Verizon is such a mixed bag when it comes to services they provide. Any Verizon service that I’ve used, I’ve felt like I had the mafia on my back, squeezing me for every single penny. And typically it seems that the customer representatives are extremely restricted and that there are large divisions between departments that make it near impossible to get proper satisfaction on your service plans. Maybe that’s all large companies. I can say that the reason I am with AT&T Wireless over Verizon Wireless is simply: the Customer Service.
I shouldn’t start off on a bad note, Verizon revolutionizes today’s technology and often times seems to be the first with new technologies on the streets and in consumers hands.
Internet
Verizon FiOS is a fantastic technology that is hardly utilized at 100%, not even 5%. Most often times, fiber optics hook to the community, while cheaper coax cable finishes off the connection. The fiber backbones, heavily invested in by Verizon do offer an extremely large amount of throughput, one which Verizon can claim for some time. There is so much fiber that has been laid, the term “black fiber” exists for fiber lines laid across the United States that simply is not used. But what costs a lot of money for Verizon is laying fiber down to individual homes. Heavy and costly investment for Verizon, maybe this is why they penny pinch so hard it hurts.
Television
Again, Verizon FiOS is the premier data connection, streaming video through TV as well. Verizon is also teamed up with Directv for areas which FiOS is not available. The programming is the same as Dish Network, Directv, Comcast and others. The up-time is all the same as the others. The features are all relatively close. But, honestly there are not many significant differences.
Wireless
Most people thing of Verizon as the largest consumer and business data company out there. But the truth is that AT&T is twice as large. In the wireless and mobile world Verizon again stepped up big by heavily investing in their 4G infrastructure. Not well publicly known, but Verizon’s 4G network has been consistently ridden with downtime, connectivity issues, and even issues that are affecting 3G, CDMA, and phone.
AT&T – $174 B
VZ – $108 B
Sprint – $7.7 B
Strikes
Verizon just recently ended a 45,000 employee strike! There was also a 65,000 employee strike in 2008.
Conclusion
My Opinion: Verizon is an investor in technology and Public Relations builder from those investments. They invest in Fast and Quick network roll-outs which often have issues. Yet, it seems that the ability to boast their network investments, which can be measured in dollars and bandwidth, promote and sustain the consistent good image of the company, despite when negative attention comes up. The negative attention simply gets squashed, while negative attention towards Comcast and AT&T waft around and linger.
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