Why are VZ Wireless stores PACKED while others are empty?

Let me begin by saying I am not a VZW cheerleader.

Your observation reminds me of a mall I shop in. In the Verizon store there is usually a wait. If you walk by the empty ATT kiosk the salespeople, and I use the term loosely, practically grab you by the collar and pull you over.

Coverage should be the number one priority for choosing a carrier. Phones minutes, etc are all tied for last. With Verizon the coverage can't be beat. I also have found Customer Service by phone to be excellent.

One reason you might see crowded VZW stores and empty stores of other carriers is that when porting went into effect last November millions of people ported their numbers to VZW or are waiting to do so as their contracts expire.

 

It's a combination of several factors on why Verizon's stores are so busy. Verizon Wireless seems to have less corporate stores then other carriers and Verizon doesn't have as many resellers as other providers. Counting kiosks and corp stores Cingular has at least five stores in my area while Verizon just has two. Cingular has four resellers that I can think of while Verizon has three. Naturally Verizon is going to have more people in there stores because they don't have as many places to go to as other providers and they are the largest provider in the US that is also signing up more people than any other carrier.

 

Yeah, I noticed that Verizon does not have many corporate stores here in South Florida but on every other block there is a Cingular store! It is different for me in that almost every time I go to a Verizon store there are not many people there and I usually get service right away. Lately I have been going to a few Cingular stores to look into their service and they are always crowded and you have to sign in and wait for your name to be called. I also like the fact that Verizon is opened the later hours.

 

Great commercials of Great Coverage Works.

 

Since you are also a member of the Howard Forums read Bill Radio's comment in a similar thread on the upcoming merger between ATT and Cingular. His posts are helpful, informative, and well thought out.

 

there are not that many areas where a PCS provider is #1 in an area. I sure there are a few markets, but not that many. Florida Cingular Cellular provider Verizon PCS provider. New York metro VZW cellular / Cingular PCS provider.

 

This is a no brainer (why there were HUGE lines and crowds in Verizon Stores)...

EVERYONE IS GIVING UP ON VERIZONS CRAPPY CS, COVERAGE/RECEPTION, CUSTOMER LOYALTY AND PHONE SELECTION...

THEY ARE ALL SWITCHING (MOST LIKLEY TO CINGULAR OR AT&T)

THAT WAS FUNNY...

ABVOISLY I AM NOT A VERIZON CHEERLEADER!!!!!

 

You may think so because VZW has many users.
This may be true in the Rural Areas but not in the Urban Areas.

 

I agree...I see SOME T-Mo ads on TV, very few Cingular and ATT ads, but my TV is overflowing with VZW ads...in addition to VZW, then there's also Verizon DSL and phone ads plastering my TV...Verizon stands out in the Los Angeles TV waves..

 

I see that too, a lot of Verizon stuff over and over and over that I can recite every comercial with my eyes covered and my hands tied behind my back. I read somewhere, can't remember, that the holidays are going to be jampacked with Cingular comercials to advertize.

 

I think it has mostly to do with number of locations. For example, on Long Island, none of the kiosks in the malls sell Verizon. ATTWs, Cingular, and T-Mobile are all in the kiosks From friends who have used them. I've been told they get better deals from the kiosks than they would in the stores.

 

I do see much more people at the corporate stores than the third party resellers. They may be more at ease since the corporate store can help them with repairs, tech support, and billing issues.

The only store where I've seen a lot of people on a saturday night is the Sprint store under the Flatiron building in NYC. I waited with a friend for 45 min just so he could pay his bill.

 

Which building is that? Were is it?

 

23rd street and 5th avenue.

 

One of the main reasons why Verizon stores have so much more traffic than other carriers has to do with the way Verizon directs customer service. Cingular has been making numerous changes to reduce store traffic by redirecting services through other channels such as mail, over the phone, etc. This reduces store traffic considerably. There are areas where Cingular stores are packed just like Verizon's. It depends on the area. But overall, it appears that Verizon stores offer more reasons to go to the stores than other carriers.

 

I see a lot of Cingular and Verizon ads. There a good amount of Sprint, ATT, and T-Mobile ads too. Hardly any Nextel ads. Maybe the carriers really are targeting Philly, but almost every commercial break has at least 1 wireless ad, usually Cingular or Verizon.

My local Verizon store is packed too, mostly due to a lack of resellers. Usually most people are getting their phone's replaced. I swear it's either CDMA phones, or Delaware, because everytime I was in the VZ store, there were 2-10 people getting their phones replaced.

 

It probably depends on your area, but I've used VZW all over the Boston metro area (out to 495) roaming from cell-to-cell on long calls, and I don't think I've had a call dropped in several years, or gotten a no-service indication (except in a few areas). I have had a few bad calls (which would seem to indicate I landed on a channel with a bad radio or interference problem) a few times, but that's it. I've also used them, less intensely, in the more rural western Mass area, with no problems (although dead spots due to topography do exist).

I do tend to stick to major highways, so things could be worse in more fringe areas. But I don't recall any particular problems off the beaten track in recent years (and I've used the phone in parts of southern RI and south/central Maine in the last couple of years).

It was different years ago, when digital was still new, but they don't seem to be having any problems that would indicate overutilization (i.e., lack of capacity) in my experience.

Back to the original topic of this thread: I switched to VZW years ago (from Cellular One) due to coverage/quality issues. I've never felt a reason to look for another carrier since. Their in-store experience is a real pain, but I visit a store once every couple of years, and the day-to-day phone service is excellent, so I put up with the stores (and now, you can do a lot online if you don't feel a need to touch a new phone before buying).