Poor coverage - where to report to Verizon?

[jdc90503]

Is there anywhere on the Verizon Wireless website where you can report poor coverage? I followed every path I could find through the navigation structure, but there was no obvious "report poor coverage" link. (In fact, the only support options seem to be live chat or calling in—seems crazy that there is no option to send an email or file a trouble ticket.)

Since others seem to have this same issue and occasionally get responses in the discussion board, here is my situation:

My primary use case for LTE data is at work, since at home I am on WiFi. One reason I switched to Verizon was to get better coverage at work since AT&T had poor coverage at the time and my co-workers with Verizon seemed to fare much better. At first, that appeared to be the case. But over the last few months, the usability of the LTE signal has degraded. There are times I will step outside to use my phone and see an LTE signal, but then suddenly it will drop to 3G or even 1X. This switchover is horrible since network operations tend to time out when switching between bands so the user experience is that an app will seem to "freeze" mid-action. (And, of course, dropping to 1X is functionally equivalent to having no service.)

The other penalty for the poor signal is that ever since the iOS 7 upgrade, my iPhone 5 loses a ton of battery life when forced to use a weak cellular data connection. I understand that some loss of battery life is expected in these cases since a phone will transmit at a higher power level trying to find a tower. But something about the combo of the iPhone 5, iOS 7, and whatever Verizon software came bundled with it made the problem much, much worse. If I go outside and use my phone for 15 minutes in the scenario above (appears LTE but drops to 3G/1X and then tries to switch back), I can lose ~10% of my battery life. When I'm in a strong coverage area, battery performance is excellent as it has always been.

Finally, reception inside my building has always been terrible. I hate not being able to use my cellphone at my desk, but always assumed that this was caused by the building and there was nothing that could be done. Well, I have to rethink that assumption since a recent AT&T tower upgrade in the area now provides a 4- or 5-bar LTE signal inside the building, as well as outside.

Intersection of Nash St and El Segundo Blvd in ZIP 90245

Google Maps reports the lat/lon as 33.930562, -118.386689

Device is an iPhone 5 running iOS 7.0.4 (11B554a) with carrier settings Verizon 15.5 and modem firmware 5.02.00

If anyone has any idea how to report this info to Verizon—or any other ideas on how to improve the situation—I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance for your help.

[vzw_customer_support]

jdc90503, thanks for the heads up! You've reached one of many places to report your service issue. At this time no outages have been reported in your area. However, let's take a closer look at your device. Have you powered it off/on to soft reset it? Are you having this service issue indoors, outdoors, or both?

LasinaH_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[jdc90503]

Have you powered it off/on to soft reset it? Are you having this service issue indoors, outdoors, or both?

Powered the phone on/off: Yes.

Indoors vs. outdoors: The reception is poor in both places, but I understand that indoors reception is not entirely under your control as noted in the original post. The main issue for now is outdoors.

[B33]

Do you know how far you are from a tower.?  Distance, and surroundings can play a big role in signal even if your outside if your surrounded by a bunch a buildings or other tall things such as allot a trees as in shelter belts or houses that are closely tied together.. how's the signal away from your area is better, same or worse?

[jdc90503]

I don't know the location of the nearest tower. I do understand that the local environment can make a big difference. However, the issue is that standing in one particular location outside, not moving, the signal will suddenly go from LTE to 3G or 1X. It doesn't make any sense that line-of-sight or other micro-coverage issues would apply since my location isn't changing.

[vzw_customer_support]

Thanks for keeping us posted jdc90503! We'll get to the bottom of this issue and get you connected! To ensure that the device is receiving the strongest connection, I would recommend turning on both data http://vz.to/1lvIRLT and voice http://vz.to/1gYkG6K roaming.

AshleyS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[jdc90503]

To ensure that the device is receiving the strongest connection, I would recommend turning on both data http://vz.to/1lvIRLT and voice http://vz.to/1gYkG6K roaming. 

Question: I have always had data roaming turned off to avoid any possibility of data charges from being on non-Verizon networks. If I turn data roaming on, is there any possibility that I could be charged extra? And why would roaming in a domestic location make a difference in the signal strength?

[vzw_customer_support]

It's a very understandable fear jdc90503 and I'm glad you asked. There is no need to worry, all our new (newer) plans cover you anywhere in the U.S. without generating roaming fees. Data roaming needs to be turned off when you travel internationally to avoid charges.

AdaS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter at @VZWSupport

[mbiver]

It seems Verizon doesn't really care about poor coverage reports. I have contacted Customer service about poor coverage in our neighborhood several times. Although our neighborhood falls completely within a full 4G/LTE coverage area, we are lucky to get a single bar. We regularly experience dropped calls even outside our home in this neighborhood.

I have reported the issue to Customer service and at first they seemed supportive. They had me update my phone with *228 when I had a non-sim card phone...they said if that didn't work they would send a technician to the neighborhood to evaluate coverage...This sounded great. I thought we might actually get somewhere. The reality is, they did nothing.

They had a technician call me..and when the *228 didn't work, they tried to sell me a signal booster for $250.

Unfortunately, neighbors have reported the other cellular carriers have poor reception as well, so I don't really see a benefit in switching. Verizon does seem to have the best coverage overall, but it is very frustrating to not be able to rely on coverage at home.

