What service provider do you use? What monthly payment plan are you under? I am currently using a 200 minutes/month Verizon plan, but I'm looking for something new with a vast increase in minutes, roaming, and free nights. What would one recommend and how much would I be looking at?
Im under Tmobile right now, but as soon as the contract is up, Im hitting up AT&T. IMO, they have the best combination of service, minutes, and prices.
The thing is that when you give up Verizon, you trade coverage for minutes. Verizon has the best coverage by far, so they shortchange you on minutes. I use Cingular, which is the best one for the city I live in. VoiceStream, aka T-Mobile. sucks.
I use AT&T and get 900 anytime mins for $49 a month. I have been relatively happy with them, yet, I have a hard time getting a decent signal in various suburbs around Houston.
Had an OK deal with ATT via Apple but when I moved to Spring I couldn't egt any signal. T-Mobile works much better, I have 600 Nationwide with unlimited nights (after 9 cst) and weekends for 39.99 a month. I never even come close to running out of minutes. Plus internet on my T68i for 2.99a month let's me check scores, email, etc. I'm really happy with the service too. My phone had an issue about a montha nd a half after I got it and they sent me a new one the next day. ATT were buttholes when I wanted to change my number from 512 to 832 or 281 (wanted me to sign another contract) and even bigger buttholes when I said that Icouldn't use their phone from home anymore. The reps reply was "Well how often do you use your cell phone from home anyway?" Gimme a break.
I've used basically every damn service. Nextel, Sprint, Voicestream, Verizon, and Cingular. And Verizon by far has the best reception and service. Right now though I have T-Mobile. Its better then I thougt it would be and I got a bad ass picture and email phone for FREE!
The only problem i have with Tmobile is that I get very little reception at home. Other than that, its fine. But it gets annoying.
If you don't need to use the phone that often, go for the $29.99/month plan of Verizon Wireless. They give you 300 peak mins and 1000 offpeak mins. You will also get a decent Motorola V-class web-ready phone free. No activation fee if you sign a 2-years contract. I think it's a pretty good deal. And like what Behad says, Verizon has the best coverage.
I have a Cingular plan....preferred nationwide, 500 anytime and 3000 night/weekend minutes. It's $49.95/mo, but I also have the wireless internet and text messaging features enabled. Along with my new color phone, which was only $80 after rebate, it's one sweet deal. My family uses T-Mobile, and they are slow on repairs & the reception and phones aren't great. I do know a lot of people who are happy with Verizon, though.
Well I just got myself a cellphone (read sig) and it's AWESOME!!! I use Cingular and have a statewide plan because the nationwide was very 'spotty' according to the salesperson. So roaming would be very common. Instead, I got a guaranteed statewide no roaming for $39/month (closer to $50 after tax). Sure it's overpriced and a rip off, but it was the cheapest one with voicemail! It also has Rollover minutes. Daytime: 400, 5000 nights and weekends. I think I'll go down to 300 next month. If I were to go for the 300, however, I could only call from my region without being charged roaming at $.45 per minute. This is as opposed to statewide. It's very confusing, and Cingular doesn't deserve the money, but whatever. I wish I had my Mom and my brother's plan which is 250 anytime + 3500 nights and weekends, no roaming. It was limited time only, so they were losing money and stopped offering it . Well I have 2 stories. First is regarding my brother and his phone. Since the plan was offered here, it's on Central time. Well, he took it to DC and started making calls (for what he thought were nights minutes) at 9. Well the plan clearly states 9, but it also clearly states Central time. Sooo... He was charging calls from his 250 daytime. Well I had repeatedly told him to check the website or call them up if he was ever curious about how many minutes he had left. He never did. He ended up using 669 of his 250 available minutes. So let's do the math: That's 419 EXTRA minutes at $.45 per minute......equals....$188.55!!! Well, he should pay for it. Okay, the second story regards the new cell phone I got. Well, I wanted to know how many minutes I had left, and had looked online and called up for the past week. Finally, I called after not being able to access the account, thinking it would take at least a few weeks for it to register. Well... Turns out, it should have been registered already and working fine. But when the Cingular guy tried to access the information, he asked if it was in the same account name, which I told the salesperson to put it under. It wasn't. He then went, and I quote, "Holy cow; I've never seen this before! Let me put you on hold." So, 5 pleasantly delightful minutes later, filled with Cingular propaganda, the guy came back, saying that it had been registered to some woman in Ralph, AL which is in the same rate area. I couldn't pinpoint it on a map, but I'm sure it's there, somewhere. Anyway, he eventually stated that since the service was so new, he was unable to switch over service (you could bet I was disappointed). So technically I am not paying anything until I tell them to switch over service...or until this woman doesn't like paying for me. It either happened that the salesperson had the wrong account open or it was a clerical error of somesort. So he tells me to call back next time a bill comes. Now I have to decide if I really want to call them . It would be great if I don't have to pay for the first month!
I have Aerial/Voicestream/T-Mobile and have been using them for the past 3 years. Love there service and their Customer Service is top notch. There site is improving at the moment where I can see how many mins I have used, how much MB i have left for Internet service, and text messages I have recieved. Here is the breakdown of my plan $39.99 for 600 anytime mins with free nights (after 9pm) and weekends, free NATIONWIDE roaming/long distance $2.99 for 1MB of surfing (i hear its like $5-10 w/ At&T) $2.99 for 500 Text messages which I use mostly for AIM (for AT&T i hear its like 100 for $3) For a total of about $53 a month after taxes. I think its a kickass deal and have been over my mins only once. Even their Customer Service kicks ass. I had the old Nokia 5190 back in the days, and they sent me replacements twice when I had problems with it, no questions asked. I have the Samsung S105, paid a buttload for it, but well worth it for a color flip phone.
I have Sprint, too, but it actually works quite well for me. I was looking at Verizon since they are my local phone company and DSL provider, but when I was getting a phone, they didn't have coverage in Amarillo, where I do spend many weekends. They do have a plan that covers it now.
I have Sprint and love their service. I have crystal clear reception, don't drop calls and do not go on roaming. My plan includes 1000 anytime minutes, unlimited nights, weekends & Sprint PCS to PCS calls for about $95 total.
Some (most) companies changed their service plans for whatever reason. So, 9 PM is officially nights, BUT you can pay more (about $7/month) for it to start at 7. Night hours are 9 (or 7)PM until 7 AM.
Yes, sprint offers the same thing, but did they tell you its only free roaming ONLY on their network or preferred networks? Verizon is the only company that has any true coverage and in my opinion, probably the best company out there overall. The cellphone market is going to face some major changes here in the next few years. The market is so saturated with cellphones that only two things are going to matter: Customer service and coverage. Verizon is ****ed. Plain and simple. Right now they have the leading edge technology, but Cingular is quickly adapting to internation standards. T-mobile/att&t have old technology. Sprint screwed themselves with the PCS ... get technology, but unfortuately its not catching on. Right now I am with Alltel, who have a roaming agreements with Verizon, so therefore, together they can provide that much coverage. Right now at the peak of competion, i can get the following minutes: 1000 Local minutes (Entire N/S carolina) 100 total freedom (if i can pull a tower from any carrier, i have 100 free roaming minutes) Unlimited nights/we's Unlimited mobile2Mobile (great for those family plans) Unlimited long distance no act fee $39.95 Personally, all cellphones suck. If it isn't crappy customer service, then you have crappy coverage. I can't wait for the true wireless networking from cellphones to come about with broadband speeds.
