OT: Cell phone service providers??

So I am leaving Verizon after 3+ years of service. I'm tired of the terrible service, the frequent dead spots in reception, and bad phones. I'm leaning towards T-Mobile. So please give me all your experiences with your cell phone service provider. I don't another 1-2 years of unhappy customer-ship! HELP! And thanks!

Thu. May 4, 6:54pm

I adore Verizon...never had any problems but know tons w/ problems with TMobile...maybe Cingular or Nextel?

Thursday, May 04, 2006, 7:10 PM

Verizon has the best network out there. Their prices are not so good, most cellphone service is sub-par. I am now on Sprint and am planning on switching back.

Thursday, May 04, 2006, 7:29 PM

Funny, I too adore Verizon. In fact I switched to it after leaving the old AT&T which is now Cingular. I would suggest asking friends, neighbors and coworkers what they have, as they'll be in your service area and will have the best advice as to real time network coverage, etc.

Thursday, May 04, 2006, 7:30 PM

Verizon is the only company we would get decent service in. We think it's great. Sorry to not help!!!!

Thursday, May 04, 2006, 8:21 PM

Whatever you do...

DO NOT go with Sprint. Thanks to them, I now understand why people "go postal." HORRIBLE, TREMEMDOUSLY HORRIBLE service. Now let me tell you how I really feel...

Thursday, May 04, 2006, 8:54 PM

I guess it depends on where you live. I have had Verizon for over 6 years and have not had service problems only problems with their customer service reps not being helpful.

Thursday, May 04, 2006, 9:20 PM

I too have found Verizon the be the only consistently reliable service in the Baltimore-DC area. (I have been annoyed with their customer service too!)

Thursday, May 04, 2006, 9:23 PM

No carrier is the best in all areas. They all have places with coverage problems. You just have to find out what works for your usage pattern.
Disclaimer: my employer is one of the companies mentioned. I don't work in the cell phone part of the business myself though. I use my employer's service because it works well around here, but if it didn't, I'd get something else instead.

Friday, May 05, 2006, 12:13 AM

i agree it all depends on where you live. in michigan alltell gets great service but verizon works pretty well too. my advice- go to multiple companies and ask for a map of their coverage zones, then compare and decide which is best for your area. good luck!

Friday, May 05, 2006, 2:16 AM

Hi, OP here. Thanks for all the responses. I am in the Denver-metro area and am talking to people here about their reception/coverage/network, etc...but was wanting to get a better idea of others' experience with their providers and their customer service experience, the quality of phones provided by thier service, and just overall satisfaction. And how interesting to see a range of experience with Verizon. Several people I know in my area have also had horrible experiences with Verizon. Thanks for the input, I would especially love to hear from people who have T-Mobile, as I'm leaning that way. Thanks!

Friday, May 05, 2006, 10:37 AM

I had t-mobile in the past. Great rate plans compared to Verizon but the service dropped calls when I went over bridges and in certain areas. I am not in the Denver area though, it may be better there.

Friday, May 05, 2006, 12:31 PM

i love verizon too! i've heard so many bad things about other branches. Then only bad thing i would have to say about verizon is that their phones aren't as cute at cingular. But other than that the service is great i think!

Friday, May 05, 2006, 3:47 PM

Here in NY, VZ is the best among all. According to this forum it's #1 everywhere else as well http://forums.wirelessadvisor.com/western-us-wireless-forum/14295-best-coverage-and-service.html

If i were you, I'd call their customer service, or better yet sales and tell them that you're thinking of switching because of the problems. They should tell you on their current expansion and improvement plans and the timeframe when you should anticipate improvements. Ask them for a better deal or a freebie, if they're really committed to keep you as a customer.

Link

Friday, May 05, 2006, 4:11 PM

Do you consistently update towers? There is a special number you can call that will update your phone service. Go to the store and get help to make sure your phone is in the best shape it can be. I have family in ND, WA, SD, OH and NV and we all have Verizon and it's all been good!!

Friday, May 05, 2006, 4:16 PM

boston service

i loooooove t-mobile in boston. even has service underground. HATEHATEHATE sprint which is what i have now. boooo sprint.

Sunday, May 07, 2006, 10:04 AM

My 2 cents (and maybe a little more)

Coverage is definitely a location issue.
As far as customer service I have had overall good service from Cingular. My only complaint is waiting too long when you call customer service. It seems like they're always "experiencing an abnormaly high rate of calls". If it's always happening doesn't that make it a normally high rate of calls? But it really is good service othe than that.

A few weeks ago I went into one of their stores to buy a hands free for my phone, but the store didn't have it. The store manager ordered it, there was a shipping problem, etc. and it ended up taking 3 weeks for me to get the ear piece, but the manager kept me updated and even offered me a choice of 15% off the earpiece or the new contract discount on a new phone.

My boyfriend has Sprint, and I think their customer service is horrible. He has had a few times when his bill didn't arrive until after the past due date and they charged him the late fee even though he hadn't received his bill. They also charge you to pay your bill in their stores if you choose to do that.

A few weeks ago we went into one of their stores to buy a new phone for him. He should have been eligible for the new contract phone discount, but they tried to say he wasn't because he had connected one of his old phones to the account when he broke the phone they had given him. They said the discount is 2 years from the time you've had 1 phone on the service. They only gave him the discount when he threatened to move his phone to another carrier. I wish he would have switched. The funny thing was that they then tried to convince me to take a line out on his account so that we could save money. It was hard not to laugh. I thought, after we had to fight with you for 30 min. just to get a phone? Yeah right!

Sunday, May 07, 2006, 2:01 PM

i've had tmobile for 3 years . . . and at first i was not a big fan because i had really bad reception/sound quality, but it turns out that was the phone i had at the time and where i was living . . . i have a different phone and my reception is sooooo much better!!!!! one reason i like them is that their contracts are only for 1 year rather than two (most other companies require two years!)-so if you are unhappy, you can get out a little easier. Also, you aren't "locked" in to your phone since you use a "sim" card . . .you can buy any phone you want that is compatible and just switch your card and it will work. their customer service isn't bad either. go to different stores for the different carriers and explain how you have been unhappy with your current provider-most will try to give you incentives to switch to them . . see who has the best deal and the best contract!

Sunday, May 07, 2006, 7:30 PM

I have Cingular and I like it enough not to switch, but not enough to rave to others. It's fine for me.

I'd recommend going into the stores of all of the major brands and getting coverage maps, and looking at where you normally go. See which carrier has the most coverage in your area.

Sunday, May 07, 2006, 8:22 PM

Hey has anyone heard of "metro PCS?"

I keep hearing ads that they offer unlimited service for about $40 a month-- no down time, no worries about when you call, no service contract--and good in the continental US.

I'd be interested in hearing what others think about them--since My hubby &I don't have a cell phone, but in view of the fact that payphones are a quickly disappearing species, we may be forced to get one down the road...

Sunday, May 07, 2006, 11:50 PM

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