Best Cell Phone company

[asphyxian_doll]

I'm stuck with nextel for a while, but I wanted to ask the board....

what do you think the best cell phone company to go with would be?

What company are you with?

Do you have unlimited text?

What does your bill look like?

I hate shopping for a new phone....

being a promoter and in business, I know half of the shit they pitch at you is bullshit, and meant to lock you in.

I just need some advice from people who are happy with their phone company(and some warnings from those who aren't)

Thankies!

[hunhee]

I have AT&T and Sprint/Nextel

I hate Sprint, but their $99 simply everything plan isn't bad (good luck getting the coverage AT&T or Verizon has). That push to talk isn't too bad tho, but I believe that's with their Nextel software, and umm.. Seriously good luck getting a good solid signal with nextel. I can't lie, once Sprint and Nextel actually complete their final merging (software and towers) they will be a monster to contend with. Until then, have fun with them.

AT&T has a Unlimited plan, but it doesn't include Txt, which sprint does. Cost $99 for the unlimited plan, but unlimited Txt for AT&T is $20 or if you're on a family plan, you can get everyone on your family (up to five lines) for $30 unlimited Txt.

Verizon I hear is the place to go. Best coverage in Michigan, and the United States (From what I hear) They also have a great plan, also a $99 everything plan (includes txt message), BUT if you don't have that, they allow you to have unlimited to your 10 most favoritist people. I don't know what their txt plan is with that, but I'm sure it's not as bad as AT&T is soaking me for.

My company had a cell phone carrier that was really hosted by Verizon, and we had near perfect cellphone coverage

through the country. I had no problem with it my entire trip from Michigan to Arizona.

The only reason why I know all this stuff is because being in charge of our company's telecommunications is part of my job (I don't make the decisions, otherwise we'd have Verizon)

T Mobile has a top 5 people, where you can talk to them all you want no matter the plan that they're on. I am not aware of what their txt

Metro PCS if you're not planning on leaving Michigan would probably be the most cost effective way to go, I believe it's $35 a month for unlimited, I don't believe txt is involved in that, you'd probably have to pay for that extra. If you do happen to know you're leaving the state, you can get a prepaid card (through them) I don't know how much this costs, to use your phone outside of the detroit area.

Edited June 5, 2009 by hunhee

[asphyxian_doll]

I have AT&T and Sprint/Nextel

I hate Sprint, but their $99 simply everything plan isn't bad.

AT&T has a Unlimited plan, but it doesn't include Txt, which sprint does.

Verizon I hear is the place to go. Best coverage in Michigan, and the United States (From what I hear) They also have a great plan, also a $99 everything plan (includes txt message), BUT if you don't have that, they allow you to have unlimited to your 10 most favoritist people. I don't know what their txt plan is with that, but I'm sure it's not as bad as AT&T is soaking me for.

Hmmm....I do have about 7 favoritist ppls.

So that should work.

Thanks Hunhee ^___^

I had a feeling Verizon would be one of the pickins.

[hunhee]

Hmmm....I do have about 7 favoritist ppls.

So that should work.

Thanks Hunhee ^___^

I had a feeling Verizon would be one of the pickins.

Yupp, my parents have it, and they really love it.

I would get it, but my 2 favorite people I talk to are on AT&T and I see no point in switching because it just works for me.

[creatureofthenyte]

I have AT&T.

I don't know anything about their text plans, I rarely text.

But I do know that AT&T has rollover minutes; any unused daytime(7am-9pm) airtime rolls over to the next month.

As a result of that, I have more available airtime then I will probably ever use.

I have free nationwide long distance.

And I have 5000 nite and weekend minutes, and like some other carriers, AT&T subscribers can talk to each other for free without using airtime.

AT&T also has the Apple I-phone, which is something I would have gotten, if I had thought of it earlier this year when I was in the market for a new phone.

[prick]

I had Sprint and they tried to say I owen 1500 dollars after two months. I switched to At+T and no problems.

[Oh_My_Goth]

I have heard nothing but good things about Verizon...

T-Mobile is good, but it was pricey when I had it.. Just stay away from Sprint

[n0Mad]

AT&T or Verizon are the two to look at. They're pretty comparable so it's almost like flipping a coin to choose which one to go with, although one has stuff that the other doesn't, and the other has stuff that one doesn't so it really depends on what you need and comparing plans.

I have Verizon and my only gripe is I only get 0-1 bars of signal in my house and a 1/4 mile surrounding it. Damn shadow zone. Other than that my coverage is awesome nation wide. My bill looks like a piece of paper with stuff like words and numbers printed on it, but you can go paperless and get e-mail bills if you want and manage your whole account online.

