Verizon Wireless Sends Me 4 Replacement Phones, I Still Can't Get A 4G LTE Connection

Kyle is a big fan of Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network. Or he would be, if he could actually get his phone to connect to it successfully, which is basically never. He says Verizon has sent him four phones in the hopes that maybe one of them would hold a data connection.

He’s not alone, as Verizon has suffered from numerous data outages across the country recently. But Kyle thought since he lives in an area that had 4G available, he’d be good to go. Not so much.

He writes:

I live in a 4G area, and I got a 4G phone (HTC Thunderbolt) in late August. Much to my dismay, the phone refused to hold a data connection! It would constantly lose its connection and leave me sans internet. Not a good thing when you’re paying $30/month for internet, but can only access it when the phone feels like letting you.

Verizon sent me through three replacements, each one had the same problem. Then they upgraded me to the Droid Bionic. Same problem. I’m on my replacement Bionic right now. Yes, that really does add up to five phones in total, each with the identical problem.

So the problem is simple: phone won’t hold a data connection. VZW has said that the updates would fix it, but of course they didn’t. Don’t get me wrong – when it works, the 4G network is ridiculously fast, but the speed is no help to me when it isn’t working

Kyle adds that he did a bit of quick Internet searching and found numerous other customers with the same problem. He adds, “Someone needs to hold them accountable for their problems. We pay a lot of money each month for data service, we should be getting that service.”

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.