Several anti-customer changes from Verizon in recent weeks have not sat well with their vocal, very-much-online customer base. We’ve documented the conversation plenty from the minute the changes started rolling out, but a fresh question popped up this week that has brought it all back to the forefront.
Verizon customers explain why they are leaving: To back up for a second, you likely know that Verizon recently ripped loyalty discounts away from their most loyal customers, raised prices by way of activation fees and tablet plans, and then finished off a wild week by taking away perks from select plans. Thankfully, they’ve since began offering loyalty discounts once again, as the backlash was likely felt, but the damage may have been already done for many.
This week, one reddit user asked “Why is everybody leaving Verizon?” after they noticed the Verizon subreddit posts that suggested “people are leaving in droves.” In just 24 hours, the thread has almost 200 comments where people have given their reasons for making a wireless carrier change outside of Verizon.
As expected, the top response pointed out all of the price increases and discount removals, but they also suggested that Verizon has been slow with network improvements. They weren’t the only one to suggest that Verizon’s network is no longer at the top. Another customer mentioned congestion issues they “regularly” run into, with consistent network flipping that they don’t see from AT&T and T-Mobile. Similar responses to those are too numerous to count. Not everyone agreed with them, though, as each person’s usage and locations can bring different network experiences.
Some just straight-up pointed out that price increases have forced them to look elsewhere, with MVNOs like Visible allowing them to stay on Verizon’s network for a fraction (or half) of the cost. Several people cited their decades of dedication to Verizon and feel borderline insulted by the slow trickle of price increases, including changes to autopay.
Verizon’s customer service also came under attack in the thread. Users called it “horrific,” “inept,” and “total shit,” while another said it is nearly impossible to get a human on the line when you need something fixed. Verizon has indeed implemented some level of AI in their customer service in recent months. However, Verizon described it as being 24-7 live agents that are simply using AI on the back-end for help.
The thread is worth a read (here) if you are curious about the perception of a company when it makes several moves over a lengthy period of time that are not at all pro-customer.