Cell Phone Service Question?

Grimster74

I'm currently a Sprint customer but my contract is over and I'm searching for a new service carrier. Verizon seems to be the best way to go for the family and I but DAMN, researching all the different carriers out there is a pain in the a$$. What is your thoughts on the different cell phone services out there. I know, all of them are just going to bend you over and charge you for everything they can but which cell carrier have you had the best luck with?

Rob

bobman1235

I have ATT, I know a lot of people have complaints about them but they've been good to me. I've been all over the country with no problems.

Verizon seems to be the best for coverage, but the way they cripple their phones REALLY bothers me. Like, disabling BLUETOOTH unless you pay, etc.

T-Mobile seems to be the best COMPANY to be with, but their coverage is sucky if you're not in a city.

Grimster74

bobman1235 wrote: »

T-Mobile seems to be the best COMPANY to be with, but their coverage is sucky if you're not in a city.

Thats exactly what has kept me from going with them.

devani

bobman1235 wrote: »

Verizon seems to be the best for coverage, but the way they cripple their phones REALLY bothers me. Like, disabling BLUETOOTH unless you pay, etc.

I am assuming DUN using bluetooth...I've been using it for the last year and there's a whole write up about it....you don't have to pay for it and as long as you use it and not abuse it, you should be fine

PhantomOG

I think he means file transfer using bluetooth.

bobman1235

Connecting to a PC via Bluetooth, not necessarily using it for dial-up, but just trying to download your contacts to your PC.

I hate the "I do it so it must be fine" game. This was a year and a half ago, maybe their policy changed, maybe it's different depending on where you live, maybe it depends on the phone. Regardless, they cripple their phones. They're famous for it.

millerman 3732

Grimster74 wrote: »

I'm currently a Sprint customer but my contract is over and I'm searching for a new service carrier. Verizon seems to be the best way to go for the family and I but DAMN, researching all the different carriers out there is a pain in the a$$. What is your thoughts on the different cell phone services out there. I know, all of them are just going to bend you over and charge you for everything they can but which cell carrier have you had the best luck with?

Rob

We where considering switching over to sprint after our ATT contract was up, what are you complaints out Sprint?

PhantomOG

I have verizon and love it, but I'm mostly into using my phone as a phone. I occasionally take pictures, and might load up a couple mp3s onto the microsd card and that's it.

If you want every new phone you get to look and feel completely different with a different OS/etc. then Verizon is definitely not for you.

Jstas

Been a Sprint customer since 1996. They ticked me off a few times but once I called and gave them hell over it, the problems were remedied pretty quickly. My plan is pretty inexpensive and I even get a loyal customer discount. I just picked up a BlackBerry from them last November and I priced out plans from other places and Sprint has the best plan. Coverage in my area is top notch and better than even Verizon in most places. They don't necessarily have a family plan like Verizon does but they have a multiple line plan for multiple cellphones that is very competitive. I'm also not restricted in what phones I can buy for that plan. If I have a BlackBerry and say my wife wants a Treo but the kids only need a basic phone, I can have them all on the plan and customize service for each individual phone too. I haven't seen the kind of flexibility in other plans.

The other thing I really like about Sprint is that my BlackBerry plan costs about $30 a month on top of my regular cellphone bill. Most other companies want $60 a month on top of the regular bill and they only give you about half of what you get with the Sprint plan. They have a few plans like that.

If I were you, I wouldn't even leave Sprint. If you go to a Sprint Store, they can give you a pretty in depth rundown of what the plans they offer are and where they compare to others.

Grimster74

millerman 3732 wrote: »

We where considering switching over to sprint after our ATT contract was up, what are you complaints out Sprint?

I just keep getting "Signal Failed" while on the phone. Alot of the placed the family and I spend time, we don't even get a signal. I'm sure it has alot to do with tree coverage and what not but we can't even make a call from inside our house, we have to walk outside just to get a signal. Overall, just not happy with the service anymore as well as alot of the people we talk with are on Verizon.

bobman1235

The other thing I really like about Sprint is that my BlackBerry plan costs about $30 a month on top of my regular cellphone bill. Most other companies want $60 a month on top of the regular bill and they only give you about half of what you get with the Sprint plan. They have a few plans like that.

