Dead Zone In Norfolk Virginia 23510

[Matt14]

I recently moved from Virginia Beach to Norfolk Virginia. Only about 6 miles away. At my home in Virginia Beach I got excellent voice service and fast 4G, on average 10 Mbps. Since moving to Norfolk (zip code 23510) my data speeds have been drastically reduced. I've done speed tests everywhere in the weeks since I've moved and my service (voice is ok) is slow. Inside, outside and on the roof of my parking garage in full view of any and all cell phone towers and I still get slow data. About 1 Mbps, if that. I'm paying for 4G, I'm just not getting 4G in Norfolk Virginia. This only happens in the area around my home. I drove to Virginia Beach yesterday and had excellent 4G speeds, same when I went to my Parents house in Pennsylvania for Christmas. It seems to be a dead spot in Norfolk (zip code 23510) (ghent area of the city).

Does anyone else experience this? It's obviously not my phone if it gets great 4G speeds elsewhere.

Any input from others in Norfolk or customer service would be great.

-Matt14

[vzw_customer_support]

Matt14- Relocating can be exciting and a little hectic. We definitely want to figure out what is going on with the service in your new location. Also, thank you for providing the speedtest information. Slow data speeds can be more than frustrating and I have checked our map and coverage looks good, overall. In a situation such as this, we would want to open a ticket and have our network team take a closer look at signal where you are located.

sheritah_vzw
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@VZWSupport

[Matt14]

Great. Is there anything I need to open a network team ticket?

My address and the area where I notice the network dead zone is around the area of (address removed) Norfolk Virgina. And just last night I was at a restaurant about 4 blocks away and I was getting about 8.5 Mbps downloaded. Right now in my apartment I'm getting 1.5 Mbps. downloaded.

Private info removed as required by the Terms of Service.

Message was edited by: Admin Moderator

[vzw_customer_support]

Thanks for sticking with us while we get this resolved Matt14. I show your area has great coverage and no known issues have been reported. What phone do you have? You can either call us at 1-800-922-0204 or *611 or you can send us a private message with your name and mobile number and we can contact you to get some additional details needed to file the ticket. We would love to trouble-shoot your phone first to see if a SIM pull would work or a reset. Although we cant guarantee services inside, we can trouble-shoot issues outside. This may also help with inside service http://vz.to/IHRT6h .

KinquanaH_VZW
Follow us on Twitter @vzwsupport

[tikibar1]

  and 

[Matt14]

My phone is the Droid Razr. And yes, I agree with you that the coverage maps show 4G coverage at my address. That was the first thing I checked. Let me be clear again on this = my voice signal is fine. I don't need a voice network extender. I've never had a dropped call.  It's my data connection that seems to be horrible in the past few months.  I know much much more about mobile phones and networks than the average person and I can assure you that it is not my phone for 2 simple reasons among other things: I've already done a factory reset on my phone and the data signal problem still exists. After checking the coverage maps, a phone factory reset was the second thing I did.  And, my 4G data speeds have been amazingly fast elsewhere. I was in Pennsylvania over the holidays and I was getting 20 Mbps downloaded in York Pa. But I come home to Norfolk and I've consistently had on the order of 0 to 1.5 Mbps at my apartment. That is indoors and outdoors - even on the roof of my parking garage where I would expect my data signal to be the fastest due to not having any obstructions to any nearby towers. However, When I travel to Virginia Beach or North Norfolk to where I work it seems like my data speeds are normal/average speeds of about 7 to 15 Mbps.  In my opinion, there's either equipment that's not working properly at the nearby towers or increased network congestion that's causing the slow down.... or it's being throttled by Verizon for some reason.

[jp1218]

Good Luck!  I am in 32164 and it shows great coverage here.  Can't make a phone call, they start out like they are going to help you then when they realize they can't, you will get..."We show you have fine coverage in that area"  What kind of phone do you have?"  To their surprise we have 3 different kind of phones, so since they couldn't blame it on the phones, the CSR's got nasty. 

My suggestion...Get out now and pay the ETF or pay for a booster, because they aren't going to help you.  It will save you the aggravation in the long run.

[Matt14]

I've been a Verizon customer for 11 years so I'm familiar with the shenanigans. My contract expires 2 weeks from today, so the ETF is not a problem. This service issue and Verizon's lack of supporting flagship phones, mainly the Nexus 5, will probably be why I will be taking my business elsewhere.

