TERRIBLE service in CHARLOTTE, NC area for the past few months!!!

My service in the Charlotte, NC area has been terrible as of late - At least for 3 months, if not more. Not only am I not able to use my phone in my office anymore (I can't even send an MMS without going near a window. Netflix or YouTube? Forget it.) I have had NUMEROUS dropped calls and calls that won't connect at various places in the city. (Uptown, SouthPark, and Steele Creek areas) and I normally have no more than 2-3 dots/bars on my phone. When the LTE is working, it is SLOW. The phone also switches regularly from 3G to LTE. I am not the only person having this issue as my partner has VZW and he is having the same issues. PLEASE ADVISE! I pay too much monthly to have these issues!! I know you guys don't guarantee service inside buildings, but the service SHOULD work while outside.Verizon Wireless Services

Accepted answers

Verizon_Support

I understand Froboy733 and I appreicate all the troubleshooting steps you have done so far. To file a trouble ticket with our network engineers, you may reach out to our Techincal Support Team at 1800-922-0204.

Thank You,

MichelleS_VZW Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport If my response answered your question please click the �Correct Answer� button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

All comments

Verizon_Support

Sohuffman-

I am terribly sorry to hear your service is not working as it should. As a consumer myself, I depend on my phone so I understand your concern. When did this issue started? did you change to another device before this issue? Does the phone have software up to date? Does the dropped calls happen when you call out or receive calls? Please provide us with the exact zip codes where it is happening. Have you tried restarting the phone or removing the sim card? Please share the make/model of your phone to further assist.

CarmenT_VZW

Follow us on TWITTER @VZWSupport If my response answered your question please click the _Correct Answer_ button under my response. This ensures others can benefit from our conversation. Thanks in advance for your help with this!!

froboy733

I thought I'd weigh in on this thread since I'm having a very similar issue. sohuffman you're certainly not alone with these issues.

carment_vzw The issue for me is that I get HORRENDOUS data speeds. I have run numerous SpeedTests and between the hours of approximately 8:00am and 5:00pm the download speed NEVER exceeds .5Mbps until after 5:00pm. Once people leave the uptown area after work the speeds start to increase again (almost certainly a congestion issue). The horrendous data speeds do not change whether I am indoors or outdoors.

To answer some of your questions:

1. This issue has been occuring since at least January 2015.

2. I have had two separate phones an HTC Droid DNA and currently a Samsung Galaxy S6 (both phones have always been on the latest software versions) and the problem has persisted across both.

3. Dropped calls aren't the issue for me, just horrendous data speeds.

4. I have restarted the phone countless times and removed/replaced SIM card as well as doing resets and clearing the phones cache. Again, no change as this is not an issue with a users phone as it is network congestion in the area.

Thank you for your assistance with this carment_vzw.

Verizon_Support

Let's get you back in the fast lane froboy733. Are you also in the Charlotte, NC area? If so, can you provide me with a zip code to look closely at the area. Did you recently make any changes to the device since January. Has there been any sort of construction in the area?

Thank You,

froboy733

Hi @MichelleS_VZW,

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond. See below for answers to your questions:

1. My zip code is 28202.

2. In January I had a Droid DNA and in April I upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S6. There were no changes to either device other than the upgrade in April.

3. There is early stage construction on a few new buildings, however, all of them are currently building the foundation. There are no new structures that could obstruct the service.

I will reiterate my earlier point. The speeds are terrible between the hours of 8:00am and 5:00pm, however, after (in the exact same location) the speeds significantly improve. Therefore this has nothing to do with either a device issue or new buildings obstructing the network. This is entirely a capacity issue.

What is the point continuing to pay for "4G LTE" when it doesn't work during the hours I actually need it? (ATT Wireless users in my building get far superior data speeds ~4Mbps down and 1.5Mbps up).

froboy733

I have done additional research on the forums here and found this thread: 4G Speeds Slow in Charlotte NC

It indicates that users have been having the EXACT same issue with TERRIBLE download speeds since October 2013.

In the two years that this has been a known issue can you provide details about what Verizon has or is currently doing to fix this problem?

sohuffman

Thanks for replying froboy733

I'm currently in my office and the spinning wheel I've grown to hate is rotating at the top of my iPhone once again (and has been for the past hour) *sigh*

This issue started probably almost a year ago, but has grown unbearably worse months ago. As a former VZW employee, I'm pretty sure its not my device. My partner is also having the same issues and we work in completely different areas of Charlotte.

