Are Verizon Customers Dropping More Calls?

Here is a letter from a 10 year Verizon customer in Virginia, who wrote to customer care.  This issue has been escalated to the President level in the organization to resolve the problem.  This an example of what is happening for millions of Verizon customers who previously had good coverage and are now suffering from more dropped calls.  It just so happens that this customer is very persistent about getting the problem resolved but not everyone has the time or the skills to do this.  Nor does Verizon have the resources to pursue every customer service problem in this manner.  It is worth reading and just another reason that the current theoretical wireless coverage maps should be outlawed?  Its false marketing and degradation once good coverage areas is becoming a big problem now that Verizon is moving to 4G / LTE.  Wireless networks are breathing more than ever to optimize network capacity and thus why you might see 5 bars and then none standing in the same location.  Read the full letter below about a Verizon trouble ticket resolution and please share any other examples in the comments or send us an email. 

1st Customer Letter to Verizon
Dear Verizon,

Is it possible to request a physical visit to the area in question (below), with measurements taken and reports made?  My family and I drive this area a total of 12 times or more per day.  We have been doing that for over ten years.  WE HAVE NEVER HAD ONE DROPPED CALL IN THIS AREA FOR ALL THOSE YEARS.  Why did we begin to drop most calls, suddenly, two months ago?  I am specifically speaking of my driveway, 123 XYX Drive.  Could an area suddenly, as if by magic, become "marginal", after working well for all those years?

My suspicion is that Verizon, by upgrading to the higher "G" coverages and has made equipment changes in this area.  This new equipment places voice communication second to all the other services which the new smartphones sold.  I believe that is what has caused my problem with 
123 XYX Drive, etc.

I'd like to have a definitive answer, from Verizon, not some nonsense about secondary coverage areas, explaining why I still get a five-bar signal AND drop calls all the time?  That doesn't sound like a coverage problem.  It sounds like a Verizon equipment problem to me.

As far as being in a marginal coverage area, I've seen Verizon make those claims before.  Any problems Verizon doesn't want to address are suddenly in a marginal coverage area.

Please see below, coverage maps copied from the Verizon published coverage map,
The map below is location 123 XYX Drive.  As stated above, coverage just perfect for ten years.  Suddenly, two months ago, the signal stays the same, calls are dropped constantly.  Is it magic?
Below is another paste from the same Verizon coverage map showing the four-mile area east of my driveway on Rt. 221 where past wonderful coverage has degraded to many dropped calls with no loss in signal.  
The last pasted map below is an area that Verizon knows is bad and has elected not to fix it.  We get dropped calls in that area on a daily basis. The specific area is on 221 between Mays Farm Road and the upside-down question mark looking little road, just east of the 221 shields.  To quote Verizon's answer on past complaints about the area, "This is an area of known problems."  That's it, no fixed date, no nothing.
Please re-submit my complaint to the proper parties and include these Verizon coverage maps.  I really would appreciate some sort of meaningful answer regarding the sudden degradation in service.

1st Verizon Response Letter
Mr. Customer,

Your trouble ticket for service problems in your home area is now resolved. The ticket states: “located in a marginal coverage area due to distance from cell sites; there are plans for a new site in your area but not estimated time of when that will be up and running. There were currently no issues found w/ the surrounding cell sites.”

Feel free to email me back with any other questions or concerns and we can move forward or see what the next step may be.

Thanks,
Nate – Verizon Wireless Tech Support
woodana@NE.VerizonWireless.com

2nd Verizon Response Letter
Mr. Customer,

From previously speaking to members of our Network Repair Bureau, I have been told that coverage can change. The majority of the time the coverage is increasing but I’ve been told that may not always be the case. I’m going to forward your email over to one of our NRB representatives and try to re-escalate this issue. I’ll email you back once I receive additional info about this problem. I also wanted to make sure that you were still marking the affected calls by dialing ### - SEND.

Thanks,
Nate – Verizon Wireless Tech Support

Customer Response to Verizon Wireless 
Nate – Verizon Wireless Tech Support,

Unfortunately, I've been doing ***** Send, or something close to that. Does it matter as long as I do something strange after a dropped call or do you want exactly ###SEND? Sorry for the error.

The coverage matter is a convenient out for Verizon. Their disclaimer really removes any value from the coverage maps they issue. (These Coverage Locator maps depict predicted and approximate wireless coverage. The coverage areas shown do not guarantee service availability and may include locations with limited or no coverage. Even within a coverage area, there are many factors, including customer’s equipment, terrain, proximity to buildings, foliage, and weather that may impact service. Some of the Coverage Areas include networks run by other carriers, the coverage depicted is based on their information and public sources, and we cannot ensure its accuracy.) This really makes any coverage argument totally invalid and a waste of time; except, of course, for Verizon to put forth as an unreal sales tool.

However, I might think that the cessation of service is a valid argument, and, as "supplier", Verizon would be held liable to continue the past level of service, unless they announce a change. In this instance, no change was announced to me.

