Very unhappy with Samsung Galaxy Nexus / Verizon

[dabsalot]

    When I decided to purchase my first 'smart phone' the first thing I did is start researching phones. This is when the Galaxy Nexus was just about to launch on Verizon in the states. With the large display, the latest OS, Verizon customer satisfaction rating nationally, and local (Marshall MO) customer satisfaction with Verizon coverage are, I chose the Galaxy Nexus and purchased on a 2-year contract on the first date of launch at our local retailer. I thought I was getting the latest and greatest in 'smart phone' technology.

    From the first day with the phone I have been having data drop issues. I was patient.....it was a new phone and operating system.

The facts:

     OS:4.0.2

     Build #: ICL53F

Issue:

     Multiple times a day my phone will loose data connectivity.

     When data drops, I still have good signal but the bars and wifi icons turn from blue to gray.

     When data drops, I still have voice and text service.

     When data drops, It drops on wifi as well as cell service.

     Power cycling the phone is the only way I have found to restore data service, and this works every time that I have signal.

     Data drops (at least locally) nearly every day at right around 9 AM CST.

     Problem is more prevalent when I am moving from location to location, even within our small town.

Actions I have taken:

     I reported the issue to our local retailer.

          Response: Everyone with a LTE phone in Marshall is having the same issue, we can't help you.

     I reported the issue to our local retailer who in turn contacted a Verizon Technician?

          The Tech. had me describe the issue very thoroughly. He had me switch the phone to CDMA instead of LTE/CDMA since we don't have LTE in my           local area. This did not cure the issue.

     I kept reading on the web about Android OS 4.0.4 coming soon for the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon, so in hopes of this curing the issue I just waited and      hoped.

          The OS update has yet to arrive on my phone and the issue has not improved.

     By this time I am thoroughly disgusted with the service and the overall usability of the phone itself. The battery life of the phone is pathetic. In hopes of getting a day out of a single charge, I purchased the higher capacity battery from Verizon online. I still have to charge the phone during the day every day if I want it to work during my waking hours.

     Today I went back to our local Verizon retailer and explained the issue again, but this time to a different employee. She says that 'everyone' is having the same issue and that it is not my particular phone. I ask her if it is just LTE phones having the issue: she tells me that it is all data phones on Verizon in the local area. She tells me that Verizon is not maintaining the local 3G networks because they are spending their money launching LTE, which she said should arrive locally near the end of next year. (So is the customer supposed to accept this level of inferior service for another year and a half in HOPES that it will be resolved in that time? Personally I feel that is completely unacceptable.In that amount of time my contract will expire and I will be searching for a provider/device that provides reasonable service.)

     I don't know what to do next to obtain dependable service. (FWIW my company phone, HTC Dash 3G on T-Mobile, has no issues with dropping data, and I use data every day at work. As a cable TV tech. all our work orders are handled via a browser) From my experience Verizon and the local retailer have no answers for me. Is it time for me to try and get out of my contract and find a different provider? Would a different phone perform better?

Very dissatisfied customer

[mterkowski]

Well don't get your hopes up. I received the 4.04 update and I am still having the LTE data loss issue. I had a droid bionic and had full 4g coverage everywhere in my area, as soon as I switched to the nexus I lose signal as soon as I switch the phone to LTE. I called Samsung and they seem to have no idea of the issue.

[pool_shark]

I honestly don't understand why someone would keep a troubled piece of equipment beyond the return window.

[NexusMan21]

In this case though, this phone has Ice Cream Sandwich. It's significant enough that its hard to throw in the towel when you are having troubles. Especially when these other phones are still shipping with Gingerbread and there is next to zero bloatware on the Nexus. I can only imagine how much bloatware will be added with those ICS upgrades for the RAZRs.

[dabsalot]

Initially I was not going to respond to this post.......but here I go.

    If I knew the "piece of equipment" was defective I would have pushed to have it replaced within that time frame. If I suspected I would still be having the issue this far down the road, I would have more closely examined Verizon's 'two week return' policy. When I first talked to tech support they mentioned that because it is a new phone and a new OS that some initial teething issues are apt to come up. My local retail store told me that everyone is having the same issue, not just anyone with Galaxy Nexus phones. My 'data drop' issue is the only issue I have had with my phone other than the poor battery life, and I doubt that is a defect. I don't see a call for chastising a person in my circumstance.

     I just want a phone to work as intended. Maybe mine does in Verizon's eye.....but it does not in my eyes. So I guess I need to scour my Verizon contract to see if my phone is working up to contracted standards, but I suspect the contract allows for such 'intermittent' service interruptions even if I feel they are not acceptable to me.

     As far as the phone itself goes, I could not recommend this phone. In my opinion ANY phone should last a full waking day under normal usage on a nights charge. If you can't manufacture a phone to do that with the battery specd for it.....put a large enough battery in it to accomplish that.

[dabsalot]

My phone received the 4.0.4 updated last night. It will be interesting to see if the situation improves.

[vzw_customer_support]

Hello dabsalot,
I'm glad to hear you received the software update!  I'm confident this will address your device concerns.  Please let me know if you need any additional assistance.  Thank you.

TominqueBo

VZW Support

Follow us on Twitter at @VZWSupport

[dabsalot]

     Since my Galaxy Nexus was updated to OS 4.0.4 I am still having the same "data drop" issue. One thing I have not checked is if the data also drops on wifi when it drops on cell service.

     What can a subscriber do next? My local retail store seems convinced that it is not a 'phone' problem, that is a Verizon problem. I am not convinced this is true.....if that was true I can't imagine any customers staying with such service.

[GreenRobot]

If still having some issues after the update do a Factory Reset / Wipe. My lock screen had some lag and apps were force closing more than I have ever experienced. My friends Nexus screen was doing this glitchy thing where it would go dark and

take a little while to be normal. We both did resets and operation of the phone is a lot better.

[dabsalot]

     Will doing a phone Reset wipe out my contacts, installed apps and e-mail settings? What all does the Verizon Backup Assistant backup? In other words......how much will I have to restore on my phone after a reset?

[Ann154]

A factory reset wipes out everything on the Nexus due to how the storage is handled by the phone. Use the USB cable that came with the phone and connect it to your computer. Copy the contents of the internal storage to computer.

Backup Assistant only backups contacts that are saved as phone (BA) contacts. I would check to see if your contacts are saved as BA contacts or Google contacts. The Nexus usually defaults to the Google account.

You can use some applications in the Play Store to backup text messages, application data and other things. They usually save that information to the storage so you have to back it up before you copy the contents of the internal storage to the computer.

If you plan ahead, a factory reset is not a big production. In fact, I did a factory reset on my Nexus and Thunderbolt on Sunday. Both are up and running with the information I wanted restored back on the phones.

[GreenRobot]

I recommend backing up pics to a computer, g+ ( instant upload is your best friend ), Picasa, Drive, Dropbox, or whatever you like to use. Contacts should be stored on you Google / Gmail account, you can check if they are backed up by logging in from a compter. Or you can use back up assistance... Email setting if not Gmail will have to be re-entered.