Verizon Gives Me FREE Service on my Cell Phone
Written: May 26 '08 (Updated May 26 '08)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Local Coverage: |
 |
|
| Plan Flexibility: |
 |
|
| Customer Service: |
|
|
|
Pros: Cheap and free calls, free phone with service, no dropped calls
Cons: Tones when going over minutes would be nice, No free time during day
The Bottom Line: I would recommend Verizon for cheap, reliable service
|
|
|
| pablothegreat's Full Review: General Reviews of Verizon Customer Service |
Before I had Verizon cell phone service, I had the pay as you go plan on another service. Since I really only needed a cell phone for emergencies on the road and to call roadside assistance, the pay as you go plan seemed good enough for us. Once we moved away from my hometown, I wanted to keep in contact with family from there. As I was considering which cell phone service to get, a friend mentioned that anyone on Verizon cell phone service could call anyone else with Verizon for free--no minutes used. So I called my family members and asked what cell phone service they had. Fortunately it was Verizon! They told me that nights after 9 pm and weekends are totally free calling on Verizon--no minutes used when calls are placed at these times. I knew how much long distance calls cost and never wanted to be in that position again, calling family long distance and racking up hundreds of dollars in charges. So now I have Verizon exclusively. It works out well for us. The minimal basic plan with 450 minutes each month, free nights, and weekends, and free calls to anyone anytime on Verizon. My bill runs $39.99 each month and is much cheaper than calling long distance!
One big problem with not having a home phone and only having a Verizon cell phone is having to call doctors, get calls from therapists, wait for test results, being placed on hold waiting on a specialist to pick up during the daytime hours can run my minutes up.What I do not like is not knowing when I go over or when I am close to going over. I can call *min on my phone and get the number of minutes already used but it is a hassle to keep up with it. I would like a special beep or tone as I get close to the 450 minutes. If you go over the minutes in your plan, you are charged 50 cents or so a minute. It can add up quickly! A little trick is to call close to the end of the month and request either to go up to the next plan or request additional minutes added on for just this month so you do not have a high bill for going over. This will be cheaper in the long run. 450 minutes on the basic plan is plenty for us since most of the people we know and chat with on the phone also have Verizon. What is not good is calling people that may or may not have Verizon cell phones....you don't know unless you ask. It would be nice to have a special tone telling you that the person has Verizon too do you don't rush off the phone thinking they don't.
I have moved a number of times since having Verizon cell phone service and only had maybe two dropped calls (same location). I was amazed that even on a country road with only cornfields around, the cell phone service worked perfectly! I did find one location on a mountain road that had no signal so I could not call out.But going through tunnels, I have had no issues. My family members on the other hand have had tons of issues with their Verizon phones...I am not sure if it is the cell phone or the Verizon service...but they have had issues with dropping calls, no signal, and static-y calls where they were unable to hear.
When you get Verizon cell phone service, you get a free phone and free shipping of that phone. Of course if you want some of the higher priced cell phones, that may be an additional cost but you will get a discount on it. The phone I chose was completely free and just the basic cell phone...no flip phone. It has been sturdy and reliable. I had no deposit nor did I have to pay two months ahead to start service. I was billed for my first month and the phone shipped to me. They offer roadside assistance which I have had before and had no issues with using it.
You do have to sign up for a yearly contract and realize that if you make any changes in your service plan, that you will be extending that contract. That is fine with me as I am happy with Verizon and it is cheap enough. Other cell phone service wanted to charge me $350 deposit to use their service. Each year you get a new phone with Verizon.
Payments can be made to them online, over the phone, by mail, or in their stores. If you go into a store to make a payment, you do not need to wait in line. When I have been in the stores, they were incredibly busy waiting on customers picking out new phones. They have a payment machine that you can pay by cash or check. You can have multiple phones on the same cell phone service but I only have the one. You can also add text messaging but I had mine disabled since I was getting charged for texts that I did not authorize.
When we moved, I kept my same phone number and it was no problem at all. Different location, same area code. My phone still works well. In cases of harrassment, you can change your phone number for free with Verizon. They have done this for me three times in a year and I had no issues with it. It was done quickly. You will lose your messages! Customer service has always been terrific! I would recommend Verizon for cheap, reliable service!
What is so good about THIS service?
Cheap and free calls, free phone with service, no dropped calls
What is unique about this service?
Free calls to anyone with Verizon.
Is it worth the price?
Yes, definitely.
There has to be some bad to this service, right?
Tones when going over minutes and when speaking to someone with Verizon would be nice, No free time during the daytime M-F
Any warnings people should be aware of?
Going over minutes can be expensive.
Final verdict:
I would recommend Verizon for cheap, reliable service!
pablo the talker
There are only three things women need in life: food, water, and compliments.
Chris Rock
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 39.99
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
pablothegreat
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Around Back
Reviews written: 919
Trusted by: 86 members
About Me:
Writing up a storm...
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.