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Dec 03, 2008 -- Consumer Reports on the best and worst cell carriers
Clark wants to unveil the results of Consumer Reports' annual survey of the cell phone industry -- just in time for the flurry of activity in December and January when people switch carriers.
We get so many complaints about the nation's cell phone companies. It used to be that our complaints were all about cable, cable, cable. But recent customer satisfaction surveys from the University of Michigan find the cable and cell phone industries neck-in-neck at the bottom of the heap.
Cable providers are monopolies so it's natural for them to specialize in customer no service. But what gives in the cell phone world -- where you have multiple players competing for your business?
Sprint is again rated the lowest on customer satisfaction, dropped calls and customer service. Yet the new survey also finds that middle-of-the-pack AT&T has dropped to low Sprint-like levels for the first time when it comes to customer service.
In another surprise, Alltel has been singled out for great rates and customer service. However, Alltel is only available in certain areas for about 60 million Americans.
T-Mobile holds steady with good customer service and very competitive rates among the national players. And Verizon continues to be the best overall company, but they're very expensive.
Are you in a non-Alltel area and looking for a compromise? Clark suggests T-Mobile -- the only carrier that will work with the Google Phone.
Unfortunately, Clark won't be able to answer any questions submitted via commenting. If you have a question, please try posting it to our message boards.
I have been with Cingular (AT&T) for a dozen years or more. I bought a Blackberry Bold from them about 9 months ago. The Bold has been a source of one problem after another. They will not fix it to my satisfaction or upgrade without full retail replacement. They told me that if I exchanged the bold "3 or 4 times" that cs would probably allow me to upgrade to an IPhone for about $100. Repairs require a time consuming exchange procedure or a trip from Atlanta to Marietta. They will not effect the repair at the Atlantic Station site where they receive my money.
HATE Sprint
You'd think it would have been easy to just update to a Family Plan on one account if two Sprint users got married, but N-o-o. Sprint Shackled us into yet another overpriced two year contract, and I've been counting the days until we can get to a 'no contract, pay as you go plan'. In this economy, if any company deserves to be put out of business, it's Sprint.
T-Mobile is a crooked phone company
T-Mobile is a crooked phone company working with other scam-ers to scam its customers. I had an incoming text from MobileMessenger, 84287 MMText(800)416-6129 each month. T-Mobile charged me $9.99. I tried to call T-Mobile to resolve this problem. I could not reached anyone in T-Mobile to help me because they kept routed my call from one department to another department and then got loss. After many tries, I finally talked to a real person. T-Mobile stated that they cannot do anything about the bogus $9.99 charged. They can help me by blocked the MobileMessenger text message. Guess what, a month later, I received a new billing statement shown that MobileMessenger spam me a text again and charged another $9.99. This is madness!!! T-Mobile stinks. Thank God, my T-Mobile contract will expire soon. I will switch to other provider. It is hard to fine a good cell phone provider. I welcome any suggestions.
I agree with Mick Pendergist. T-Mobile is not just the worst company; it is a crooked company to scam it customers.
T-Mobile
I had Veerizon but switched to T-Mobile so I could take advantage of the My-faves. Their "fantasy map" showed excellent coverage in all the areas I work in (South Central Texas). Their rep painted a perfect picture for me and I paid $145 to get out of the Verizon contract because I had just gotten a new "free" phone. T-mobile is the worst cell phone company in terms of coverage, customer service and the company just plain stinks in my book. I have written the CEO, the corporate customer service person (who has all kinds of glowing reports on how she is so "customer friendly and solves their problems". Untrue, I have written heer 4 letters and have not received one reply. I got her personal address from a relative who used to work for T-mobile. My recommendation is to stay as far away as you can from this bunch of people. They want 400 dollars (2 phones) to cancel and since I need the phones for my business I may have to pay it. I o nly get two bars from my hone and none a block down the street. It's pathetic how how companies treat their customers these days. T-moble seems to operate on "The customer is always wrong).
Cingular/AT&T
When Cingular and AT&T merged, they allowed their customers' phone #s to be exposed, and after the merger, I started to get harassing phone calls from spammers trying to get sensitive/private information.
ALLTEL
I have been with Alltel for 15 years and I'm sad to say that I am leaving. I purchased a smartphone from an outside vendor and paid outright for it. Alltel activated it for me and I switched to a smartplan that includes unlimited data. Well, I wasn't told that I would lose my corporate discount when I switched to a data plan. How corporate friendly is that? So, I pulled out an old phone and went in to have my line switched back to a regular phone and get rid of the data plan. Then, I was told that I couldn't switch from the data plan until my contract was up. Once you start a data plan, you are forced to stick with it until your contract runs out. Keep in mind that my contract didn't start with a data plan. Alltel used to advertise that you could switch plans anytime you wanted to. Well, I was told that I fall under Verizon's policies now. I can't believe it!
