd]

This thread totally jinxed me. After complaining about AT&T Wireless's customer service, I go to pay my bill. I am supposed to get an discount as a qualified employee where I work. It is a fairly new contract and after you sign it, then they tell you it might take up to 2 months to get your discount. Well I complained when I found that out and got credited for the 1st month. They told me then my discount was ok and it just takes time (hard to believe in this modern age of computers). The 2nd month I decided that I didn't want to go through the hassle. Well that discount should have been there this month and it wasn't and they told me they had no proof that I was to get the discount. I was on the phone for 65 minutes. I talked to the first to people for about 62 minutes, with no satisfaction, no explanation and the only advice was to reapply for the discount and wait 2 more months. I have the initial order with the approved discount and the first time I complained they said it was in the system. I asked how to complain and was put on hold (that had to be about 30 of the minutes). In the meantime I reapplied for the discount online. The 3rd person, credited my account for this month's discount, saw I reapplied for the discount and was approved and noted that I was to be credited until is properly billed. I was so freaking frustrated I wanted to scream. I really think they play a game of stalling, hoping you will give up, both in terms of giving you the discount and connecting you to the supervisor. It was unbelievable.

Don't get AT&T wireless! You will do you blood pressure a favor.

 

[jspeter51]

I have to say good things about AT&T Wireless... they put food on my table... other than that, I dont have a ton of good things to say about them, but I live in the worst AT&T market in the US

 

[imwjl]

As a network engineer I often learn the good and bad phone companies and their networks without choice.

I am not sure if the topic is wireless, LEC or CLEC.

Verizon wireless is generally superior in WI where the OP is and that seems to be the same for my travel and my sites who have staff elsewhere and traveling. One of my customers has about 1300 cel phone users in WI and offices in many LEC and CLEC areas.

I gladly pay the slightly more for Verizon wireless, none are perfect, but on most days Verizon wireless is someplace between best or s_cks less. It seems Verizon wireless is particularly good if you need phone as tool instead of toy.

 

[Colt W. Knight]

I dont have good things to say about AT and T. My bill was never the same from month to month. I was always getting signed up for programs I didn't want. I get better signal with Verizon than I ever did with AT and T. Only thing I liked about At and T was that they do roll over minutes.

 

[tazzboy]

Sounds like this is the coming of Ma Bell

 

[emu!]

Is this the shakedown:

AT&T bought Cingular Wireless
Sprint bought Nextel Wireless
MCI bought Verizon Wireless

Now Verizon(MCI) buys Altell

T-Mobile is the lone true Wireless upstart still standing.

 

[GuitarJonz]

Verizon Wireless has the best coverage, I worked for Verizon landline for 20 years, now part-time in Verizon Wireless reseller store, we get AT&T and Sprint customers coming in all the time to switch to VZ, they all complain of too many dropped calls on the other networks. That goofy Verizon dude with his entourage in the commercials is onto something...

 

[tazzboy]

Is this the shakedown:

AT&T bought Cingular Wireless
Sprint bought Nextel Wireless
MCI bought Verizon Wireless

Now Verizon(MCI) buys Altell

T-Mobile is the lone true Wireless upstart still standing.

I'm sure someone will eventually will buy them out. Q west is still going, but the stop selling their wireless phones and now sell Verizon I wonder how long before Q west get's bought out by AT&T.