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Just canceled verizon service over this phone!

After having so so many issues with this phone and issues with my previous OG Droid i came to my wits end and dropped my service today after verizon refused to give me anything other than a Revolution or thunderbolt as a replacement!

Loving my Charge on Humble 4.22 with unlimited data. It can only get better when I move into Humble 5.0 or other EP4P ROM.
I really can't complain about this phone, although I'm sure I couldn't hang with stock.
Are you getting other service? In general, Verizon's network is superior. I'm sure that varies with location though.

i have my charge on humble and all i have to say is WOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.

The head of customer service told me that she wasn't recommending anything because a software update is coming. What a see you next Tuesday.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk

I was running a custom rom also but the constant lack of data is unacceptable! i have tried EVERY rom, modem and combination out there! after having 8 of the other droids, and 3 of these i was told that i could swap to ANY other phone i wanted so i researched it and chose the bionic because it has higher ratings the rep then told me no not that phone anything but that, so i said ok let me do some research and i did and decided to go to the iPhone for the reason of apple has better support! and the rep said oh, sorry not that either.... ok so if i can have ANY phone what can i actually have? he replied thunderbolt or revolution... UH.... NO... So o can canceled my service and will sacrifice the poorer networks....

I kinda feel stuck as well. But I don't want to cancel my service.

Someone call the WAAHmbulance.
Sent from my Droid Charge running Infinity Beta

Rofl! In September, I had eleven gigabytes of mobile data downloaded through the cell network, mostly 4G. I have unlimited data. I'll never leave the big red.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium

kvswim said:
Someone call the WAAHmbulance.
Sent from my Droid Charge running Infinity Beta
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+1 I'm loving my phone lol.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App

klovar said:
Rofl! In September, I had eleven gigabytes of mobile data downloaded through the cell network, mostly 4G. I have unlimited data. I'll never leave the big red.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium
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same here man unlimited data and tethering ill never leave

The only issue you mention is "constant lack of data", which would seem to have nothing at all to do with the phone and a lot to do with the network. A Bionic doesn't have magic cell tower creation sauce in it. Neither does an iPh*ne. You say you've been through 11 phones over this, proving the phones aren't related, and proving that VZW has bent over backwards to please a whiney idiot. They've lost a pretty penny giving you phone after phone for something that has NOTHING to do with the hardware, because they actually care about whiners (most of us don't). Good luck finding another company that dedicated to keeping you around while they lose money on you.
If you KNOW of a better carrier in your area, from you know actually talking to real friends on other carriers in your area (if you haven't WAAHed them all away), then just switch to them. No need to post a gee tell me I'm right and a great martyr to strangers all over the world on a forum. Just switch.
Maybe you wanted to be Thomas Paine and start a revolution with all of us. Umm... too bad. Many of us get great service. Sorry yours sucks, but no need to post anywhere but a site dedicated to your local geographic area. Otherwise the info is pretty worthless to most of us.
Finally, THANK YOU, for finally leaving VZW. Your antics have contributed to driving up their overall costs (passed on to all of us eventually).

I dont see how you can complain when you were running custom roms.
Did you ever give the Charge a chance at a complete stock setup?

mtmcghee said:
After having so so many issues with this phone and issues with my previous OG Droid i came to my wits end and dropped my service today after verizon refused to give me anything other than a Revolution or thunderbolt as a replacement!
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I to was fed up with data drop but it isnt a charge issue. It's a network issue of some sort and as far as the bionic goes let me tell you. You aint missing much. Sure its nice and smooth but the screen is horrible.... i would choose the charge over this any day. Oh well, i lent my charge to someone and borrowed this bionic. Just waiting on the galaxy nexus to drop..... Best of luck with your new carrier.........
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using XDA App

i like the service and coverage that verizon offers, i have 5 lines with them 2 in which i carry with me daily! im not a whiny customer however when my blackberry can stay connected to the network and send/receive calls, messages, data, ect. and my charge sitting right next to it cant i have a problem! the first month i had this phone i had no problems then things went down hill so i started experimenting with roms to see if any of them helped, some did, some didnt. i wasnt trying to get the next best phone as im not in contract on any of my lines and pay the retail prices to avoid a contract! i simply want a phone that i can use without hassle. as for being on my 11th+ phone how is it my fault when my CLR shows up with a broken screen, broken keyboard, not able to boot, factory resets its self every 45min, speakers not work, wifi not work, oh best yet how about when you open the box and they send you a used phone that hasnt been inspected or cleaned!?! my problem is that i need a phone that works and they arent able to send me one, i even agreed to go to a non 4G phone and was denied! So ill go over to att where i expect things not to work!

Humble 5.0 has made this phone good and I agree with others dont leave big red when you have unlimited. Tons of new devices to come.
GL

Really not a good time to bail ... the latest EP4 leak is a big step up in modem performance (almost never drop data anymore -- If I do, it's for maybe 10 seconds).
EP4 will (supposedly) be released within the next few weeks OTA.
Plus this improved modem performance lets me use 2X Battery (similar to Juice Defender) to turn off data while the phone is not in use, yet turn it on every xx minutes to check email, etc.... resulting in a big battery savings. I could never do this with the previous leaks or when the phone was stock -- it would take FOREVER to pick up data each time I turned the screen on.

ilovesoad said:
The head of customer service told me that she wasn't recommending anything because a software update is coming. What a see you next Tuesday.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
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We are past Tuesday WTF? I'd call back and demand satisfaction!

