82 Comments
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Natalie Beeler's avatar

Nice job Verizon!

Now that’s what I call incredible corporate leadership…what a bunch of spineless cowards.

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Adam's avatar

Spineless cowards? Oh no. That is true leadership in action, the maga way. Now step over here, get yer hat and pay DaLady on your way out. Try it on first mind you.

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NubbyShober's avatar

"Make America (Openly) Sexist and Racist Again."

Trump/GOP are simply giving Corporate what they want: Permission to pay anybody not a white male...less. Being able to openly use the N-word again is just gravy.

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Peter's avatar

Of course they lied, like so many of our supposed great American corporations, they tremble in fear of the Dear Leader and his quest to remake the world in his image - the undeserving, not terribly bright, titanically entitled, mediocre white male. And to think, they thought he would not pull their multibillion dollar contract to rebuild the FAA's communications systems and give it to the most mediocre of all white men, Elon Musk.

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Salem Macknee's avatar

Well, hell. Switching cell providers after 25+ years is going to be harder than just boycotting a bunch of stores I never went to anyway. Seriously, Verizon?

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Katy Bolger's avatar

I did it years ago. Verizon is a bad company and I switched. They all are soulless money grubbing corporations. One thing about that: I was with T-mobile for 23 years and when I called to drop them do you know what they said to me, a 23-years user of their service? Nothing. I thought, naively, the person might ask if there was something they could do to keep me with them. Nothing.

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SeekingReason's avatar

Katy, I was with State Farm Insurance for 40 years. Never was late, never missed a payment. I had a speech ready about why I was leaving and figured they’d try to tempt me with an offer. Nope. Nothing! The person on the phone just said, OK, your policy will be canceled effective X date.

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Jessica Moats's avatar

Yup it will be hard to switch after my 27 years with them since my first cell phone in college… just like quitting Amazon and Target (99% since I don’t drive there have been like 5 things I bought versus 5 things every two days). But all we can vote with is our money which is all that matters to them.

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Jessica Moats's avatar

Update: In process of switching to CREDO. They are liberal as hell… having patience with process hitting some bumps getting through to them (maybe overrun by Verizon exodus)… service I cannot compare yet but willing to try just to stick it to Verizon hoping others do, too. NEW UPDATE BELOW.. DO NOT USE CREDO

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Jessica Moats's avatar

DO NOT DO CREDO… Sounds like good company politically but once I dug into research (after signing up online unfortunately)… it seems they are impossible to reach. I thought it was just because flooded right now but BBB shows this is the normal. I got a new number even though I noted all info to keep my current number.. so needed to reach.. on hold an hour then it hung up. Chat says “they respond in a few hours usually” wtf? I couldn’t keep checking the chat conversation so after 20 minutes I just put the rest of my question in it which most chats would they at least reply with answer or email followup. Nope just asked if I was still there then said to reach out by phone. Now almost an hour on hold.. decided just now to cancel. Only way to cancel is by phone. 😡And shows I owe another bill already after 2 days.

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Cindy Thomsen's avatar

Good luck finding one that is any better, though, and therein lies the rub.

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Sandra Nicht's avatar

I ditched Verizon last year, my internet is now with T Mobile and my landline is now an Ooma VOIP phone that works with the T Mobile internet. If I HAD a cellphone I would use CREDO because of their advocacy of multiple causes I believe in but I still give them $4/month just for that part ((I used to have my long distance with them back in the day).

There are always options and we should prioritize removing our money from all companies that obey in advance to the fullest extent possible.

BTW look for a No Kings Day event near you, we need to mobilize in ever bigger numbers on June 14 everywhere BUT DC to demonstrate our opposition to the vanity parade that hijacks attention from our (hopefully) still loyal military.

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SeekingReason's avatar

I had Credo for years. I believe they are the only outspoken left-Supporting company.

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kdsherpa's avatar

How is their national and international coverage?

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SeekingReason's avatar

Just looked up who they use for network connections..verizon. But Credo Mobile is the billing company.

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kdsherpa's avatar

Does that mean that it's actually Verizon in disguise?

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SeekingReason's avatar

No. Other companies must be allowed to use established lines. This enables other companies to offer their own plans and their own brand.

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SeekingReason's avatar

We had great national coverage and I believe we used it internationally as well. Never had any issues.

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Cindy Thomsen's avatar

Google T Mobile and DEI. Sadly, they have made similar compromises ...

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Jane Fisher's avatar

I have used CREDO for years, and have never had any problem with their coverage.

HOWEVER, last time I checked Verizon was their network provider.

Can anyone verify if this is still the case?

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Chris Raymond's avatar

Only a very large company can lay all the fiber optics and trunks to provide the infrastructure. Smaller cell phone providers piggyback onto that physical infrastructure. Hard to envision that multiple companies could all lay fiber and build cell towers. Fact of life.

