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LG VX10000 Problems: Reader says do not sign Verizon, what are your thoughts?

One of our readers called Chris has a few problems with the LG VX10000 and of course a very well known carrier called Verizon. Below is what Chris had to say, we want to know “what are your thoughts?

Chris Says:
PHONE: LG-VX10000 ($407.79) with Nationwide Premium Unlimited Anytime Minutes ($139.99)

Problem 1: Car charger not charging properly
After plugging in car charger, I noticed the battery icon blinking on and off while charging. It wasn’t the normal flashing the battery icon does when fully charged, but rather a flicker like there was a bad connection or a bad plug between the two. I brought my problem to the Verizon store where I set up and bought my new account and phone. They promptly replaced the charger with no problems. I then tried the new charger with the same flickering results. Brought the charger back into the store and said maybe it could be the phone. Customer service person told me, “That’s normal and you should charge your phone with the wall charger instead.” I asked if this happens a lot and his reply was, “I see this happen all the time and car charger usually and can mess up your phone and you should only use the car charger during emergencies only.” (Really???!!! I must have idiot written across my forehead) Well, he apologized sincerely, as probably trained and instructed by his higher ups, and sent me on my way.

Resolution: None. Problem still exists and I now have to manipulate phone and charger to work properly.

Question: If the phone and car charger sporadically work now, what will happen when I do have an emergency?

Problem 2: Service or signals limited to U.S. only
While I can understand the use for global service or technology that works in other countries is unnecessary because my phone is primarily used here in the U.S., I sometimes travel outside the U.S. where service or at least some kind of signal is a must. Take for example, while travelling abroad, South Africa to be exact, my wife and I were in a situation where our luggage had been lost somewhere between New York and Johannesburg. We were going to be in Africa for two weeks and would be in different places throughout our stay. Locating our bags was a must and to do so we used her cell phone (AT&T) instead of the hotel phones, which would have been expensive, plus limit our time being away from our room. Well needless to say her cell phone worked flawlessly while in Cape Town to locate our bags and to call for taxis and transportation during our stay. I would say the convenience of being able to use her cell phone without having to have “Global Service” is enough for me to want to rethink and switch my cell phone service to AT&T. We did not even have to buy a local SIM card for her phone to work. While this is going on I’m trying to figure out why I do not have a signal on my phone thus rendering clock useless and all appointments, alarms and reminders disabled as well. Which now leads to problem number three. Read on.

Resolution: None. I’d have to buy “Global Service” to get signals in other countries other than the U.S.

Question: Why would Verizon not explain some of the different options when purchasing a phone or service when shopping for plans that would allow phones to work outside of U.S.?

Problem 3: Clock does not work unless there is a signal or service in that area to sync phone with
If no signal or service, no clock. If no clock, no alarms. If there are no alarms, there are no reminders. If no reminders or notifications, no medication taken and I die. Death is a little exaggerated, but for some people this could be the difference between life and death.
Seems that even though phone is in “Standalone Mode” or sometimes known as “Airplane Mode” and there is no signal or service to sync with the clock does not work at all. That means any time setting or alarms set for you to remember appointments, important alarms or notifications will not work. If you are dependent on your phone for an alarm clock and you have no service, then that will not work either. After spending about $400 on a phone, one would think that this clock function would work with or without service. I cannot believe there is no option to manually set the clock in situations like this. So, in order for a simple clock to work on this phone, Verizon says, “I have to have ‘Global Service’ for this clock feature to work outside of the U.S.

Resolution: None. I’d have to buy “Global Service” to get a signal just to have a working clock for me to have alarms and reminders outside of the U.S.
Question: Does it seems ridiculous to have to buy “Global Service” in order to have a working clock other than in the U.S. even when the phone is in “stand alone” mode?

Problem 4: Blue tooth capabilities limited
Blue tooth is a great technology for wireless applications if you were able to use it to the potential it was made for. Seems like Verizon does not want to be held liable for someone tapping into your phone information via Blue Tooth, so they have limited Blue Tooth on this phone to probably about 25% of its intended use. Verizon says through third party you could activate the rest of the Blue Tooth capabilities. This would be enable you to send pictures via Blue Tooth, print pictures via Blue Tooth printer and also be able to share whatever information you choose to if Blue Tooth discovery mode was on. Again, I am surprised that I am unable to utilize 100% of my Blue Tooth capabilities on such as expensive phone. When asked Verizon why Blue Tooth functions are limited, they said to call LG and ask them because they did not know how the Blue Tooth functions on the LG phones. Well, I called LG and they said, “Verizon has put a limit on Blue Tooth capabilities because they do not want to be held responsible for information stolen from other user’s phones.”

Resolution: None. After buying a $400 phone, I am still unable to use Blue Tooth file, picture or music sharing.

Question: Why did Verizon give me the run around to have me call LG when Verizon could have told me this themselves or not tell at time of purchase?

I switched to Verizon, after 9 years with Sprint/Nextel, on March 28, 2008 with belief of better service, phone and technology. I have yet to say I am satisfied with any of the above. Verizon does its best to give the customer the run around and does its best to get you off the phone or out of the store. Their customer service has done nothing to resolve these problems and has even agreed with some of the points I have made about their phones and services. VCast Mobile TV?…When is that going to happen in Charlotte, NC? I definitely have made a mistake signing on with Verizon and have not thought very long in my decision to switch to a different carrier. After only four months of having Verizon, my decision to break my two-year contract for their $175.00 dollar penalty sounds very reasonable. I would actually be saving money because at $140 a month, for two years, I would no longer have to deal with two more years of headaches, unresolved problems and incompetent representatives. Unless a Verizon rep wants to contact me and gives me a deal I cannot refuse, I will hold true to every word written here. For those Verizon customers, who are happy, more power to you. For those deciding on which phone or company to sign with, please take in all you have read and not make the mistake I did. DO NOT SIGN VERIZON!

