Cell Phone Plans

Kluden · Post by **Kluden** » May 16, 2007, 8:21 am

Looking for a new phone and provider...but need some input on the different options out there.

If you all could be so kind, please to be providing pros and cons for your provider, and what they charge "extra" for each month that you didn't realize they would till you saw that bill!

thanks

Waran · Post by **Waran** » May 16, 2007, 7:49 pm

Been with Sprint for about 10 years now and can say nothing but the best things, as far as my area is concerned signal wise. That and driving highway has been smooth sailing for signal.

That's really what it comes down to, that and more minutes for your buck. Several providers will let you try the phone out and backout without getting stuck with a multiyear contract. So be clear with the return timeframes for the service/phone.

Activation fees, text messaging if not included in your plan, and lots and lots of taxes are definitely going to be on there. I have a $30 plan and typically pay $10ish in taxes for my area. I don't have a text messaging plan on my phone and pay .10/message. It adds up

Who do you talk to the most on your phone? What providers do they have? Sprint to Sprint customers per month is about $5 per month, but there are others that are beginning the Alltel "Circle" style plan where you can choose your limited number free phone call numbers.

To get the best sweetest deal on your phone (As in reduced price for activation), the clerk will want you to lock yourself into a 2 year contract. I would imagine that the other providers out there would do the same thing, so be prepared to spend more initially if you want to only be theirs for a year.

Hope this helps. I used to sell Sprint for several years before leaving retail. If you have any other questions, shoot me a PM bud

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » May 16, 2007, 8:00 pm

Been with Sprint at least 10 years. No problems here. All depends on whether you get a good signal from work/home and on your typical driving routes.

Sprint gave me $100 plus the usual $150.00 every 18 months to sign up for another 2 year contract so I did. The $250.00 will pay for my next phone.

I just sign up for the cheapest "free and clear" plan that allows you to call anywhere in the states with your minutes with free evenings and weekends. If you go over your allotted minutes for the month, you're not screwed, they just bump you up into the next +$5 minute category instead of charging you some crazy per minute penalty.

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » May 17, 2007, 12:20 am

Verizon. Had them for about 5 years and absolutely love it. Never a billing issue, never a reception problem, and customer service is top notch. I think they also have the coolest phones as well, but I'm a sucker for LG's. And their smart phone line (blackberry's and what nots) is excellent. I am actually thinking about upgrading to a Treo this summer when I get my new every two.

The one thing that would put them above everyone else in my eyes is that you don't need to get insurance on your phone. If it's broken (barring water damage) you can get your phone replaced for 70 bucks. Also, though it's not as steady as I would like, if you go paperless, they have a text messaging system that sends out your bill for easy payments. Considering I check my mail 4 times a year (literally), that's a huge plus for me.

Plans are pretty comparable no matter who you go with, so I'm not going into that, and honestly the phones are up to you, though I favor Verizon above the other ones. I've never recieved any charges that weren't warranted. I did get a disconnect fee once, but it was taken off with minimal argument. Again, I can't say enough about their customer service. Packages for extras are all pretty reasonable and cheap. I think I have 1000 texts for like 10 bucks a month, and I also have VCast/unlimited internet for 15 bucks, but that's all optional, of course.

As for the cons, as mentioned earlier, that text message system for paying my bill has started becoming more irregular which is a cramp in my style, but nothing major. I live in a big city, so a lot of minor gripes about service or dropped calls or whatever doesn't really effect me. The major con for me at least is the region setup they have. Verizon split the US into 4 'regions' which for some dumbass reason can't really interact with each other. I used to live in NC and when I moved back to Ohio I didn't bother changing my number out of apathy and couldn't get a new phone from a store here. I had to order online or over the phone. I also had some static trying to pay a bill at an Ohio location, but a phone call took care of that. Since I only get new phones every two years and never pay my bill at the store, this con doesn't bother me much at all.

Oh, and for what counts, I was making phone calls regularly, and easily after the OSU/UM game when all carriers (including verizon) were down from a tower overload. (ask sylvus!)

Kluden · Post by **Kluden** » May 17, 2007, 9:31 am

Alltel was the first place I looked...and for some ungodly reason, they do not offer service in the washington dc area.

Sprint is out here...talked with a number of fellow employees who have personal phones with sprint, and they say the amount of dead zones and dropped calls are ridiculous. From what they all have said, I would say they have a greater than 20% call fail rate.

My work phone is a nextel...and the signal is terrible. It drops calls and fades calls nonstop. I would say on a rate greater than 40%. So I think based on those two things, Sprint/Nextel are out.

Anyone here have a Helio?

edit: Oh, and thanks so far for the input!!

Morgrym · Post by **Morgrym** » May 17, 2007, 10:00 am

I have Alltel and dig it. With all of the numbers you can add to your "circle" you hardly ever touch your minutes. I don't have text service or internet service as they are largly useless to me so I can't comment on that. I have never had a dropped call and can get service pretty much anywhere. I travel to DC quite frequently on business and have never had a problem sharing a tower there. Yeah, it's "roaming" but it's not a roaming area and is still covered in my plan. I will probably bump it up to nation wide coverage in a few months due to more travel coming up but I don't see where there will be an issue.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » May 17, 2007, 11:02 am

You know, a new thread of this nature pops up every couple of months and it seems like the same conclusion is always reached:

Talk to people in your area, find out which company has better coverage where you live - and then buy the phone from said company that best fits your needs. They all have all the same bullshit fines and fees that they add on to your bill every month, at least in my experience.

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » May 17, 2007, 3:45 pm

I had Alltel and it blew. I dropped them and went to Verizon. Dropped calls weren't an issue unless you were out of your roaming area, then god knows what could happen. My phone flat out stopped working due to some rod in the phone being bent. With a single scratch on the caller id screen (from a key or coin or something) they were able to rule it out to physical damage incurring a $325 fee to fix it, even though I bought the phone 3 months prior. I opted instead for the $254 fee to break my contract.

Though, that was my experience. My brother loves his alltel phone.