AT&T customers claim most dropped calls, least satisfaction

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  • Reply 41 of 102
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mitchelljd View Post


    I just dont love my ATT service. been getting more and more dropped calls and crappy coverage.



    problem seems to be worse not better now. don't know what to tell everyone here except i'd rather be on Verizon's network.



    truth is that Apple ought to start letting all the mobile carries in USA offer service. just sell the hardware and let people choose what wireless carrier.



    Apple is too focused on getting extra money each month from the service contract. let consumers get cheaper phone service. most people buy their iphone and keep for 2 years max anyway then upgrade.



    Damn Apple for behaving like a BUSINESS and not a PUBLIC SERVICE.



    None of this works when 4 carriers would require at least 3 different versions of the hardware (GSM for 2 different 3G networks running on different bands, and a CDMA version). Also don't kid yourself...Apple is great but if there is money to be made, they will be making it - on service contracts for example. Being the "cool" company does not make you some kind of charity. It's not like people would be lining up to pay full retail for an iPhone either - US consumers are way too dependent on phone subsidies and really are clueless when it comes to actual hardware costs on mobile devices.
  • Reply 42 of 102
    msfmsf Posts: 20member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Oflife View Post


    I own a 32G 3GS on Vodafone here in the bankrupt and staring communism in the eye UK.



    Prior to my iPhone, I owned all manner of phones, including the excellent Sony Ericsson K800i, the very usable Nokia E71 and one or two others inbetween. Until the iPhone, I benefitted from a good signal and call quality wherever I went, within reason.



    Since the iPhone, I get dropped calls several times a day and don't even get a signal in areas (and on trains) where I did with my prior phones - on the very same Vodafone network. Further, before I got my iPhone (in Feb 2010), when i was on calls to colleagues with an iPhone, the calls would also be dropped. It was almost like being in the 1980s. "I'm on the tr... Phut!"



    ...whitenoise...



    "Hello?"



    Can we not conclude that whilst the iPhone has a stunning usable GUI, and the app store has obsoleted boredom for eternity, it isn't really a very good phone? Perhaps AT&T do have problems, and here, Vodafone (and the other carriers) may not be perfect, but how do those with none iPhones get along? How is your HTC Desire? Your Nokia 1100? Your Palm Pre? Etc?



    Truth is, Apple should have partnered up with Motorola in the design of the iPhone because like SE and Nokia, Moto have over 20 years experience in the nightmare that is wireless technology.



    Tags de jour: Multipath distortion, shielding etc



    I know from experience as well some of the blame goes to the iPhone
  • Reply 43 of 102
    tliszttliszt Posts: 10member
    AT&T sucks! I paid to get out of my Verizon contract when the iPhone first came out. And now I'm on my 3rd generation iPhone and a new iPad *stuck* (and still completely dissatisfied) with AT&T's service. I don't even bother with turning on the 3G service, which is poor in my neighborhood despite AT&T's map (and tech support) claim to the contrary. AT&T's motto should be, "the most dropped calls."



    Verizon's service was a completely different and better experience. I long for the day when I can get my service through another provider, and I would come back to Verizon in a heartbeat. Literally everyone I know with an iPhone feels the same.



    Apple, please listen
  • Reply 44 of 102
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by desarc View Post


    this data would be far more useful if the geographic location of each respondent was mapped to see where the calls were being dropped the most, as well as where customer satisfaction was the lowest.



    nowhere in the original report does it mention where respondents were located.



    Not just where but what was the carrier on the other end. Verizon might have a secret 'drop calls from AT & T" circuit
  • Reply 45 of 102
    Surveys are limited by the test group. They they play with statistical math to claim that they know the whole picture for everyone. Same with those political polls where when you read the fine print were taken of 300 people walking down X street in Y city. I have to say AT&T has been far better than Sprint was where we live and although we have had a couple dropped calls they are nothing to the near 50% drop rate we had with Sprint. Also, I have family with Verizon that have dropped calls almost every time I talk to them. Yet when I visit I have no dropped calls with AT&T. And this is in an area Verizon claims superior service.



    The fact is every network will have some dropped calls, it's the nature of the tech. Radio waves have limits.
  • Reply 46 of 102
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tliszt View Post


    AT&T sucks! I paid to get out of my Verizon contract when the iPhone first came out. And now I'm on my 3rd generation iPhone and a new iPad *stuck* (and still completely dissatisfied) with AT&T's service. I don't even bother with turning on the 3G service, which is poor in my neighborhood despite AT&T's map (and tech support) claim to the contrary. AT&T's motto should be, "the most dropped calls."



    Verizon's service was a completely different and better experience. I long for the day when I can get my service through another provider, and I would come back to Verizon in a heartbeat. Literally everyone I know with an iPhone feels the same.



    Apple, please listen



    You are not stuck. You could have switched carriers instead of resigning a contract. It all depends on where you live, I am lucky in my area the service is indistinguishable from Verizon, who I also had before the iPhone. I know that if the service was THAT bad, I would not keep resigning up just to have an iPhone. There are plenty of comparable phones out there, and you can always get an iPod touch.



    I still have such a hard time understanding how people can feel they are making a legitimate argument in saying they are stuck with AT&T...especially when they have used multiple generations of the iPhone. The only thing many of these people are stuck with is a history of bad decision making.
  • Reply 47 of 102
    mr.scottmr.scott Posts: 124member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Chewbacca-What-A-Wookie View Post


    I admit my iPhone cell reception is mediocre in my area. I previously had Verizon which never really had any problems around here. Talking with a few friends that still use Verizon, it still seems to be the case.



    When there is a college football game in town, my iPhone is actually unable to use 3G - I assume that it is just getting hammered by all the other thousands of iPhones and the network is at capacity. But who knows? Switching to use the Edge network in these senarios seems like a good work-around...



    I agree with you on game days. First thing I do is switch over to edge. Saves battery and it works. I live in Oklahoma and at the University of Oklahoma they have a cell tower on their water tower and less than quarter of a mile (can be seen at the upper level of the football stadium) is another tower and still the 3G network never works. Like you said thousands of phones are being used, but the irony is that AT&T is a "proud" sponsor of OU football. Sucks that you can't get other games scores quickly and texting or calling out is a hit or miss. Cool user name by the way!!!
  • Reply 48 of 102
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kiwee View Post


    In Sweden, we have a suburb network. We even have a fully functioning LTE network up and running.



    Fully functioning, eh? That's more than a little disingenuous considering that it's not all Sweden, it's only for a broadband modem and there are no phones with LTE on TeliaSonera.
  • Reply 49 of 102
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by kiwee View Post


    In Sweden, we have a suburb network. We even have a fully functioning LTE network up and running.

    In my experience, the iPhone gets worse service then lets say a Sony Ericsson..



    I think it's the metal in the phone.

    Probably the reason why they are switching to glass/plastic on the back.



    "Are switching to glass/plastic"?



    I guess you haven't been keeping up!
  • Reply 50 of 102
    capnbobcapnbob Posts: 388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by erybovic View Post


    To show your Field Test signal strength on your Iphone desktop on the top left corner, do the following:

    Call: *3001#12345#*

    The Field Test screen appears.



    Great fun. Thanks for that. 4-5 bars + 3G and I am about -93 - -97 - doesn't sound great.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Oflife View Post


    It was almost like being in the 1980s. "I'm on the tr... Phut!"



    Can we not conclude that whilst the iPhone has a stunning usable GUI, and the app store has obsoleted boredom for eternity, it isn't really a very good phone?



    Brilliant - "obsoleted boredom" - Phrase officially stolen!

    I also concur - I am getting 80's style call performance and I swear it was much better with my previous 2.5G Nokia dumbphone on AT&T. Must be something in the iPhone as well as network failings. It really makes me hesitate to recommend the iPhone when I know I might be getting friends into the bag of hurt that is iPhone/AT&T. I have been using a Verizon Moto Droid for a couple of days and although the UI/X is nerdish, slightly too complex, a bit ugly and generally lacking in elegance, it doesn't let you down as a phone and can do most of what my iPhone can do (and some minor things it can't).



    APPLE: PLEASE FIX THIS CRAP IN THE iPHONE HD!!!!! I will remain iPhone whatever, but it really stunts my evangelism (something I would never say of the Mac).
  • Reply 51 of 102
    gfeiergfeier Posts: 127member
    It really depends on where you use the phone. I'm in the Raleigh/Cary area of North Carolina and I've only had a couple of dropped calls in 15 months with my 3G. FWIW, I'm actually not mad at AT&T. I'll probably stay with them when my contract is up and I get the latest and greatest iPhone. Wish it was cheaper, though, of course. Maybe a little competition would help.
  • Reply 52 of 102
    cilgcilg Posts: 18member
    Well what can I say? I had a Treo for a number of years and I lived north of Seattle by 25 miles. Verizon coverage was lousy where I spent a lot of my time. AT&T coverage was, and still is, much better. When I traveled elsewhere, Verizon covereage was much better. But for where I live there is no question that AT&T is better.



    If Verizon had been clearly better than AT&T, it would have been a much harder decision whether to buy an iPhone.
  • Reply 53 of 102
    Both my wife and I have been experiencing degraded service on our iPhone 3G here in San Francisco for the past six months, with the past few being the worst. If I were to guess, conservatively, I would say that 60+% of my calls are dropped - not sure about my wife's, as she uses her phone in Oakland mostly.