Comments

7 thoughts on “LG VX10000 Problems: Reader says do not sign Verizon, what are your thoughts?”

  1. Marc says:

    Problem #1: That person was an idiot and should have checked the charger port to see if there was an issue. I have seen before where the guide that aligns the charger with the port can come out. This was not on the VX10000, but on other phones altogether. I would take the phone back ASAP before the phone is actually damaged and they don’t cover it under warranty. Get the phone replaced if the charging port is malfunctioning. Does it still work with the wall charger?

    Problem #2: This isn’t a problem with the phone. Did it say it was a “global phone” when you looked at the specs before buying it? Certain companies and countries use certain technologies, the two main ones being GSM and CDMA. Verizon Wireless has GSM/CDMA combo phones but it has to be listed as this type of phone. Thats like saying that I bought a standard tv and was upset when I got home because I couldn’t get an HD picture. It’s a feature not built in, not a “problem”. AT&T happens to use GSM as its main technology so its phones will roam in the other countries that use it as well. The rates are not much different than Verizon Wireless CDMA/GSM roaming when you have the right type of phone. If this was important to you, then read the specs before you purchase. to make sure it has ALL of the features you will want. Oh and the “Global Service” for Verizon Wireless is just an add on called “International Roaming”. It doesn’t cost extra to add. It costs when you actually use the phone. For South Africa AT&T charges $2.49/min depening on what plan you are on (aka “Global Service”! ohnoooes!!) it costs less per min if you pay for it. Verizon Wireless charges between $2.89/min but also offers a lower rate if you pay more per month. Other countries vary in pricing and AT&T is cheaper in some, while VZW is cheaper in others.

    It took me all of 3 minutes to visit both webpages and find this out.

    Problem #3: Most phones are like this.

    Problem #4: This is not news at all. A google search on Verizon and Bluetooth would have told you this. In fact, I just found Verizonwireles.com/bluetooth and this shows which phones can do what features.

    All I’m saying is, do some research before you say “this phone has problems, company XYZ is evil, don’t sign a contract!” All of them are out for our money. Threaten to switch if you want. No one really cares. Your experience will be different than mine and mine will be different than the next guy. BTW: They all suck. Oh, and as for the VCAST mobile TV not in your area thing, there is a company that all of the providers use that has to license spectrum for that stuff. It’s not Verizons fault. Also, most reps are not incompetent. They have as much pressure on them to satisfy the company as well as the customer. When you have an impatient customer on the phone not letting you do your job, it gets difficult. Rules change EVERY DAY. Sometimes we(yes WE) need more time to find the absolute correct answer for you. Sometimes the rep gives an answer that will change the very next day, unbeknownst to them. I’m not saying it’s your fault either.

    If you take anything from this post Chris, it should be this summary: There is a coverage map for which services are available in your area. If you don’t see it in your area yet, don’t buy that phone or wait until it is launched. If you need an international phone, then buy one, don’t gripe that some other phone that uses a different technology works in S. Africa. You should have gotten one from Verizon that works there also. Take your phone back to the store and get it replaced under the 1 year warranty for the charger port issue. As for bluetooth, well, you’d have to get a phone that offered all of those features, but I doubt you’d really use them all that often anyways.

  2. MIGUEL says:

    Tengo un celular LG VX10000 VOYAGER.
    Y lla tengo el CODIGO DE PROGRAMACION pero no se como metercelo al celular para ponerle dos numeros.
    Me puedes ayudar.

    GRACIAS

  3. Devin says:

    I never even used a car charger. I’ve been sticking with the computer one and the wall one that the Voyager comes packaged with. My first Voyager, I had to manipulate the phone and charger and then I couldn’t touch the phone or the charger would shift and not work. So I took it back to Verizon, got a new one for the $55 insurance fee, and now I’m using that. I started having the same problem after about 2 weeks. After about a month (last night), it stopped charging altogether. THE PHONE WON’T CHARGE AND I’LL NEED TO PAY $55 DOLLARS FOR A NEW ONE AFTER A MONTH. No, there is no water damage at all, and no, it wasn’t dropped. Neither the wall or computer chargers work anymore.

  4. Monica Isasis says:

    My LG phone once i flip it to send text messages, it has a phony noise. I took it to the store and they said that some phones have that noise and it’s because of the back ligth. My friend has the same phone and has no noise. Other than that is a good phone…..it’ll be better without that noise 🙁

  5. MIGUEL says:

    Tengo un celular LG VOYAGER VX10000.
    Y lla tengo el CODIGO DE PROGRAMACION pero no se como metercelo al celular para ponerle dos numeros. Y lla tengo el Código de programación pero no se como metercelo al celular para ponerle dos numeros.
    Me puedes ayudar. Me puedes ayudar.

  6. MIGUEL says:

    HELLO

    I HAVE A MOBILE. MARK
    LG VX10000 VOYAGER AND HAVE ALL THE CODE OF THIS PROGRAM IS SPC-184505 – BUT NOT AS SET to put another number.
    CAN HELP ME.
    GRCIAS …

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