I guess, unless they do something for me, my only recourse is to leave Verizon and go over to US Cellular who, according to "hearsay" has this area buttoned down tight. As you see from my record, I don't often change carriers, so I'm loath to do that.

Do let me know about the ##### or the *****.

Thanks, Nate,
Customer
Commentary & End Result

Lots of developments. After calling both Wireless and Landline executive offices at Verizon, a work order for both of my problems was issued and has gone away. A Verizon engineer surveyed my area of dropped calls and found that the PN on a tower about 18 miles away, was taking my calls and disconnecting them. They finally agreed on a new PN and the dropped calls problem is solved!

The more annoying problem is still in the works. That's the one where all calls, originated from a Verizon cell phone, within my area, showed "out of area" on my landline caller ID. If I called my Verizon landline from the same room, as my local Verizon cell phone, the landline caller ID showed "Out of area". This is annoying because "Out of area" calls are usually from salespeople and we never answered them. Now, seeing it might be one of us calling, we get to speak to an inordinate amount of salespeople!

Emily's note from Sprint is very pleasing. Not only does she seem to really care, but she is also reaching out across the Country. Not too many people around like that anymore. Sprint has always had minimal coverage in our area. I do not know what she's referring to when she says "granular detail", I've not heard that term used before. I'll give her a call, but, don't hold out much hope - unless they've increased their coverage.

Customer

How Does Digital Thermometer Differ from a Traditional One?



Just about everything is going digital these days. We have electronic cigarettes, smart toasters, even our alarm clocks now learn from us and adjust themselves accordingly. Surely there’s been a lot more things that have gone digital besides things for the average consumer right?

Of course you’re right. Industry is a major driver of technological advancement with lots of tricks up their sleeves to move forward. One such item is the digital thermometer. The thermometer is an extremely necessary piece of equipment when it comes to quality control as well as making sure certain machines are running at proper levels. But is the digital thermometer really that much more noteworthy than the traditional one? Well, let’s see what they can both do and what the digital thermometer has going for it that a traditional one doesn’t. 

The Traditional Thermometer



An analogy thermometer is a beautiful piece of equipment. It is simply a glass tube that is filled with something that will expand uniformly & consistently with heat. Originally this was mercury, but over time less toxic chemicals have been found and are now used instead of mercury, such as colored alcohol.. As the temperature rises, the liquid expands and makes its way further down the tube. The tube is graduated and the level that the liquid rests at corresponds to a certain temperature. The liquid will gradually return to its original level after being removed from the item being measured. 

Digital Thermometer 

These types of thermometers use a different principle to measure heat. In any metal, the electrical resistance is dependent on temperature, meaning that the electrical resistance of any circuit with a metal resistor can be translated into a specific temperature. The bulb of the digital thermometer is placed into what is to be measured and a charge is run through the thermometer. Depending on the amount of resistance, a certain temperature reading will be given. The readings in digital thermometers can be “held” and saved indefinitely for future use. 

What Makes A Digital Thermometer So Special? 

So we’ve established that both of these pieces of equipment to measure temperature, albeit in different ways. Why would someone want to choose a digital thermometer as opposed to a traditional one?

Well, firstly the electrical resistance of a circuit can be measured extremely precisely resulting in temperature readings of up to several decimal figures compared to the more rough measurements of analog thermometers. People who have to work within very narrow temperature parameters are much better served by how precise & replicable digital thermometer readings are.

A digital thermometer is also great for large scale applications and some are even wifi enabled. If you were to look at the thermometer at https://www.pasco.com/prodCatalog/PS/PS-3201_wireless-temperature-sensor/index.cfm, there are many features there that are extremely appealing to industry. Digital thermometers can quickly & accurately read temperature remotely and then beam that information directly to any computer connected to the same network. So many different things can all have their temperature measured consistently without anyone having to walk the floor and manually check each one every so often. This makes managing temperatures in industrial settings much less stressful.

Digital thermometers are also a lot more specific than traditional ones. By this I mean that to ensure proper readings with a normal thermometer you need to submerge enough of the liquid into what is being measured as well as be sure not to touch the bottom of the receptacle and blur the test results. Digital thermometers rely on very small heat sensors, this makes them ideal for taking spot temperature readings of body parts or equipment.

Since only a small area is required to be in contact with the heat source to get an accurate reading, digital thermometers can also be more advantageously shaped than traditional ones, allowing them to sneak into more cramped spaces to get a reading. Because regular thermometers rely on thermal expansion, there has to be enough space for the material itself to expand, a space consideration that isn’t necessary of digital thermometers.

So while the traditional thermometer and the digital one serve the same simple purpose, they are wildly different in how they are used in the real world. Traditional thermometers are more or less reserved solely for pools, at-home use, or simply a one off checks here and there. Those who want precision and reliability look for digital thermometers, plus the available wireless connectivity means business people can rope their readings directly into their system without any further steps necessary besides placing the device. They can be smaller, more permanent, and a lot more reliable than a regular thermometer. Depending on the application, you can pretty much be guaranteed to find a digital thermometer for the job.

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