I find it slightly better when I step out the back door, but forget about keeping a signal if I walk around the side or to the front of the house. Calls drop almost immediately.

If they wont fix the problem by boosting the tower strength or putting in another tower, I wish they would at least update their coverage map to reflect the fact that this area has poor coverage. 1x is hardly 4G/LTE.

[Ian0920]

I have the same question. I am getting ready to go on an extended weekend camping one of the places i am going even tells me there is no to little Verizon coverage in this statement.

Q: What cell phone carriers have reception at the Resort?

A: AT&T/Cingular and Sprint/Nextel are the only carriers that provide service in the Raystown Lake area. There is not a Verizon cellular tower in the area and Verizon service is intermittant.

I will also be going to several other lakes this summer which i know have no Verizon coverage. But they do have AT&T. Like Glendale State Park and Ricketts Glenn State Park. My family and i spend many a weekend in these and other locations. I like Verizon and plan on sticking with it, but as my daughter gets older and we take more extended weekend and longer trips i would like to know that they are doing something about this or we may have to switch to a carrier who actually has service where we go.

[mje1964]

I too am having the same issue.  I had an iphone 5 that had to be replaced last week.  It stopped working for no apparent reason last week- possibly the battery- possibly some other reason.

Prior to replacement -I had no issues with reception at my home (zipcode 48393).  Following receipt of the replacement phone I have had constant problems with reception.  Every phone call that I am on the person on the other line states that they cannot hear me and that the line is very staticy.  When I check the phone I have 2 bars- occassionally 3 out of 6.  I have always had all bars at my home before.

I have shut down and restarted the phone - there is no change.  My husband - who also has an iphone 5 is having no problems with reception in our home.

What's going on here?  Can someone help me please?

mje1964 (Wixom, Michigan- zipcode 48393)

[vzw_customer_support]

Thanks for reaching out to us about your service issues mje1964. I know its frustrating to have problems using your device but we are here to help. What phone do you have? I show good service in your area. Have we performed any trouble-shooting via phone or at the store? We can also file a trouble -ticket to have our technicians review the area for problems. You can send us a private message here or via Facebook or Twitter. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Kinquana_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

[mje1964]

Kinquana-

Thank you for your response. I don't know how to send you a private message here- this is the first time I have used these message boards.  I am not on Twitter and I don't think that I have "Liked" you on FB.  Maybe I should do that.  Frustration brought me to this forum.

I have a brand new (I assume I was given a brand new and not a rebuilt) iphone 5.  I  have had it for 1 week now. My SIM card from my dead phone was moved over and then my data that I back up regularly to the cloud was loaded onto this one.

Yes, we have good service in our area- which is why this makes no sense.  Never had a problem before - but I do now...

I will go onto FB and send the same message with my name and contact information.  Hopefully I will "Like" the right FB page.

Thanks!  mje1964

[tikibar1]

How To: Direct Message  and KinquanaH_VZW

[stevea58]

I see no answer to the question  "Poor coverage - where to report to Verizon?".

How can a company as big as Verizon not have an official method of reporting problem areas?

I see references to following on twitter and this is just not an acceptable method.

[MtEagle]

I too am having the same problem, I have had Verizon for a little over one year.. I simply cannot get good signal inside my house..and I am just below a tower!  I had AT&T prior to this and had no signal problems.

I don't agree that I have to purchase a $250.00 booster to resolve the problem when I had strong signal with AT&T.

My husband's contract is due to expire in about a month with AT&T and he was going to join us on Verizon..but now with the reception issues I think he is going to stay with AT&T.  My contract with Verizon doesn't end until Dec 2015..but I think I will go back to AT&T at that point. 

Thank you for nothing.

[bHbZ]

Sorry to hijack your thread.  I'm having problems with signal strength that impacts both voice and data.  I've already tried cycling LTE on/off and have resorted to turning it off completely to get 2 of 5 bars to make a call.  Even then, callers complain of choppy sentences/voice.  Here is the relevant information:

Where are you located (zip code)? 90292

Which device do you have? iPhone 6

What specific issues are you experiencing? Weak signal (LTE and 3G)

When did the problem begin? Consistent for the area

Major Intersection of area; Maxella Ave and Glencoe Ave

Thanks for your time.

[B33]

If you haven't tried this. Try pulling the Sim for about 10 min. shut down the Device before pulling the Sim.!  if this does not work see about getting a new Sim the Sim Card)  The Sim is what helps the phone get the 4 Signal it also helps keep the P.R.L. updated this is your Preferred Roaming List..

[bHbZ]

Thanks for the suggestion. Haven't updated a PRL since my old work-issued BlackBerry.

Removed the SIM from the iPhone 6 and still have a poor signal in the area mentioned above. Hoping Verizon Wireless will see this thread/post and do something on their end. We have over 8 wireless devices with them and would hate to switch carriers because of this.

[vzw_customer_support]

We would be heartbroken if we were to lose you so we will strive to offer you the best possible experience, bHbZ. Does this primarily happen indoors? Are all 8 devices struggling with reception? Does the performance vary during different times of day?


Thank you,

YaleK_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWsupport

[bHbZ]

Happens indoors and out although I understand building materials may impact reception inside.

So far, this problem occurs with three different iPhone 6s and one iPhone 5.

I hope there's another solution other than shelling out money for a femtocell.