Cell Phone Providers

[DJ]

Hello All,

I'm in the hunt for possibly changing cell phone providers. The contract is coming due.

For the last five years we've had Qwest/Sprint and have been very happy with it but we're shopping.

We have four phones (family) and will require the same number with a different plan.

So far, T-Mobile is the least expensive and Verizon is the most expensive with the others falling somewhere in between. Features and plans being comparable.

As mentioned, I have experience with Qwest/Sprint and am quite happy. They are middle of the pack, cost wise.

What is your experience? Any you don't like and any you do?

 

[beezee28]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

I have verizon and the plan that I have is sort of 'grandfather' in as verizon no longer has this plan but a step higher. I have 4 lines with verizon and among these 4 lines we share 500 minutes and I had 3 of the line with unlmt txt msg on it as my 2 daughters love txt msg her friends rather than calling them. On the other my wife have txt msg too so she can keep intouch with the girls and as for me I have the plain old plan. So far the monthly bill has been pretty constant. Verizon service in our area is pretty good and I haveno problem with them so far. Have not look at other providers so I can only say what my experience is with verizon. Hope this help.

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

Been with Verizon for 7 years and I'd give them a 8 out of 10.

Good points are,

Solid reliable service and I think they have the best coverage in AZ.
Free phone every 2 years but they probably all do that.
Never drops a call, never.


Bad points,

I've found errors on the bill before, more than once. (they have always taken care of it). I've since upgraded to the 1500 min./month plan and just don't worry about it anymore.
If you do go over your minutes, it's crazy expensive.

Had Nextel (Sprint) for a while too (carried both phones) and they had many more dead spots than Verizon. I travel all over Arizona. I've heard good things about T-Mobile's coverage, but I've never used them.

 

[jsfinn]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

I've been on Verizon for about 5 years, and have no real complaints other than the phones the offer don't typically have all the bells and whistles that the other providers have.

Verizon service is very dependable in this area.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

I've been very please with T-mobile. Reception has been good, no problems there. Their service is head and shoulders above Qwest. Coming from Qwest anything will be an upgrade..

 

[dave11]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

Don't get Alltel!!! I had service with them for about 15 years. I had 1500 anytime anywhere minutes a month. Some places I went to I couldn't get service unless I provided a credit card number. I just missed a lot of calls, because they never came through. I had some service issues that were never addressed. I called the home office in Little Rock and sent them certified letters. I never even received a response from anyone who wasn't reading a script. I really do miss my Startac. I changed to AT&T/Cingular. I have now been with them 4 years. I have no complaints. I am getting all my calls now.

I don't like any utility companies. I am a firm believer in economic boycott. Now that they are no longer virtual monopolies, their service is getting better.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

Have AT&T. No major problems, get better reception with them than the competitors in my area (which isn't saying much). Been with them a long time.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

Verizon was the least of all bad reception and providers in this area..... not spectacular but it works.

 

[DJ]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

Thanks all. Great info. Keep it coming.

Much obliged.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

I have had Verizon for about 8 years.I travel a lot and they do have the best coverage.I also have Nextel and it is terrible when i travel...no signal for the most part.The Verizon works about anywhere,even in the desert south west...Like the others said Verizon never drops call unless i'm deep in the mountains..

 

[arboldt]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

Consumer Reports evaluates cell providers regularly. While AT&T and Sprint are near the bottom of the ratings, they also say a lot depends on where you are and your travel patterns.

In West Michigan, Alltel gives *much* better coverage than almost any other carrier, in our experience. The big national companies only cover within a few miles of the expressways, so if you're on a 2-lane hiway (even a 'major' one), you're SOL. We've never had a problem with Alltel, although our plan hasn't been offered in years (we're grandfathered in), and we have limited regional coverage. So if we go outside of Michigan and a few areas of Wisconsin, roaming could get very expensive. On the other hand, we don't travel all that much, either.

A couple coworkers that use their cell phones a lot (i.e. no landline, just cell) tells me the best service and prices are from Alltel.

Try to get detailed coverage maps from each possible provider.

We intend to shop around later this spring, but will probably stay with Alltel.

 

[Limited-Time]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

Had Alltel for a few years through the company, I can't say any thing good about them so I won't say any thing at all. We then switched to Verizon just over 5 years ago and have not looked back. Great coverage where ever I've been. On a side note I've found that the phone has as much to do withe the reception as the network.