[jp1218]

I have about 4 weeks left and am stuck between a rock and a hard place.  I would have already switched to AT&T but want to keep the same number.  I recently sold a business and are still trying to collect and stay in touch with customers.  I live and work in a dead zone.  I have to use a land line or drive 2 miles to check my VM every few hours.  What started as a 2 year contract for 4 phones with all the upgrades became like a 10 year sentence. 

Which I will finally be set free soon!

[vzw_customer_support]

Matt14,

We really don't want to see you go! We have a great line of devices. Why would you consider leaving? What exact features are you looking for in a device?

Thank you,
VanessaS_VZW

Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

[Matt14]

I really like the Moto X. Too bad if I buy it I'll only get data speeds less than 1 Mbps at my apartment.

[profweasel]

You're not the only one experiencing problems.  They started about a week and a half ago.  My data started dropping to 3G in that same zip code. Even though the signal is strong the data speeds have been unbearably slow.  My other co workers on Verizon have noticed the same issue.

[vzw_customer_support]

profweasel,

We definitely want you to experience the speed of 4G LTE; let's get it up and running! No issues reported in this zip code and there is a great 4G coverage. Please accept my request, follow me back and send me DM to further assist. Thank you.

AdaS_VZW
Follow us on Twitter at @VZWSupport

[tikibar1]

  and 

[berniejw]

Norfolk has been dead for me ever since I started working downtown in November.  I can't stream any music without interruptions, sometimes lasting several minutes.  I find it helps to turn LTE off and go 3G, but even then the data rate is slow.  Zip code 23510.

[berniejw]

Also, data rates are slow even when my phone is saying 4 out of 5 bars...it is clearly a Verizon capacity issue in downtown Norfolk.  Verizon simply doesn't have enough bandwidth to meet the demand, so you get huge lag spikes.  Probably will take years to get fixed knowing the speed at which verizon moves.

[Matt14]

Hello?

I'm waiting for VZW customer service to follow me so I can send you a message to get this issue resolved.

I don't understand why a service request just can't be written to inspect the equipment at the nearby towers. Does VZW have any sort of quality control and upkeep on their equipment? Or does it take a mass uprising and loss of customers in a specific area for VZW to do anything about it?

[vzw_customer_support]

Hi Matt,

No worries, we are now following you! You can now send me a DM to get your issue resolved. We can file a ticket to have the local towers reviewed for issues in your area.

Thanks,
PamelaF_VZW

[Matt14]

This is pathetic. This customer service is a joke. I "followed" VZW customer support on this forum in order to send a message to put in a ticket in order to get this issue resolved. They accepted and "followed" me but now when I hover over the VZW customer support avatar to actually send them a message, the button says "awaiting approval". I can't send a message. And NO ONE has touched this thread or even made an attempt to check up on me and my satisfaction.

[vzw_customer_support]

@Matt14

I am terribly sorry that we have not followed up with your request!  I would love to quickly address this concern for you.  I will send you another follow request so that you can send me a direct message.  Thank you for your patience!


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[Matt14]

Ok. I've figured out this website and I'm not angry anymore. However, my problem isn't a problem for me anymore. I've moved on to another mobile carrier. I've been tracking my usage and costs over the past few months and weighting in on which Verizon wireless plan I should go with next. Here's my list of reasons for letting my 2 year contract expire on Jan 20th and leaving Verizon.

1. Verizon does not have 4G prepaid plans. Your competitors are KILLING you in this sector. I don't want a contract; people don't want contracts. The US is the only stupid country on the planet where mobile providers strangle their customers into contracts. In the long run, contracts are more expensive.

2. Verizon does not support Google Nexus devices. When the Nexus 5 came out I knew that was going to be my next phone. I didn't like any of the other phones that Verizon offers right now that much except for the Galaxy S4 but I'm not paying $650 outright for a phone. I struggled with Verizon and Motorola crap software on phones for the past 4 years. I wanted a pure Android phone. And the Nexus 5 doesn't work on Verizon.

3. I would have bought a Nexus 5 myself for only $350 (very affordable compared to the S4 retail price) and kept my unlimited data plan going month-to-month from now on but that wasn't an option. And I would have the same data dead spot problem that I started this forum for in the first place.

4. If I got a new phone and new contract I would have been forced to go onto one of the Edge plans which I estimated to be $30-$40 more per month than I was currently paying just for 1 phone! I'm not paying more for the same exact service just because Verizon changed their plan structure. Plus, I was told that the Edge plans are tailored for multiple devices. I only have a phone.

So, I will still send a message to get my original problem fixed but only for the people who are still having a problem. I don't want to let them hanging.