Ok...I gotta rant here. I know that it will and this will probably cause world war III.
I get off the forums for a few days because I've been sick, and come back and start weeding through stuff. And it's like all VZW hating posts lately, gripe sessions. I just felt like I've read enough that I need to call **bleep** on some of them and put in my 2 cent's worth. And yes, I'll get flamed. And no, I probably won't respond to the flames. 
"BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE: I don't get it. I've been with VZW for years...and also had a number of other companies in several places I lived. I've called CS a number of times with problems, and been in the stores. Had pretty decent experiences with all of them, as long as you treat them with respect, they've always been helpful. You can't call them screaming. I don't care what somebody says, you call me screaming and I won't help you either. I've always had the best COVERAGE with VZW (not all of us live in the center of the city), and they've always had the best service and performance/coverage. Oh, T-mobile was fine...good prices, etc., as long as you were on a main corridor. Same with Sprint. It's a "you pay for what you get" thing.
"I'M ON MY Xth REPLACEMENT": Now, I am sure there are some true stories about getting a couple of duds, but sometimes I think somebody maybe should call **bleep**. You don't have the same problem crop up on 4 or 5 units of much of anything equipment-wise. When that kind of thing happens, there's usually something else going on in common, like a bad program that you put on each of them. Or some interference in your house. Something else. You may need to track down what's going on and eliminate stuff. But you won't get that many DUD units in a ROW like that. Nearly impossible just from statistics. It's got to be something that either you are doing, or not doing, or something external. Just doesn't make sense.
"I GOT CHARGED $X.00 PER TEXT ON AN UNLIMITED PLAN" : Again...something's not right. There are no text messages that cost that much, even if you don't HAVE a messaging plan. Maybe if you are getting overseas phone calls or something. But that doesn't make ANY sense. And if it happens, and you call CS and are nice, I'm sure it's no problem. It just sounds like there's something else going on here.
"WAH! THEY PUSHED SUCH-AND-SUCH ICON ON MY BB!": Well, my word. Big deal. It's in the contract that they can do it. It's only a shortcut, just don't install it. I'll bet you don't complain when Microsoft does that to your Windows (called "Windows Updates", my friends.) Get over it. Oh, yeah, they ARE making money by doing that...imagine that. THEY ARE A BUSINESS PEOPLE! If you want freedom, then go for an os that is open source. There's a few potential risks with things, but some better things too. But stop complaining about it.
I'm seriously not trying to offend anybody, I just keep reading all this stuff and trying to look at it objectively. And no, I don't work for them, either, I work for a civil engineering firm. But I try to help here on the forums when I can, and it just seems that a lot of them make some valid points, and a lot of them need to have **bleep** called on them. And some people need to quit whining so much. Read your plan, understand it. Ask if you don't understand it. Do a battery pull before you throw it across the room. Accept that you MAY have something going on; problems in your home, like interference/high tension wires outside/next door neighbors with a signal enhancer thats interfereing/who knows. Or that maybe you just don't know what you are doing, in which case people can help here, if you're nice.
Ok...off my soapbox.
Thanks Doc.
I just get tired reading through posts which are nothing more than complaints, versus actual "how do I do this" questions. And I am definitely not above pushing the little red button sometimes, when I think I need to. 
Sometimes, I think that part of the problem is that people don't see a smartphone as what it is, a pda with a phone. It's not a regular phone; It's a computer with a phone function, and with it comes all the bugs, OS gremlins, memory issues, having to reboot, etc., that any computer brings. People go in, buy the thing because it's cool, then freak out when they find out that it's more complicated than just a simple flip phone. And instead of asking questions in a civilized manner, they get frustrated and mad, and vent at those who are willing to help them.
Sigh.
Well said!! It seems like all some people want to do is complain about Verizon on a Verizon SUPPORT FORUM! Glad to know I am not the only one that feels this way
Wow, thanks, Doc and Chileman. I guess it's been building for a while. 
Great thread. Thanks for starting it.