My contract is up in about 2 months, but I am shutting off all of my lines with them immediately. I am through!
ALLTEL
I've been with Alltel about 20 years, travel a lot around the US, and have been very pleased with their coverage and customer service. My wife has US Cellular and we've found that in very remote areas or mountains my phone often has good signal when her's does not, or vice versa. Interesting...That makes using two different carriers a plus, to help assure a good signal in such areas. I just hope the buyout of Alltel by Verizon doesn't mess up a really good thing. We'll soon know. Right now I'm considering mobile web access for my laptop but have not talked to Alltel or looked into the relative merits of possible choices.
Emobile
Tmobile may have good ratings but, their coverage stinks!! As soon as I can get a competitve deal plan I'm moving on!
T-mobile is terrible
I can't wait unitl my contract expires, T-Mobile service is poor, the phones cheap that they are expensive. Don't sign a long term contract with them.
T-Mobile
I have been very satisfied with the price and service. I started with a 1 yr 400 min Family 2-line plan contract when I had my number ported. There us no additional fees for the 2nd line. Although there were some initial problems with connectivity at home, they improved the signal, and I aquired a better phone. I have been going 'solo' without a contract for 5 years now. I do not use the store front locations for issues or questions as I have not had good luck finding knowledgeable people. Whenever I had issues with my non-T-Mobile phone, the Tier III Tech support has always taken the time to do whatever it took to get my issues resolved, even downloading software to my phone almost instantly! I'm very impressed with their customer service, and they've earned my trust. I only wish the G3 services were in place in my SW OH location!
Alltell & Verizon
I used to have Mid-west wireless then Alltell bought them out. I had no problem. Now Verizon & Alltell have merged haven't had any problems as yet. I drive truck accross all 48 states so there is always a few areas in the boonys that just don't have service with any provider. I've been pleased with Alltell throught out the last 3 years I've been traveling. Haven't been out west sence merger so not sure if coverage has changed. I have a national plan and a smart phone.
cell phone providers
METRO PCS ROCKS. UNLIMITED CALLING AND TEXTING FOR 40 BUCKS a month,,,,,ALMOST never A DROPPED CALL. if you talk a lot . this is a great great deal. Oh and no zero, nada contracts. month to month.
Sprint Everything Messaging Family Plan - Not?!?
I'm a current Sprint customer, since '01, my son and I share a plan, and I just added my daughter. I knew she would want to text, so I renewed under Sprint's Everything Messaging Plan, which is supposed to include "unlimited" texting, picturemail, and videomail. Before I committed, I thought I did my due diligence on hidden fees. Guess I didn't flip enough rocks.
Sprint has been trying to bill me for data usage, even when the only data usage is related to picturemail. I received conflicting info. from Sprint reps., and other Sprint customers are reporting the same problem (when is unlimited messaging not unlimited). I understand the technical side of the process, picturemail uploads to/downloads from the Internet. My beef is that Sprint does not market this product as "unlimited" with a 0.03/kb data fee. They market it as a fully unlimited plan. Be aware, folks.
Sprint IS the worst!
My issue is not with the actual cell phone service. It is with the "customer service" (if you can call it that) and their phones. I am on my 3rd treo and now this one is broken. I mearly asked them to send me something else that is of equal value. They told me to email dan@sprint.com. Don't bother sending him an email....I sent emails on 12/30/08, 12/29/08, 01/07/09, 01/14/09 and 01/26/09. I have not received one response to any of my emails. You would think they could at least respond and confirm that they don't care about me as a customer. If they don't care...why don't they just fire me and cancel my contract like they did all those people back in 2007. I am sure Verizon or AT&T would love to have my $165.00 per month. One way or the other, I will get away from them and I will make it my mission to tell everyone how HORRIBLE my experience was. Cell phone shoppers BEWARE!
US Cellular
I have had US Cellular for several years, and have had no problems. Have always had friendly, helpful customer service.
AT&T recommendation
I'd like to know who does Clark prefer or presently use as his cell phone service provider? I'm looking @ switching from Tmobile to AT&T.
JUNK ALLTEL
Alltel bought out Midwest wireless That was a good company. When this happened it turned to the worst kind of junk i ever paid for. They dropped calles this coverage area got smaller where I live. They told me that there was nothing they could do. WRONG finally told them that i did not sign anything with them for there junk. Fianlly got out of the contract & went to Verizon another great company with good service & comoster service I will stay where i am
AT&T
I have noticed that some of the comments on this page mention "when AT&T bought out Cingular". That never happened. Cingular bought out AT&T Wireless and then the parent corporation of Cingular bought out AT&T, which gave them the right to use the name. That is why Cingular is now called AT&T Mobility.
