No, seriously: Report Poor Coverage

[vzw23]

There are thousands of posts on this Verizon Community site wanting to report poor mobile network coverage (phone, data, LTE, 5G, etc.) There are places near our house where I know the network simply doesn't work: the bars are reduced, text messages don't send, calls don't go thru, no cellular data.  

Where are poor coverage areas best reported? Does Verizon have a process by which customers can tell them where the network is failing and they can respond, test, fix, improve? If not, why not? 

[vzw_customer_support]

We always strive to provide you with the service you need. What specific issues are you currently experiencing with your connection? *Ellisandra

[vzw23]

The specific problem I am experiencing is: there are geographic areas near my home that I know have low or no coverage on the Verizon or roaming networks. I would like to pinpoint these locations for Verizon by reporting them.

However, while Verizon Community has thousands of posts that indicate that customers know where the network has holes or gaps, Verizon does not provide an easily findable/accessible way for customers to formally report these geographic spots,  receive acknowledgment, and then guidance if Verizon is going to address those spots by building or amping towers or if there’s some other limitation.

The resolution I am seeking is for someone to direct me and others to Verizon’s formal way to report geographic spots where Verizon Wireless phones have poor or no coverage.

[vzw23]

The normal Verizon customer service / support channels (phone, chat) do not have options I can find for reporting poor coverage. I don’t want reimbursement or a discount, I just want Verizon to receive the report (and hopefully incorporate that info into their network planning or management).

[vzw_customer_support]

Hi there, vzw23, we strive to provide the best possible signal at all times. Allow us to please help investigate & find a resolution for you. Can you please tell us what exact problems you're having when you are not connected to Wi-Fi on your Verizon Wireless phone? For example; are you having problems with dropped calls? Please elaborate on the issues for us. Additionally, please provide us with the zip code in which you are having the trouble. We don't have a way to investigate an area without a zip code being provided. Thanks!  -Alicia

[vzw23]

When people say "no network coverage" or "poor network coverage", it means exactly that: first, the network signal bars go down to 0 or 1 (or maybe 2) and, second, even if there are any bars indicating network, phone calls will no go through and there is no data.

The two locations that consistently have this problem near me are: 

29.5115, -95.0636

29.5037, -95.0418

My broader question that I would like to have answered is: how do customers formally report this to Verizon and receive acknowledgement?

[vzw_customer_support]

We have replied in general due to public posts, for details and review please follow and DM. 

We like to take a closer look at the details for the service interruption.  

[vzw23]

vzw_customer_support, can you please answer the question?

The community is telling you over and over and over that they would like to report poor coverage and that Verizon Wireless does not have a clear place to do that. 

My question is:

WHAT IS THE FORMAL SUPPORT CHANNEL TO REPORT POOR NETWORK COVERAGE TO VERIZON?

[Ann154]

Are far as I know, there isn't a formal electronic way to report an outage on the Verizon Wireless network to Verizon Wireless.

The closest formal way is to call customer service at 1-800-922-0204 from a landline or *611 from your phone and request they open a trouble ticket to investigate the issue. 

[vzw23]

Neither the Customer Service line nor the (automated) chat have a way to report poor network coverage (dead zones). They have ways to report _outages_, which would mean that the network was working recently and is now out temporarily.

I am trying to report places in my area where, when you walk or drive into them, the bars drop and you can no longer place calls or use cellular data. If you are streaming music, the music stops, etc.

[ahtimmons]

I'm having the same issue at my home. We recently moved and the village said there is not a Verizon tower here, only Sprint and AT&T. I have 2 neighbors who have moved in within the last 12 months as well, all 3 families are Verizon customers but have little to no service at our homes. One of the families is already looking to switch carries. The village said they have reached out to Verizon about interest in putting a tower with the others (a spot opened up due to the merge of Sprint and T-Mobile) but they haven't heard back. Thanks!

[vzw_customer_support]

Congrats on your new home, Ahtimmons! We know how important it is to stay connected & are happy to investigate. Justto clarify, what are you seeing as a signal indicator while at home? Do you have access to Wi-Fi? Please share the zip code where the problem persists. 

-Kia

[vzw_customer_support]

We do appreciate you bringing this to our attention. I am a consumer myself so I get wanting to figure out what is going on with the area. You are welcome to contact us so we can look into this. I can also help individually here as well. Please tell me more about what is going on. -Amber

[vzw23]

Hi vzw_customer_support Amber, 

What is going on: there are many posts on the Verizon Community site about specific geographic locations that are "dead zones" or have "no coverage" or "poor coverage" or "poor service".

