VZW coverage area maps are a farce

[LCACdriver]

Or more to the point, the disclaimer at the bottom of the coverage area maps is a complete and utter insult to human intelligence everywhere...I live in Panama City, Fl, but I travel frequently and this issue is not confined to my area. However, I will relate it to my area, specifically the 9 mile drive to work. If one cares to look at the attched picture, it is easy to see that VZW claims 4g coverage pretty much throughout my county. The arrows indicate where my phone does infact show a 4g signal, but it is completely unusable at three of them and the others may as well be 1x. IF MY PHONE WOULD AUTOMATICALLY SWITCH TO 3G, I probably would have never got so irritated, but since VERIZON FORCES MY PHONE TO REMAIN IN 4G EVEN THOUGH I HAVE AN UNUSABLE SIGNAL, I tried to get it rectified. Which just led to more frustration, which led to this rant!

How can the FCC or BBB, or any other governing body allow a corporation to practice what amounts to BLATANT FALSE ADVERTISING??? It doesn't matter what kind of spin anyone puts on it, it is uncategorically the most UNBELIEVABLY OFFENSIVE, EGREGIOUS EXAMPLE OF "WE ARE A HUGE CORPORATION, AND CAN SAY AND DO ANYTHING WE PLEASE AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT" FORM OF CORPORATE ARROGANCE I HAVE EVER SEEN.

[Ann154]

Which phone model do you have? Maybe there is a way to force 3G, but would be dependent on the model.

[LCACdriver]

I am beyond forcing 3g at this point...I can do it and have an app to do it, but it also takes effort to get 4g back, so there really is no point...I have the Note 2. I could easily switch back and forth manually in the settings in my Rezound, but this phone does not have that option.

Again, really not the issue anymore since I tried to figure out WHY 4g switching is like it is. which led me to first test on my way to work and then back home again, then when I was on travel. It happens all over the place not just on my work route. And not just on my phone. I have verified it to do the same thing on my (son's now) Rezound, wife's old Razr, and now her S4. The phones will NOT SHIFT TO 3g or other if there is the slightest hint of 4g signal, even several db beyond the level of usability.

Which brings me to this...call VZW and the response(s) I get are that I need to take my phone in and have it looked at. Kinda hard to troubleshoot (fix what ain't broke) at the VZW store! Or even better, I have personal number of tower service guy in the area...he is a straight shooter to me, but his results, filtered through corporate double-speak then back to me on follow-up calls, are that they are seeing 4g signal in the area. They refuse to admit the problem and good ol' tower service guy is caught in the middle of my tirades.

I complained to the FCC...who did they get to resolve the problem? Some VP at VZW, who contacted me and didn't "understand" the nature of my problem, kept talking over me, ignoring my loigcal explanations, then writes a letter stating resolution to FCC, saying that she didn't understand where the problem was and that I hung up on her...I did, because she was a corporate schill moron that continually tried to talk around the issue.

So Ann154, whether or not I can force 3g is really no longer the issue...I just prefer to be heard in a public forum. Maybe more will join the bandwagon and collectively we will be heard.