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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.
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!
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
Well-known member
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- Jun 11, 2003
- Posts
- 616
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.
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.
jimEJet
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2002
- Posts
- 90
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.
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.
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English
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2001
- Posts
- 3,374
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.
AT&T is significantly better than Sprint in coverage, but Verizon is even better, at least in the places I travel.
KingAirGuy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2001
- Posts
- 52
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.
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
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- Nov 25, 2001
- Posts
- 3,254
huncowboy said:
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)
huncowboy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2003
- Posts
- 616
Falcon Capt said:
I have been using GSM from 1994 or 95 I think. When I came here I could not wait to jump back on it because the voice quality sucked. But now I have this feeling that GSM is still not ready, at least here in S FL.
The average lifetime of a phone is 1.5-2 years. May be I just got unlucky with T-mobile but my next phone will not be a GSM one. I will keep my T68i for travel just to be able to throw in a prepaid card. Probably in 2 years I will think agaion about going GSM...
Of course all this is very dependent on the spot you spend most of your time at.
AirBear8
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- Feb 8, 2004
- Posts
- 204
I've been using Sprint PCS for a few years. I can't say I'm totally happy with them, but the price is right. Service is ok for the most part. In the last year or two it's been very rare I didn't have a good signal. My biggest complaint is that voice-mails sometimes don't get delivered promptly, and that can be a problem if you're on reserve. But the delayed deliveries don't happen often enough to be a real problem.
I like Sprint's deal on the 2000 anytime minutes for $100/month. You get the 2nd phone sharing the minutes without paying the $20 fee. I added a 3rd phone for my stepdaughter so we pay $120 total to share the 2000 minutes. Plus we get unlimited Sprint to Sprint and of course nights and weekends. We don't even come close to using the 2000 minutes but with the free 2nd phone it's not worth it to downgrade plans.
I also use a Sprint PCS modem in my laptop. At $80/month for unlimited MB's it's very expensive, but the convenience is worth it to me. I can be sitting at the gate in the cockpit and get on-line to pull up METAR's and TAF's or check radar. With a good signal I can download at 18K/sec, 3 times faster than dialup. Ping times are not very good though, you could never do fast action on-line games. I don't have to worry about local phone charges at hotels. They do have cheaper plans with limited MB's, but as much as I use the laptop when on the road I'm probably better off with the unlimited plan. Today I had 4 hours to kill waiting for a flight. I sat at the gate area and got caught up on email and message boards. No way you can do that with dialup since most the payphones don't have jacks.
AirBear
I like Sprint's deal on the 2000 anytime minutes for $100/month. You get the 2nd phone sharing the minutes without paying the $20 fee. I added a 3rd phone for my stepdaughter so we pay $120 total to share the 2000 minutes. Plus we get unlimited Sprint to Sprint and of course nights and weekends. We don't even come close to using the 2000 minutes but with the free 2nd phone it's not worth it to downgrade plans.
I also use a Sprint PCS modem in my laptop. At $80/month for unlimited MB's it's very expensive, but the convenience is worth it to me. I can be sitting at the gate in the cockpit and get on-line to pull up METAR's and TAF's or check radar. With a good signal I can download at 18K/sec, 3 times faster than dialup. Ping times are not very good though, you could never do fast action on-line games. I don't have to worry about local phone charges at hotels. They do have cheaper plans with limited MB's, but as much as I use the laptop when on the road I'm probably better off with the unlimited plan. Today I had 4 hours to kill waiting for a flight. I sat at the gate area and got caught up on email and message boards. No way you can do that with dialup since most the payphones don't have jacks.
AirBear
AirBear8
Well-known member
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- Feb 8, 2004
- Posts
- 204
That sounds very nice!
I had the phone interview with JBLU back on 1-28 and still haven't heard anything good or bad. A JBLU pilot who's helping me ran into Dean and asked why it was taking so long for me to hear anything. Dean checked his laptop and couldn't find my name on either list, so I may have been "lost". If I had been given a "down" on the phone interview I should have heard within a day or two. Dean asked this pilot about me and I was given a very good verbal recomendation and Dean said that was good enough for him and he'd check and see why I hadn't heard anything yet. So I'm hopeful I'll hear something soon.
AirBear
I had the phone interview with JBLU back on 1-28 and still haven't heard anything good or bad. A JBLU pilot who's helping me ran into Dean and asked why it was taking so long for me to hear anything. Dean checked his laptop and couldn't find my name on either list, so I may have been "lost". If I had been given a "down" on the phone interview I should have heard within a day or two. Dean asked this pilot about me and I was given a very good verbal recomendation and Dean said that was good enough for him and he'd check and see why I hadn't heard anything yet. So I'm hopeful I'll hear something soon.
AirBear
PurpleTail
Is that RMB or USD???
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2001
- Posts
- 474
Thread Revival
Just thought I'd revive this thread now that Cingular and AT&T have fully integrated their networks.
Any new comments on Cingular vs. Verizon for coverage and/or service?
T-mobile seems terribly lacking in terms of coverage (although customer service has been spot-on) and I'm thinking of switching.