I was a customer of AT&T Wireless since January 1998. Then, it became Cingular and now it is the same company, even though the name is once again AT&T. Since I have not changed carriers for 11 years, it should be obvious that I am happy with my service. There have been ups and downs along the way, but overall the service has continued to improve and I am a very happy customer.
$30 for 500 anytime minutes, no contract
Just signed up with Consumer Cellular. Piece of cake online. Nokia 6085 phone was $50. Discounts for AARP and others.
VERIZON CELL PHONE..PLEASE
Verizon.....being the best cell phone company out there, or at least on the top. Why I find that extremely hard to believe. I have had them for almost 4 years and when my contract is up, you can bet they will never get another penny from me. I have had nothing but problems from that company. And expensive is an over statement!!!!
Sprint is like signing a contract with the devil
I have been with sprint too long. I finally got sick of correcting their mistakes. I would have to call a couple times to make sure something was actually changed when they said they would change it or I would get a crazy bill. I finally told them I understand why they are rated lowest in consumer ratings!
T-Mobile
Currently I have T-Mobile and they are a joke. Dropped calls, receive voice mail a day or two later, can't get a signal in a lot of places where you should, customer service is awful, for what they offer the price is a rip off. I do not recommend T-Mobile to anyone. I live in the Atlanta Metro Area.
Sprint
I've had Sprint for over 7 yrs. The first 5 yrs were great (I'm in Alabama). The last 2 yrs have been a nightmare. They can't get my bills correct (or even get them to me), I get dropped calls all the time and customer svc is no good. And they could care less about loyal long time customers. My contract is up and I'm switching soon and my husband who has a Sprint phone will be switching as soon as his contract is over. We're both seniors and don't need these hassles!
Sprint excellent service
I've been a Sprint customer for about 10 years and haven't had any problems with customer service (although I rarely have had to use CS). I recently upgraded to a smart phone so I can get my corporate email, and was very pleased with the help I got in purchasing a phone and changing my plan. It cost me a lot less than I had expected.
Verizon
I just dumped Sprint due to poor coverage and customer service. I switched to Verizon and there service is alot better. My wife phone quite working and they switch it out with no problem. Customer service is alot better and helpful.
Verizon
Verizon has the best service in the New York area but horrible, inept, and vindictive customer service. I'm stuck with AT&T which has given me pretty good customer service but spotty coverage. I'm considering getting a land-line at home so I can make a call without both parties repeatedly saying, "What?"
Alltel has been acquired by Verizon pending government approval. See what happens once this is done.
Sprint Value Proposition vs. Verizon's Cost
I couldn't agree with Clark more... I cannot believe how rediculously expensive Verizon is compared to the rest of the pack. I will concede that there sevice is superior, but I don't think it justifies the cost. When you consider the deep corporate discounts Sprint offeres, it makes me think any dissatisfaction I have with their service is justifiable. I cannot see the value proposition paying an extra 25 bucks a month for a comparable plan with Verizon. I'll live with the occasional dropped call.
Alltell & Verizon
We had Verizon for several years in Central Florida. Service was Excellent. During the Hurricanes a few years back Verizon was one of the few services that Never went Out. Two years ago when we moved to Kansas we found out we could not get a Local Number with Verizon and they Graceously let Us Out of our Contract and we went with Alltel. I am Now Very Pleased with Alltel. Customer service is Great, Coverage is Great, Rates are O.K. . I just Hope with the recent Merger between Verizon and Alltel they keep the same Plans for Alltel and the Customer service Stays the Same. If That happens I think the Merger will be a Good thing.
cell phones
Our local carrier, N-Tellos can not be beaten! We have had the service for 6 years and they are GREAT!
I love Verizon
I have had the best experiences with Verizon. They have great coverage, excellent customer service. Sprint/Nextel is a joke. (Also known as No Phone) The coverage is non-existent and forget about customer service they don't know the meaning of the word!
Cingular/ATT
I've been satisfied with ATT phone, cell and dsl for over 8 years. I went to Puerto Rico on an emergency and had excellent coverage - no roaming, etc. I have no dropped calls, etc. Only problem is when I tried to reduce my line service to POTS and cancel my long distance service, it took me about five phone calls and two months to get it done. I'm a senior, and need to reduce my monthly bills. I tried to get my DSL reduced to "lite" and it has not happened. I'm still working on this. It seems they resist your reducing your bill by whatever means necessary (like ignoring your requests). I'm now on POTS and will reduce my DSL. The taxes and fees really boost your bill. It's like a no win situation.