Whaaa?? Who tried charging you sixty dollars? T-Mobile is twenty for unlimited internet and email service (a friend of mine got a Blackberry 2 weeks ago). I think ATT is 30. 60? Really?

candyliquor35m

Been with t-mobile since 2001. 3000 anytime minutes for $49 and that is still available. No long distance but who cares at that price. Actually I caught a special last year and now get free nationwide long distance as long as I'm calling from houston. Free base model nokia phone every year.

bobman1235

Wait, the concept of long distance still exists? I legitimately thought that had just gone away by now.

candyliquor35m

bobman1235 wrote: »

Wait, the concept of long distance still exists? I legitimately thought that had just gone away by now.

Yep we've been scammed all these years. If long distance is grande important then you can buy 99 minute phone cards at the 99 cent store for 99 cents.

devani

bobman1235 wrote: »

I hate the "I do it so it must be fine" game. This was a year and a half ago, maybe their policy changed, maybe it's different depending on where you live, maybe it depends on the phone. Regardless, they cripple their phones. They're famous for it.

if you have never downloaded contacts to a PC and never even tried it why even bother posting it??:(
contacts can be updated and downloaded to a computer using bluetooth. I use it on my phone, mother's phone,my wife's phone, and my mother-in-law phone as well...one month ago, we upgraded phones and added two more lines...so we have total of 5 lines to a family plan and that's the maximum number of family plan you can have....MY wife has the latest LG Juke phone and I have VX9800, my mother has cherry chocolate...:rolleyes:
not only that I added custom ringtones to each and everyone's phone using mp3 files...and background pictures...it's same as connecting bluetooth handfree device, if you know how to connect

Polk user

What service has the cheapest basic plan?

bigaudiofanatic

Verizon is what we have had now for a long time. We have had att, sprint, and cingular. They were terrable my mom uses it for work always on the run. So wee love verizon.

Jstas

bobman1235 wrote: »

Whaaa?? Who tried charging you sixty dollars? T-Mobile is twenty for unlimited internet and email service (a friend of mine got a Blackberry 2 weeks ago). I think ATT is 30. 60? Really?

Um, read my post again. I pay $30 a month for Sprint's unlimited plan which includes the email and internet access but also includes software update services, navigation services, map service, internet service, email service, instant messaging service, cellular broadband service and a bunch of other stuff. I'm also not limited to off-time usage. To get the same level of service and support, I'd be paying at least $50 a month and likely more from everyone else.

It might be different now but when I signed up, that's how it was. I'm in this contract for about 2 years now though. Doesn't matter, I'm quite happy with it. I have all kinds of software I downloaded including an Opera web browser, a version of OpenOffice and several games to occupy me.

Fireman32

I use AT&T and I love them. I hate Verizon as they screwed me over bad years ago. I think it all depends on the area you live in and which service has the best coverage.

Jstas

Fireman32 wrote: »

I think it all depends on the area you live in and which service has the best coverage.

DING! DING! DING!

MKZ

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This plan includes

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* Unlimited Picture Mail (with compatible devices)

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Plus 25% off employee discount. It depends on company you work for.

petrym

We've had Sprint for ten years since we moved to NE. The ony problem we've had was when our daughter's phone was stolen from her high school a couple years back - it took some 8 months with a call every month to their CS to remove the excess charges. Finally some guy down in their Geek Department assigned the number of the stolen phone to an unused/unbilled number, no more problems, and now the stolen phone is a paperweight or in a landfill.

We get coverage wherever we go - except analog roaming where the in-laws live in Boosdahooda AR -- where we don't want to answer the phone since we're on vacation anyway.

We likey Sprint.

dorokusai

bobman1235 wrote: »

I have ATT, I know a lot of people have complaints about them but they've been good to me. I've been all over the country with no problems.

Verizon seems to be the best for coverage, but the way they cripple their phones REALLY bothers me. Like, disabling BLUETOOTH unless you pay, etc.

T-Mobile seems to be the best COMPANY to be with, but their coverage is sucky if you're not in a city.

Where is that Verizon information from exactly? Bluetooth is a feature and has nothing to do with a plan or subsequent payment.

