AT&T dropping "fewest dropped calls" claim
Maybe it stems from Sprint's bellyaching and subsequent legal action, maybe it stems from the fact that the claim was of questionable accuracy to begin with -- but either way, AT&T is no longer spouting off that it has fewer dropped calls than any other national carrier. It's allegedly part of a larger ad shift to the more nebulous (and less legally binding) "more bars in more places" campaign, but really, we suspect there was just a little too much heat coming from various competitors, consumer advocacy groups, and individual subscribers to continue bothering to attempt to back up the statement. So, readers: if it's not AT&T with the fewest dropped calls, who is it? Thoughts?[Via Wired]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
krobin.350 @ Aug 27th 2007 11:50PM
verizon defintly has to have the 'Fewest Dropped Calls'!
Anthony @ Aug 28th 2007 8:56AM
You may think Verizon has the fewest dropped calls based on the advertising "can you hear me now" funny no one responds to his question! Seriously, his personal PCS phone is Sprint...not Verizon. Go figure!
Brien Mizell @ Aug 28th 2007 10:52AM
Well, i have had litterally all carriers (Verizon, Sprint, T-mobile and AT&T) I can honestly say that Verizon has BY FAR the fewest dropped calls. I travel all over the country, and yes, there are some places where other carriers are better than verizon, but as a whole Verizon continually has better reception where i go.
Darren @ Sep 1st 2007 1:50PM
Hey Anthony, The Verizon "test man" or the voice of "can you hear me know" works for Verizon in the East coast. He is a regular employee who tests Verizons network againts all others and drives all over the new England area testing. So get your facts straight, Verizon is the best. They don't say you will get service every single square ince of the country, they would be but the fcc wont allow it. They will give the best sevice in he areas they can sell it in compared to the competitors that are in the same Market.
Judson @ Aug 27th 2007 11:50PM
I have AT&T and Verizon and am in Columbus, Ohio. Both are good here for me but vzw beats em by just a bit.
Jeremy @ Aug 27th 2007 11:57PM
I have AT&T. I was just on the phone with my girlfriend for like 30 minutes and my phone cut us off about 10 times.
I hate AT&T.
Anthony @ Aug 28th 2007 12:59AM
I agree. ATT is a mess. Unfortunately it's also paid for by my business so I can only complain so much if I'm not willing to switch.
I will say that my wife's T-Mobile never drops a call (even in the exact places where mine's guaranteed to crap out).
Plus they support sports franchises that I follow. Win-win.
derX @ Aug 28th 2007 12:25AM
While AT&T might not have the fewest dropped calls, Sprint certainly has the most dropped customers, if you all remember their dropping of hundreds of customers at a time last month.
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Normally, this is the point where I'd rant about Sprint, raising such questions as, "since when are those people at Sprint factual purists?' and "How can when trust Sprint when they promised there'd be 'Sprint together with Nextel' but dropped the latter company from it's name?" But alas, I cannot: if they can stick to the Rich and Powerful Death Star, just imagine what there legal would do to me.
Stuart Campbell @ Aug 28th 2007 12:49AM
Ok, it's crazy in the first place for an company to be advertising that they screw up the fewest times? Would you fly an airline who's tagline was: "Fewest crashed planes?" I mean come on. They all rope us into a two year contract because all of their service sucks. US consumer have got to become more demanding about our cellular phones, plans, availability and quality or it isn't going to get better.
Will @ Aug 28th 2007 12:54AM
you just totally compared apples to oranges...planes crashing vs dropped calls. dropped calls are something that is something that is an accepted part of having a cell phone and is unpreventable, so it is something that if your company is better than the others at it you should advertise it
jeffmefun @ Aug 28th 2007 1:51AM
ok, Will... whatever... I think what Stuart is saying is that a, "We suck less," argument isn't compelling. To your point, AT&T's message is not that they *are* better than other carriers. If it were, they would be advertising in a positive sense, a la, "Greatest call completion" or whatever.
josh @ Nov 12th 2007 9:22AM
actually its quite simple while a comparisson to a plane crashing isnt really accurate. they use fewest dropped calls because that is far more understandable to a stupid person then GREATEST NUMBER OF COMPLETED CALLS as well as easier to say and remember. i have att and can say in general the only time i get dropped calls is when switching between 3G and their awful EDGE network however when i am stationary on one network or the other its rare that i have a drop call and do in fact get quite good signal.