AT&T/CIngulat vs Verizon
We were stuck with Verizon for years, I was able to leave early w/o penalty because of a class action lawsuit over their intentional (but secret) disabling of OBX on their first Bluetooth phone. As our contracts were up we switched our phones over to a family plan.
Because of rollover, the bills for our 9 phones went from $800 to less than $400. The coverage is great and we have have no problems with customer service here in Conyers, GA.
Verizon
During the hurricanes in Florida. My phone service was the only one working. I was able to order fuel and other needed supplies.Now thats a good network.
Do Not Sprint to Sprint
Where do I begin? We moved to the States from Canada, signed up for Sprint's family plan, and Sprint failed us tremendously... dropped calls, no service at home, verbally abusive "supervisors", disrespectful customer service agents, over-charging, misleading info, inexplicable charges, excessive amount of time (no less than 2 hours) spent on phone each time a call was made to them. It was never-ending for two very, very long years of the worse service imaginable. Why is this company allowed to remain in business? Do yourself a favor, don't sign up with Sprint, even if they offer plans at the rate of $1 monthly.
TMobile is cheap but their customer service is terrible
TMobile is a little cheaper than the other major carriers but their customer service is terrible. I don't see how anyone could give TMobile a good rating for customer service based on the experience that I have had with them. I just filed a complaint against them with my states better business bureau. If I can get out of my contract I want to try one of the pay as you go plans. The cool thing about those is they cannot hit you with 150 in excessive fees if a family member goes text crazy.
cell phones
I took the Consumer Reports survey on cell phone carriers, the questions were worded so that you could not have a medium level problem. Only extremely bad or pretty good. I can hardly wait until my contract is up.
T-Mobile
Had service with them for years, tried to change to other carriers but no one could come close to the price.$50 two lines plus VM, no cost to other T-mobile customers, 1000 min.national plan. Down side if travel outside of any metro area or some metro areas coverge is Very POOR.if I could get same plan with other I would Switch in a heart beat.
CellCom
In my state CellCom is available and they have been great! Have been with them for five years now. In the course of getting my son an add-a-line, the customer service was outstanding any time I needed to adjust our calling plan since he now is stationed on the east coast. We have no problem with calls, no matter where either of us are traveling withing the US. Just wanted to pass along the good experience.
T Mobile
I find it hard to believe that T Mobile has such a good rating. I have been with them for many years and the last 3 years I have been VERY disatisfied. I would not recommend them to anyone. i.e. little if no signal outside metro areas, charges for calls I've never made, they (TMobile) send me text messages for advertisements and then charge me for them and there customer service is a joke. I'm switching to AT&T and can only hope after reading this article that I won't regret it.
T Mobile is the best
We started with old Cellular One and the coverage was awful so went to AT&T as I worked there and got cheap rates but dropped calls/poor signal were so bad we tried T Mobile 5 years ago and not one dropped call and great coverage. We live 25 miles outside of Wash, DC and the signal in the house was poor but they keep adding more and more towers around us. Their customer service is the best. Short waiting time (if any) to talk to them and they are very knowledgeable and helpful. Their 'my faves' has saved us so much.
Alltell, Verizon, T-Mobile
I had T-Mobile ever since they bought VoiceStream, who'd bought Powertel. I had the same number for 11 years before moving out of Alabama and into the country, where T-Mobile, despite a decent amount of 850MHz roaming, didn't serve my area well enough. So now I'm with AT&T on a prepaid basis and can't stream audio or video anymore despite having unlimited data. Apparently it's a known issue with AT&T and SonyEricsson phones and no one seems to care enough to investigate a fix. Worked fine on T-Mobile's slower network, though. :(
Just when I was ready to jump ship to a regional GSM carrier here called Unicel, I found out they were bought out by Verizon and are being switched to Verizon's CDMA technology. Now I see Alltel has been bought by Verizon as well, so technically two existing carriers are being eliminated from my city. So much for choice. :(
AT&T/Cingular
I had Cingular, then AT&T, for about a year with a 1 year contract originating with Cingular. Close to the end of the contract I started getting bills and phone calls from AT&T demanding that I pay up. The amount? An unbelievable $2,877.30!!! I called AT&T and spoke with a very nice lady who gave me her full name and employee number. She checked the billing and told me that the amount in question was a business account and had been paid. She said she would pass the word to stop bothering me (her words). However, for the next 2 months I was receiving phone calls from collection agencies (two agencies)) plus a couple of the usual "scare" letters. Instead of pursuing further on my own, I did something that all of Clark's people should do. I emailed the Atty General for the State of Connecticut with details,such as the AT&T lady's name, dates and times. In two weeks the goons had begged off. Put your taxes to work, contact your State's Atty General. They love to put the screws to the big guys (at least in Connecticut).