Now it the wrong time to switch carriers. Unless you go to Sprint. Verizon's Unlimited Data on 4G @12mbs(av.) is something I would have tried to stay and deal with.
I understand your fustration. All I want is a phone that works and does what was promised. I tether and still have probs when playing Xbox live, or downloading torrents. Speedtest gets me 12mbs, but still have problems then it locks or freezes. So I know what you mean. I've tried ALL ROMS. I'm on Humble 5.0 right now, and I love it.
But all you need to do is restart, or turn off then on mobile data, and it works. It'll work for awhile. But there are still those problems that happen. Despite all that...I still Love Verizon. I've had no probs with cust serv or phone coverage. To me, the problem is bad, but not enough to make me EVER leave Verizon.
Luckily I won this phone and still have my new every two discount. So I will sell this phone for 200 and end up paying 50 for Galaxy Nexus. I hope that the problems with tethering and data freezing don't exist with the GN.
I've had them all. Treo on ATT, Samsung Flip Phone on Sprint then flashed to Cricket, G1 on T-Mobile, then Droid Eris and Charge on Verizon. VERIZON IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST!...Luckily I got unlimited data before it was gone. If you had that and let it go...I'm sorry, but I think you will look back and realize you mad a big mistake.

BlazinDANDAMAN said:
Now it the wrong time to switch carriers. Unless you go to Sprint. Verizon's Unlimited Data on 4G @12mbs(av.) is something I would have tried to stay and deal with.
I understand your fustration. All I want is a phone that works and does what was promised. I tether and still have probs when playing Xbox live, or downloading torrents. Speedtest gets me 12mbs, but still have problems then it locks or freezes. So I know what you mean. I've tried ALL ROMS. I'm on Humble 5.0 right now, and I love it.
But all you need to do is restart, or turn off then on mobile data, and it works. It'll work for awhile. But there are still those problems that happen. Despite all that...I still Love Verizon. I've had no probs with cust serv or phone coverage. To me, the problem is bad, but not enough to make me EVER leave Verizon.
Luckily I won this phone and still have my new every two discount. So I will sell this phone for 200 and end up paying 50 for Galaxy Nexus. I hope that the problems with tethering and data freezing don't exist with the GN.
I've had them all. Treo on ATT, Samsung Flip Phone on Sprint then flashed to Cricket, G1 on T-Mobile, then Droid Eris and Charge on Verizon. VERIZON IS HANDS DOWN THE BEST!...Luckily I got unlimited data before it was gone. If you had that and let it go...I'm sorry, but I think you will look back and realize you mad a big mistake.
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Sprint is having their own data problems right now. You guys are complaining about dropping data until you reboot. How about not having any data at all regardless of how many times you reboot. That's how bad Sprint is in some areas right now (northwest Indiana). If I try to go to the market sometimes the phone will sit there for literally five minutes and still won't connect. I get data time-outs and the spinning circle multiple times a day. Which is why I went back to Verizon on my hands & knees hoping their network has improved in the past couple of years.

Big red came through. They have very nice CS (well 95% nice) LOL. I got the Bionic just in time to sell it after I use my upgrade to get the nexus!!!! (The Bionic is a very good phone BTW) Verizon service hands down beats the rest. When it comes to the big red, you get what you pay for. That's the truth.

Anyone else noticing HTCs losing 3G/4G speeds?

I sell vzw for a franchise/premium retailer and I have noticed on my phone first and then on everyone I know/see that has htc's I've noticed that even down to the incredible, incredible 2, and of course the thunderbolt. I honestly haven't checked the rezound but plan to if someone buys one or I have time to test it.
Basically 4G only gets under 4 mbps and 3G phones only get 3 mbps and under. Sometimes averaging around 1 mbps.
According to HTC its a network issue. I said,"how could it be a network issue if the other 4G phones like the Motorola's more specificly like the bionic I have next to my thunderbolt is running 14-18 mbps!"
Verizon says its not a network issue and I was right it is pretty obvious. They said it's a phone issue and it's the first they've heard of it.
I personally believe it has something to do with the back cover antenna. And I also can't help noticing how cheap they are and how they seem to be trying to get rid of more lately. Yes it can very well be because its almost a year that its been out and I'm sure there's somewhere I'm not looking where it shows its planned life time.
I just want to make sure there isn't a software issue going on here or if its a hardware/"dare I say it, defect" with these phones.
Now I will say I have this verified by people I know that travel through and/to Pittsburgh for school and work. It does appear that with more towers downtown u do get a lot of signal bombarding ur phone and they pull about 8mbps. Bionic was going 14-18 mbps all over my area and would imagine it stays strong in the city too.
I'm running cm7 and I got friends running all kinds of roms for there thunderbolts all same results and unrooted users/store phone sent straight from htc/random traffic in the store all get the same bad results. Hope this helps and comments are a must please.
-theZEEKone
Sent from my ADR6400L using xda premium

Could be a radio issue I am still on MR2 ota this was done side by side with a Rezound at VZW store and both got similar speeds. And this is one of the slower speeds I have ever got as well.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Here's my speed test....looks fine to me..
Well i can't post pics yet but my test is normal for me, 10 down 2 up
Posted from my Infected Thunderbolt

