Although according to every Consumer Reports review I have seen they have the best coverage and customer satisfaction. That doesn't mean they're wonderful, just no worse than the competition.

I use them for cell, live in West Los Angeles, and still barely get reception.

@Dan Stirling: They are far from my favorite service provider but they are less of a headache than many others. So they are more of a lesser evil.
My larger concern with Verizon is that since they are on CDMA and as far as I know the only one left on it, it makes you rather stuck with them phone-wise. The other big complaint is that they severely hobble phones and want you to pay to be able to use anything application wise on most of the lower (not smartphones).

So the bundled apps thing bothers me a bit. I want to see more freedom to do what you want with your phone. I have looked at just buying outright a CDMA smartphone to take advantage of the Wifi and Windows Mobile but from what I have heard I can't use it even for a basic calling plan unless I buy an expensive data plan from Verizon I don't want or need.

Right now their actions are leading towards them losing me as a customer if a sim card based carrier that isn't AT&T or Sprint shows up in our area.

@Dan Stirling:

they do have the best mainstream consumer broadband service available.

Verizon,ATT,Sprint,Tmobile-they are all just facets of the same brown diamond.Uncompromising,high pressure,expensive,and occasionally inert.

@panzerschreck1: they do have the best mainstream consumer broadband service available.

How do you mean? "Best" completely depends on the market and customer needs. In my university town, Sprint's speed and coverage are night & day better than Verizon. Then as you move toward the Interstate or toward the Coast, Verizon wins out. Pick your poison.

@bohemian: I'm with you. I had Verizon for years and left for T-Mobile. I have NEVER missed them.
I was floored when I found out all the stuff they disabled on phones. I was stuck emailing myself my photos to get them off my phone, buy ringtones or stick with the ones on the phone etc etc.
Not to mention they were EXPENSIVE and at the time you were pretty much screwed if you were overseas and wanted to use your phone for any amount of money.
Perhaps in the last 2 years they've changed, but I doubt it.

@veronykah:

My Verizon phone is a several year old basic model and has a Micro SD slot that you can use to move photos.

@veronykah: They have not changed. They still limit BlueTooth, WiFi, and any other way to get anything off your phone. Next they are going to encrypt SD cards so you cant take anything off them.

Verizon is a company I used briefly when I was desperate, for a month or two, and have never used them again.

@legwork:
I think panzerschreck1 is referring to fios. I just got fios myself and must agree that it is the best i've seen. Charter, my cable company in the area, could only offer a $118 bundle that only had 5 down 1 up and no hd channels. $109 from verizon got me all the HD channels (minus movie channels) and 20 down 5 up.

Technically for consumer home broadbamd verizon is the best.

@Silversmok3: The first 2 Verizon & ATT are basically the old Bell Operating Companies or BOCS . Sprint & Tmobile are what was the first serious competition .

But Verizon is in the position where it is today because it was a BOC . As much as they cried and complained about the competition and having to maintain a regulated network they seem to have done all right living off the name if not the legacy/outside plant of the old Ma Bell .

I'm surprised he actually admitted they participated in the illegal dragnet surveillance. But then they don't have much to worry about since they bought that ex post facto immunity from the whores in congress.

@veronykah: Well, on the overseas bit they're a good deal cheaper than AT&T/T-Mo in the countries they DO have coverage in (notably, they had coverage in Korea where the GSM providers didn't up until they adopted UMTS).

The "European" Standard? You mean the one that pretty much the ENTIRE FRICKIN' WORLD standardized on, rather than the niche Qualcomm product that lost in the marketplace? GSM/UMTS = The Global Standard, of which LTE is the next generation.

And Apple chose? Really? You mean they chose not to allow you to lobotomize their phones and manipulate the UI and features to be specific to Verizon's business model, rather than for the consumer? I'm completely sure that Verizon would have not taken the iPhone on Apple's terms and, due to the nature of CDMA, Verizon would have happily banned it as "non-approved." Remember the Palm devices that had the Bluetooth disabled so that one couldn't get photos off the device without using Verizon's data services?

At least be honest here.

@rwalford79: I've been on Verizon for 8 years and I've been able to enable every feature that they attempt to block (wifi,GPS,etc.), use any ringtone I want on any phone, and drag & drop photos via USB on every phone I've had since 2004. Every provider but T-mobile cripples phones, but their coverage in my area is pitiful. Go with the best coverage in your area and work on the hacking skills, people. If you are familiar with the tao of searching the nets, there are plenty of resources out there to help you do what you want.

Also, you are NOT required to have a data plan to activate a smartphone on Verizon. Any CSR who tells you different is hoping you don't know better. Refuse to accept that answer and escalate as necessary.

@ashabanapal: Except BlackBerries. BlackBerries on VZW do require the data plan. Sadly.