Sprint is the worst
Correction. I meant that I decided to except the 2nd phone and after a few months decided to start using it.
Sprint is the worst
I used to have sprint before switching to Verizon. They are one of the worst companies I have dealt with in my life. The first thing they did was call me and ask if I wanted a 2nd phone. I said no, why would I need a 2nd line? The salesman says just for emergency purposes. I asked him if it would change my contract and he said no. And it was completely free. I decided to start using except it and after a few months decided to use it. Come to find it it changed my contract to a family plan and they lowered my minutes tremendously. I talked to customer serviice at least 10 times and they finally gave me extra minutes. Then, they extended my contract w/out my knowledge. They said the contract changed to the family plan so it was extended. I finally theatened to sue them and they got a supervisor on the phone real quick. They then told me they would cancel one line, but then they charged me $200 for it! I could not beleive it! This was all after I found out they charge you $5.00 to download a photo if you don't have a monthly text contract. I called Verizon and they said they only charge .25 cents if you don't have a contract. Sprint is the worst! Stay away!
Virgin Mobile
I think it is the best buy for those who only use it occarionally. I am a senior and we have two Virgin prepaid accounts. 18 cents a minute. Auto top up every 90 days against my credit card for $15. Balance carries over to $300 max. Will top up sooner if available balance falls below $5. That makes it $5 a month with no worry about running out of minutes which was my concern about Tracfone.
Alltel
I have received great customer service from Alltel for many years and excellent coverage in NC/SC area. They have bent over backwards to solve any problem I have had with phones. I started with US Cellular in 1997 and eventually ended up with Alltel and it has been great especially hearing about other's problems but not having any with Alltel. I dread the thoughts of Verizon running things. I'll look for another carrier if they don't honor my loyalty with good service. Hopefully, Alltel will have a good influence on Verizon--hope I'm not just dreaming.
Sprint customer satisfaction
To me, Sprint tried to help, me. at first, yes, but as time went on, NO. I were told because a mistake were made (on there end) I would get a discount for 1 year. the first mouth yes.. but I had to called ever time my bill came in. Ever time I called it was a problem. I had to tell the story again, and spend time on the phone with them. . One day I were told I will not get the discont any more. The way I fell Sprint, should make me happy about the discount (after over 10 years) The service and the cover is good. Now becase of Sprint customer service, they will lose me.
Cellular South
We have Cellular South with free roaming & free long distance up to 500 min. for my husband & myself for a reasonable price. We are able to use it anywhere in the U.S. and get good reception most places. The service is almost always good too.
I have had a Virgin Mobil Buy minutes at least every 90 days, (with carry-over minutes) that has been really good. I have had it for at least a year. Very satisified
T Mobile Non customer service
Impossible to get a response to a problem if you are not a current customer. We had an account with T Mobile in the NE - our location is now Atlanta. T Mobile would not provide the Sim unlock code to use a "paid" T Mobile phone with another carrier.
Cingular/AT&T
My Cingular/AT&T Motorola RAZR V3 phone has good reception almost everywhere and it works at Melbourne Beach, FL, whereas; other vendors did not. The cost with my plan is $58 a month, and AT&T lets me roll over the minutes. I rarely have any dropped calls, and am eligible for a new phone upgrade every other year as long as I continue to renew my two year contract. Telephone support has been great but I rarely use it.
Tracphone
I have as good as any reception and service with my pay-as-you-go Tracphone. My phone even gets a signal where my husband's company cell phone using T-Mobil is useless! This phone would not work for someone who uses a lot of minutes, but for me it's secondary to my land line and I love it!
Skype People!!!
In city areas with open wifi, you can use a Skype app on a iTouch and have a unlimited call cell phone for three bucks a month!
T-Mobile is O.K.
My wife had sprint and I had whatever cellular one was called after the name change. We only pay $58/mo and because I am away almost all the time our plan lets my wife and I talk as much as we want to eachother with no additional charges. We had some signal problems with our old phones because they only picked up one frequency but we got new Razor phones at no additional charge for extending our contract for one year. The razor phones pick up 3 frequencies and where we got no or very little signal before, now we get reception. The folks at Tmobile are always friendly on the phone and the thing I like most is that the phone bill is predictable and reasonable. $70 and $80 bucks a month for a phone is way too much.
AT&T phones
My wife and I use a contract with AT&T. We are really steamed at them right now. My wife upgraded her phone and it broke in less than 60 days! They said sorry about your luck, buy a new phone at full price. If we had not just renewed our contract, we would have switched to Verizon on the spot.
The only good thing I can say about AT&T is that we get the roll-over minutes. This allows us to pay for a smaller plan.
