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Recent Puerto Trip

lw598-

Shocked! I called Verizon prior to my trip to Puerto Rico for a family medical emergency. They indicated I was covered on my plan for services. HOWEVER, I could not connect to internet unless I was in the middle of the city or on someone else's 5g hotspot. I WAS TERRIBLY DISAPPOINTED!!

Being with Verizon for so many years and paying top dollar, it was very inconvenient. My trip in 2017 did not have these issues.

Comments

Verizon_Support

Hello, lw598. We're very sorry to hear about any network related issues that you experienced during your trip to Puerto Rico. We definitely understand how important it is to stay connected during a trip. Especially when it is for family medical purposes. Can you please describe the service issue that you experienced? What would happen when you attempt to make a call, send a text message, and use data without the aid of Wi-Fi? BrettA_VZW

chrispr

I've been having the exact same experience in Puerto Rico when visiting in April and June 2021. This wasn't an issue at all a few years ago (at least not back in 2019 and before that) when the actual partner network's name showed, which was CLARO, and you could manually toggle and choose which operator to use based on coverage. Ever since they started forcing "EXTENDED NETWORK" and not allowing you to manually choose carriers, the service has been absolutely terrible. Internet takes forever to load, it's very inconsistent service (regardless of signal bars and LTE always showing), there's no 5G at all through Verizon despite all carriers here having 5G, and to make things worse, calls are done over 3G only. Calls were never over 3G back in 2019.

The internet is basically useless in a lot of places, including San Juan, the capital city. It is so so slow, even with max LTE signal bars, that when I run a speedtest, it either fails to complete or I get like 0.05mbps download max, even outside. How is this a decent service? You're basically deprioritized so so much, and the network seems to always be congested, which just ends up you not being able to use any internet for the majority of your time there, even if you're on the most expensive Verizon plan, Get More Unlimited. All other major U.S. carriers work perfectly there as AT&T and T-Mobile are the same network and don't need to use partner networks.

@vzw_customer_support
Verizon, what plans do you have to improve service in Puerto Rico, as this is considered domestic coverage and given this wasn't an issue before back in 2019, and has since been an issue after the pandemic? I haven't had these issues in Mexico or Canada, which aren't "domestic" but are included with the newer Unlimited plans so this doesn't make sense.

Verizon_Support

chrispr-

Our goal is for you to experience the best possible signal abroad. We are sorry to hear that your connection was not up to par on your last trip. We would like to look into this further and troubleshoot the issue you have experienced. Please contact us at www.vzw.com/contactus so that we can further assist.

chrispr

I think this screenshot says enough in case anyone was wondering how helpful Verizon support is: https://imgur.com/gallery/ZTdvwWn

@vzw_customer_support

1. PR isn’t abroad. It’s Verizon domestic extended network in the U.S. Even though they’re not Verizon towers, they’re partner towers just like in any state in domestic roaming.

2. Believe me, I have texted back in April and this month in June 2021 with tier 1 and tier 2 support within iMessage, chat in the Verizon app, talked to escalated Global Support on the phone even for hours, network tickets have been submitted, etc., but nothing has been successful. Seems like posting here is actually the least helpful.

No one knows what’s going on with coverage in PR and the conclusion from Verizon representatives has been, oh yeah cruddy service in PR is “expected”. Seems to only be expected with Verizon since AT&T and T-Mobile are excellent and no one I’ve been with has had any issues but me. I have to use their mobile hotspot as if I don’t pay enough for Verizon to give me domestic service. This is just mediocre and subpar.

Lastly, your generic response didn’t help. I’ve seen this same message before.

Verizon_Support

Thank you for reaching out. A reliable service is a must and we want to help. The last thing we want is for you to be unhappy with the service. We want to do all we can to find a resolution to the service issue. When did the issues start?

RogerZ_VZW

broomulack

I went to Puerto Rico last weekend and after, literally, 3 hours on the phone with Verizon through my cousin's hotspot, couldn't figure out why I could not get a network. Their determination was that it was the sim card. Several hours later, Verizon called me back and stated that it was my phone (which happens to be just about the most advanced and latest phone they have in the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G!!!!!!!!!!). That it wasn't compatible with the network and wouldn't work there. So essentially, I have a brick that I can carry around with me unless I have someone with a hotspot available.

Little ridiculous in today's age that a company the size of Verizon can't provide phones that work on every network. Somehow, the old CDMA tech is still haunting us!!!!

Verizon_Support

We are sorry to hear your device is not functioning in Puerto Rico, broomulack. We can't control how other countries build their networks. We recommend acquiring a local SIM card and service while traveling if your phone is not able to connect automatically. -Marshall

chrispr

@vzw_customer_support
Let me make a correction and clarification because the previous Verizon agent's language here is not accurate at all.

1. Puerto Rico is not another separate country (it is a U.S. territory) with same mobile network infrastructure.

2. It's actually domestic U.S. mobile coverage under Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Verizon considers it domestic roaming or extended network (see here: https://www.verizon.com/support/domestic-roaming-faqs/). PR is also showing as covered under the national U.S. map here (https://www.verizon.com/coverage-map)

3. A bit more context about what's happening with service in PR:

Verizon used to work flawlessly under the CLARO PR network prior to January 2020 (I never had an issue). The network name used to appear as "CLARO PR" for iPhone and the option to manually choose different networks was available but I believe only CLARO worked. Something changed since then and continues to be a problem in 2021 that instead of showing the local network name, it just says "EXTENDED" and internet traffic is highly depriotized to the point that the internet is unusable. Basically, be transparent and tell your customers that you don't offer service in PR. AT&T and T-Mobile don't have this issue at all and have full coverage and 5G service there.

Are you taking any steps to report this ongoing issues for years now? This is not okay. Americans travel to PR (domestic flight) all the time and Verizon customers should be covered just like they are stateside. You have better mobile coverage and partnerships and Mexico and Canada, two actual different countries.... Please escalate this appropriately so it can be looked at and fixed once and for all! And stop redirecting people to international when it comes to PR, it's not.

Verizon_Support

chrispr, we understand the importance of making sure you have the services you need while you are away. All of your feedback is appreciated and we will forward your concern to the proper channels. We are always looking to improve our services in areas that may need it most. Please review our coverage map here https://www.verizon.com/reusable-content/landing-page/. -Sylvia

broomulack

That's some fantastic customer service. "We can't control how other countries build their networks".

Fascinating. Puerto Rico is part of the U.S., has all roaming capabilities included as if it were domestic, and EVERY OTHER CARRIER works there. The problem is with the S21, the supposed flagship phone. NOT with "other countries".

Acquiring and paying for a local simcard is not an option. I will ditch Verizon first. I'm not paying extra because my phone has an issue. I would understand if I was traveling to Estonia, but I'm not.

Thanks for your "help" Marshall. You're a credit do your company.

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