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Unreliable unusable 5G Start service

My data service is now so unreliable that reluctantly I intend on switching to another provider. My family and I have been with Verizon for 20 years.

I've spent numerous hours on multiple tech support calls trying to resolve this.

I changed from a data-capped plan to unlimited "5G Start" over 6 months ago. This kept my monthly bill about the same.

But 5G Start is de-prioritized so extremely over other traffic that it is typically unusable (sites and apps fail to load or freeze; audiobooks quit playing). A Speedtest is commonly 20Mbps or less, IF it will connect at all!

This is worse than "safety mode" speed that kicked in whenever I exceed my old data cap; at least then I still had a connection.

This occurs in all types of locations and environments, and with different devices (I've upgrade phones in an attempt to fix the issue). My data bandwidth demands are light - no video - just checking email, browsing websites, streaming audio books or running apps like Amazon.

The only remedy that sometimes helps for a very short time is to restart my device or toggle cell network connection on/off. I have to resort to this when desperately trying to pull up some online information.

I am at a loss as to why Verizon think it is okay to have a tier of service this crippled and poor. This "5G Start" tier should at least work and be functional!

All the troubleshooting has ruled out other potential causes. The only option I'm left with is to change my plan to a mid-tier (extra $120+ per year) for a less-throttled [functional] service. I can't justify that extra expense.

A CSR technician in a Verizon store told me that things should improve as the transition away from 3G rolls out. I don't think I should have to wait on that faint hope while still paying the rates of a premium provider.

I wish I could revert back to my old data-capped plan!

Instead I will be taking my device and $ somewhere else.

Comments

Verizon_Support

We would be happy to assist you with your concern. Please private message us for further assistance. *Mabell

jtrz6210

Did you ever get a resolution to this? I am about to move forward and get out of verizon's nonsense. Used to be able to turn off 5g. Can't work = loss of income!!!

Blackadder2

No, not yet, and it's not looking promising that I will ever.

Alex11barriga

I just switched. Checked the map before hand to make sure and it said my area is covered but I have no 5g near my house.

Verizon_Support

Good morning, jtrz6210. We want to help you as much as possible and we sent you private message, please reply to it at your convenience.

-Antonio

Verizon_Support

Hello, Valued Customer. Thank you for reaching out to Verizon. We understand the Service is very important. What type of problems are you having?

*Hannah

Verizon_Support

Good morning. We are sad to hear that you are having service issues. We will be glad to work wit you to get this resolved. Please send us a DM to get started. *De'Aundrea

fern88

Sounds like the same issue here...

We "upgraded" our family plan from a non unlimited plan (14gb per month) to the unlimited 5g start plan. Verizon would constantly ask us to upgrade and how this would be a better plan because we would save ~$20 a month and have unlimited data.

Now after we switched, regular 4g/5g access is usually extremely slow and often unusable. When I call about the issue, they tell me to restart the device and it seems better for a while but then slows down again. Restarting the phone is not the solution to an issue that obviously seems to be related to the account being aggressively throttled.

If I upgrade to non throttled line, it will increase our cost by at least $60 because we have 6 lines on this account.

I feel like Verizon promised me a better experience for less but now it's going to cost me more. I'm really considering switching to a different provider. I live in the Los Angeles area so I'm thinking the other providers are probably better in this area now.

Verizon_Support

Thank you so much for letting us know about this! I will be more than happy to help you. Please, send us a private note, so we can give you the assistance you need.

>Eli

Blackadder2

On 1/5/2023 I did try to reply to @jtrz6210
but this site blocked me, first saying I'd reached the limit for private messages and then (when I tried to re-post) saying my message had been flagged as spam!

@fern88
- Like you, I first had to figure out how on earth to PM Verizon! Answer: Use the Envelope icon in the top right of the screen.

Blackadder2

I eventually ended up on a lengthy chat session with a helpful CSR from Verizon. He told me that my service was under Network management, or slowing of speeds. He said that the Start Unlimited plan is suited for users that browse the internet, and check emails. Things that don't require a lot of data. He suggested that I upgrade my service to the Play More Unlimited plan (50GBs high speed data per month), an additional $10 per month.