Cell phone
I have been with U S Cellular for a long time & have not one single complaint. I am in SE Wisconsin.
alltel
I have had Alltel when it was still GTE mobile net... about 10 years now.. starting off with a huge Motorola brick phone.. I can usually make more calls than my wife's Verizon phones and have less problems with customer service and rates... BUT.. I am concerned now that Verizon is taking over Alltel...
Cell phone service
we use Virgin Mobile pay as you go for myself, my wife & 2 teen boys. service is good most places, even traveling, though spotty in some rural areas. switched from Tracfone, didn't like the customer no-service from India AT ALL!! much better customer service, in english, from Virgin Mobile, once you get past the "teen lingo" menu & reach a real person.
Sprint
I've had Sprint in the Indpls area for two years and have no problems. Have had a few reception problems in really rural areas out of state and in state, but calls went to VM. I will stay with Sprint if prices stay competitive.
phones
My husband and I are seniors we love the tracfone it meets our needs being seniors we need to be very frugal and it is very cheap we always have roll over minutes left and very easy to buy more minutes online in the cold of a wisconsin winter who needs to go out if you can stay in where it is warm
Verizon cell phones
I have been using Verizon for a year and it's great. I always have coverage. I'm very pleased with their service. They have up to date phones too. I use their blackberry model as a phone. It's great!
TRACFONE
Just renew my Tracfone subscription and added a "bonus" second year. Net result $6.26/month
Sprint has gotten better, much better
I used to hate my sprint customer service, it was horrible. But give them credit they turned it around and now offer outstanding almost over the top customer service. I also never have dropped calls with them. Kudos to Sprint for getting it right!
TRACFONE
For seniors and others who don't need a lot of cell time you can't beat TRACFONE. It's prepaid, costs us $100 a year. Thats less than $9.00 a month folks.
AT&T brings back the old style
We were very happy with Cingular wireless, but since AT&T took them over it was only a matter of time until prices and service went down, and manipulation went up. Back to the old monopoly style. Good thing there is Verizon to keep them in check. Too bad Verizon does not use GSM phones with SIM cards!
AT & T
I have been with Cingular, now ATT. When ATT took over, they tried to change my plan. I spent hours (not exaggerating) trying to get it straightened out-finally did and now they are trying to do it again! My husband has Verizon and wherever we are and I have no service, he does. I would not recommend anyone using ATT!
Cricket Cell Phones
i have been inquiring about the new cell phone service cricket. and a young lady told me that they do have great rates her plan was $30 monthly however the extra fees are $26. making her total $56 - that is almost double her monthly plan and the company will not give her an explanation of her bill/fees. is this legal?
Sprint
I have had Sprint cell phone service for about 7 years and have been very satisfied with the phones, the service, and my plan. Lucky me!
T-Mobile coverage is terrible
I get NO coverage in my home. Literally 0 bars, no signal, not even SOS. Confirmed with 4 different phones. And, it's not like I'm in the boondocks... I live in Austin, Texas, well within city limits, in a neighborhood with 30+ year-old homes, neighbors all around. Even when standing in the street, I get no signal. It's stunning.
I've called T-Mobile customer service, and while they were nice about it, they have no solution. I have to pay the remainder of my contract, or pay early-cancellation fees (2 phones @ $200 each = $400).
They're supposed to let you out of a contract (without fees!) when you get no coverage in your home, but the only reference is their made-up "coverage map". Apparently this fantasy map thinks my house gets 5 bars, and it doesn't matter that 2 Nokias and 2 BlackBerrys get 0 signal (even in the STREET), as long as their map has certain colors on it, it's the customer who takes the hit.
Btw, I had been on AT&T before T-Mobile, and didn't have any such issues with signal. Same street, same house. My phones are literally useless at home, they just fwd calls to my home line.
Cell Phone
Verizon provides the best service.
AT&T vs Verizon
My husband and I recently switched to AT&T from Verizon because I wanted an iPhone. We have had more dropped calls on AT&T in the 6 months since we switched than we ever had in about 4+ years with Verizon. When my contract is up, I'm going back to Verizon. I'll give up my iPhone.
Cell Phones
T-Mobile is the best. We have pay to go, and don't have to bother with monthly bills. Never a dropped call, and great signal always. Good customer service.
Alltel
Even though Alltel has worked very hard to reach "great rates and customer service, I know because I work for them, they are being taken over by giant cellular company Verizon Wireless. That merger will make VZW #1 again with respect to number of subscribers and remove the customer's choice of Alltel's "great rates and customer service."
Sprint vs. T-Mobile
I have recently switched from Sprint to T-Mobile and I must say, surprisingly, I’ve had a lot more dropped calls since switching over to T-Mobile then I ever did with Sprint!
