‘Don’t switch to AT&T’: Customer says AT&T is holding their phone hostage after they asked to switch back to Verizon

There's no getting around it. Everyone has to pick a phone company, and for many, it feels like choosing between a rock and a hard place—confusing contracts, high prices, and spotty service.

In the early 2010s there was a bit more variety in the phone carrier market with companies including Leap Wireless and MetroPCS operating a chunk of the market, according to Statista.

But as business has changed and some companies have merged, three household names dominate the phone carrier space: Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T.