Any hope for quality basic phones?
Nickodemus
Enthusiast - Level 2

I'm out of contract, just got done browsing for a basic replacement phone and am disappointed with the current offerings. I feel that was marketing and intended. I've been a Verizon Wireless customer since 2001 and I was grandfathered in once they bought Alltel. I like to use Verizon because I get good reception in my area on their voice network and many of my family and friends use the service, so we have free mobile-to-mobile calls and texts. I say free, but I consider it a bargaining chip that came as part of the fee in the plan that I pay for every month.

I do not want a "smart phone" my lifestyle doesn't need or desire it. I have computers at work and home and all my typical haunts, I don't want to carry around an additional Internet device in my pocket (yes I know basic phones can access the net too in a limited way, for a premium). Being constantly online isn't desirable to me. I don't want to be GPS tracked, or browse the Internet on a tiny little phone screen. I like my old voice and text plan, the price is right. I'm not inclined to pay at least an extra $30/month to start a service that I don't want and just open the door for data overage fees - Just to have a decent phone! It's a despicable and ethically embarrassing corporate strategy.

So without getting into the profit motivations for phasing out basic service plans by only offering smartphones, why can't we have:

Long battery life

modern tablet style ergonomics

decent reliable OS

possible wi-fi if desired

Good camera and flash

rugged enough to last at least the duration of a 2-year contract with normal wear

Good sound quality and antenna

Technologically we already nailed it, have been there a long time but instead you try to force us to commit to these expensive bells and whistles many of us don't need or request. In this day and age I feel that basic phone service is a need, so why not do it right and excel at it? You probably don't make as much money off of it, but I'm still happy to pay like I have been if you would just sell a reasonable device for me to use. I'm tired of being made to feel like a second class citizen in the Verizon store with my old flip phone because I just want options, and my requests are fundamental, only basic service and good performance with my phone.

Labels (1)
0 Likes
1 Solution

Correct answers
Re: Any hope for quality basic phones?
Heretic1989
Specialist - Level 2

Hi Nicodemus. There are a few articles about vzw retiring its 2g and 3g network. I'll take a wild guess and say that basic, and even feature phones, for vzw will soon enough be a thing of the past.

View solution in original post

0 Likes
Re: Any hope for quality basic phones?
jaymeson
Enthusiast - Level 2

I know how you feel, there are so many people that want to stick with their basic phones and not want to move to overpriced smartphones. Instead of going to an actual Verizon store, you can try going to Best Buy and they have a slightly differnt selection than Verizon stores at cheaper prices!

Re: Any hope for quality basic phones?
Not applicable

You SAY you want a basic phone but you describe the phone you actually want and it's not what I would consider a basic phone. What you want is a phone with all the stuff a smartphone has but without a mandatory data plan. So when you say you don't need or want a smartphone you actually do you just don't want the data plan requirement. I'm sorry you are not going to get a basic phone with features of smartphone. Basic phones are going to stuck with small screens, slow processors, little RAM and cruddy cameras and no wi-fi. And if you haven't noticed every few months there are fewer and fewer basic phones. They are down to just 10 now. And I don't exactly see any announcements about new models coming out.

0 Likes
Re: Any hope for quality basic phones?
Nickodemus
Enthusiast - Level 2

Categorize the phones however you want Brian. I know Verizon designates non-data plan capable phones as "basic" phones and everything else requires a data plan. However smart any one of these phones are is somewhat up for debate. Correct, I do not want to tack on a data plan requirement and the additional monthly fee.  I think there is an assumption that I'm cheap because I don't want to pay for a data plan. I'd be happy to pay generously for a nice phone. I don't care for apps, web surfing, facetime or whatever smart phone features require a data plan. I live in Tampa, FL with wi-fi everywhere. If I cared to have mobile Internet there are many workarounds for me. However, a reliable processor, camera, GPS, on the mobile phone - why not?  I don't like being force fed a data plan and nickel and dimed this way extorted by such limited hardware options. Yes I see which way the wind is blowing. I'm searching as a last ditch effort for an acceptible vintage verizon phone for myself and employees (no internet phone porn for these guys) but if that fails I will be joining the masses porting over to a lower tier company with discounted rates. I'm sure Verizon would like to purge my old grandfathered plan anyway and maintain only contracts including data service. Apparently after 11 years and thousands of dollars of business, I fear we have reached an impasse.