Mine is over 4mb.
Sent from my HTC
LTE 4G Rezound

I had my TB since March of this year, and I didn't have 4G to pick up until they expanded here. While my phone would originally pick up 4G, it stopped picking it up unless the signal was very strong, like in a Verizon store where they have the repeaters. My wife's TB would pick up 4G if it was anywhere around, and would smoke my phone for data speeds every time. I had changed the SIM card, which had no noticeable effect, and finally sent it back under warranty and got a replacement. Of course, I had to unroot and restore to stock, but my replacement is as good as it should have been all along.
To the OP, It may be a situation where you have some HTC phones that have poor signal issues like mine had. My original TB could have had the issue all along, but I was not aware because of how well the phone handled everything else, and the fact that it DID pick up 4G, just not very well.
---------- Post added at 06:28 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:18 AM ----------
Oh, to add to this, my old TB would only get data speeds averaging 4-5 MB/s down with 4G, and my wife's would get 17-26 MB/s side by side. My replacement gets 15-17 MB/s down and 8-10 MB/s up with the 906 radio. Wife's radio is 508/510 combo, I believe.

Grnlantern79 said:
Could be a radio issue I am still on MR2 ota this was done side by side with a Rezound at VZW store and both got similar speeds. And this is one of the slower speeds I have ever got as well.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
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Uhh youre on wifi there buddy. I think he was talking about the 4G/3G data speeds.

bigd5783 said:
Uhh youre on wifi there buddy. I think he was talking about the 4G/3G data speeds.
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Uhh he used 4G for the test as stated by the network and IP's in the picture. He just took the picture while using WiFi.

Two things I've noticed on my phone.....one is all gingerbread roms with any radio i have tried slow my speed way down except the latest shiftao5p, its decent with it. With gingerbread roms i only get about 3-5 mbps but with any froyo rom including the very first build i get at least 15mbps.
Secondly, i bought a cheap extended battery off eBay and the cheap battery cover has a cheap antenna in it. It wouldn't pick up 4g most of the time. I put a small piece of aluminum foil on the antenna prongs and put the cover back on and that helped, it would at least pick up 4g after that. With the seidio battey and cover it picks up great. So watch hose cheap extended battery covers.

The speedtest app everyone's been using seems to have inadequate test servers. I routinely get ~15Mb/s from them. Using http://speakeasy.net/speedtest, I frequently see TWICE the speed. Let me upload some screenshots from my phone. Not sure if there's "proof" that it's from my phone though, but rest assured, it is. My home 'net speed is 6Mb/s so it ain't from that connection !!

Here we go...

hallstevenson said:
The speedtest app everyone's been using seems to have inadequate test servers. I routinely get ~15Mb/s from them. Using http://speakeasy.net/speedtest, I frequently see TWICE the speed. Let me upload some screenshots from my phone. Not sure if there's "proof" that it's from my phone though, but rest assured, it is. My home 'net speed is 6Mb/s so it ain't from that connection !!
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Holy crap! You are correct man! I didn't realize Verizon's network was so good here!
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Try different 'locations' from the Speakeasy site too.
FWIW, the 33Mb/s is the highest I've ever seen myself.

Yes, in fact just last week I got a Certified Like New replacement for my TBolt for this very problem. It was resolved immediately with the new device.
I had tried replacing sim card, replacing back door, replacing battery, flashing various roms and radios, and a full restore to stock with s-on; nothing worked for the defective device.
My 4g speed degraded gradually over a period of a few weeks and became dramatically worse and practically unusable in a span of a few days at the end of it.
When I got my CLN, I had both the replacement and my original unit side by side in the same spot in my house and ran speedtest on the same server using 4g, same sim card, same rom (Stock GB MR), same radio, no SD card, no installed apps.
The difference was black and white, the original was total **** (several times failing to even complete the test due to "network issues") and the replacement was hitting ~25Mbps down.
Long story short, the TB 4g hardware can spontaneously start to fail. It's for that reason I'm contemplating getting insurance once my mfg warranty wears out. I love the character of this phone but I think some of the engineering behind it might be third rate.
More details in this thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1348220

mthe0ry said:
Long story short, the TB 4g hardware can spontaneously start to fail. It's for that reason I'm contemplating getting insurance once my mfg warranty wears out. I love the character of this phone but I think some of the engineering behind it might be third rate.
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Spontaneously start to fail... third rate engineering... Hope I don't run into that
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