[Soulrev]

OK my wife and I got iPhones AT&T of course. We paid 400 dollars for the phones and that was it. 2 iPhones, 400 bucks. We have the 750 minutes per month plan (shared) with unlimited nights and weekends unlimited txting (20 bucks a month) and unlimited internet (required for iPhones). Our monthly bill comes around 120 bucks after taxes and fees and other bs. Not too shabby. The best thing is the rollover minutes. We don't use our phones that much so 750 is enough to cover us and then with rollover we always have those extra minutes in case we have a talkative month.

As far as overall coverage goes, well, I definitely say go with AT&T. I have been with them since before I joined the Army and we still have them. I know I've almost never had a problem with not getting a signal and here's where I know it works-

NW Indiana, Chicago and general area, Indianapolis and general area, Southern Indiana and general area, everywhere in Michigan from I94 @ Indiana state line all the way to Detroit and surrounding areas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virgina, West Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri (Kansas City area and St. Louis areas), Kansas, Colorado (Colorado Springs and Denver areas), Wyoming (Laramie and Cheyenne areas), Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia, all of these places I have been and never had a signal problem. Either traveling or visiting these areas, no problems.

Of course you could just look at their coverage area map as well. :D I believe they have the best nationwide coverage. I know Verizon doesn't. Verizon is the reason I switched to AT&T cuz they just don't have good enough coverage.

Hope this helps.

-B

[asphyxian_doll]

OK my wife and I got iPhones AT&T of course. We paid 400 dollars for the phones and that was it. 2 iPhones, 400 bucks. We have the 750 minutes per month plan (shared) with unlimited nights and weekends unlimited txting (20 bucks a month) and unlimited internet (required for iPhones). Our monthly bill comes around 120 bucks after taxes and fees and other bs. Not too shabby. The best thing is the rollover minutes. We don't use our phones that much so 750 is enough to cover us and then with rollover we always have those extra minutes in case we have a talkative month.

As far as overall coverage goes, well, I definitely say go with AT&T. I have been with them since before I joined the Army and we still have them. I know I've almost never had a problem with not getting a signal and here's where I know it works-

NW Indiana, Chicago and general area, Indianapolis and general area, Southern Indiana and general area, everywhere in Michigan from I94 @ Indiana state line all the way to Detroit and surrounding areas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virgina, West Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri (Kansas City area and St. Louis areas), Kansas, Colorado (Colorado Springs and Denver areas), Wyoming (Laramie and Cheyenne areas), Nebraska, Iowa, Georgia, all of these places I have been and never had a signal problem. Either traveling or visiting these areas, no problems.

Of course you could just look at their coverage area map as well. :D I believe they have the best nationwide coverage. I know Verizon doesn't. Verizon is the reason I switched to AT&T cuz they just don't have good enough coverage.

Hope this helps.

-B

Zat does help! thank you guys!

*hugs all of you*

now....I need moneys.

xD

haha

[TygerLili]

A lot of people seem to like AT&T. I have it and personally don't like it much. I think their service is spotty, even in areas it shouldn't be. I get mediocre service out here in Novi, and I got just plain bad service when I lived in Ferndale. I get bad service when I am in California and Charlie and I (we have a family plan) seem to get dropped calls all of the time. Also, I refuse to pay an extra $20 a month just for texting.

I am tempted to switch to Verizon or T-Mobile when my contract is up, since both seem to get better service in the areas I need to be in, but most of the people I talk to on a regular basis have AT&T, so I hesitate.

When I first moved out here I had Alltell, which had the same coverage as Verizon, and which I was quite happy with, but I couldn't seem to find any dealers out here, and didn't want to have to drive out to Lansing every time there was a problem with my phone, so I switched.

[Soulrev]

Yeah all carriers have their weak spots, however, I will interject and say that I have had Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T within the last 10 years and I am overall happier with AT&T. They have had the most solid network especially since their merge with Cingular.

The cool thing AT&T and Apple don't want you to know is that you can actually txt without having txting enabled on the account. In other words, if you get an iPhone, there are apps out there that allow you to txt over the media (internet) connection rather than through the phone connection, saving you a monthly txting fee

All I'm saying is, you should invest in an iPhone if you can. If you really don't like AT&T, after your agreement is up cancel it and transfer your iPhone to a different carrier (yes this can be done and yes you can buy an iPhone on ebay and activate it for a different carrier).

