AT&T versus Verizon

[dissy_dee]

Which do you like best and why?

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

i've actually had both and i like verizon much better.

when i tried AT&T the phones were horrible. i couldn't hear anything that anyone on the other side was saying to me. DH and i only had it for a week before going back to verizon because we didn't like the phones at all.

 

[Christine]

I think it all depends on where you live and who has the better coverage.

I have AT&T because, frankly, it has always been a little bit cheaper for me than Verizon. We've never had any service issues, dropped calls, or any other problems at all. I'm sure I'd be just as happy with Verizon. It comes down to money for me.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

I currently have Verizon and love it. The reception is great. I used to have AT&T and they made my life hell. Poor reception, dropped calls, and poor customer service. Those Verizon commercials where they imply that AT&T is awful are no joke! My friends who still have their service can't wait for their contracts to expire so they can leave!

 

[SueInBoston]

I had Verizon for 17 years but switched to AT&T for the IPhone. In my area, Verizon has the best coverage. I used to be able to get reception even in my work's underground garage. AT&T's coverage in my area is not so good, no reception in garage and some dead zones within a building.

 

[mjkacmom]

I switched from AT&T to Verizon because I used to not be able to use my AT&T phone in my home (8 miles from NYC - I know people with Iphones, so I assume service has gotten better). I also have a large Verizon store 2 miles from my house, with amazing customer service.

 

[aprilgail2]

I have AT&T- have always had great customer service when needed and no problem with reception or signals. Its also much cheaper than any plan that Verizon would offer me!

 

[J3nn78]

I had ATT and did not get a signal -10+ years ago. Switched to Verizon and had great signal. Then wanted the iphone so I switched back to ATT
ATT is great now. Much better signal and service than Verizon

 

[momof1princess]

i had verizon years ago. the customer service was terrible. we switched to at&t, and the reception is somewhat lacking in our very rural area, but the customer service is great and i love my little nokia phone.

 

[CF'er]

Verizon as they are the only ones in my area with consistent coverage.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Verizon has consistent coverage in my area. I also think it has something to do with the phone as well. When I had a cheap phone I got worse coverage then when I had a better phone. Does that make any sense?

However my work blackberry, which is AT&T, had no problem picking up a signal in Cozumel, Mexico during my last Disney cruise. Lucky me.

 

[taximomfor4]

I have AT&T, because I prefer it. It works at my home. Anyone who comes to my neighborhood, if they don't have AT&T, cannot get reception. Don't know why that is. Now, my mom lives in Santa Fe, NM. When I go to see her, I have to stand in the street out front to get reception. There, only people with Verizon get reception. JUst RIGHT at her house, though.

As far as call QUALITY: Dh, dd, and I all have different AT&T phones. We can all hear everyone fine EXCEPT my mom/stepdad on their verizon phones. We have issues understanding them because everything sounds fuzzy. Might be because they use bluetooths a lot?

OH, and I must agree with a pp that verizon gave us terrible customer service consistently. AT&T is the opposite -- every time I've called the CSR's have been friendly and helpful.

ETA: We were actually with Cingular which is now part of AT&T. I was concerned about the customer service, but after the switch to AT&T it stayed great. We have been with Cingular/AT&T for 8 yrs now!!

 

[Bluetickmom]

I've had the same carrier for 8 years lol. First it was AT&T, then it was cingular, etc. I like it. The customer service has been great, I get great reception and the price is reasonable.

The clincher for me was when checking in at Children's Hospital with the nurse in the surgical waiting room they ask for a cell number in case you aren't present when they come around with updates. They ask if you have AT&T because it's the only one who gets good enough reception in there, if you have another carrier they supply you with a pager.

One of our best friends is a Verizon employee, and I always feel guilty around him for supporting the enemy as it were. He knows about the Children's hospital reception issue though and with the amount of time we spend there good service in the hospital is very important.

 

[DeluxePrincess]

OP, be sure to ask around where you live and work what type of carrier people have and how the reception is. You can see by this thread alone that the answer has a lot to do with where you live. Good luck with your decision.

 

[rluey29]

Agreed, I have Att and my phone gets great reception everywhere here, some of my coworkers have Verizon and they have some dead spots at work.

 

[Scurvy]

As with many of the previous posters, my preference is based on coverage in my area. Our personal phones are Verizon, and my husband has a work phone through AT&T. A large percentage of the time our personal phones have great coverage while he has no little to no signal on his work phone. (We've never been anywhere that he had a better signal on his work phone than on our personal phones.) He's been through several different phones so I assume that it's an AT&T problem and not a phone problem. And of course despite the new AT&T ads, their 3G coverage isn't as widespread as Verizon's. Since I'm paying for the data plan, I want to be able to use it as often as possible. There are more places where I can access data through Verizon than through AT&T.

 

[OK!]

I've only had AT&T but I've had it for more than 10 years and have no complaints. 3G coverage is outstanding in my city; the only place I drop to Edge is waaaay out in the extreme western suburbs of West St. Louis County where my parents live, and that's an area that's very hilly and jammed full of trees and doesn't have a tower nearby. My parents have told AT&T they'd be willing to have them slap a tower in their backyard (which is 7 acres) but haven't heard back from them.

 

[dislaney]

I have AT&T -my husband has Verizon. I prefer AT&T but I do think it really depends on the area. When I go visit my mother in another state my reception is not as good as it is at home.

 

[pixiewings71]

Verizon here, it's way better then AT&T. When DBF and I first got together he had Cingular w/his parents, I could never talk to him without getting disconnected, his phone not mine. My BFF has AT&T (was Cingular) and her phone is forever cutting out. Much prefer the Verizon service we get.

 

[puffkin]

AT&T and I don't have a problem at all. Also my iPhone!

I had Verizon several years ago and my calls were consistently dropped. Their customer service was HORRIBLE and when it was time to upgrade the sales person was beyond horrible. Went back the next day and got an even worse sales person. I walked across the mall to the AT&T store and never looked back