Switched to Verizon with poor phone choice

For the last 12 years, I have been a Sprint customer. I haven't had any serious issues with them until they started rolling out the tower updates to LTE. Since then, I have not been about to get satellite locks or use their web network without becoming absolutely frustrated. After a bit of web searching, I decided it was time to make the move to Verizon, since I need the web, on the road, for work. I made the choice of the Galaxy S III. It's a great looking phone and the specs speak for themselves. But, I got terrible service in and around my home. Every phone call in my house was breaking up and dropping. I figured it must be Verizon because this phone was a step up from my Sprint Epic 4G touch and even from the same manufacturer. I made calls to customer service and they wrote up a ticket to check service in my area. My nextdoor neighbor came home with his new iPhone (I will never buy an iPhone or any mac product) and showed me that he had almost full bars. I asked him to come to my house and see if he still had great service. No change in or around my home. This caused me to think there was something faulty with my device. I immediately went to the Verizon store with my device for troubleshooting. I told the service rep what had happened and that I wanted to get my phone tested and possibly get a replacement. She told me that the problems I was experiencing were common with Samsung phones because they have weak antennas. She mentioned that the best phones for reception are going to be the iPhones and the Motorolas. I believe this to be true because in my pre-smartphone days, I had a sanyo flip phone and my work partner had the latest samsung doohicky that looked sweet but, where he would have little to no service, I would have full bars. Until I got my first smartphone, I stuck with sanyo phones from Sprint and never had any issues.
Now the lineup of Verizon phones is pretty much last year's model for the top of the liners. So, I've gone back to Sprint until the Razor Maxx HD arrives. It looks to be a beast of a phone that surpasses the galaxy S III and is sure to have a good antenna/radio to go along with it. I just hope it doesn't take very long.

And you made this thread why? Are you asking something of the community? If not, this thread should be deleted
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

hopesrequiem said:
And you made this thread why? Are you asking something of the community? If not, this thread should be deleted
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
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I don't think the thread should be deleted (but that's just me). I didn't know Samsung phones had this issue and its always good to know general info. Thanks to the OP for it. Next time an issue like this happens with me or any of my friends and if they have a Samsung phone, I would know at least one more variable to take into consideration.

I agree 100%, my service is terrible. My og Droid always had great reception, this phone (although no calls dropped) Fluctuates a lot. I love this phone though, and have no intentions of changing. I just wish it was a bit better is all

I don't see how the RARZ Maxx surpasses the S3. It is a nice phone but doesn't bring anything new to the table that the S3 doesn't already have except the large battery but, battery is not an issue with the S3 anyway.

I'm on Sprint and thinking about switching to Verizon so this is helpful to think about. I might not have considered a Motorola but now I think I'll at least give them a closer look.
Sent from my PC36100 using xda app-developers app

Not sure of the issues or rumors about their radio or antenna, but at least my Galaxy S III has been connecting as well as my old feature phones - by which I mean, solidly.
4G is sometimes less available than I want - e.g., there's a space of 3 blocks nearby where it's dead (odd) - but that's the only issue.
- ooofest

motorola phones are well known for getting exceptional reception.
if you live in an area where the signal strength is poor, i can understand when people end up hating certain phones.
in my case, i have never had any issues with the gs3 when it comes to reception.
BEFORE PEOPLE START BASHING TO OP, HE/SHE ISN'T SAYING THE GS3 IS A BAD PHONE FOR ITS HARDWARE (except the antenna). Yes, it is a beast of a phone.
But at the end of the day, it's still a phone and if you can't send/receive phone calls.. well, it should be replaced.

A relationship without trust is like a cell phone without service ... all you do is play games
I am a diehard Motorola guy but I went ahead and tried the SGS3. What the OP is stating is true, the Samsung radio sucks in comparison to Motorola. I am now fortunate enough to have strong enough Verizon signal at my house so I was able to keep my SGS3. Now I get 3 bars at home when with my Motorola DroidX was always full. I looked at the Droid RAZR MAXX hard and heavy, kept trying to talk myself into it, but ... it just didn't feel right in my hand. I am satisfied with my SGS3 but I still hope Motorola comes out with something good for my next upgrade.
I agree, I think this post is fine for the Verizon Galaxy S III General section of the forum!

Future modem updates will surely remedy the issue. It was the same way with the Fascinate, crappy until the radio got a couple updates.
Sent from my Galaxy S III using Xda Premium

I get good reception at my house with the S3, but my territory at work is 920ish square miles of rural area. I've noticed areas where I had 3G before switching to Sprint 3 years ago when I had a Motorola phone I do not now that I'm back with Verizon. If anything, I would have thought in the 3 years it would have improved. Like the OP, I believe it to be the phone, not the service as other guys at work don't have that problem and don't have skips when streaming music like I do on the same roads.
I'm also waiting for the Razr HD Maxx to release. Our local retail agent has their demo already so they suspect it to be within a month or so. I'm eBaying this S3 as soon as it is released since I'm outside my window to return it.
In the meantime, hopefully the latest OTA helps reception.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

Future modem updates will surely remedy the issue. It was the same way with the Fascinate, crappy until the radio got a couple updates.<br />
<br />
Sent from my Galaxy S III using Xda Premium
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Hope you're right. Sometimes I wanna go back to my rezound.
Gs3

I have the same problem. Switched from Sprint to Verizon. GSIII. Unless the signal is nearly full strength, calls are unusable and data is inconsistent, and texts won't send. It's definitely the phone's fault, not the network.

Might be good for some folks here to call Verizon and submit a complaint, etc. When I called about a networking issue a couple months back, they told me a wi-fi and other reception/signal related issues were planned for an October update (which they called the second update from Samsung, so that seems to mesh with our getting the current OTA in September), but maybe those plans or the update contents have changed.
And, since the OTA, they can more easily diagnose issues with your phone remotely .
- ooofest

Am I the only one that's satisfied with the GS3's signal strength? I came from a droid incredible and now I seem to have better signal across the board.

I've noticed that the phone manages signal poorly rather than the radios themselves being poor.
Example: If I use phone info and manually set my phone to 4g only or LTE w/ CDMA I will lock onto 4g and have a solid signal. If I rely on the default setting (LTE/EVDO/CDMA) to manage networks automatically I will end up with a weak 3g signal (with full data drops) despite medium/strong 4g being available.
Hopefully the future OTAs will take care of the network selection logic.

