Answer Man: Verizon service 'terrible' in South Asheville? Why no seats in waiting area?

Today’s batch of burning questions, my smart-aleck answers and the real deal:

Question: Can you please take on the corporate giant Verizon and find out why our service in the South Asheville area is so terrible! I am speaking of network connectivity issues, not voice issues. I have three phones from different vendors, some brand new but all with the same issue, so I know it’s not the tech. It’s nearly impossible to stream anything while in the car or even at home. It’s also sometimes impossible for map apps like Waze to update you with current traffic info, since it cannot even connect to its own network. I wandered into the Verizon store on Airport Road a couple months ago to ask a few questions. After waiting about 30 minutes for my turn, a nice young man basically said it’s, “all the lazy people staying home and watching Netflix.” Yes, that’s a quote. I didn’t get the person’s name, nor would I throw them under the bus, but that is a terrible answer to a very bad problem here. We are ready to change service after 15 years. Just was curious if you have heard any other complaints about this issue, or if you could find out what can be done to improve it.

My answer: Um, it is a little awkward that I'm one of the lazy people lying around at home watching Netflix. But hey, I didn't make them put out the new season of "Ozark" right now.

Real answer: First of all, in the full disclosure department, I'm a Verizon customer myself. Now I'm on my family's plan, mainly because Gannett migrated us off a company-wide plan.

Pro tip: If you want to avoid having your phone cut off, pay attention to corporate emails saying your phone is going to be shut off if you don't migrate it to your own plan. Turns out they were quite serious about that.

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The point is I have experience with Verizon service myself, as do my family members. We have all noticed it getting spottier at times, although I wouldn't say our experience has been as bad as the reader.

But we have noticed issues more often lately with spotty coverage, so I don't think the reader is making things up. A retired Verizon store manager I casually spoke with a few weeks ago said the company simply needs to install more 5G antennas.

But obviously, I needed an official response from Verizon.

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Verizon spokesperson Chris Serico answered on behalf of the company, and he did acknowledge that increase usage of the network is a factor.

"Verizon constantly invests in our network to deliver our customers the quality experience and reliability they expect and deserve," Serico said via email. "As more people are doing more things, in more places with more internet-connected devices, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in voice and data traffic on our network. We only expect that trend to increase."

But Serico said our network here is not malfunctioning.

"Our network engineers have confirmed our network is running as designed in the Asheville area," Serico said. "They also let me know we’re continuing to enhance performance in this region, including future sites that will improve regional capacity."

On the company website, Verizon has a video titled, "Factors that impact your wireless signal." Verizon claims to have the "largest, most reliable network in the country," but it also allows that "external factors" can negatively affect your experience, "causing issues such as slow data speeds, dropped calls or other audio issues."

These factors, Verizon says, include "network congestion, weather and nature, buildings and physical barriers, or an obstructed view of the cell tower."

"For congestion, if many people are using the network at the same time in the same place, your service may be impacted," Verizon states, citing a crowded event as an example.

"In those situations, data speeds may slow down and calls may fail," the company states. "The same thing can happen if more and more people move into a densely populated area. Severe weather and seasonal conditions like heavy snow, storms or even trees in bloom can also affect your coverage."

Seasonal changes can make it harder for the signal to reach you, Verizon says.

Also, "Physical barriers such as mountains, hills and buildings may also block the signal." Verizon also says, "If you're experiencing performance issues only during certain times of the day or year, your issue is likely caused by network usage or seasonal trends."

At any rate, if you're a customer with specific concerns about your service or experience, contact Verizon at 1-800-VERIZON, "and our team can look closer at their accounts," Serico added.

Question: Why doesn’t the Verizon store on Airport Road offer any seating when you walk in? If you have to wait for service, you end up standing, or trying to balance your rear end on the window sill. I saw a couple of older people doing this recently at the Airport Road store. Why don’t they just put a few chairs out there?

My answer: The chairs are being chopped up and reconfigured into 5G antennas.

Real answer: More full disclosure: As an email-ignoring doofus who had to go in this store recently after my company cut my service off after just a handful of email notices and fewer than 10 verbal warnings from my boss, I can confirm that the store on Airport Road actually has no seating up in the front, where customers like me have to wait.

OK, so I wrote this question. I didn't particularly care, but I did see some older folks perched precariously on the windowsill, and that seemed like an accident waiting to happen. And just uncomfortable for these customers.

Seriously, put a few chairs up there.

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Serico addressed this, too.

"Our seating is limited to ensure we are able to practice social distancing," Serico said. "We are currently in the process of adding more seating as COVID protocols allow."

This is the opinion of John Boyle. To submit a question, contact him at 232-5847 or jboyle@citizen-times.com

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Answer Man: Verizon service 'terrible' in South Asheville? No seats?