Bottom line was that the 5G Start service can't be fixed in my case. It is throttled so aggressively that it is unable to provide a stable connection at any speed. I simply can't understand how VZ can sell a tier of service like this that is unusable for routine low-data tasks!

I told the CSR: With 5G Start I often can't open email, can't open a web page, can't search/browse items in the Amazon app, etc. - the signal strength icon might have the exclamation point or not. This tier of service is FREQUENTLY unusable compared to the capped plan that I used to have. Something is wrong. The throttling of data must be overly aggressive, making my phone unusable on Verizon. I cannot express how frustrating this is to repeatedly have no data connectivity when I'm away from wi-fi and need it. It is NOT what I am paying a premium provider for.

In the end my only way forward, other than dropping Verizon, was to pay an additional $10/month to upgrade to the 'Play More Unlimited' tier. This has so far resolved the issue. I get occasional poor connections, but no more than usual with cell phones.

I'm still considering moving my service and device to another provider.

Verizon_Support

@Blackadder2 ,

We're sorry that you feel that way when we ask for Private Notes. We do so because we would need to gather and discuss personal account information, and that is not something we would do in public for everyone to see. If you'd like an example, it would be no different from having a conversation with your bank about your funds or transactions right in the middle of the lobby rather than in private. As for your concerns with our unlimited data plans, this is how all unlimited data works, even with other carriers. No one wants to see you go, but changing carriers will not change how your usage is handled. Once you reach a certain amount of usage - which depends on the plan you have - you may experience times when your data connection is slower than normal. We have this information on our data plan page, among other places, but if you'd like full details on this standard process then please check out this link: https://www.verizon.com/about/our-company/network-management

-Russell

knm336

Thanks for the updates on your experience. I'm on a prepaid plan and I've been having similar issues the last several months. I bought a new phone thinking that might solve the problem but it didn't. Now I'm betting that I'm getting "throttled" since I'm prepaid. Taking long drives on major highways in densely populated areas and I can't even stream music. Or I'm in a major city and I can't open a webpage. Happens all over the place all the time. Most frustrating thing is that my phone shows full 5g or LTE signal. If I have to pay double what I've been paying just to get usable service again I'll look at other providers after being with Verizon for 20 years.

Verizon_Support

We are invested in the satisfaction of all of our customers. Please follow and DM us for assistance today. We are always available and happy to help.

*Carl

fern88

By helping, it should not mean telling the customer to upgrade from 5G Start to another plan. I live in the Los Angeles area so obviously in an urban area like this, it will be more congested than a smaller city. I should not get penalized more because of the population. I hope Verizon is using some other factor and the "threshold" value is not linear for all antennas.

I'm going to start seeing if Tmobile has good service in my area because I can probably get their most expensive plan and still pay $40 less than what I'm paying right now for a 6 phone Verizon 5G Start family plan.

Mezz1

If you live in the Midwest (Nebraska) choose a different provider, on many occasions I've reported Internet outages, only for them to "look into it". I'm sorry just because I connected to the tower at full signal, doesn't mean I'm getting Internet service,. I've reported this issue for several years, have had multiple devices since then, always the same problem. They just send the blame elsewhere so they're no longer accountable for their lack of maintaining. Don't accept their excuses They no longer own their towers (now owned mostly by American Towers) they just sell the service to these towers, as long as the can pin the blame on someone else, they won't care about you.

Verizon_Support

Hi there, Mezz1. We strive to provide the best possible connection. Allow us to help in every way we can. May I please have the zip code where you're having the trouble? Is it only the data conneciton you have issues with or do you have trouble with calls & texts as well? -Alicia

tomasasix

20mb/s, you are lucky man. My data speeds are under 0.5mb/s. Almost a month trying to resolve this issue. First it was prioritizing, rural area fluctuations, and I was even told that railroad and river affect your data. Who knew .

Verizon_Support

Thank you for reaching out to us, my name is Adriana, and I am your customer service expert, ready to help!
It will be my pleasure to assist you today, please feel free to send us a PM if you have any questions or concerns you need assistance with.

>Adriana

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