Div033 said:
Am I the only one that's satisfied with the GS3's signal strength? I came from a droid incredible and now I seem to have better signal across the board.
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One more fully satisfied customer here.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

When I compare this phone to a Razr Maxx or my old Droid X2, the difference in dbm is about -5. I live in an area with good coverage so I really haven't had any issues. What this phone SUCKS at is sticking with 4g and the hand off from 4g to 3g. It switches to 3g too quickly...should hold on to 4g. When it switches there's a pretty good lag during the switch so you lose data briefly.

The modem update gave me an additional 1-2 bars in my house at times (Still fluctuations, but it would anyhow here). I can't say it's any worse than my Droid Inc.
As for Verizon having a "poor phone choice"... Meh. It goes in cycles. Sometimes they have all the good phones, sometimes AT&T does. It's all variant as to when you are looking to buy.

lets be honest here. No company is 100% stable in all areas. Theres always a tradeoff, and as our lives change, as well as our residences, places of work, and hangouts, our choice of company may change to meet our new needs. In my area Verizon meets my needs best, but my neighbor might have a different story.
I think its unfair to judge a carrier in absolutes unless you're talking about a very densely populated area like a major city. If you set foot in the middle of manhattan and have 1 bar, I think that's an appropriate time to speak in absolutes.
And on the topic of smartphones, I think its an exercise in futility. My S3 is the best phone I've ever owned, despite the small glitches and imperfections. Did I buy it because it was the best phone out there? Absolutely. Did I know at the time of purchase it could be obsolete by the time I reached my car? I counted on it. Am I boring you all by answering my own rhetorical questions? Undoubtedly.
As long as you're happy with your phone and it meets your needs, good for you. If you're unhappy do something about it. But be warned, if you spend time comparing your phone to another one already out or soon to come out, you'll almost never feel good with the results.

Network Extender

This could help everyone who has weak signal at home. My SGS3 was constantly switching LTE 3G 1X and sometimes loses connection completely when sitting downstairs. Even when it had reception call quality was terrible. Upstairs I got solid -99dBm LTE so that's fine. In the same time and place my old Fascinate has solid 3G or 1X and never loses connection or has problems with call quality. So I've called vzw and they offered me network extender. The problem was they wanted me to pay $150 for it ($250MSRP - $100 discount) even that I'm their customer for almost 10 years and pay $200/month for 4 lines. So I filed a claim with FCC but actually I wasn't hoping for anything. 10 days later I got surprise call from vzw and got brand new network extender shipped 2nd fedex for free. It helped a lot but it's still not 100% perfect. My phone still connects to LTE even it's only at -120dBm and then jumps to 3G extender when LTE is lost completely. So it won't help battery drain when switching bands but I don't lose connection and don't have problems with call quality anymore so that's better than it was before. So my advice for everyone having the same issues: spend some time filing a claim.

Give us the complaint details. Might help me
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

More details would be great
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises

http://www.fcc.gov/complaints
Wireless Telephone - Billing, Service, Privacy, Number Portability and other issues
File form 2000B with your details. I basically put exactly what vzw customer service rep told me as comments. So that my home location has "marginal" coverage and I could get network extender for $150 even that I'm paying $200/month for service that I don't get. I've also included comment about well known reception problems with new S3. That was enough apparently.
btw. I think that you should call customer service first before filing any claim. Ask them to put some notes about your reception issues on your account. And ask about network extender also. Maybe you will be lucky and they will offer extender for free without any claim.

Have now 3 recorded signal complaints with Verizon, tried replacement devices etc. This is fantastic, I literally was going to invest in one of these myself (verizon didn't even mention it to me, found out from an at&t user).
Thanks man
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises

Last year I called cust. service and complained about the crappy signal at my parents house. They shipped out a free network extender no questions asked. I guess it just depends who you talk to, but they do have the authority to give you one.

I'm happy for you, but I would like to play devils advocate for a moment and make the argument they should have made.
Why do you complain about having marginal service in one place in your house now when you've been a customer for 10+ years? There are plenty of other carriers that may offer better service in your usual hangouts, but you have decided to stay with a company that cannot provide adequate coverage for a long time.
I may give this a try. I was looking at network extenders online and saw a lot of mixed reviews, so I haven't taken the plunge. My street in general is a 2 bar 1x deadzone. Thanks for the info!

While I am happy for you...it seems to me that this was not truly VZW's problem and is not something they should have had to fix unless we want everyone that works inside a building to get range extenders as well, for example. It appears as though you are a victim of great customer service to begin with (a $100 discount), and you simply got more oil because of being a squeaky wheel. There's nothing wrong with that, but VZW went out of their way to help you as far as I'm concerned.
Regardless, congratulations on your improved coverage! Does it work with Wi-Fi or 1X as well, or is it just 3G and 4G LTE? It'll last you a couple years at least as I don't see VZW upgrading radios for quite some time. How does it work? Does it just amplify the weak signal or do you have to have relays set up?

