Verizon "used to be premium", now it's "just expensive": a customer leaves after 20 years and closes 9 lines

I guess the fact that Verizon is now introducing an unconditional loyalty discount in an effort to retain its subscribers is not enough. A loyal and outspoken ("evangelical, even", as they put it) customer is leaving Verizon after nearly 20 years and closing their 9 lines.

The reason? According to them, Verizon isn't what it used to be (to put it mildly).

This customer used to praise Verizon

On Reddit, a user with the "properly_sauced" nickname shared how, after nearly two decades with Verizon, they've finally had enough.

They said they first became a customer in 2005, back when Verizon's coverage was unmatched. During the user's early military days, Verizon was the only carrier that worked in remote areas. Fellow soldiers without signal would borrow the few Verizon phones in the unit just to call home. That reliability built deep loyalty – they believed the higher price was worth it for dependable service.

But over time, they noticed the network's quality slipping. On recent trips, Verizon phones in their group had no signal, while friends on cheaper carriers had full bars and fast data. What used to be a premium network, they said, has become unreliable and overpriced:



Adding to their frustration were tone-deaf corporate emails, worsening customer service, and repeated price hikes despite declining performance. When they tried to address issues, support agents could only read from scripts and push unwanted add-ons. Even after 20 years, Verizon's system only credited them with five years of loyalty because of account migrations.

Their breaking point came when they realized they were paying more than ever for a service that no longer worked where they lived. They decided to cancel all nine lines on their family plan, not because another carrier was better, but because the Verizon they once trusted no longer exists.

They closed the post with a sharp flip on Verizon's old slogan — “Can you hear me now?” — not about signal bars this time, but a shot at a company that's stopped listening altogether.

Others feel that way, too

Of course, there are numerous Verizon users who are satisfied with the carrier, but "properly_sauced" is not alone. Many users jumped in to say they had the same experience and were also leaving Verizon.



One said they had just requested their transfer PIN that morning after years of begging Verizon to fix problems that never got solved.



Another, who had been with the carrier for more than two decades, said they switched to Mint Mobile expecting less but were shocked at how much better and cheaper it was on T-Mobile's network. Others echoed the same frustration – long-time loyalty met with rising prices, poor service, and no real help from support.



One user said they had been a Verizon customer for 27 years and were paying $130 for just 4 GB of data. When they tried to negotiate, Verizon offered almost nothing. They switched to Verizon's prepaid service to save money, but the problems only got worse. The company even failed to transfer a phone number they'd had for nearly three decades, despite nine support calls and more than 40 hours spent trying to fix it. The user, now 81 years old, said they've been forced to notify everyone they know about a new number — calling it more than just an inconvenience, but a deep personal loss.

Long-time users are valuable

Long-time users are the backbone of any carrier, and Verizon's history shows that loyalty used to mean something. People stick around through thick and thin because they trust the network, pay the bills, and spread the word. When that trust gets ignored, it's not just numbers on a spreadsheet — it's real people walking away.

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