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VALERIE MELUSKEY's avatar

This backward move by Verizon is owed to the racist White South African Elon Musk who has thrived as a result of his attempts to destroy everything America has stood for. Verizon had to play this game to the extreme or Musk's Starlink would have won the 20 billion dollar purchase of Frontier Communications. IN fact I thought Starlink had succeeded in bumping Verizon out of that contract.

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Adam's avatar

Same here. I thought Starlink was a done deal. Not to cape for Verizon or defend them at all. Merely understanding the dynamic.

PS: I accidentally typed "Starkink" at first. I like it and will use Starkink from now on.

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Michela A. C.'s avatar

Agreed. Losing to "Starkink" would have been worse. So in summary, Verizon doesnt care about day to day cell customers. They only care about those gov contracts.

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Mary Ellen Griffin's avatar

I am so troubled by this news. Verizon has become the cell service of the white supremacist regime. Time to vote with my pocketbook and switch internet providers.

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Sue Kilmer's avatar

Time to switch to another provider. We've been with Verizon for at least 15 years, but we'll be shopping for another company that doesn't cave to evil and authoritarianism. I never imagined that this country had so many spineless executives and politicians. Should have known better, I guess.

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Katy Bolger's avatar

Sue, we were all so sure our country, created in war and besmirched with the original sin of slavery, had come so far from that. But here we are, a bunch of white men, the white women who love them and a few POCs who think they are exceptional of their race, all under the heel of the most corrupted man in America, Donald Trump and his racist sidekick Elon. These men are all alike and they are all cowards.

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SeekingReason's avatar

Sue, A lot of us are surprised by the number of Fascist-loving greedy bastards in this country. We have 700 multi-billionaires. Control the airwaves, the media in general and you can spread propaganda like wildfire! We must not let these people forget.

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SeekingReason's avatar

The first thing we must to is rid ourselves of the right-wing media buyout. I have completely stopped watching tv news. I know online sources that are good ones and I tune in. Just as I do here. I use multiple sources. At first, I felt like something big was missing. First I gave up the newspaper that turned right-wing, then lost my morning ritual of morning tv news.

We must do our very best to stop using any right wing business. I purchase my gifts almost entirely from Etsy. I have a lot of anti-trump items from there that I know my friends and neighbors appreciate. I chat with shop owners and express my disgust with trump. Their reaction can sometimes be a give-away. I have shopped at Target for years and it was my go-to store for paper products & most other non-grocery items. Now I re-joined Costco, I go to Ace and other smaller businesses.

Freeze them out! And never let them forget their hateful compliance with Fascism.

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Adam's avatar

Precisely!!! I stopped watching TV news a long time ago, during the Obama years. Even then I detested Fox, The Blaze, OAN, the then newcomer, NewsMax and all the rest of that ilk. Podcasters too, like that Luke Rudenowski dude. Sheesh. It's like there are even more slugs under the rock of conservatism than anyone could have imagined!

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Don't B a Hater's avatar

Verizon is NOT competitive. Their Customer Service completely sucks. They don't give a crap about their customers. There are many better alternatives.

I encourage everyone to boycott Verizon.

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Katy Bolger's avatar

Agree! They really are a bad company. They have no regard for the environment or for humankind or for individuals who use their service. They don't need to. When you are one of only a handful of companies delivering a necessary service, the world is yours to make.

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HM Haskins's avatar

Look what we did Mr. Trump! We're a good company!

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Adam's avatar

You forgot to say that they also said "sir, sir with tears in their eyes!"

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Henry's avatar

Verizon could have easily litigated and sued the gov't for restriction of trade and captured financial damages in civil court from Trump personally. Might also have gotten him locked up on any number of restriction of trade offenses, collusion,conspiracy, emolument charges etc.

But for some reason... decided to acquiesce. GEE whiz... I don't wonder why...oligarchical rule sounds kind of appealing to the Verizon CEO.

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CarolAinDC's avatar

Shameful! But, sadly, not surprising. Like so many civic leaders, they will do almost anything for money. Does anyone know which carrier is holding fast to equity? I would switch.

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SeekingReason's avatar

Credo is a left wing company. Our service was great with them. Plus they have you vote on which causes to help.

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Stephanie Anne's avatar

Thank you for great reporting!

I wonder what would happen if all the people who were hired by Verizon under the DEI programs quit? It is not likely but just saying!

Having been a part of a number of Fortune 500 companies’ pilot DEI programs & having seen the positive results, not just economically, but in a number of areas that affect a co.’s bottom line- this not just short sightedness’s, SAD, & shameful but poor business & might I add stupid.

I’m embarrassed to be a Verizon customer! They will be hearing from me.

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Arlene Rosner's avatar

Another capitulation…

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Martha's avatar

Thanks for reporting on this.

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Joe Weicher's avatar

So we live in a country where the words "diversity, equity, exclusion" are now verboten. Unless, of course, there's money to be made. Proud to be an American?

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