stargate125645 said:
While I am happy for you...it seems to me that this was not truly VZW's problem and is not something they should have had to fix unless we want everyone that works inside a building to get range extenders as well, for example. It appears as though you are a victim of great customer service to begin with (a $100 discount), and you simply got more oil because of being a squeaky wheel. There's nothing wrong with that, but VZW went out of their way to help you as far as I'm concerned.
Regardless, congratulations on your improved coverage! Does it work with Wi-Fi or 1X as well, or is it just 3G and 4G LTE? It'll last you a couple years at least as I don't see VZW upgrading radios for quite some time. How does it work? Does it just amplify the weak signal or do you have to have relays set up?
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Click to collapse
Yeah this is what I forgot to put in my post, is it just for phone calls or does it have internet enhancing capabilities as well? Furthermore, I know companies share hardware to some extent, any clue if it would boost t-mobile as well?
I'm tired of paying for data when I feel forced to be on wifi all the time

Did last 2 posters actually read my first post? It's not that Verizon coverage was always that bad for me. My previous phone Samsung Fascinate that I'm still using on another line works just fine in the same place. I've also had numerous of other phones in the same place before (motorola razr 2 and motorola razr maxx was last 2) and none of them had problems with calls quality. So it's clearly S3's poor antenna what's causing reception problems for me. Verizon sold me not fully functional Samsung’s product and I've signed new 2 year agreement when got S3 and have to pay for service so they have to provide me what I'm paying for. They could try to replace my S3 with another one but everybody knows that it wouldn't help. They could send technicians to check signal in my area (that was first suggestion from rep) but that would probably not make any difference either or take another couple of months. They have network extender available for problems like that but why would I have pay to get it if I pay for service each month? That’s not my fault that they sold me product that cannot give me proper access to their service in the same place where other phones are working just fine.

SotYPL said:
Did last 2 posters actually read my first post? It's not that Verizon coverage was always that bad for me. My previous phone Samsung Fascinate that I'm still using on another line works just fine in the same place. I've also had numerous of other phones in the same place before (motorola razr 2 and motorola razr maxx was last 2) and none of them had problems with calls quality. So it's clearly S3's poor antenna what's causing reception problems for me. Verizon sold me not fully functional Samsung’s product and I've signed new 2 year agreement when got S3 and have to pay for service so they have to provide me what I'm paying for. They could try to replace my S3 with another one but everybody knows that it wouldn't help. They could send technicians to check signal in my area (that was first suggestion from rep) but that would probably not make any difference either or take another couple of months. They have network extender available for problems like that but why would I have pay to get it if I pay for service each month? That’s not my fault that they sold me product that cannot give me proper access to their service in the same place where other phones are working just fine.
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Click to collapse
Did you read my post? I didn't say anything about your previous phone. I only pointed out that VZW did what they were not obligated to do. By virtue of the fact that you get service upstairs, your basement is the problem and not VZW.

Guys you should read what Network Extender is.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/device/network-extender
It's not cellular amplifier. It uses your internet connection to make and receive calls. So basically it's VoIP device with built in 3G signal antenna.

stargate125645 said:
Did you read my post? I didn't say anything about your previous phone. I only pointed out that VZW did what they were not obligated to do. By virtue of the fact that you get service upstairs, your basement is the problem and not VZW.
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First of all it's not a basement, it's ground level (2 level townhouse). Second, my other phones are working fine in the same spot and never lose connection or get poor call quality. So it's not fully functional device that they sold me.
btw. I love my S3 and would not replace it for any other vzw current phone

SotYPL said:
Did last 2 posters actually read my first post? It's not that Verizon coverage was always that bad for me. My previous phone Samsung Fascinate that I'm still using on another line works just fine in the same place. I've also had numerous of other phones in the same place before (motorola razr 2 and motorola razr maxx was last 2) and none of them had problems with calls quality. So it's clearly S3's poor antenna what's causing reception problems for me. Verizon sold me not fully functional Samsung’s product and I've signed new 2 year agreement when got S3 and have to pay for service so they have to provide me what I'm paying for. They could try to replace my S3 with another one but everybody knows that it wouldn't help. They could send technicians to check signal in my area (that was first suggestion from rep) but that would probably not make any difference either or take another couple of months. They have network extender available for problems like that but why would I have pay to get it if I pay for service each month? That’s not my fault that they sold me product that cannot give me proper access to their service in the same place where other phones are working just fine.
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Click to collapse
You never mentioned your quality over time, only your reception discrepancy between phones. You also left your internet situation somewhat ambiguous, only mentioning that it switches between radios even with the extender. I understand your argument is that its a less desirable antenna in the GS3 than your previous phone, was just trying to get you to say more about your extender while taking a friendly poke at Verizon's usual lack of customer service.
I tend to use google voice when I'm at home through my computer, its just nice to know my phone actually HAS service in case of an emergency or if somebody important calls, or Jesus comes back etc.

