2021 Severe Service Degradation
dhodges45
Enthusiast - Level 2

Beginning in January 2021, I noticed an abrupt change in my normally-reliable cellular data and even voice signal. It took a complete nosedive. I’ve relentlessly pursued  answers. I’ve begged for solutions. I filed an FCC complaint, took it to the media and was interviewed on the 6:00 news, was eventually contacted by Latayo C in Verizon’s executive relations department, and finally brushed off (basically).  I was told that whatever issues existed (though Latayo was careful not to admit there were any) are proprietary, and they’re not obliged to divulge that info to paying customers. I was assured that the issues (which may or may not have existed) had been resolved, and my case was closed. March 29, 2021.  

It is nearly June now. Not only are the obvious service degradation issues NOT resolved, they are worse. Since the time I spoke to Latayo on the phone, I’ve discovered large dead zones in my area which did not exist before. Our download and upload speeds are abysmal. Calls that never dropped in the past are now dropping. There’s frequent breaking-up as well; again, I did not have these problems previously. This began in earnest in January 2021.  

*Tell the truth.* This is an ongoing issue. And upon further research, I now realize that it’s not isolated to just my area. Verizon has a nationwide service degradation problem; yet I have yet to find anything, ANYWHERE, which properly and completely addresses customers’ questions and concerns. 

What happened or is happening?  Is this an infrastructure issue?  When can we expect a return to our previously-solid service?  

If an “executive relations agent” cannot provide proper resolution, who can?  Why was her first answer “no” when I asked for my past several bills to be prorated according to the data I was able to access vs my average usage (prior to 1/21)?  Why is someone at her level “unable” to provide me with my past data usage? Why did I have to insist that I shouldn’t be forced to pay for a service which Verizon failed to render? And further, why was I told that the issue was resolved?  

One final question: Latayo indicated to me on our phone call that our address is in a marginal coverage area. When did that happen?  Nothing has changed here. We have no new foliage. No freshly-erupted hills or mountains. No new skyscrapers. Our house didn’t pick up and move to an extremely high elevation, nor a low one. I want the actual truth, and then I would like a re-negotiated contract to reflect the current level of service we are getting. I would like to pay the fair market value for what basically amounts to dial-up speeds, rather than paying for 5G UW, which isn’t even available in our rural area. 

 

Re: 2021 Severe Service Degradation
GypsyJane
Enthusiast - Level 1

I also have noticed a severe drop in service in 2021.  I travel. I can't get data or even phone reliably in places where I have previously had good connectivity.  Also, in a single location, it will be anything from 0 service to 5 bars of 4G LTE.  The tower didn't move, neither did I, but service fluctuates that badly.  I pay for unlimited data and have been struggling to keep up with just reading email due to this.  I came on here to see if it was my phone or Verizon, and i see that others have been having this issue for a couple of years now.

Re: 2021 Severe Service Degradation
Lee74
Enthusiast - Level 1

I'm having the same issues in Upstate SC. Bars will drop to one and back up to four while I'm sitting at my desk at work. LTE shows as connected but is horribly slow. I have unlimited and it should not be throttling. I'm using an iPhone XS Max. 

Re: 2021 Severe Service Degradation
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Hello Lee74,

 

I depend on my phone every day and would be concerned too if I were experiencing any trouble with it. Are you only having concerns with your data or do you have trouble with calling and texting as well? If you step outside the building for your work, does your data speeds improve? When did this problem first start for you?

Re: 2021 Severe Service Degradation
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

We strive to provide the best network experience, GypsyJane. It is concerning to hear about this experience you are having. I know you stated this happens in multiple locations. Can you provide some of the locations so that we can review?

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Re: 2021 Severe Service Degradation
GypsyJane
Enthusiast - Level 1

Sure.  Since the beginning of the year I've been at Perry FL, Webster FL, Paynes Creek Historical State Park at Bowling Green FL, Lake Henry which is a Winter Haven address but closer to Haines City FL, Ocala FL, Gainesville FL, Olustee FL, Graham GA, Clover SC, Farmville VA, Midlothian VA.  

Thanks.
Gypsy Jane
Re: 2021 Severe Service Degradation
Stormycj1
Enthusiast - Level 2

I've had the same problem with all my phone lines. Calls drop, data is unusable. I was talking to my daughter yesterday and the call dropped, and then told her she missed the call (she had called me), it was bizzare. My husband streams music while driving his truck everyday, but now he can't stream anything. I just checked his data usage and he shouldn't be throttled. This has been going on for at least 3 or 4 weeks. 

Re: 2021 Severe Service Degradation
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

Three of four weeks is way too long to have this issue. I want to make sure that I get to the bottom of this. When did all of this start? Does this only happen to your line? Please tell me more. -Amber

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Re: 2021 Severe Service Degradation
dhodges45
Enthusiast - Level 2

I find it curious that the only responses I received from Verizon were through private messages.  I appreciate the time those two agents took to *try* to address my concerns; however, in the end, I am still left with the same problems. On-again-off-again service that absolutely cannot be relied upon. 

In the time since I made this original post, I’ve come across and read very carefully the Verizon Wireless mobile customer agreement, and I understand much more clearly now why I can’t seem to find resolution. 

True, I should have read that agreement very carefully at the time of the sale. If only it had been brought to my attention and I had actually signed to verify that I agree to its terms and conditions! I have no recollection of any salesperson or customer service agent referring me to this document. Further, I can find no record (no date, no signature, no initials?) of when those t&c were initially agreed upon. Can Verizon provide me with that information?  We have been customers since 2000 when we signed up with Alltel. 

Since I “agreed” to waive my right to resolve any disputes through class action or jury trial, I have come to accept that I’m stuck with Verizon, and Verizon with me.

Since I also “agreed” to VZW’s right to “limit, suspend, or end” my service for “any good reason” and without notice, I accept that I have neither legal recourse nor reasonable expectation to ever be informed of what is the cause of my service degradation. By extension, I now understand that I will never know when, or even if, our previously-reliable service will be permanently restored. 

Since AT&T will no longer provide traditional telephone service through either of our two existing landlines, we are hopeful that our Verizon phones won’t fail us in an emergency. As for high speed Internet access, we remain hopeful that Starlink will become available in our area at some point in the not-too-distant future.

We are now looking at adding a directional antenna to our property to boost the strength of our signal.  For whatever reason, finding the precise location of cellular towers is exceedingly difficult for the average user. I would only ask now to be informed of the location of VZW network’s closest tower to our home address, so that we can point the antenna in the appropriate direction. 

Thank you. 

Re: 2021 Severe Service Degradation
vzw_customer_support
Customer Service Rep

GypsyJane, thank you for the details. We certainly want you to have the best possible service. That is a lot of different areas to have problems. What make and model phone do you have? 

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