I upgraded to an iPhone 6 back in October 2014. I had an iPhone 5S before that. Had a few issues, but not terrible. I always update my software. I've restarted the phone more times than i can count. The dropped calls aren't my main concern, as I've gotten used to them. I just shake my head and re-dial the number. A lot of them happen indoors or what I'm assuming are "dead spots" and i know the only reply I'm going to get is "we don't guarantee service in buildings...yadda, yadda, yadda". So is it a nuisance? Yes, but I'm not a heavy talker so i push through it.

However, I DO use a lot of data every month and that is the ongoing, ridiculously frustrating issue. Verizon touts their network reliability, but CLEARLY it is at capacity here in Charlotte, NC. My 4G used to be remarkably fast, especially when i came back to Verizon in 2012. If I'm at a huge event (concert, game, etc..), I my phone merely operates as a camera because by the end, the battery will be completely drained from trying to post my photos and status updates to social media. Sometimes if even the mall or a movie theater is extremely crowded, the data connection is sub-par. If i go Uptown Charlotte for lunch during the work week..forget it. 3G or sometimes even 1X! I've seen 1X on my phone so frequently in the last few months, I may as well carry a Motorola T730 (look it up if you don't know). Or maybe we've suddenly gone back to 2002 and I didn't get the memo in a timely fashion. (probably because the network was clogged)

My work zip code is 28208. Home zip is 28214. I'm sure the coverage map will show no issues, but I can assure you there are plenty. Judging by the responses and other threads I've seen, others will agree.

mvcarpenter

I can attest to the truth of these posts! I switched from AT&T to Verizon in 2012 for Verizon's "more advanced" LTE network. Since then, Verizon coverage, speed, and reliability has taken a nosedive in the greater Charlotte area. It just continually gets worse and worse. I'm in the Mooresville area now and if you can get it, LTE speed is a joke. Calls are now breaking up and dropping, and my phone spends more time on 3G than LTE. I've called, chatted, and tweeted with Verizon customer support to no avail. Their solution is to get a network extender, but that doesn't make much sense when the problem is not only inside my home but the entire major metropolitan city where I live! I'll be switching to T-Mobile or even going back to AT&T when the iPhone 6S is available later this year. There's really no point in sticking with Verizon in this area as the network is completely oversold and over capacity.

blueyestarz

I am so glad I came across this post. I am completely livid at the moment just hanging up with Verizon. We have been going round and round with them for weeks about our dropped calls, loss of signal and no service at our house. We live in Charlotte, down by Steele Creek/Carowinds area. Finally today we are told the sudden drop in service is due to foilage blocking our signal. Their solution was for us to spend $250 on a booster. I find it completely disgusting that all of a sudden this area is a known problem area (which the rep from your company admitted to over the phone) and your solution is for your customers to spend more money out of their pockets to fix an issue they didn't create! Completely shady business if you ask me!

sohuffman

Verizon Wireless Customer Support No answer at all to to my reply SMH. Definitely time to seek new wireless service! I hate i even extended my contract and upgraded.TERRIBLE service in CHARLOTTE, NC area for the past few months!!!

Verizon_Support

We definitely didn't mean to overlook your previous posting sohuffman. We'll be happy to look into this issue further for you. Since our capabilities are limited via this peer to peer forum, please reach out to us via our live chat or phone support channels so that we can take an in-depth look into the area where you are experiencing issues and get a trouble ticket filed: http://vz.to/1PVuK1w

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to assist you!

EbonyR_VZW

blueyestarz

So what is the solution when this is obvious an issue across the board?? There are SEVERAL complaints and your upper tech support has even admitted that this is currently a HUGE problem area. The solution that was givennot only to myself but obviously other customers was for use to spend $250 on a mini tower for our residence. However i sit here at work over 30 miles away from my residence and still only have 2 bars of service on my phone and not able to get any apps to pull up. Yet, I have to pay for my data while I wait and wait to see if by any chance I may be able to use an app on my phone. There needs to be a solution to this put into place ASAP, not just giving customers the constant run around about opening support tickets and asking them to spend money out of their pockets to fix an issue that they didn't create!