The verizon variant of the S3 has considerably less radio power than other verizon devices. It's a known issue with Verizon, and it's up to them to remedy it, as the same device from Sprint gets better reception. I proved that with a coworkers sprint s3 + mine at work. His made calls, mine didn't.
Until they fix the radio issue, things like this may need to be implemented. Awesome original post, thanks again for the info.
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises

Still, if you can get reception elsewhere, it is not necessarily VZW's responsibility. Otherwise, they'd need to supply everyone who works in a building that limits signal, etc. I'm just saying VZW went out of their way. If your house is within the 4G LTE map coverage boundary, and you couldn't get coverage even on your highest floor, I could see what Verizon did as required. Verizon cannot control the configuration and construction of your house, after all. It is of no consequence regardless and Verizon doesn't lose money on the deal if it is assumed you would switch service providers had they not helped out so you've nothing to defend. I'm simply saying I, personally, don't think you were entitled to the signal booster to the point that an FCC complaint was warranted. A $100 discount would have been more than enough - in my opinion.
annoyingduck said:
The verizon variant of the S3 has considerably less radio power than other verizon devices. It's a known issue with Verizon, and it's up to them to remedy it, as the same device from Sprint gets better reception. I proved that with a coworkers sprint s3 + mine at work. His made calls, mine didn't.
Until they fix the radio issue, things like this may need to be implemented. Awesome original post, thanks again for the info.
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What? How does that prove anything? The towers would have to be in the exact same spot, have the exact same output, hardware, design, etc., for that to even come close to proving anything. I'm not saying there isn't a problem, but simply that you didn't prove anything.

Boston area dude, no issues network wise here. The vzw s3 doesn't hold a card to vzw droids or HTC devices signal wise. There is little or no difference in this area between the carriers.
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises
---------- Post added at 11:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:07 PM ----------
Plus both s3 devices registering an approximate -100 to 110db signal, vzw has 2 bars, sprint full bars.
Sent from my VZW GS3 running Synergy/Trinity/Dark Horse Rises

stargate125645 said:
Still, if you can get reception elsewhere, it is not necessarily VZW's responsibility. Otherwise, they'd need to supply everyone who works in a building that limits signal, etc. I'm just saying VZW went out of their way. If your house is within the 4G LTE map coverage boundary, and you couldn't get coverage even on your highest floor, I could see what Verizon did as required.
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Actually looking at vzw's website coverage maps my house is in the middle of full LTE coverage. Marginal coverage was rep's word. Maybe they have more detailed maps for internal use. But LTE was not a issue for me. I don't need data at home cause I always use wifi. Problem with making and receiving calls was the problem. It is fundamental future of the phone and S3 is still a phone right?
stargate125645 said:
Verizon cannot control the configuration and construction of your house, after all.
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Correct but they can control what they sell. So if they sell not fully functional phone they have to back it up and do whatever it's needed to make it work right. My other phones were always working fine in the same spot and even in the worst spot of the house where Fascinate would switch to 1X it never lost reception completely and never had problems with call quality. It is clear for me that Galaxy S3 hardware/software is the problem not my house and probably vzw is fully aware of that.
stargate125645 said:
It is of no consequence regardless and Verizon doesn't lose money on the deal if it is assumed you would switch service providers had they not helped out so you've nothing to defend. I'm simply saying I, personally, don't think you were entitled to the signal booster to the point that an FCC complaint was warranted. A $100 discount would have been more than enough - in my opinion.
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As my original post said, I was not hoping for anything filing fcc claim. I was prepare to fight more directly with vzw if nothing would change till the end of September. Probably I would demand technician visit or phone replacement. They chose to make me happy in the easiest way and that's fine for me. My post was strictly for informational purposes for people like me struggling with poor S3's reception who had no luck dealing with vzw directly.

Geeze people, why are you attcking the OP. He had bad signal at is house and Verizon sent him a booster. I think the issue here is with Verizon. They pick and choose who to send them to for free and who needs to pay. Maybe if they were consistant it would not be a big deal.
But why should one person have to pay $150 for the device and others get it for free with no other reason then they got lucky with the rep they spoke to. If people's main home billong address is in a known frigne area they should offer these for free. Verizon customers pay the highest monthly fee's then any other carriers. I had no problem getting a free booster from Sprint as many others received them as well free of charge.

[email protected] said:
Geeze people, why are you attcking the OP. He had bad signal at is house and Verizon sent him a booster. I think the issue here is with Verizon. They pick and choose who to send them to for free and who needs to pay. Maybe if they were consistant it would not be a big deal.
But why should one person have to pay $150 for the device and others get it for free with no other reason then they got lucky with the rep they spoke to. If people's main home billong address is in a known frigne area they should offer these for free. Verizon customers pay the highest monthly fee's then any other carriers. I had no problem getting a free booster from Sprint as many others received them as well free of charge.
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Agreed completely! Also why is everyone trying to stick up for Verizon so much?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

Reception Problems

So I got news for everyone who is having reception problems on the Verizon Galaxy S3. Just talked to my samsung rep. He said the reception issues on all the verizon S3's are not fixable because its interfering with motorola radios or something. This only affects the s3 for verizon. There is no fix he said. Half of all verizon S3's are affected he thinks if not more. No updates or rpms or radios will fix it. So we should test something. Call verizon and complain and see if they get u an s4 haha :laugh:

but my signal has always been great..

Yeah gotta say I haven't had any issues. Now my galaxy nexus, yeah that was finicky with signal. My sgs3 has been great. That reasoning sounds odd to me.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

I haven't had any issues until now. My 4G has become very spotty at best over the last week. I live in San Antonio and the 4G coverage has been great across the city up until recently.
Currently not being productive on my S3.

