Cell phone

Meka · Meka's Garage

Anyone have a cell phone company they are happy with? My current provider over charges me about $30 every month for calls I make over the state line. Have not been over the state line in three years. Also the service stinks. Can you recommend a cell phone company?

gassy · 07-20-2005, 12:44 PM

T mobile. Very happy

legion · 07-20-2005, 12:46 PM

I've never had problems with Nextel. They are pricey, but I consider not having to sit on hold for up to two hours at least once a month only to be lied to, passed to another department (which I would have to dial separately and begin the hold process again), or told that nothing could be done for me worth the price. I had Worldcom and Cingular before.

HardDrive · 07-20-2005, 12:50 PM

As above. T Mobile. Happy thus far. We were charged an activation fee that we were not told about, but that has been the only negative thus far. I was with Sprint for 5 years. Their customer service blows, and we kept getting extra charges on our bill.

RallyJon · 07-20-2005, 01:16 PM

Depends so much on your region. Here in the mid-Atlantic, Verizon has far and away the best coverage. Too bad they have such lame phones.

strother · 07-20-2005, 01:16 PM

T Mobile. Good customer service.

FrayAdjacent911 · 07-20-2005, 01:49 PM

I'm on Cingular and don't have problems. I've travelled to Hawaii, Oregon and a few other places and didn't have problems with coverage.

You can get a plan for $39.99 for 1000 anytime minutes, unlimited night and weekend, nationwide long distance (call TO anywhere FROM anywhere, no extra charges) and rollover.

The only beef I have is signal in my apartment is sometimes weak. I'd love it if I had full-on signal at home.

**

You could ask around, you know, friends, coworkers, complete strangers... Ask them what they use, what they pay, and how the coverage is.

stomachmonkey · 07-20-2005, 02:30 PM

In NY, around here Cingular sucks.

Wife has T-Mobile and no complaints but then again she is not a power user.

Scott

jyl · jyl's Garage

Coverage varies so much by provider and by location. Best to ask friends, neighbors, co-workers about the signal they get in the places that you travel, how often they get dropped, etc.

Then when you've decided on a carrier, have someone with that carrier (and a reasonably new phone) come to your house or workplace so you can verify they get a signal. It's that localized. Where I live, I can lose the signal on one block and have 5 bars on all the surround blocks. It'd be a bummer to find out your home is in one of those mini-dead-zones.

There are some websites where people report this stuff but don't know how much data they'd have for Modesto.

In general, Verizon seems to have the best coverage (says Consumer Reports) and I've found that to be the case where I live too, but it may be totally different in your neighborhood.

You might also look into analog capability, if you go into the Sierras or otherwise leave civilization a lot. I'm guessing that fewer and fewer phones offer it now.

erics944 · 07-20-2005, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jyl
Coverage varies so much by provider and by location. Best to ask friends, neighbors, co-workers about the signal they get in the places that you travel, how often they get dropped, etc.

Then when you've decided on a carrier, have someone with that carrier (and a reasonably new phone) come to your house or workplace so you can verify they get a signal. It's that localized. Where I live, I can lose the signal on one block and have 5 bars on all the surround blocks. It'd be a bummer to find out your home is in one of those mini-dead-zones.

There are some websites where people report this stuff but don't know how much data they'd have for Modesto.

In general, Verizon seems to have the best coverage (says Consumer Reports) and I've found that to be the case where I live too, but it may be totally different in your neighborhood.

You might also look into analog capability, if you go into the Sierras or otherwise leave civilization a lot. I'm guessing that fewer and fewer phones offer it now.

You hit it on the head. I have cingular, and if I travel 10 to 20 min. west I lose my signal. But I get a full signal 3.5 hrs away at my parents cottage. Ask people local to you about their service, then decide.

targa911S · 07-21-2005, 04:31 AM

verizon, 8 years no problems, great coverage.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

If you travel overseas, you must get a GSM phone, which means T-Mobile or Cingular.

I had Cingular for several years and only one overcharge problem. I fixed it by calling an advocacy group in San Diego.

I switched to T-mobile when we moved to Texas, because Cingular charges $45 for all you can eat internet while T-Mobile charges $20.

Remember, roaming depends on which signal is strongest in an area and if it is over the line, it's over the line. While on Pt. Loma in San Diego, I had a TelCel connection (Mexican Cell service). If I had made a call, I would have been charged $5+/min.