VZW vs. Alltel in NE TN

[Adkraus1]

My contract is coming up with VZW and I am considering Alltel. It seems you can get more for your money with them. I am looking for opinions and ideas about Alltel service and customer care. Thanks!

[strunke]

Can't speak for the coverage there personally, but Alltel covers their home areas as good or better then Verizon does.

Customer care is good, I'd probably rank them a close to second third (and possibly 2nd), 1st being T-Mobile, 2nd Verizon, 3rd being Alltel, 4th being Att, 5th being Sprint.

I think you'd be happy with the switch as I haven't heard any complaints there. Most people to be honest over pay for Verizon service because of the perception that it is higher quality then the others (when it reality, it's not the network, it's the marketing). So if you have a smaller carrier, with just as good of service for a better price, it's a no brainer for me.

Here is another forums old thread....
Alltel (Knoxville: house, work, service) - Tennessee (TN) - City-Data Forum

[UFO]

I would definitely give alltel a try. In my experience alltel was even a little stronger than Verizon in the Tri-Cities, though when I lived there, I spent much more time in the Bristol/Abingdon and even Kingsport areas than down around Blountville, but I wouldn't think things would be much different there. I actually first started thinking about switching over from Verizon to Alltel when my cousin that lives in Bristol recommended it for better coverage where I lived in SW Virginia. And I also know that Alltel was voted ahead of Verizon in the Best of Bristol awards in the Bristol Herald.

Customer Service, in my opinion, really depends on the rep you get. I've been the alltel store on exit 7 in the back of the Wal-Mart parking lot a couple times with the same phone that was having problems. The first time, I got a rude rep that said he couldn't touch it and it wasn't covered under warranty, so I had to just buy a new phone. I decided to come back a couple days later and the next time, I had a really nice rep that just looked at it and said there was a DOA on that model and he'd get me a new one for no charge. Now, I don't know if the first rep was being a jerk and didn't know the policy or if the second was actually going above and beyond. But overall, I think the Customer Service is better than Verizon because there are reps that will go out of their way to help out while Verizon's, in my experience, tended moreso to stick to usually less customer-friendly policies. That first rep I encountered was my only complaint about alltel since I've had them. But you can definitely get more in a plan with alltel and the coverage and customer support is also very good, at least in my experience, in your area.

[ComicalMoodyDan]

Stick with Verizon, while Alltel is quite good in this area it's still not as good as Verizon. My mom and grandmother who live in this area had Alltel and I had service in several places they did not, also they had trouble with dropped calls and network issues at times on Alltel. We all now have Verizon and love our service. Hands down Verizon has the best service in this area. If you are happy with Verizon I wouldn't switch just to save a little money.

Also in regards to customer service Alltel's CS seems to be decent but I'd rank them below Verizon and they have limited customer service hours.

[UFO]

Originally Posted by TNDan21 My mom and grandmother who live in this area had Alltel and I had service in several places they did not, also they had trouble with dropped calls and network issues at times on Alltel.

Just by checking my last 4 months bill, the 4 family members lines on my account that live just outside the Tri-Cities combined to use almost 30,000 total mins ... mainly in My Circle thank goodness ... over the last 4 months with a total of 3 drops. I'm not sure where or the situation those 3 drops occurred, but imo that's not bad and I use to have even more with Verizon myself, but that was mainly because I would frequently go to a few areas where I would have to switch over to Extended Network in Smyth, Washington, and Russell Counties. I've personally never had a network issue there myself using alltel, nor heard any bad comments. Just saying the network has been pretty dependable in my usage. I'd definitely say a trial period to formulate your own opinion wouldn't be a bad idea. All you'd have to lose is a higher bill.
And while customer service does close at 10 pm nightly by phone for account changes, billing issues, etc., the Tech Support does stay open 24/7 if any issues arise.

[KyleAndMelissa22]

I had a great experience with Alltel in the Tri Cities last year.
I went to Bristol & Johnson City, and used Alltel & forced to Verizon, and I was happier with Alltel's coverage.

South on I-81, you'd lose Alltel around the Morristown area,
North on I-81 into VA, you'd lose Alltel just after I-77 at the Wythe/Pulaski County line,
then you'd roam on VZW for free.

And on I-26, Alltel was the best choice, even in the Unicoi County mountains,
full signal from the TN-NC line, past Erwin, into Johnson City.

Originally Posted by TNDan21 Also in regards to customer service Alltel's CS seems to be decent but I'd rank them below Verizon and they have limited customer service hours.

Huh? I called Alltel CS at 3 AM just a few nights ago...Alltel Tech Support by phone is 24/7
But in regards to anytime plan changes, I believe that can only be done on the phone from about 9 AM - 10 PM,
but it can be done online whenever

[jerry 12]

Originally Posted by UFO I would definitely give alltel a try. In my experience alltel was even a little stronger than Verizon in the Tri-Cities, though when I lived there, I spent much more time in the Bristol/Abingdon and even Kingsport areas than down around Blountville, but I wouldn't think things would be much different there. I actually first started thinking about switching over from Verizon to Alltel when my cousin that lives in Bristol recommended it for better coverage where I lived in SW Virginia. And I also know that Alltel was voted ahead of Verizon in the Best of Bristol awards in the Bristol Herald. Customer Service, in my opinion, really depends on the rep you get. I've been the alltel store on exit 7 in the back of the Wal-Mart parking lot a couple times with the same phone that was having problems. The first time, I got a rude rep that said he couldn't touch it and it wasn't covered under warranty, so I had to just buy a new phone. I decided to come back a couple days later and the next time, I had a really nice rep that just looked at it and said there was a DOA on that model and he'd get me a new one for no charge. Now, I don't know if the first rep was being a jerk and didn't know the policy or if the second was actually going above and beyond. But overall, I think the Customer Service is better than Verizon because there are reps that will go out of their way to help out while Verizon's, in my experience, tended moreso to stick to usually less customer-friendly policies. That first rep I encountered was my only complaint about alltel since I've had them. But you can definitely get more in a plan with alltel and the coverage and customer support is also very good, at least in my experience, in your area.

uscc has service in parts of TN if they have service in your area check with them the have very very good service in the markets that they serve.

[KyleAndMelissa22]

Originally Posted by jerry 12 uscc has service in parts of TN if they have service in your area check with them the have very very good service in the markets that they serve.

USCC is in the Knoxville area, but not in the Tri Cities...
800 mhz carriers in NE TN are VZW & Alltel.

[jerry 12]

Originally Posted by KyleAndMelissa22 USCC is in the Knoxville area, but not in the Tri Cities... 800 mhz carriers in NE TN are VZW & Alltel.

ok i wasn't sure what areas uscc was in.

[DarrylLeeOHS30]

and alltel only servies NE TN, not the Knoxville area. Though, that would be nice.

[transammanv8]

I have Verizon and the girlfriend has Alltel.

My coverage has been consistently better than hers just about everywhere. We have lived in Blountville, Johnson City, Kingsport, Gate City, Morristown and now Piney Flats. I have usable signal in fringe areas a little further out than her, but she has many deadspots that I don't. It seems like I always have signal about a half mile more than her when she drops.

I've had 5 different phones, all Moto or LG. She's had 4 different phones, all LG or Moto. We notice the same results from phone to phone. I think the phone makes a difference sometimes. This has just been our experience. Your milage may vary.