See half of the s3's sold for verizon have 4G data problems and reception issues. Depends when you got it mine was the first batch ever made. I work for verizon and see about half come back with reception problems. They halted production I heard

I am on my 3rd s3 because of reception and gps issues. I hate to say this one is working good because I am afraid I will jinx myself in the process.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

Gps issues are fixable in some aspect. Tighten screws in the back a half a turn we figured out but the reception is non fixable as thats with the radio on the hardware side of things.

i had a razr maxx hd for a couple of weeks... my s3 gets better reception/signal strength than the razr.

Where I work I have to go outside to make or receive calls or texts.I have one of the newest phones out there but it makes me look like I have a dumb phone with no signal
©® Sent From My VZW 4G Galaxy S3 Powered by My Zerolemon 7000MAH Extended Battery©®

The thread title is misleading. The problems have not been solved but are known and not correctable, according to your post. The solution you offer is to nag verizon to swap you out for an S4,but no guarantees this will work for anyone or everyone.
Sent from my SCH-I535

My reception has always been solid.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

I just got off with VZW, The tech went through everything he could pull up on his computer. He finally said to swing into Verizon and get a new sim card.
That was all he could think of. So I'll try that. My phone has become a useless POS since yesterday.
Update:
So I went into the store, they went through my phone and replaced the sim card. Nothing helped. He offered to process an exchange for a refurbished one since I have insurance. I asked if they would give me any discount on the S4 rather than getting a used phone. He said that they have no power ( at the store) and that it would be better to go through Verizon by calling them. I went home, got on my wifi and things started to work better. I downloaded all my apps (after factory reset) and proceeded to set up my phone. I even got off my wifi and it still seemed to work good. But this morning at work, it's turned into a rock again. I've been at this job for a year and a half. I've never had issues. But since the OTA, It's like it's throttling me. I'm wondering if VZW has put something in the last OTA that affects data speeds. I'm currently trying to download one app (Sirius), It's been downloading for 5 minutes already and it's only 1/2 way. Something is up.

dbow32 said:
I just got off with VZW, The tech went through everything he could pull up on his computer. He finally said to swing into Verizon and get a new sim card.
That was all he could think of. So I'll try that. My phone have become a useless POS since yesterday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine has been the last three weeks. They've been working on the problem since. They wrote a trouble ticket. Hopefully they fix it. My phone was solid up until then Was very hesitant to buy a samsung because of this issue.I've had a couple and they were awful. Got the Samsung nexus when it first came out years ago . Needless to day it was returned the next day.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

My phone has been a rocket ship, until the OTA yesterday and now it's a Rock!

Hummmm, I got my S3 on release day (pre-order and paid $10 for next day shipping) I have great reception.... Might be all the vodka you have spilled on it......
---------- Post added at 06:39 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:38 PM ----------
By the way, weak forum title.... Very deceptive......

theDK10 said:
So I got news for everyone who is having reception problems on the Verizon Galaxy S3. Just talked to my samsung rep. He said the reception issues on all the verizon S3's are not fixable because its interfering with motorola radios or something. This only affects the s3 for verizon. There is no fix he said. Half of all verizon S3's are affected he thinks if not more. No updates or rpms or radios will fix it. So we should test something. Call verizon and complain and see if they get u an s4 haha :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So are you saying that our s3 have moto radios in them?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

No im just saying the rep told me it messes with moto radios (highly unlikely though). If you have perfect reception congrats you got lucky. I was just stating there is no fix. So calm down people.

dbow32 said:
I just got off with VZW, The tech went through everything he could pull up on his computer. He finally said to swing into Verizon and get a new sim card.
That was all he could think of. So I'll try that. My phone has become a useless POS since yesterday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The tech guy at the Verizon store near me said the sim card would never be a problem with signal issues when I had to get my phone replaced. I always find it fascinating the inconsistencies between Verizon stores and customer service.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

Posted this on Android Community
So I had MB1.... Full stock (plus root)...
I went ahead and upgraded using Bean's rooted MD3...
Flashed the MD3 Firmware....
No issues operationally, but I am a big commuter and use mapping a lot.
I noticed that my maps were offline several times into work today...
Having just come from a Thunderbolt, I began paying attention to the 4g... I watched the 4G/3G constantly drop and stall... Having gone through this before on the TB, I did all the network jogs, airplane mode, unfroze all the frozen apps, rebooted, davlik - etc... No joy...
Got home and checked the wife, she and I had same signal strength, just to make sure it wasn't my phone...
Saw the notes on Global to LTE and various other points - including Caller Name ID - tried them all - nothing helped.
For a quick experiment, I flashed just the modem/radio from MB1, understanding the rest of the firmware wouldn't be compatible with the net kernel... Phone functioned, same data issues...
So... I completely reversed my phone back to MB1... Now with a MB1 and a MD3 side by side, I loaded Google maps with traffic on...
The MB1 was near instantaneous with traffic indicators...
The MD3 took a few seconds as it staggered the traffic reports...
Flipped to FaceBook app... The MB1 immediately was lite up with data download/upload... MD3 paused, then started...
Strangely, the signal strength was near exact between the two phones....
But the speed and delay with the MD3 made me wipe off the MD3 and reload MB1... Happy now, without multi-windows...
Next time I'll remember to be more patient and use one phone as the dev for a few days.

I have had 4 different S3's, all of them have had rock solid 4G performance.
As an aside there is growing chatter that the most recent OTA has drastically damaged 4G connectivity. I run Synergy myself, so no OTA for me.