MetroPCS is my favorite
Oh, my cheap heart LOVES MetroPCS. I do not leave Atlanta so I can use it to my heart's content. The staff in the stores are helpful, and i love that I never have any surprises on my phone bill. I have UNLIMITED texting, local AND long distance, the web and voicemail for $60 per month (THAT'S WITH THE TAXES FACTORED IN).
I've just signed up for a VoIP phone, so am looking to possibly get some kind of go-phone/pay as you go instead.
But, I do recommend MetroPCS if you talk a lot, like I do!!! (I used to love Tmobile until I talked too much during the day and consistenly was receiving bills for $400 per month!!!)
Cellphone No Service
Was MetroPCS a contender? They should be the worst of all carriers. Lousy customer service, and very bad reception. You would think they are the only carrier out there the way they treat their customers.
Cell Phones in Texas
I have a service called Cricket here in San Antonio. I pay a flat rate of $35 a month for unlimited calling (local and long distance), texting and other features. I never worry about minutes or extra charges!
Sprint and Verizon
Sprint turned me over to a collection agency for a land line I never had, I did have a cell phone with them. When I called them they said it is my problem and when I asked to speak to a supervisor the person said no. I had to get a lawyer to write a letter and they droped the charges that I should have never had. Needless to say I cancelled my cell phone. I will never use Sprint again. I have Verizon and service is excellent. AT&T is tempting for I use to have Cingular and I do love roll over minutes as they take out the worry of going over your limit in a given month.
Also Tmobile is good!
Tmobile is also good for the price but it is best used in Metro areas near the city and well I need great service too in rural areas and the only provider that offers that is Verizon Wireless.
You get what you pay for.
Verizon Wireless is by far the best...the most bars in America and all my friends never have bars in the rural locations even in the Mountains and they have Sprint and At&t. Also you can backup your contacts online with you phone so you never loose your contacts no matter what phone you have so no need for a simcard that could get lost or stolen with the phone. Also they have great phones...I don't need an IPhone...and if did they got the Blackberry Storm which is on the fastest 3g network...At&t markets as the fastest 3g network but they are not the fastest Verizon is the fastest its been researched and proven! So in the end you get what you pay for...plus great customer service!
AT&T vs, T-Mobile
I changed to AT&T after many years with T-Mobile. I have been happy with AT&T. With T-Mobile -Except for big cities, I had no reception and an unusable phone with on my cross-country trips. Also, no reception in my local rural areas. I find it hard to believe that T-Mobile would be recommended. My phone didn't even work in fairly large places such as Fargo, ND. Also, it would barely have reception at my father's place in NYC. (1 bar and dropped calls) My AT&T phone has good reception almost everywhere, and it's a huge contrast from my T-Mobile days. The cost with my plan is the same, and AT&T lets me roll over the minutes ($65 a month for 2 phones and I have thousands of unused minutes rolling over)
T-Mobile
I've been a T-Mobile customer for several years now and am reasonably satisfied. The rates are affordable and I seem to get more than enough minutes for my money. They charge extra if you receive text messages....even if you don't send them.
cell phone mentioned the other day
What was the company that a caller mention and Clark knew it to be a one time annual fee for unlimited time?
Sprint Cell Phone
I received a happy aniversary message in my last Sprint phon bill. For 9 years I have had Sprint. It's worked great for me. I have lived in NY, FL and now in CT. I do not own stock in Sprint but the service has been great; even while vacationing out West and in Hawaii.
AT&T
I have been very satisfied with AT&T coverage and call performance. Their 800 number servicesis good also. However, the staff at the AT&T store in Macon, GA are terrible. If you bought a phone online or at another store...they try very hard not to be helpful. I had one woman employee tell me that it wasn't her proble and she needed to take a break..and she did...left me standing there. Stacey
1st time cell phone buyer
I am the only human on the planet (or at least in GA) without a cell phone. My daughter turns 13 and I plan to buy her and I a cell phone for Christmas. Any suggestions?? We need NOTHING fancy (texting, camera, MP3 etc) just a plain ol' cell phone. Thanks!
AT&T and T-Mobile
I currently am an AT&T customer and I really miss cingular. Ever since AT&T took over, I have been having service problems, network errors, and dropped calls more often. I had been a cingular customer since 2000 and now considering switching to Verizon. For 1 year i switched to t-mobile for something different and it was the worst experience ever! I was lied to by customer service who told me i would have service in places i didn't (basically no service off the highways, but told I would) and then being stuck with the service because i had service at my house which was all they cared about. Also I had to wait 30 minutes on hold with their customer service to be told they couldn't help me. However people I know have never had a problem with t-mobile. All of this has been in Georgia.