But back to the problem at hand, from a sales perspective people dont think about a completed call and with cellphones specificallyt it more likely that your to say well how often does it fuck up. because as previously stated with mobiles we expect a certain level of instability to come with although we would like it to fucntion as well as a lan line it just doesnt happen for 99% of people, and as far as a networks coverage goes the phone makes a huge part of the reception as does your location, typically a area with a large population area (like nyc or LA) will get lots of reception because there is a large subscriber base they need to satisfy. as you move away to different areas carriers will have better coverage then others it is in fact very difficult to compare any of the carriers unless your asking someone who has it already and goes the exact places you go.
because i know for me at least i can have 6 bars of signal in my house and 20 feet to the left be struggling for 2.
i had it even worse with tmobile and i know people with verizon who bitch about the same thing. i dont know anyone who has sprint so i cant ask them how bad their service is.
But generally speaking when asking about cellphone carriers i tend to ask how bad it is rather then how good it is.
alejandropando @ Aug 28th 2007 1:12AM
ive been with Tmobile for around 7 years with a one year Cingular in between. cingular, by far, dropped the most calls; i needed an extra set of hands and feet to keep up with the count. tmobile on the other hand, most excellent service and with less coverage than cingular. also, tmobiles service returned way sooner than did cingulars after Hurricane Katrina (i was with cingular). when my year was up, i went back to tmobile so fast.........
NeoK182 @ Aug 28th 2007 1:15AM
where i am t-mobile is perfect. only time i get dropped calls is when i'm talking to someone on AT&T and they're phone cuts out.
Jason @ Aug 28th 2007 1:37AM
When I was on Verizon (switched to Sprint SERO) I never had a dropped call... ever. In about 8 years. Although, I'm right in the belly of the best - Northern NJ. I've never had a dropped call with Sprint either, though, but I've only been with them for two months.
snow7791 @ Aug 28th 2007 1:49AM
ive had alltel for 5 years. I had only 2 dropped calls and that was when i was roaming in the evil empires area. not once while i was in alltels native areas did i drop a call.And since they have the largest native area in the us, well id say hands down they are the best out of all the cellphone companies i have been with.
Dary @ Sep 2nd 2007 6:39PM
I feel the same way about Verizon, but I definitely envy my sister who has Alltel in Ohio. Their Circle of Friends is pretty awesome.
Ryan @ Aug 28th 2007 2:17AM
I've been with Sprint for a number of years and it's very rare that I ever have a call drop, but my area, Cleveland, is covered pretty well. And for what it's worth, Sprint has never given me any problems.
maximum14000 @ Aug 28th 2007 2:23AM
if Verizon's slogon is 'Can you hear me now?', AT&T's slogon should be 'Im losi--------*beep beep beep*'
elgee02 @ Aug 28th 2007 2:38AM
In the Phoenix metro AT&T sure can't make the fewest dropped calls claim, especially in the outlying suburbs which are expanding like weeds. VZW's towers are keeping up with the growth.. AT&T's are not.
SR @ Aug 28th 2007 2:44AM
It's so true. With T-mobile you may find a spot here and there without coverage. However, once you place a call it stays on until you voluntarily hang that thing up. With Cingular, I can find signal pretty much everywhere, but also, pretty much everywhere, I found that the call can drop. I almost forgot that was possible having been spoiled by T-mobile for so long.
sr1329 @ Aug 28th 2007 2:44AM
Saving password. Sorry.
Jason Brown @ Aug 28th 2007 3:01AM
up here in canada rogers is keeping that claim and rightfully so! elevators,tunnels, you name it only rogers/fido can manage these areas. all the networks still fight top coverage but who doesn't? but its no secret its far easier for a gsm network to go up then a cdma network. its also no secret that it won't take nearly as long for hsdpa to go nationwide compared to rev.2.
Ian @ Aug 28th 2007 3:57AM
I am in Scottsdale, AZ and I constantly lose service all over the place. When I called ATT about my crappy service they told me I needed to upgrade my Cingular SIM to a new ATT SIM to upgrade my service. However when I was about to get the new SIM they wanted me to sign another two year contract.
JMM @ Aug 28th 2007 9:10AM
I bought that story when ATT changed to Cingular - it was BS then too.
rsa @ Aug 28th 2007 4:55AM
I have tried almost all the US networks over the past few years. In the US, Verizon is indeed the best network. Period. However, their phone selection often leaves a lot to be desired. But at the end of the day, I'd rather be able to complete a clear sounding call instead of cursing at a bleeding edge tech paper weight.
NuShrike @ Aug 28th 2007 5:11AM
There's this hill on the 101S coming down from Studio City where at&t is almost guaranteed to drop the call. Hasn't changed in the last 4 years either.
What's also ridiculous is while I'm commuting on the Metrolink, or Amtrak, train I'm drowning in secured WiFi spots, but I cannot maintain a GPRS! connection the closer I get to LA Union station especially between Norwalk/Santa Fe Springs and Fullerton, and it was hell trying to dialup with CSD. You would think at&t would try to shore up an area where they were guaranteed to have people trying to connect with nothing better to do while riding the train.
