To some people, a monolith of minutes at a very little cost is important. To others, an adequate number of minutes at an average cost are great - provided the service is good. After all, what good is a thousand minutes a month for a few bucks if half of your calls are dropped and the other 50% of the calls are to customer service?

I learned that lesson the hard way - by not joining Verizon Wireless sooner! In January of 2004, I subscribed to a $39.99 a month for 500 minutes package. The quality has remained excellent and I certainly lack any complaints.

The components that most impress me are call quality, signal strength, features, price and of course, customer service.

The call quality is impeccable. I have yet to experience even one dropped call. The signal strength is at least 90% the majority of the time. Of course, if one is in the boondocks (which isn't too uncommon when living in Minnesota,) the signal strength drops significantly. However, I remain within the city and thus have no gripes. Verizon offers a wide range of features. From Voicemail to three-way calling and even automatic updates - Verizon includes it with the most basic service. One may find that Verizon's prices are a few dollars higher than competitors such as T-Mobile or Sprint. Although that might be the case, I'd recommend paying a few dollars more for reliable service when it is needed. Lastly, the customer service is applaudable. The staff at Verizon customer service is extremely courteous and helpful. In addition to that, I have experienced customer service agents going above and beyond the duty to make my experience satisfying. For instance, I mistakenly signed up for an application that was $4.99 extra. My only complaint is that applications are costly, but again - I use my cell phone for calls more than games. It's worthy to note that within one phone call $4.99 was waived.


In summary, if you are searching for a reliable and dependable service, a wide variety of features and of course a decent price, Verizon is for you. If you would rather trade call quality for another 500 minutes at the same price, perhaps another service is best for you.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 39.99