Alltel
I've had Alltel for a couple of years now and I'm very happy with them. Customer service is almost always wonderful and I've rarely had a problem with reception like I did when I was with Sprint, and Sprint customer service? Well, let's just not go there. I know Alltel is in the process of merging with Verizon. That does concern me a bit...Verizon is much more expensive.
Sprint
I'm always hearing bad things about Sprint, but I have to say that they have been good for me. I had T-Mobile for many years and while had no major complaints with them, I did have a lot of dropped calls, which I just took for granted was something I had to accept, until I switched to Sprint. I only switched because everyone else in my family has sprint and the calls would then be free. I was amazed to find that my dropped calls stopped. It's amazing what you just accept rather than exploring to change!!
Alltel
I live in N.C. and I have had Alltel for many years! I had a plan that gave 1000 minutes per month w/two phones. The cost was $60.00 per month. Three years ago I checked the per minute cost and found that it had cost me 32.5 cents per minute for the past year! I changed over to prepaid phones that cost 15 cents a minute and you only make one call a month for the minutes to never expire and you can purchase $5.00 at a time by internet! A great deal!
AT&T
I have been with AT&T since before Cingular bought them (AT&T Blue). They have been very annoying in trying to get me to switch to a Cingular/New At&T plan (which is more $$$). In Atlanta and in the areas I frequent service has always been good. In Montgomery service is spotty. Not fair to blanket rate them on service. I also keep them because, as mentioned before, I am on the old AT&T Blue plan which is much cheaper then anything they have since offered. Watch out for customer no service as they will add extra items to your bill without your permission such as roadsde assistance. They are a pain to deal with.
At&t cell service
Very happy with at&t..I have used at&t all over the U.S. and in several foreign countries..
pay as you go cellular phones
I use the T-Mobile pay as you go. I pay 10 cents a minute. A couple a times a year Target has $50.00 minute card on sale for $44.00. Once you spend a cumulative total of $100 on minutes, they do not expire for a year. Prior to the year being up, if you add any amount of minutes, all minutes get renewed for another full year.
I did the math. When my wife and I had traditional cellular phones, both plans cost us $70.00 per month. Day and night my wife talked a total of 150 minutes per month and I talked about 80 minutes. So our monthly cellular phone bill went from $70 per month to $23.00 per month both phones combined using pay as you go. (it’s really less, because my wife always forgets to charge her phone!)
Cell Phone Performance
In fairness, comments about cell phone service (dropped calls) need to be geographic. In some areas you may find a carrier has a stron presence with lots of towers, and not in others. With this in mind, it would not be important to me that folks have a great experience with brand X in Seattle, and I intend to use my phone only in Washington DC. Comments about customer service, however, are fair game nationwide.
At&T
My family has has Cingular/AT&T for years and are more than happy with the service. I never have any dropped calls, the prices are comparible and I am eligible for a new phone upgrade every year as long as I continue to renew my two year contract, which is fine with me. The only issue I have is that the AT&T stores and the Corporate customer service act as two different companies that can not verify or attest to what the other is saying. I do all my dealings in store as far as billing questions or changing my plan and get great service.
cell phone carriers
us cellular is fantastic, at least in wisconsin
Cell Phones
If your going to give a plug for Virgin Mobile, I'm going to do the same for Tracfone, and like you for emergencies, I'm not do to add minutes till 03/2010, plus many times when you add minutes you might get 30 free minutes. Everytime you add minutes you get 2 more months, that why I am at 03/2010 to add again.
Cell phone ratings
I had a company cellphone for years under a Cingular then AT&T plan. It was an endurance test with the dropped calls and bad reception. After the job ended last summer, and the company cellphone went away, I found an affordable Verizon plan. Rarely a dropped call and stellar reception. Due to a limited budget, I can't afford an unlimited minutes plan, but with the free calls to other Verizon users and utilizing Skype for non-Verizon users, it's been an extremely pleasant experience.
Cell phone ratings
Cell phone ratings and reviews should really be region specific. I am from Portland, Or. I'm 26 and have had AT&T, Verizon service, and T-Mobile. I would rank them in that same order from best to worst. I can't believe T-Mobile gets such great reviews when its as good as a coin flip if your phone will ring when called. Texts and voice mails are fine, calls No Way! And I am not the only person who believes this way, everybody i know feels this way about T-Mobile.
Cell phones
For some time I have meant to comment about Virgin Mobile cell phones. We got one several years ago and use the "per minute" plan because we have it only for emergencies. We have since gotten a second phone so we can each keep one in our car. The service has been terrific in the areas we have needed to use the phones--Portland area, Oregon coast, central Oregon, New Mexico, and we only have to add $20 every three months to keep each one in service.
