Call Kurtis: Can I Get Out Of My Contract If My Cell Coverage Is Unreliable?

She signed up with Verizon in April and even dropped her landline because her cell coverage was so good. But six months later, she says she couldn't make or receive calls.

So what happened?

Six months into her cell contract with Verizon, Anne Lucq's cell service at her peaceful Penn Valley home went from great to nothing.

"Couldn't receive calls, couldn't call out, couldn't text," says Anne.

For four straight days, she says she had no coverage. Other times, she had to stand on her porch or drive into town, just to make a call. Anne says Verizon told her she was now in a "marginal coverage area."

But look, Verizon's own map says her area has excellent coverage.

"I was shocked, I was totally shocked," says Anne.

Verizon's solution? To sell Anne what's called an extender at a discounted price of 149-bucks.... it connects to your high speed internet to create a mini cell tower in your home.

"That's absolutely ridiculous," says Jessica Dolcourt, Senior Associate Editor, CNET.

Dolcourt says coverage often changes because cell companies are working on towers or changing their direction and if it happens, she says you can fight to get out of your contract.

"They want to keep you in their ironclad contract, however, there are some exceptions and one of the exceptions is that if there's a 'material change' in your service," says Dolcourt.

We contacted Verizon. In an email, they tell us:

"Recently, the company upgraded the technology on one of its cell sites..."

"As we made those changes, coverage diminished for a few days, but then returned to normal when our work was complete..."

"We apologize for the inconvenience..."

-- Heidi Flato, Public Relations

Anne says it was more than a few days and it wasn't until we got involved, Verizon sent out a tech.

Anne says her excellent coverage has returned.

"Very satisfied that at least they're listening to their consumers," says Anne.

We asked Verizon can a customer get out of their contract if their service is no longer reliable?

They didn't want to say but tell us, customers should give them a call and they'll work it out individually.

Verizon Wireless Statement:

"Verizon Wireless coverage in Penn Valley has been good for several years. Recently, the company upgraded the technology on one of its cell sites that serves the area. As we made those changes, coverage diminished for a few days, but then returned to normal when our work was complete. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused our customers as Verizon Wireless prides itself as the wireless industry leader in network reliability. As in this instance, we appreciate our customers' feedback about our network. We use customer input, both positive and negative, to make our network even better, which were able to do in Penn Valley."

Verizon's Response as to why customer was told to buy an extender:

It appears there was a miscommunication on the part of our sales rep. We apologize for any misinformation we may have provided the customer. We have followed up with appropriate coaching for our retail staff in the area.

-- Heidi Flato
Public Relations