But they have FIOS!

I have to say that I definitely agree with you there... My family and I had Verizon for a few years (my mother still has it). Everywhere I needed to use it, it didn't work, and everywhere I didn't need it, it did work... My mother moved down to the Caribbean (USVI) and every month she would get $300 phone bills for using the phone down there, when it's actually in their calling area! - but apparently the billing department didn't know that. For several months she would spend hours at a time talking to sales reps... having to explain the same thing over and over each month, and get the account credited each month. She finally got it sorted out, but talk about pain and suffering!

I was serving in the military and had a plan with Verizon Wireless. I had to go into some strict training and didn't use me cell phone. I knew something was wrong when I started getting a really high bill. I reported the phone stolen and had it shut off. Verizon then turned the phone back on for the person that stole it without my knowledge. That person ran up the bill again. Now, Verizon slapped the $358 charge on my credit report! I called so many people and even talked to the fraud department. They told me that anyone can have a phone turned on in your name but if you get the bill you are responsible for it! This is how Verizon Wireless treats people that are serving their country! So, yeah, I think they suck pretty bad too.

I actually have had much better customer service with Verizon than with Cingular. Cingular kept overcharging me and refused to refund the money they extorted from me. I did have some charging issues with Verizon, but they quickly accepted fault and took care of the situation. I'm sorry to hear about your experience. Check out Consumer Reports. They have the listing of the best wireless phone companies.

I'm going to have to add on to my previous post:

Yesterday I got my bill in the mail and noticed a roaming charge. I haven't been out of their service area for at least two months. The cust. service rep, Carlos, told me that someone called me from Vancouver, but couldn't give me the phone number of the person who called me. I went online to check out who called me and couldn't find a Vancouver area code anywhere on my bill. I did finally find where the roaming charge came from, and it was not an incoming call like Carlos said it was. It was a call made by me, here at home (40 miles from Vancouver). I was still charged this amount, although Tonya (the third person I had to speak with) credited me some minutes. In the end, I wasted almost an hour and was very grumpy with my kids (who just wanted my attention, even though I was on the phone with Verizon). I can't win with cell phone service!

My two year contract (basic service and one add-a-line) expired last February and I was going month-to-month. I got numerous calls from Verizon stating that I was eligible for a free upgrade with a new contract. Thanks, but unless I call you, I'm not interested. No problem up until now. My phone finally goes on the fritz, so it's time to do something. I did not know that their phone "upgrade" reverts you back to their bottom of the heap junk phone (two cans and a tight string) unless you ante up some extra bucks. The battery went dead after an hour and a half call , after a full overnight charge. My wife's phone did the same thing. A week later, back to the store, stating my case as this being totally unacceptable. After a bogus explanation of their upgrade policy, the manager agrees to allow us a two-step upgrade from the bottom of the heap. It's a pretty OK phone, but I don't want anything fancy, or pay much more than nothing for the phone---just want something that works. So we get a $50 discount per phone and a $50 rebate per phone. He made this concession for our inconvenience. ( My elderly mother was in the hospital and I was trying keep other family members updated and co-ordinate her care). So, I'm pretty satisfied with this arrangement despite the inconvenience. The new contract was executed in the 3rd week of the billing cycle. I double checked my plan on-line and find I'm billed $45 in overages. I call to inquire and find out that if you renew your contract in mid billing cycle, your plan minutes are pro-rated either weekly or daily. I used 113 minutes and was allocated 367 minutes for the first 3 weeks of the billing cycle; used 246 minutes and was allocated 147 minutes in the last week. The last week was heavier than normal due the hospital episode. I only used 359 minutes of my allotted 514 minutes, but I didn't use 155 minutes of the allottment and still got charged for the 99 minute overage. The CSR said that it's always been their policy and nothing has changed. I don't normally stay up nights reviewing agreements to see how someone can possibly screw me on some obscure and unfair technicality---although maybe I should. The CSR offered to give me a refund of one half of the charge and would make a notation of it in my records. I suggested that she also note that I accepted her totally unacceptable offer, as I had no other choice, and was totally unsatisfied. Granted, It's only $22, but it's my money. If I picked their pocket of $22, would they squawk. Damn tootin'.