[TygerLili]

As far as coverage goes, it just all depends on your needs. I think there are a few companies that will let you return the phone within a day or two if you aren't happy with the service/coverage if you make prior arrangements. I wish they all did that, because how do you know if you're going to get a strong signal in your home unless you take it home and try it out? Coverage maps lie, and don't take into consideration things like power lines or lots of trees or other things that can interfere.

My biggest gripes with AT&T are that my mom, who also has a phone on my plan for emergencies, lives out in the country, and we get no signal at her place, not even in the yard or driveway. So I can't get calls or texts when I visit her, and, while she has a land line, when her power or phone goes out she has to drive about a mile down the road to report it. Also the the part of California where my boyfriend, who has the third phone on my plan, lives he's lucky to get 1-2 bars, inside or out, in most places. So when I visit, I sometimes have to go without reception. His mom has T-Mobile and seems to get better reception in almost all parts of California that we've visited.

*edited because I forgot the question mark*

Edited June 6, 2009 by TygerLili

[Troy Spiral (13)]

I don't have much real-life input other than I had sprint for years and never really had many complaints that other people seem to have.

I now have AT&T and so is my best friend, along with the fact that I'm on her plan so it makes it the best phone company.

Only thing I can really think of to say is that with the multimedia text messages the sound gets removed (or just doesn't work) it seems. Not sure if that is a problem with my phone or the service.

[Msterbeau]

I've been on T-Mobile for a long time. Except for some dead zone issues early on, I have no complaints. Their service is excellent.

[Simon Bar Sinister]

MetroPCS is doing right by me so far (2 years as of today). $50/month, unlimited talk/txt

[the eternal]

In my personal experience, Verizon drops less calls than Tmobile and has MUCH better customer service than Sprint.

I'm the kinda guy who likes to complain to a real person when there's an issue, and Verizon has been very good with switching phones and adding lines and crediting things back to my account with the many changes I have had in my life. But that's me.

The one complaint is, when I compared the plans, you do "get more" from T-mobile.

It just wasn't worth the dropped calls for me.

[Draco1958]

Not this may help but I use Virgin Mobile. It's a pay as you go, no contract phone that uses the Sprint PCS network. The only problem with Virgin is that they are not renting all of Sprints towers so some areas of Michigan you have no reception. My advice is also to check out each companies coverage area.

AT&T/Cingular area http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/

Sprint area http://www.wireless.att.com/coverageviewer/

Verizon area http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/Coverag...type=NEWREQUEST

T-Mobile area http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/pcc.aspx

It looks to me that verizon has the best coverage area.

From there check plans. Not knowing how many minutes you want besides unlimited nights and weekends don't want to post a plan you can't use.

[Rayne]

We had huge issues with Verizon in the A2/Ypsi area. And their customer service sucked ... seems like I was always on the phone with them getting nowhere. We had spots here around the house and out and about where we CONSTANTLY dropped calls. At a time of upgrade I called Verizon and listed features I wanted on a new phone for my daughter's line. They recommended a phone I accepted. I got the phone and it didn't work with the particular service I had requested. They REFUSED to switch it for a different one. The entire reason (at the time) my daughter had a phone ... and we couldn't use it. We paid out of our contracts shortly after that and switched.

We switched to Sprint (who I had, had in the past for a 6 year span), we've had some issues, but all were quickly resolved by customer service. We haven't had too many dropped calls. There are a couple spots around here with weak signal, but not to bad. Plus, we get a discount through Phee's work.

I also have AT&T. Our house is an AT&T black hole. Voice services don't work well here. Although data does. I had a first generation iPhone, I thought AT&T sucked for the longest time because I could barely use the voice portion. Come to find out it was my iPhone. I recently upgraded (contract was up) to a BlackBerry Bold, and haven't had the same issues. Although I have had bad issues with their customer service. Took the BlackBerry into AT&T, the sales guy looked at it and said "it's broke" and handed it back to me. Refused to send it to tech. I took it back to Best Buy, where they called BlackBerry and found out it was a bad port in their outgoing server ... fixed it and it's worked really well ever since.

[Reaper]

I have had Sprint for a long time now, I think 8 or 9 years. The only complaint I have had with them was hearing the foreign voice that you could barely understand for customer service. Since then they have had a variety of customer service reps from other countries like Canada which made it a lot better. But I since I have been with them for a long time, I have nights and weekends starting at 7pm, $5 unlimited texting plan and 550 daytime minutes which I just use for my job only so I can write off all the bills on my taxes as an over the road expense. Since I drove all over the country they had the best signal, but unfortunately at home here, the signal sucks. Maybe a bar or two around the edges of the house or out in the driveway, but inside if I sit in my office a call can be dropped easily, so I have to stand near the windows or doors.