Seems to be happening less now that I've turned on "Enable Data Roaming". Not sure if that is actually helping the problem but will find out over the next few days.
I figured mine out. I have the battery set to Night Mode which kills 3G after 15min of inactivity starting @ 10pm. Well, I was on a gig with my band which didn't start until after 10pm, hence why any time I checked my phone after that, my 3G was gone
Well i've had the new one for about a week now. No more 3g issues at all, and the battery doesn't seem to start draining for no apparent reason. This one thus far is working much much better. If anybody is having consistent issues call Verizon.