Would be better if at&t paid people to install femtocells with their wifi routers with all the spots springing up like mushrooms. at&t, try UMA! or something. I'm even more surprised none of the carriers have any service in the LA subway. Talk about a ghetto city where you could get mugged and not even be able to call out, and no pay phones either.
And I remember when they said switch to the new 3G sim would improve service.. Uh huh; I still drop signal in the same place on the 101S.
Mike @ Aug 28th 2007 5:21AM
I have AT&T and used to have calls dropped right and left, probably one out of every 5 calls. After sim replacements/phone replacements/etc... I finally figured out that since my phone was 3g/hsdpa, it would regularly switch between the newer network of 3g towers and the older towers, with a dropped call almost certain when going from new to old or from old to new. Now that I have turned off my high speed radio on the phone (forcing it to use only the old towers), I can't remember the last time I had a drop. Moral of the story, Cingular/AT&T was absolutely no help in sorting this out and basically the hsdpa network is useless because it can't hold calls.
JMM @ Aug 28th 2007 9:09AM
Using about 400 minutes a month, I used to average 2 dropped calls PER DAY. That all came to a screaming halt on 12/16/06 - not a single dropped call since then, even though my usages as almost doubled. That is the day I switched from Cingular to Verizon.
derX @ Aug 28th 2007 11:28PM
.... let me get this straight, you used to use 400 mins a month and had two dropped calls a day? From that usage pattern, I am confuddled as you how you can have that many dropped calls having placed so few. I mean, it doesn't even sound you could possibly be on the phone long enough for a call to even be dropped. If this is the case, however, it was probably the phone, but who knows, maybe you just live in an area with bad coverage.
------
And, sorry for asking, I was just too curious. How is it that day, after signing up with Verizon, that your usage doubled? I mean, did they include some friends with that two year contract?
No hard feelings, I'm just jokin' around!
Richard @ Aug 28th 2007 9:22AM
I am in Rhode Island and have been with Att/ Cingular/ ATT for about 8 years.
I never had a problem with dropped calls - either on the old TDMA network or the newer GSM network until the iPhone launched.
Honestly, until then it was great. After that I began to turn off my phone every day so it could get ATT updates (I have a Windows mobile 5 phone, but the constant soft resets don't count). It got better. I just replaced my phone on a warranty exchange and the new one is back to dropping calls as predictably as a client's hands disappear when the dinner check comes.
HEY!!!! @ Aug 28th 2007 9:46AM
i was with cingular for 4 two years and i had terrible service i would drop calls all the time (most of the time i had full service). so i switched to nextel because of DC and it was so bad(i'd say that 9 out of 10 calls were dropped) that i dropped out 1 year before my contract was up. now i'm on t-mobile and i have no complaints except for the fact that they don't have 3G but i can live without it.
HEY @ Aug 28th 2007 9:47AM
sorry meant 4 years
Mike @ Aug 28th 2007 9:50AM
I've never had a call drop in the 5+ years that I've been with Cingular/AT&T. Nor have I had any billing or service issues.
I consider myself VERY lucky to have avoided the problems that most people claim to have experienced with them.
Robert @ Aug 28th 2007 10:40AM
I've been with T-mobile for about 4 years now and Cingular (now AT&T) prepay for 10 months. Till this day, I've never experienced a dropped call with T-mobile. Yet with my AT&T prepay, I experience dropped calls left and right. I'm glad it's a prepay. I've read somewhere that AT&T's cellular network is big, yet bad.
tobin92 @ Aug 28th 2007 10:46AM
I have AT&T and I have to admit....They are just as good as the next guy.
Sure there coverage can be shotty at times , but so are all other networks.
Brad L @ Aug 28th 2007 10:50AM
I have had Cingular and Sprint both which sucked, but my current T-Mobile, might not be as flashy with the phones, but gets excellent service.
db26 @ Aug 28th 2007 11:00AM
I've had Sprint for a number of years, and I've actually had no problem with dropped calls. However, I always have a problem of going into roaming when I shouldn't be. Hell, I should never be roaming since I never leave NYC. So, _connecting_ is sometimes a bit annoying, but I've never worried about dropped calls.
fyreblazer @ Aug 28th 2007 1:11PM
I don't know where you guys live but I've had my AT&T Blue service for about 8 years now and I've never had a problem with dropped calls. I'm in DC most of the time but I also travel to Philly and it's never a noticeable offense.
On the other hand My fiancee has had Verizon for a couple of years and she's thinking about switching.
pusha @ Aug 28th 2007 1:25PM
dropped calls are the very LEAST of my worries... im never even on a call long enough for it to be dropped....all about texting, aim, email etc.... i love my 8800...
Robbie @ Aug 31st 2007 6:48PM
how do you not drop calls on that thing? its freakin triband! consider yourself very lucky!
DGL @ Aug 28th 2007 1:36PM
I have been with T-Mobile from the day they entered the California market, and they have generally provided excellent service. Of course there would be areas where I would not get signal, or had poor signal, but I experienced that when I was with Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless as well. In NYC, I had some really annoying problems with T-Mobile having a dozen or so towers down in my area that made it near impossible to get incoming calls. I also have been having problems with signal reacquisition after coming up from the subway, but hopefully a handset exchange will fix that.
Nevertheless, I am now carrying an AT&T phone as well and will likely port my number from T-Mobile soon. Dont get me wrong; I have a great plan with T-Mobile (1000 daytime, unlimited n/w for $40, plus unlimited t-zones for $2.99 and 300 SMS for $2.99), but lately, it's been like pulling teeth trying to get help from them, this after six+ years with them and not calling them very often to begin with. I haven't yet to drop a call in NYC or L.A. with my AT&T phone and hope that it stays that way!
Robbie @ Aug 31st 2007 6:48PM
tmobiles la network is cingulars old one that they sold off
derX @ Aug 28th 2007 3:31PM
How about this, why not just change their slogan to:
"fewest dropped calls... *in tiny print* sometimes"
OR
"at least we aren't amp'd"
neggie @ Aug 28th 2007 5:46PM
ive been with tmo us for 5 yrs NEVER not one droped call also best customer service out there so i say Tmo all the way just a matter of time before they blow up with 3G
ian @ Aug 28th 2007 7:15PM
My only problem with ATT is that they refuse to upgrade their service in the Phoenix and metro areas. My phone constantly jumps between ATT and T-mobile. And to make matters worse every time I call ATT my call gets dropped. All I can say is ATT only wants to cover the freeways, ASU, and downtown phoenix.
Now to my other two carriers I have worked with: Verizon and Sprint. Verizon has better coverage but the WORST customer service in the world. I would never use them because they are rude and totally inconsiderate. Sprint on the other hand has amazing data speeds BUT has the uneven coverage in phoenix.
Also has anyone heard of Cricket? They do not have 3G or even decent coverage, but they do have the best rates for unlimited voice.
simon @ Aug 28th 2007 10:15PM
I work in the industry and don't think I've ever heard my customers saying they've had dropped calls on Verizon. I personally have T-mobile and have been very happy with them since 2004. ATT is a joke.
carcomptoy @ Aug 28th 2007 11:10PM
I have been with T-Mobile for almost 5 years now, and the only times I've dropped a call except for maybe once or twice is when I'm roaming on AT&T/Cingular (the towers still say Cingular from where I'm at). I can't imagine actually being with AT&T...they're so ridiculously expensive and their service can't compare to T-Mobile, reception and customer wise.
WALKING BILLBOARD @ Aug 29th 2007 12:25PM
Speaking from someone who works for the largest wireless company in the u.s "can you hear me now" I love my job but I must admit I believe the wireless industry is not that sufficient whether you have A B OR C WIRELESS it doesnt matter. One company can be bought out in a second. One day its the best the next day it may not be with all the big wigs decided on the dollar amounts. The customers may be the backbone but sometimes they can be the deterent as well. I love to here this from some of those whinners out there" I have been with your company for 8 or 10 years I THINK YOU SHOULD CREDIT ME MY BILL OR PAY A PART OF IT." Now lets study that demand lets see you use our service that we provide and you decide you dont want to pay the bill and we should pick up the tab. MAN everytime I HEAR A CUSTOMER SAY THAT I tell them the same thing "WOULD I CALL MY BANK WHO I PAY MY CAR PAYMENT TO OR HOME THAT I HAVE BEEN WITH YOU FOR 5 YEARS YOU NEED TO GIVE ME A CREDIT ....YEAH THEIR GONNA SAY WE WILL PICK UP YOUR CAR NEXT WEEK OR TAKE THE HOUSE.....YEAH I HEARD IT IM LAUGHING TOO ITS JUST YOU CANT HEAR IT CUZ YOUR A CALL CENTERS BEST FRIEND IS THE MUTE BUTTON....ALL IN ALL THEIR IS TOO MUCH EXPECTATIONS ON THESE CELL PHONES THERE SUPPOSE TO MAKE CALLS NOT TURN INTO ROBOTS AND CLEAN MY KITCHEN ALL THESE COMPANY'S KEEP MAKING THESE PHONES THAT DO EVERYTHING LEAVING THE WEIGHING GAP THAT WE WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED WHAT WILL YOU PEOPLE DO WHEN YOUR NEEDS ARE MET.
MasterCKO @ Aug 29th 2007 2:44PM
you should try to separate your super long posts into paragraphs, and avoid the use of all caps. You usually get ignored (or looked on negatively) when you write that way.