Verizon: You Expect Too Much

by Colin Berkshire

I have had a lot of problems with Verizon lately. Callers hear my phone ringing even though my phone isn’t ringing.

After spending a few hours on the phone with them we got to the bottom of things.

Verizon claims that the first ring that a caller hears really isn’t a ring and shouldn’t be counted. When I ask them why they play a ring when it isn’t a ring they explain that it is so that the caller knows the call has gone through.

Sometimes your phone will not ring on the second ring, either. Or, the third. Or, your phone may never ring. This especially happens when LTE is turned on for both Voice and Data. The solution is to turn LTE OFF for Voice calls. This will also disable crystal clear HD calling.

If you have frequent problems with dropped calls, Verizon also recommends turning off LTE voice calls and using their older CDMA network.

Verizon points out that the coverage of voice LTE isn’t very good in basements, in enclosed buildings, or sometimes even out in the open.

Note, however, that turning off Voice LTE calls will disable simultaneous voice and data, so you will not be able to use any data features while you are on the phone.

I hope sharing this information helps you understand why you may not be getting calls, or may be experiencing lots more dropped calls, or may not have simultaneous voice and data calls when using Verizon.

Remember that Verizon just sold off most of their towers and so they don’t control them like they used to. They used the proceeds from the sale of their towers to buy AOL. That may show you where their head is at.