    Last week, my iPhone shuffled off this mortal coil, completely function-less, and I'm not eligible for upgrade until May 19th - so I'm going without. I have to say, I'm liking this no cell phone thing!



    Our contract with AT&T is up in August - so I'm considering finding some cheap phone to use until then with my SIM card, and then jumping ship from AT&T altogether, and maybe too the iPhone.



    Maybe I'm in the minority, using my iPhone for actual phone calls, but the drop-rate is far too high.
  • Reply 54 of 102
    daylove22daylove22 Posts: 215member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JupiterOne View Post


    Service throughout south Florida is great and I never have dropped calls. However, I was just in Las Vegas last weekend and made a few calls and every single one was dropped mid-call or would not connect. Eventually I had to fall back on text messages just to carry on a conversation. Data was fine though.



    I am in Las Vegas and get very few dropped calls; overall I am satisfied of At&t.
  • Reply 55 of 102
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member
    When I first got my iPhone (switching from Verizon) about 18 months ago, I would say about 90% of my calls were dropped.



    Lately, only a small percentage of my calls are dropped, but still many more as compared to my Verizon phones.



    I do believe that AT&T has made improvements to their network. It used to be that I couldn't access the web or make/receive phone calls in such places as Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan. That now works. However, it still doesn't work on the promenade at Battery Park City, in spite of the phone showing three or four bars. My Verizon phone always worked there.



    My Verizon phone always worked anywhere in my apartment in Queens, NY. Until recently, the iPhone only worked if I stood near certain windows. Lately, it seems to work a little better, but suprisingly, it's very inconsistent. The phone can be sitting on my desk in exactly the same location and sometimes work, sometimes not.



    Aside from the reception at home, I believe that most of these problems are traffic related and if that's the case, if Apple produces a CDMA, Verizon-compatible phone, that would probably only help matters for a short time. If Verizon gets the traffic that AT&T gets, I would suspect they'd have the same problems. But having said that, if Apple did make a CDMA phone, I'd probably switch back to Verizon, since I never had any technical problems with them.
  • Reply 56 of 102
    bushman4bushman4 Posts: 858member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by desarc View Post


    this data would be far more useful if the geographic location of each respondent was mapped to see where the calls were being dropped the most, as well as where customer satisfaction was the lowest.



    nowhere in the original report does it mention where respondents were located.










    GOOD POINT desarc



    I'm in NEW YORK CITY. Service is hit &miss. Even when I'm not around tall buildings. and I know people that actually have to stand near a window or turn off their 3G and use EDGE or even use a VOIP app.
  • Reply 57 of 102
    bwana_dikbwana_dik Posts: 85member
    hence my multi-year wait to purchase an iPhone. Sub-optimal service (still!) and a lousy pricing structure (charging separately for text messages!?!?). I'll keep waiting.
  • Reply 58 of 102
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by 1013media View Post


    Both my wife and I have been experiencing degraded service on our iPhone 3G here in San Francisco for the past six months, with the past few being the worst. If I were to guess, conservatively, I would say that 60+% of my calls are dropped - not sure about my wife's, as she uses her phone in Oakland mostly.



    Last week, my iPhone shuffled off this mortal coil, completely function-less...



    While I don't doubt AT&T has some issues,especially in cities like SF, the general consensus is that has been getting better, not worse, in the months you are reporting an increased usability issue. On top of that, the fact that your iPhone no longer works makes me question if the bulk of your issues are with the device itself, not AT&T's network.
  • Reply 59 of 102
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by desarc View Post


    this data would be far more useful if the geographic location of each respondent was mapped to see where the calls were being dropped the most, as well as where customer satisfaction was the lowest.



    nowhere in the original report does it mention where respondents were located.



    AT&T released an app that did just that. The problem is that it's a manual and I can't imagine too many people in the middle of a conversation, now annoyed, deciding to launch this app instead of calling back the person they were talking to.



    Perhaps they work with Apple to add something to the phone to automate it when a call ends outside of normal operation but that may increase overhead.



    There was evidence at the end of last year that indicated that Apple's iPhone was saturating cell towers in a very poor way and that Apple was working with AT&T (and other network operators) to resold the issue in a future update. v4.0 may be that update.
  • Reply 60 of 102
    acslater017acslater017 Posts: 424member
    3G speeds in my area (SF Bay Area) are excellent, when I have reception. YouTube videos load in maybe 5-10 seconds. But it is patchy in many areas such as my home (a suburb of Oakland with 80,000 people) and my grandma's house (SF, in a neighborhood by Golden Gate Park). I get dropped calls all the time.
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