It is not unclear or ambiguous what Verizon's customers mean when they use these terms: they are trying to report a specific geographic area or place where their normally working devices suddenly have no bars; calls and texts don't go thru; and cellular data is unavailable. The easiest test is to open the "My Verizon" app and see if it connects: in a poor coverage dead zone, the My Verizon app will say, "We're sorry. It looks like we are having trouble connecting. Please connect to an available WiFi network and try again." As a consumer, I expect you've had this experience yourself, and you know the specific areas around your home where Verizon cellular coverage is very inconsistent or non-existent. 

Verizon Support needs to have an easy way where customers can mark and contribute these poor coverage, dead zone locations.  The expectation that I have as a customer is that Verizon Support and Network Management will take these consumer submissions, acknowledge them, and prioritize them to be investigated and potentially fixed.

Because Verizon Support does not have that capability / mechanism, Verizon's consumers are forced to use these community forums. When customers post on these forums, they are belittled into thinking that they don't understand network coverage, or their specific device is not working, or the issue is temporary. So far, on forums and elsewhere, Verizon Support refuses to acknowledge that such things as "poor coverage" or "dead zones" exist. 

What I expect Verizon Support to say is, "send me the specific address or lat/long coordinates, we'll look into the situation, and get back to you in 24-48 hours with network diagnostics and our best explanation for the situation." Is that part of any support script? Has that ever happened?

 

[OKLASCHN]

I have the same question. I am in an indoor dead zone next to a window within a suburban area that can't be explained by obstructing walls, etc. I suspect that someone (e.g., an employer or school) is using a signal blocking device (prohibited by federal law). I need to find out whether there is a hyper-local coverage issue so that I can know whether to report the presence of an illegal blocking device.

[vzw_customer_support]

OKLASCHN, 

We want to make sure that you always have reliable service. How's your service when you leave this location? Are you having issues with calls, text messages, or accessing data on your phone inside of this building? Do you have access to Wi-Fi at this location? 

-Lasina

[afcajjjun]

vzw23 and all, we are talking to robots here, literally, we are talking to artificial intelligence computers who make these replies based off of what we type, i have sent 9 PM's to vzw_customer_support and received absolutly no response back, I keep getting told they havn't received a PM back from me.  I even at the very begining had a link to click on, the link has a code 400 error when you click on it, i bet though that the system is simply designed to take you back to the same generic customer service experience, weather it be via chat or phone call, the same procedural cue card have you tried this have you tried that, power it off and back on, and generic responses that lead to no acutal resolutions.  I'm going to keep posting on these forums until I get a real human's attention with verizon, i sent my name and number in a PM 4 times already.  NO one has contacted me yet.  I'm trying to raise the awarness to the community.

THis is exactly that, a community of Verizon customers, its a place where we are supposed to help each other out.  Maybe if we band together we can somehow get our voices heard, I figure a forum with a lot of post, with a lot of likes might have a chance.  let's try, lets like, lets comment, let raise the attention past the point when the computers have to notify a human.

Just my thoughts.  I again will repeat here, I am asking Verizon to prove me wong on this, I really hope and wish they will, it is a dire situation here and I think beyond normal customer service priority needs to apply.  See my other post to understand what that means and feel free to comment and like there as well.  Maybe it'll work.

[Muppethead]

phoenix - 85051 - texts don't send, hot spot wont even work, can't load web browsers, apps can't load, no email....   Come on Verizon!!!!

[vzw_customer_support]

We're sorry for all the trouble. We'd love to review this situation. Please reply to our private note to better assist you. ~Aaron

[facenthecrowd]

I live in area code 30019.  This is not a rural area.  It's a suburb of Atlanta.  I keep seeing lots of people post about their coverage getting worse, but I see no logical response from Verizon.  What's the point of owning an iphone 12pro if the service "is less than desirable"  $ucks?  Verizon had the best coverage in my opinion for many years, but now I'm questioning why I stay on as a customer when the service is gradually getting worse.  Is the move to 5g causing these issues?  Is it the newer phones are not able to balance or switch between 5G/4G/LTE or whatever signal is available?  Is there someone at Verizon who can actually address these issues or are we just getting automated responses of "Oh no, we want to keep you as a customer.  We're sorry...."

[Muppethead]

in 85051 here - and quite a few have the SAME issue...some of us have iPhone SE (2020) and some have iPhone 12 - so it's not just the newer phones!!!