Verizon Wireless and Sprint provide the best coverage for your area Grimster, the rest is up to you.

heiney9

dorokusai wrote: »

Where is that Verizon information from exactly? Bluetooth is a feature and has nothing to do with a plan or subsequent payment.

What Verizon does in certain market for certain plans and phones (like the free phones) is limits features and makes you pay for them ala carte. Not sure if Bluetooth is among those features.

What can be done is your phone can be sent to several companies who you pay a nominal fee to and they will crack (enable) all the features the Model phone you have comes with from the factory. All completely safe and legal.

A friend of mine has the exact same model Razr as I do but we are on 2 different carriers and his phone has features mine doesn't have, not because they came from the factory that way but because of the way the 2 separate cell providers have the phones set-up differently.

Verizon typically does this on it's "free" phone plans. I'm sure other carrier's do it as well to some degree.

H9

tcrossma

My Treo 650 that I bought from Verizon about 2 years ago now has a crippled Bluetooth.

This is just from a quick random google search, but notice the "adding to their long list of crippled Bluetooth offerings" line...

http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20050404/122241.shtml

It doesn't bother me, and I like Verizon for my area as I get great coverage and I like the Family Share Plan, but I think that might have been what bob was talking about.

heiney9

For example-my friends Razr has the ring and vibrate feature. My phone (the exact same phone) only has settings for ring OR vibrate, NOT ring and vibrate. If I send the phone in to have it cracked then I would be able to have that feature on my phone.

My phone was free he paid like $29.95 for his phone. Again 2 different carrier's.

bobman1235

What heiney said. For some reason when I say things they come out argumentative and I didn't mean it that way. My friend was with Verizon, he bought a phone, and his bluetooth service was crippled. He was able to only do a specific set of things which were limited by Verizon, compared to the same model phone on a different service.

I don't know that you can pay to unlock these features through Verizon or not, all I know is that they were crippled.

This was a little over a year ago in the Boston area.

dorokusai

heiney9 wrote: »

What Verizon does in certain market for certain plans and phones (like the free phones) is limits features and makes you pay for them ala carte. Not sure if Bluetooth is among those features.

What can be done is your phone can be sent to several companies who you pay a nominal fee to and they will crack (enable) all the features the Model phone you have comes with from the factory. All completely safe and legal.

A friend of mine has the exact same model Razr as I do but we are on 2 different carriers and his phone has features mine doesn't have, not because they came from the factory that way but because of the way the 2 separate cell providers have the phones set-up differently.

Verizon typically does this on it's "free" phone plans. I'm sure other carrier's do it as well to some degree.

H9

No, Bluetooth isn't. I believe the confusion is with another feature, associated with Bluetooth capability. Who said it was illegal to enable all the features of a phone?

shawn474

Was a verizon customer for 9 years and finally got fed up with the BS that the company tries to get away with. They are blantant about it. It would take three pages just to explain the numerous run-ins I have had with them. The short of it was that I had to re-up my plan to get a new phone. I live in a pocket of analog signal towers. Bought a new phone and re-upped for 2 years. Couldn't get any service at or within about a mile from my house. Tried to explain and they charged me a 175 dollar termination fee and said that they can't provide ANY phone that can accept the analog signal as they have been phased out. Got the termination fee credited after 2 months of talking to management. Went with a Blackberry from AT&T and have had no issues with reception at all. I have had AT&T for the past year and a half and not one complaint. They were both family plans.

dorokusai

You don't live in a pocket of analog towers....fact. The coverage area at your location is excellent....fact. You received false information and that's a shame. As far as that phone goes, I'm not sure why that happened.

EDIT: The customer service personell should have been more responsive to your problem. F 'em....enjoy the AT&T phone.

heiney9

http://hacktherazr.com/

http://motov3m.com/tiki-index.php?page=SEEM

Here's a couple of DIY sites just after a very quick search.

And here's a great PCWorld article about how cell companies cripple phones.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,122094-page,7/article.html

These companies will unlock for a fee

http://www.bongowireless.com/catalog/81/Remote_Unlock_Services/

http://www.gsmlocker.com/

There are others as well, so there is an avenue whether it's you the user or someone with more knowledge.

H9