wireless

[Cyclone]

Anyone have any knowledge or opinions on the best wireless service to go with. Others we should avoid at all costs? Need two phones (one for me and one for spouse). Need coverage in Texas, California, Florida, and the East Coast.



Thanks for your inputs!

-Cyclone

 

[SNIZ]

I just went with ATT Wireless recently. I had Sprint PCS. Right now, ATT has good deal on two phones. I went with the $39.99 plan and it includes 1000 wireless to wireless minutes plus 350 anytime minutes and the stnd unlimited weekend numbs. They also had a 15% military discount. On recent rip to DFW, had a signal in places my Sprint phone didn't.

 

[SWAdude]

Verizon...hands down...did a personal survey and they were the best...second to none.

SWAdude

 

[Snoopy58]

You've probably seen that AT&T Wireless in being bought out by Cingular...dunno how that will play out, but worth asking questions. I've had AT&T service & generally pretty happy with it, and I go all the places you mentioned. Nothing's perfect, but AT&T is pretty good. Recommended.

Verizon, on the other hand, was a serious problem... no experience with their wireLESS service, but for WIRED phone service, they had some of the worst customer service I've ever encountered, anywhere. Definitely NOT recommended!

 

[huncowboy]

My experience is that AT&T is bad in S Florida and so is T-mobile. At least in the South Palm Beach and North Broward areas they are terrible.

I hear good things about Cingular especially if you buy a phone that is GSM and TDMA capable. I am thinking of switching to Cingular but I just don't see them offering a single attractive phone that is also affordable. BTW I think Cingular bought At&T wireless so who knows where this will lead to. Go figure.

 

[SWAdude]

I only have the wireless verizon and my experience with their customer service has been very good. Others I have talked to have experienced the same. Their coverage is better than the other companies.

SWAdude

 

[jimEJet]

VERIZON HAS BEEN THE BEST FOR ME

I lived in the south and on the east coast and most recently in the midwest and Sprint was horrible. The customer service was atrocious. They would actually get into arguments on the phone with you if they didn't agree with you. In order to get a charged reversed you would have to call a million times and everytime wait ten minutes to reach a rep, however. By far, if economics is the primary consideration, then Sprint has the best rates. Sprint has several dead spots in the US and at least one out of five calls would be dropped. Just a huge disappointment to me.

Verizon has been the best thing I've had yet. The prices are on the upper end, only second to AT&T. The coverage is supurb. I think in the last year I've had about five dropped calls.

Had about four roam calls show up on my invoice and the immediately reversed the charges. No questions asked. All in all it's been a pleasant experience. I have a 1500 min anytime. America's Choice Plan. 1000 Verizon to Verizon Free minutes and unlimited nights and weekends. Price $99.

Oh, by the way, not sure if this is important, I landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico and those calls were not roam calls either.

Consumer Reoprts rates Verizon number one and Sprint dead last if that means anything to you?

Here's an artical about it, I know it's local Ca, however. Consumer Reports did a nation wide survey and Verizon was on top.


Consumer Reports Rates Cell Phone Carriers
Mobile Carriers In The Bay Area From Best To Worst

POSTED: 10:55 p.m. PST February 20, 2003

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A recent survey ranked mobile phone carriers in the Bay Area from best to worst, and the findings may surprise you.

NBC11's Brad Hicks reports on cell phone services that may bother some of you, but can't live without.

So Consumer Reports set out to see which company is the best and the worst.

"One out of three, 33 percent of those surveyed said they're thinking of changing their service because they're dissatisfied," said Jim Guest, a Consumer Reports publisher.

Guest speaks from experience. "In my last apartment in the middle of Manhattan, I couldn't connect half the time from the living room," Guest said.

He's one of thousands of callers disappointed with their service according to a recent poll for Consumer Reports.

Here is how cell phone service carriers ranked in satisfaction rating from best to worst:

Verizon 70

AT&T 68

Sprint PCS 61

Cingular 54


But being top dog in the wireless field is nothing to brag about, Hicks said.

"Basically the consumers aren't particularly happy with any of the options they have," Guest said.

Often those options leave callers paying top dollar for bottom rung service. The top complaints are lousy coverage, hidden costs and poor customer service.

"I don't know how many people I've talked to -- starting with my wife, saying they've been frustrated with attempts to reach their cellular carrier to get an explanation of what's going on, much less a resolution," said Carl Wood, the P.U.C. commissioner.

Now state and consumer groups are working to tip the balance for the consumer.

"You expect that when you go to the produce stand that the weights and measure will be accurate, you don't have to worry about a thumb on the scale, same thing with telecommunication and that isn't the situation right now," Wood said.

The P.U.C. will vote soon on new rules for the cell phone companies to give you clear information about the different plans.

Until then, remember to always read the fine print before you lock into a service contract, Hicks said.

 

[English]

I just dropped AT&T after having been with them for 7 years. I went to Verizon and so far I'm thrilled in the difference in price and the coverage. With AT&T I used to get dropped calls all the time through California. Coverage was spotty and the customer service was the worst. I went with Verizon two weeks ago based on some J.D. Powers customer satisfaction reviews as well as some articles by Consumer Reports. I now spent HALF the price for the same use time. I use the phone all over the country including Hawaii. I haven't had a dropped call yet, and I haven't said "can you hear me now?" in two weeks.

AT&T is significantly better than Sprint in coverage, but Verizon is even better, at least in the places I travel.

 

[KingAirGuy]

Wireless

I got my 1st cell phone about 97 . I was with a company called Powertell. Their national coverage sucked! But they got bought out by someone, who in turn got bought out by T-Moble. The big bonus to me is I am still under my original plan. No Roaming no long distance. I have boosted the plan up and have 3 phones on it (My wife and son) 1400 any time minu and free from Midnight Friday until Midnight Sunday. No charge to any of the phones on the plan. $100.00 a month. Also I am on a onth to month plan, no contract. If I find something better I might bail, but doubtful I will.

 

[banned username 2]

I hear good things about Cingular especially if you buy a phone that is GSM and TDMA capable.

Cingular is migrating to 100% GSM within 12 months... TDMA will become a thing of the past with them... Cingular has about the best GSM coverage in the country...

I just got my wife a Motorola V400 (Quad-Band GSM) phone from Cingular, the sound quality and call stability is the best I have ever seem. Gsm is the wave of the future (This phone will work virtually anywhere in the world also, because most of the rest of the world already used GSM)