Cell Phone Service

[Brasilia Flyer]

Sprint now lets you roam off Verizon towers for free

You sure about that? Verizon is CDMA and I believe Sprint is GSM. Those two aren't compatible, are they?

 

[CrownandCoke]

I've had Verizon for 5 years. Many times have had a Captain with Sprint ask me to call the hotel because they don't get service. Also, the 25% discount can work with Verizon. Just tell them that you are getting a better offer from Sprint, and they will give it to you.

Their customer service is the best out of all the companies as well.

 

[Brasilia Flyer]

Verizon Wireless

Another vote here for Verizon. Never had a coverage problem. Ever. Their customer service is top notch also. Once, I called to ask about their family plan. I didn't sign up for anything, but the lady gave me a $50 credit anyway just in case I joined the family plan, to cover the cost of an upgraded phone.

I usually have the warm fuzzies after talking to those folks!

Also, if you do sign up, I love that Krazr K1M. Best phone I ever had.

 

[John Pennekamp]

You sure about that? Verizon is CDMA and I believe Sprint is GSM. Those two aren't compatible, are they?

Sprint/Nextel is CDMA. Cingular at&t is GSM. They chose GSM so they could brag that the phones work worldwide (if you can afford it).

I have a friend who works at the previous Bell South. She told me that when at&t came back in they threw out the industry leading policies and rolled the company back 30 years. They they put the "Death Star" on the top of the building. Sad, but predictable. And empire is resurected.

 

[CA1900]

You sure about that? Verizon is CDMA and I believe Sprint is GSM. Those two aren't compatible, are they?

The two technologies aren't, but Sprint is CDMA, as is Alltel, and there are roaming agreements between both of them and Verizon

Cingular/AT&T and T-Mobile are the big GSM carriers in the US.

 

[sweptback]

I guess the bottom line is look at who you call most. If they have Verizon, go with them. If they have Cingular, go with them. Stay away from Sprint/Nextel.

Bingo... that's the best advice. Having the best network in the world doesn't matter if you have to burn tons of minutes when you call your wife or family.

I've had Cingular forever. I agree that they don't care about you as a customer, but really what company does anymore? I've only had to call tech support a few times and they weren't much help, but they were at least nice. The rollover minutes help, although I just end up with a bank of 1000 of them or something. The coverage is fine -- I've never not had a signal, although there have been several times where the network is overloaded. I just wait a few minutes and then the call goes through.

One thing I'd recommend is to avoid the two-year contract. At least with Cingular (I assume with others as well), you can pay $50 more for the phone and only get a one-year contract. I've done that plenty of times. That way if you're phone breaks after 15 months, you're not stuck paying full price for a new phone. Avoid insurance too, as it's a ripoff. For the first year your phone is covered by the manufacturer's warranty, and after that you're on borrowed time anyway. You have to pay $50 to get a new phone under the insurance anyway (on top of everything you've paid every month), so why not just pay that up front and buy a new phone when it comes time?

 

[atlcrjdriver]

I've had cingular (the new ATT) for years up and down the east coast/mid west/Canada/Mexico/P.R. and the service has been great. Even in those whole in the wall towns you've probably never heard of. They also give airline employee discounts to union members:

www.unionplus.com

Computers and Tech banner

 

[purduej]

If you want a good phone cheap without having to sign the huge contract, try buying the phone on eBay. Quite a bit cheaper if you get a refurbed model. For GSM phones it's even better since all you do is swap SIM cards.

As for service, prior to moving to Chicago I had no problems with my service. This city is absolutely horrible for reception, I drop almost every call and frequently can't get a signal. Out at the airport there are no problems, but as soon as you get into one of the biggest cities in the US, there's no coverage. It's a known problem with Sprint. If you're staying domestic + Mexico and Canada, go with Verizon. Otherwise T-Mobile is supposed to be very good.

 

[tomgoodman]

Worth waiting for?

Apple is about to unveil the iphone (Cingular), which may cost $500 or thereabouts. It MIGHT just be that "all-in-one" device that has not yet appeared. http://www.apple.com/iphone/

 

[navigator72]

Cingular/ATT sucks, I have more dropped calls than I have ever had. I can understand if I am hiking in northern Maine but in Portland (Maine's largest city) It's ridiculous, the lousy signal I get. From the sounds of things, Verizon is the way to go.