Just thought I'd revive this thread now that Cingular and AT&T have fully integrated their networks.
Any new comments on Cingular vs. Verizon for coverage and/or service?
T-mobile seems terribly lacking in terms of coverage (although customer service has been spot-on) and I'm thinking of switching.
Longhorn
Evil Genius
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2001
- Posts
- 1,294
I have Cingular. No problems at all. I have not used the phone or service in Florida but in the midwest and the west the reception is great. 2000 anytime min a month with unlimited N&W shared with my wife and unlimited text message service and we pay 99 a month. The nice thing is their roll-over service. If you only use 1000 of the 2000 min for one month, the next month you will have 3000 min. Rolls over on a rolling 12 month system.
EternalOptimist
Active member
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2003
- Posts
- 34
We have had AT&T (now Cingular) for several years now. My husband got the AT&T One-rate plan ($69.95/mo + taxes) because he needed to be able to get a signal (without being charged roaming fees) in Alaska - almost no one can give you the kind of deal we've got - we've called around because we think the actual quality of the calls is poor but we are living with it because of the great deal we're getting and we're just hoping things will improve with the Cingular network. We added a phone for me about 2 years ago but I only needed the National Plan ($34.99/mo + taxes). Since we signed up, we discovered that the airline my husband flies for has a special discount with AT&T/Cingular and we get a 5% discount on our entire phone bill because it's in his name plus something like 200 additional anytime minutes on each of our plans. Also, we've taken advantage of some promotions along the way so we both have unlimited nights/weekend minutes, free long distance, no roaming fees, free mobile to mobile minutes, and each of our plans have in excess of 700 anytime minutes included (I can't remember the exact # of minutes because we never use them all). Our bills used to be about $100/mo with the discount but our first bill after the AT&T/Cingular merger was $81. So it looks like we're getting a larger network, keeping all the perks from our current plans and our rates are being lowered. Check with your wireless company to find out if they have a discount available for employees of your airline. Also, we get a break whenever we buy new equipment because of the company discount.
ive had sprint here and lived in Chicago, NJ, Florida, and unfortunately cleveland. great service all over. the only place that was bad was Big Timber MT, and Piere S.D. Have a friend with AT&T and I laugh every time I try to talk to him because we get disconnected every time. Ive noticed the actual phone that you purchase can make a difference in signal strength.
Last edited:
Troy208
Well-known member
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- Mar 7, 2002
- Posts
- 71
If you travel internationally and you need a tri-band or quad band handset to work worldwide then GSM is right for you I would suggest T-Mobile hands down.
They have great customer support. I would suggest the moto v600 with bluetooth technology or anything Nokia.
If not, then Verizon. Although they operate on the CDMA platform as do Sprint. their customer service is top notch.
They have great customer support. I would suggest the moto v600 with bluetooth technology or anything Nokia.
If not, then Verizon. Although they operate on the CDMA platform as do Sprint. their customer service is top notch.
Dogwood
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- 346
dlredline said:AirBear,
We need to get you to JetBlue. You can sit in the cockpit and checkout the Weather Channel, download you stuff with a wireless card (at least at JFK), and save yourself $960/year.
Cool.
Red
So you can see the Wx Channel in the cockpit at JB? While Riding up to JFK from FLL for the interview, I thought that would be a good idea. I guess someone already thought of it.
Still waiting for the call (or, the DHL package)
Gulfstream 200
Database Expert
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- Jan 21, 2002
- Posts
- 4,574
Sprint sucks!!!!! Price is meaningless if it doesnt work...especially at your house. They brag about being 'strong' around interstates. I'm a 1/2 mile away and vary from zero to two bars, dropping or not getting calls all the time.
It took me over 9 months to convince them I had a problem. You see I couldn't have a problem b/c their chart says I'm in the middle of the dark green coverage band. Then after escalating through 3 layers of mgt. I was told that the contract does not actually guarantee that I would get service, only that they offer service. After 2 years of a 3 year contract they said I could send them $175 to get out of a service that didn't work 70% of the time (i.e. 95% at my house.) A national supe finally told me to **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** off, don't call back, and if I didn't like it to write a letter to their national headquarters, and ahh... did I mention, don't call back.
Everyone of them is terrible, the trick is finding the least terrible. (Unfortunately, there is a great deal of similarity between the cell phone industry and the airline industry.)
It took me over 9 months to convince them I had a problem. You see I couldn't have a problem b/c their chart says I'm in the middle of the dark green coverage band. Then after escalating through 3 layers of mgt. I was told that the contract does not actually guarantee that I would get service, only that they offer service. After 2 years of a 3 year contract they said I could send them $175 to get out of a service that didn't work 70% of the time (i.e. 95% at my house.) A national supe finally told me to **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** off, don't call back, and if I didn't like it to write a letter to their national headquarters, and ahh... did I mention, don't call back.
Everyone of them is terrible, the trick is finding the least terrible. (Unfortunately, there is a great deal of similarity between the cell phone industry and the airline industry.)
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