Lack of service frustrates Verizon customers in rural Iowa town
LOGAN, Iowa (WOWT) - More than ever, people depend on cell phones in their everyday lives. Not just for calling family and friends, but for business and emergency situations.
In Logan, Iowa, they like to talk about Panther football... if the cell calls go through, that is.
6 News asked Toni Olson to gather those in the Logan community who had complaints about Verizon coverage to speak up, and over 50 people did.
“There’s something going on and it needs to be fixed,” Olson said.
One customer pays $144 per month, but for others in Logan, Verizon bills range anywhere from $40-$300 per month, depending on the number of lines.
But like Kath Hekter, all have the same complaint about too many dropped calls.
“How frustrating is it?” Hekter said. “Enough to throw [the phone] across the room.”
6 News sent an email to Verizon requesting it address the issue in Logan. It reads as follows:
FULL STATEMENT FROM VERIZON
As more people are doing more things, in more places, with more mobile devices, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in voice and data traffic on our network. We only expect that trend to increase.
That said Verizon constantly invests in our network to offer our customers the quality experience and the reliability they expect and deserve — today and in the future - and this includes in and around Logan.
Our Verizon Test Force engineers have driven around town this week and reported good outdoor coverage throughout the Logan community. Indoor coverage can vary based on many factors and customers seeing issues should reach out to our customer service team at 1-800-922-0204. They can also report network experience issues via our My Verizon App as well.
At the Logan Fire Department, firefighters and EMTs rely on a special app on their phones that tells them where they’re going and who else is going to show up on the scene.
That system isn’t working either.
Emergency medical techs Tom and Natasha Springhower use their Verizon cell phone to connect.
“It’s just spinning and spinning and spinning,” Tom said. “It’s going to delay the response time because I have to wait for it to connect here so I can find the address, or I’m going to have to drive a couple of blocks away to see if I can get better service.”
Though Verizon says outdoor coverage is good, these customers say they pay for service everywhere. Especially business owners.
“You have to go somewhere else all the time because you’ll be on a call and have to drive around to a certain place,” said Hannah Spencer, a business owner in Logan. “You can’t go into your office because you’re going to drop somebody.”
And it’s not just dropped calls. It’s failed texts, too.
“I sent a text to my granddaughter yesterday and it says, ‘Not delivered,’” Logan resident Lynn Teves said. “I was taking her to the dentist and then to the doctor. She was in the office waiting for me to text her.”
Verizon says there has been a dramatic increase in voice and data traffic and will constantly invest in its network to offer reliable service.
The Iowa Utilities Board tells 6 News it can evaluate service complaints from Logan residents to see if the agency has any authority to assist with the issues.
Copyright 2023 WOWT. All rights reserved.
