Verizon Wireless offers La Jolla cornucopia of choices

Verizon Wireless has come to town to get La Jollans connected.

And there are a mind-boggling number of choices, add ons, accessories, etc. for local residents to choose from.

The list of wireless services available for Verizon customers now includes, but is not limited to: text, picture, video and instant messaging, V CAST music, Bluetooth headsets, a megapixel camera with flash, ringtones, voice-activated dialing, one-touch speakerphones, LCD screens, even a global positioning device to navigate while driving a car.

Danial Niazi, store manager at the month-old La Jolla Verizon at 904 Pearl St., said wireless is the wave of the future. Only it’s happening now. “The industry has changed so much from just regular basic phone service, everyone provides basic phone service,” said Niazi. “At Verizon, we try to go beyond that, do extra things.”

The number of “extra things” that can be done on a wireless phone continues to grow, both in number and quality. “You can use the phone to access the Internet with a quick connection similar to DSL,” said Niazi, “or tether the phone to a laptop and use it as a wireless modem and dial up to get a wireless signal.”

Verizon customer Francisco Ortiz, a Realtor, said Verizon sold him a product he’s totally satisfied with that has profoundly increased his effectiveness in doing business. Said Ortiz: “I needed to be able to access the Multiple Listing Service all the time on the Internet to be able to increase my productivity, capture the sale of the moment. I needed a palm trio synched with my computer so I could organize my scheduling. Niazi showed me how to navigate through all the features. It was just phenomenal. He really took the time to find out what my needs were, and what I needed done.”

Now that he’s completely “patched in” on wireless, Ortiz can speak with someone on the street about a sale property, then show the property to them right there on his cell phone. “The next thing you know,” he said, “I’m writing up a contract and filing. That’s facilitating my job, making it more streamlined, faster, giving me more time to do what I need to do - find more clients.”

One of the many advantages to wireless Internet, noted Niazi, is that it’s always accessible. “It’s almost as quick as a homeline DSL,” he pointed out, “but It’s not limited to your home or home computer. It’s limited to anywhere you want to take it.”

Another really great cell phone feature, Niazi said, is broadband service capability. There’s also the option of adding a full-on Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) system for just an extra $10 per month. “It has unlimited access,” said Niazi. “You can go anywhere and your navigation system goes with you. You select a destination and it (GPS) puts you on course. It’s been around about six months.”

Besides having GPS capability, with Verizon Wireless phones, a client, in an emergency, can turn on the 911 feature and it will put out a signal leading rescue personnel to wherever they are.

The most basic, stripped-down Verizon wireless package is $39.99 per month allowing 450 anytime minutes. A $59.99 package offers 900 anytime minutes. Gradations go higher, each successive one adding additional anytime minutes, up to a maximum of $199.99 per month, which provides 6,000 anytime calling minutes.

But that just scratches the service to the potenatial to mix and match service capabilities, which, in San Diego, are soon to include mobile TV service on a wireless cell line. Said Niazi: “These come with accessories and services - navigation features, games, music, ring tones - easy to access on broadband that you can add or remove any time. It really consolidates everything. Instead of having a bunch of numbers, devices, you can have one device do it all for you now.”

What do most people today want from and expect on their cell phones? That’s an easy question to answer, said Niazi. “Outstanding service,” he answered, adding that’s exactly what the company’s new La Jolla store is striving to give.

Niazi said today the industry is all about customizing wireless service to make it conform to an individual user’s specific needs accommodating their lifestyles. “How many people are using your phone, what do you need it for?,” asked Niazi. “I almost never pull out a brochure. Each person that comes in here does have a unique situation. Ultimately, the best way to gain a customer is to save someone money.”

Verizon prides itself on selling clients only what’s right for them. “We’re not trying to sell any features they (client) don’t need or want,” Niazi said. “That just causes them to lose value for their phone, causes them not to see the worth it has for them.’

Where’s the wireless phone industry headed? According to Niazi, it’s the one-size-fits-all-services model. “Your laptop will be replaced by a nice, handheld device the size of your phone that you might carry in your briefcase,” he predicted.

For more information call (858) 551-0057.