Re: Any hope for quality basic phones?
Weth
Legend

Verizon is not interested in this market segment and has no problem yielding the low profit margin segment to pre-paids.

You best bet is finding a GSM based  pre paid and you will find a much better basic phone selection in the GSM market. 

Verizon is a company with a fair motive to maximize profits.  It is nothing personal or certainly has nothing to do with loyalty. 

Re: Any hope for quality basic phones?
Not applicable

Ok first Verizon can't sell you a phone that you want if it doesn't exist. Verizon doesn't make phones they SELL them and they sell cellular service. Perhaps you question is better suited for the forum that the actual phone manufacturers. In any case there is not much of market for these phones now and there is certainly not much profit so why would you feel that phones manufacturers should spend millions developing a product that won't sell much nor make much money or that Verizon should sell a product that isn't going to sell many unit nor make much money? It's easy to say that you want this or that and that these companies should provide it but step back and look at the big picture of it.

You say you have employees. So I assume you run a business. Ok so you wouldn't make a business deal that wasn't worth your time would you? No of course not. If Verizon doesn't they are the bad guys?

0 Likes
Re: Any hope for quality basic phones?
Heretic1989
Specialist - Level 2

Hi Nicodemus. There are a few articles about vzw retiring its 2g and 3g network. I'll take a wild guess and say that basic, and even feature phones, for vzw will soon enough be a thing of the past.

0 Likes
Re: Any hope for quality basic phones?
Nickodemus
Enthusiast - Level 2

That tired old argument?

I don't buy this supply side excuse. All these phones are useless without a service provider. Most are locked to providers. The manufacturers sell what the buyers want and the real buyers are the carriers, who then resell to the consumer.  The carriers want to pay the leases on their new networks and maximize profits, so they need data plans. Many consumers want these features and many do not (jaymeson). My gripe is with the quality of Verizon's non-data plan phones sliding backwards...

In my business, satisfied repeat customers are the majority of clients. Did Verizon not make profit before the smartphone hype? Verizon is diversified and very large, they tend to trample the individual consumer and it's their way or the highway. I had an experience in what was called a "corporate" verizon store yesterday. I wanted to evaluate my plan and make sure they had count my promotional minutes. The new alert system I learned is based off only your plan minutes and so before knowing that I got nervous when texts came in that said that I was reaching my allotment early. I thought they dropped my promo. I went into the store to sort this out face-to-face. It was quiet, there were three salesmen standing in the corner twisting their thumbs and doing nothing while I waited half an hour to be seen by someone. After authenticating me with my account, supposedly they couldn't pull my plan up on their computer and rudely kept pounding the mantra that I had to call customer service! Total waste of my time.

I've ended up ditching Verizon and ordering a nice new out-of-contract smartphone (best bang for buck feature-wise) and it should be here in a couple days. I'm activating on a different network, not as expensive or fast, but I don't need the download speed perks and will block most of it. The prepaid as suggested by Weth provides the freedom that I want. I'm only remaining on Verizon until I get the new phone in to activate and port over my number. If I like it the business contract phones will follow.

I'm going to consider this thread closed. I learned there is NO hope for quality basic phones on verizon. Thanks for participating.

Re: Any hope for quality basic phones?
Not applicable

Nickodemus wrote:

I'm going to consider this thread closed. I learned there is NO hope for quality basic phones on verizon. Thanks for participating.

You knew that BEFORE posting and just wanted to rant. It doesn't take a genius to see the trend when every 6 months the number of basic phones is 1/3 less than it was 6 months earlier. See ya

0 Likes