Verizon and AT&T Play Legal Mumbly Peg

16 Years Ago Techwriter10 0 712 Views

Verizon made an ad making fun of AT&T's 3G coverage (and it's manliness). AT&T wasn't happy because it suggested their 3G coverage was spotty. So they sued saying the ads were misleading consumers, and anyway they had way more customers and their customers loved them, and Verizon just couldn't handle that. Verizon counter-sued saying AT&T was just jealous and their network sucks (and its mother dresses it funny). Now word is they are going to have a fight after school on the playground.

Playing Legal Mind Games

According to Engadget, AT&T sued first saying:

"Verizon's misleading advertising tactics appear to be a response to AT&T's strong leadership in smartphones. We have twice the number of smartphone customers... and we've beaten them two quarters in a row on net post-paid subscribers. We also had lower churn -- a sign that customers are quite happy with the service they receive."

that Verizon did all but stuck out its tongue in court and say "na-na boo-boo" to AT&T in its counter-suit:

"AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon's "There's A Map For That" advertisements are untrue; AT&T sued because Verizon's ads are true and the truth hurts."

They go onto say that the truth (at least as Verizon sees it) is that AT&T has failed to invest adequately in its network (and it's ugly too).

Lawsuits as Marketing Strategy

Verizon is clearly trying to gain some publicity points with this kind of stance (and heck, I'm blogging about it, so it's working). They want to put AT&T on the defensive. They know the Droid is selling well and gaining some traction and they want to get some of that attention that AT&T has garnered for having the iPhone. Makes perfect business sense, even if it sounds a bit immature and undignified in practice.

They Both Suck

Let's face it, if you're a consumer, they both suck and you don't need a judge to tell you that. As consumers, we are generally caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to cell service. We get a nice phone for a discounted price in exchange for a 2-year contract tying you to said provider.

Then they nickle and dime you for data fees and texting charges. They send you long, complicated bills, which are hard to read and impossible to dispute. Have you ever tried calling AT&T or Verizon for tech support or with a question? Have you gone into their stores? Neither one is likely to win a popularity contest any time soon.

A Pox On Both Their Houses

Fact, is most people don't like either company. We go with them because there a few reasonable alternatives out there. Let them beat each other over the head with frivolous law suits. They just have to realize that for most of us, it's entertainment and nobody really cares about either one of them enough to take sides.

Dani AI

Generated 10 Months Ago

This public squabble is entertaining, but the practical takeaway for anyone choosing service is more useful than the theater. correctly frames these disputes as much about image as network performance; is right to point at device selection and service quality as deciding factors; and ’s concern about litigation costs is a good reminder to look beyond headlines.

A simple, repeatable approach will save time and money. Test the network where you actually use it: make a few calls, send texts, stream or load pages, and try tethering at home, work, and on your commute. Do tests at different times of day. Ask retailers if you can try a handset on the network or bring an unlocked phone to check signal. Consult multiple independent, crowdsourced coverage reports and local user feedback rather than trusting a single marketing map.

Pay attention to the fine print. Compare total cost over the length of service (not just the advertised monthly rate), look for data caps and throttling policies, confirm roaming and tethering rules, and note return or trial windows. If you want flexibility, an unlocked phone or a month-to-month plan avoids long commitments. Consider MVNOs for lower-cost access to the same physical networks, but weigh possible trade-offs in support and promos.

Finally, treat lawsuits and ad wars as PR moves, not a substitute for measured performance. Make decisions based on real-world tests and clear contract terms. That approach addresses the core issues raised in the replies: service quality, device choices, and how to avoid surprise costs.

R1pperZ 0 Light Poster

16 Years Ago

Yes corporate competition always seems like childsplay to me, just instead of sticks and stones, they use million dollar marketing schemes and lawsuits.

When it comes down to the success of a mobile phone company it usually comes from stocking the latest toys and features, allowing some time to free roam the companies features (30 day money back) and superior customer service.

When I worked for Sprint (stay far away... far far away from a Sprint store) I overheard that T-Mobile had the best rated customer service (Sprint has the worst, might as well outsource the jobs to india if the only alternative is dead beat 18 yr olds..) but when I applied for a possition with Verizon Wireless and was turned down because I didn't have any college education I wondered how damn amazing their customer service must be if they all have bachelor degrees...

ezsurfer 0 Newbie Poster

16 Years Ago

Don't you just wish the courts could prevent these same companies from adding those same costs of the lawsuits to our bills.

We would save BIG TIME!!!

Reply to this topic

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.