I've been with family (all on Verizon) and have seen times when one persons phone will pull a full signal, while at the same time another persons phone (different manufactures) will only pull one or two bars.

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

I know this for sure. No matter what the sales clerk writing up your cell phone CONTRACT says BE 100% sure you read and understand it including a final price per month charge with every sir charge, add on, extra, fee etc etc BEFORE YOU GIVE THEM A FRIGGIN DIME.......buying a cell phone service can be (because the con artist want it that way) very complicated.And dont forget the guy you deal with at the store can be VERY HARD TO FIND and complain to later.

 

[i386]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

I've had 4 different providers. One was local, Sprint PCS, Nextel, and Verizon.

Sprint PCS: Good coverage near the Interstate, terrible everywhere else. Customer service was atrocious.

Nextel: Decent coverage. Never called customer support. I had one of those Morotolla iDEN phones for work with the walkie talkie feature. I didn't like using it and it made terrible noises on my car stereo when it rang. I think that has to do with the type of phone I had.

Verizon: Best coverage so far. Customer service is pretty good. Warranty service on my phones have been quick too. It works almost everywhere I go. I don't get good service with any carrier at my house because I live below line of site for all the local towers.


Around here, I think people like T Moblie and Verizon the best.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

I have T-mobile prepaid myself, I use to have a monthly plan through T-mobile. I have also used cingular which is now At&t, my mother uses them on a monthly plan and has no complaints as I have no complaints with either one of them myself. I have had verizon and got messed up with them mainly due to my x girlfriend but they are ridiculous if you ever become late on your bill, or if you ever go over your talk time. My mother had there service at one point and wasn't pleased with it, mainly due to there coverage.

If you haven't already done this I suggest going to each dealers website and checking their coverage maps and monthly plans/rates. By opening each cellular website in different windows while shopping around would be a great way to compare there coverage. Nextel and cingurlar also have the 2 way talk where you can beep in and talk like you are talking on 2 way radios but unless you know a few people with the same service it wouldn't be worth the money. How good of coverage also depends on what type of phone you go with.

 

[qaztwo]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

I went from verizon best coverage I have ever had to t-mobile worst coverage I have ever had. Also have had sprint and cingular.

 

[gss036]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

Coverage is the key ingredient, your phone is only as good as the reception. Figure out where you will use it most of the time and see if the area is covered. I have used T-Mobile for several years, in fact my phone still says Voice Stream on it (the name befoe they switched, before that it was western wireless). I don't have a contract because I "used" to work as a Security Manager at their call center here. The customer service, as a rule is excellent, it something the strive to acheive. That way they keep a customer paying the bills.
I get decent coverage in all the places I go except a few (very few) places on the water in the islands here.
Just remember that the kids in the KIOSKS in the malls are like used car salesman, they will tell you anything they think you want to hear and then some. They get paid off the sale of the contract, I would guess about $250 each sale they make.
I think some of the best deals can be had off the internet, directly from the company's web site.

 

[muskyone]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

i have verizion best yet as others said. but ask what phone has the best reception my old phone worked everywere. but toke one trip to many off the bucket truck,./ got a razor what a pice of grap but i did go from americas plan to nation wide i can now go online send and recive pics and use the gps any were

 

[Drowned Rat]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

i have verizion best yet as others said. but ask what phone has the best reception my old phone worked everywere. but toke one trip to many off the bucket truck,./ got a razor what a pice of grap but i did go from americas plan to nation wide i can now go online send and recive pics and use the gps any were

Totally agree Razor is a piece of grap.

 

[j442w30]

Re: Cell Phone Providers

I had Cingular for my first plan, I ended up getting rid of it because it dropped a lot of calls and the coverage was nothing to brag about. I don't know if it was a network problem or my phone but I went in out of roaming mode a lot. Customer service was ok, I think I only called a few times and the bills were fair. When it was time to renew my contract they had dropped the $30 plan and I didn't want to pay anything above that because I really don't use my phone a whole lot.

I currently have Sprint which I think has better coverage but I have gotten a couple huge bills for receiving a few picture messages and text messages are kind of expensive. As a few other people have said the customer service is pretty bad, the last time I called they said to change anything in my account I needed to tell them a secret code that I never even set up. They told me to go into the store and the people there were clueless. I probably won't be renewing my contract with them, I think I will be looking for a prepaid type deal which I think fits my situation better and costs less.