Verizon Wireless Opens Sixth New Store in the Bronx

Holiday Festivities Planned for Saturday, December 20; “Evolutionary” Design Provides Hands-on Experience with Latest Voice, Data, Music and Video Services

BRONX, N.Y., Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ — Verizon Wireless, the leading wireless company with the most reliable voice and data network, this week opened its newest “evolution” Communications Store in the Bronx.

The store, located in the ‘Hub’ at 416 Westchester Avenue, between Third Avenue and Boone Avenues, incorporates a new interactive retail design inviting consumers to experience wireless voice, data, music and video services in a sleek, full-service environment. Special holiday store hours are Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The store phone number is 718-292-4111. Features of the new store include:

• More than 3300 square-feet of retail, technical support and customer service space.
• Interactive product and service demos available throughout the store.
• Integrated systems and operational enhancements designed to streamline the sales process and increase customer satisfaction.
• A check-in kiosk inviting customers to sign in on arrival and stay informed via monitors that track their place in the queue for service
• Roomy and easy to locate technical assistance and customer support area.

Store Manager Michael Bertot invites local residents to celebrate the holidays at the store on Saturday, December 20 and enter to win a wireless phone. Bertot will raffle off a free wireless phone every hour, between noon and 4 p.m. and no purchase is necessary. In addition to the phone giveaway, Power 105.1 FM radio will be on hand from noon to 2 p.m.; Santa will make a special appearance and be available for free digital photos between 12 and 4 p.m.; and special product promotions will be offered throughout the day.

Staffed by knowledgeable wireless professionals who offer consumers a broad range of services and equipment, including VZ Navigator (Version 4.0) which adds traffic and gas station information to audible turn-by-turn directions, and the popular Blackberry Storm. The Storm combines the powerful communications features, global connectivity and personal productivity advantages of the BlackBerry(R) platform with a revolutionary touch-screen technology that dramatically enhances the touch interface and enables easy and precise typing.

Demand for Verizon Wireless services continued during the third quarter of 2008 when the company added 1.48 million new customers, and continued its industry-leading customer loyalty rates. Verizon Wireless now serves more than 70.8 million customers nationwide.

In the spirit of giving this holiday season, Bertot also encourages all wireless customers to make a difference in the lives of domestic violence victims by recycling their no-longer-used wireless phones, batteries and equipment through the company’s HopeLine(R) program. HopeLine collects used cell phones in any condition from any wireless service provider, to be recycled or sold and donates the proceeds in the form of cash grants and pre-paid wireless phones to advocacy groups for use by survivors.

Verizon Wireless was the first wireless carrier in the nation to collect and recycle old cell phones, and has done so on behalf of survivors of domestic violence since January 1999 – first in New York and then across the U.S. In October 2008, the company introduced UHopeLine, expanding its recycling efforts to college campuses. The first permanent collection sites were launched at New Jersey’s Rutgers University.

The new Westchester Avenue Communications Store is the company’s sixth retail location in the Bronx, and one of more than 150 Verizon Wireless retail locations in the New York Metro area.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 70.8 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 71,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com . To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless