How do you like your wireless provider?

OwenM

OwenM

Joined
Oct 26, 2000
Messages
6,104
I'm shopping. About to give Cingular the boot, because I am not getting some calls, or voice mails, and their website with account info has been screwed up for months, too.
It was all well and good until I got a voice mail on Jan. 7 that was left on New Year's Eve, and more recently discovered that I'd missed an overtime shift at work, when they called and left a message while my phone was on, and I was waiting/hoping for a call. Phone never rang, haven't got the voice mail yet. Now I wonder how many times this has happened in the last several years. Their website not working properly is one thing, but taking $200 out of my pocket every time my job doesn't get through is another.
As much as I would like to rant, rave, sue, and maybe burn down a Cingular wireless outlet or two, I doubt there's anything reasonable and/or legal that I can do about this beyond canceling my service, and finding another provider, so that's what I'd like to do.

How's your wireless service?
Who do you have, how do you like them?
Thanks:grumpy:

btw, I don't need over 500 minutes a month, and voice mail, if that makes a difference (really not shopping for a plan, just a reliable provider).
 
I recently switched to T-Mobile from Verizon. Verizon's service was great when the phone worked ... when it didn't, they were terrible at fixing the problems.

T-Mobile seems to be doing OK. I tried them because of family and friends who have had them for a long trouble-free time.
 
I've got Sprint right now and have for three years, but will be switching as soon as I get a few spare minutes.

The actual cellular service around the Portland area is fine. But their customer service sucks. And what really pisses me off is this: I'm on the wrong plan. I go over my minutes every month. I need to move up to the next plan. But they won't let me change plans without signing a two-year contract. What they're offering me is the exact same deal that a brand-new customer just coming in gets. For my three years of loyal patronage with them, I get no preference at all. I've been with them three years. If I've stuck with them for three years, I'm probably not going to change carriers in the next two either. But they still want me to sign a contract just like a brand new customer just coming to them. Well, if three years of loyal patronage means nothing to them, then that's in insult to me and I'm certainly not going to stay with them.

I really can't understand their thinking: If they allow me to change plans without a contract (which is really just them changing an entry in their computer) I won't switch today. In fact, I'll probably do what I've done for the last three years: stay with them. But if they force me to sign a contract, then I will change carriers for sure and they'll loose my business for sure.

I've talked to several people on their customer support line about this and nobody cares. I talked to one of their reps in person and he didn't care -- clearly. I even wrote them a letter and they never responded.

To ignore a written letter from a customer, to not even acknowledge it, is a complete insult to the customer.

BTW, when you call Sprint PCS customer support, you get a recorded prompt to "Enter your Sprint PCS account number followed by the pound sign." You can not get past this prompt without entering your account number. # alone just repeats the prompt. 0# gets a message telling you you've made an invalid entry. I don't know about you, but I don't have my mobile phone account number memorized. Furthermore, if you're in traffic, the last thing you need to be doing is fiddling around trying to enter your account number. I've complained about this several times over the years I've been with them and they always appologize, but never fix it.

That's the story with Sprint, "We're sorry... I appologize... I'm sorry about... I appologize for... I'm sorry... I appologize..." but they never change. They appologize for problems, but they never fix them. An appology without any intention to try reform is insincere at the very least and certainly patronizing and insulting.

Well, Sprint, I'm sorry and I applogize, but I'm taking my number and bolting.
 
Since Cingular is the primary Wireless provider in your neck of the Woods (I'm assuming Alabama), you're not left with much. Most of the other providers either lease towers from Cingular, or will have fewer towers since it's not their main turf. Most providers today are willing to give you a loaner to see what signal strength is like in the places you frequent most. So you should take advantage of that service and get a hands on testing to see prior to commiting.

Then, as silly as this seems, it could be a simple case of you having a bad phone. Lots of factors come into play for reception, and the older phones are notorious for being poor receptors. The newer phones have better anntena technology, as well as better battery technology. One of the bains of the older phones is the battery performance. When the batteries are weak, they sometimes don't provide enough juice to fully power the anntena.

Hope this helps.

My personal service is by T-Mobile, but that's because I've been a customer since they were Omnipoint, and my needs were more for data than voice.
 
I'm with verizon and really like them. I started out on pre-paid a long time ago, and when I and other customers complained, they switched us all to regular service regardless of my credit, and waived the $1000 deposit I needed to pay to get regular service.

I never have any problems whatsoever that aren't my own fault, but I do wish I could call Guam like how I can call Hawaii or Oregon without being charged astronomical fees. They give me a TON of minutes, and always provide impeccable customer service.

I have the best reception of anyone I know wherever I go, and when I brought up how long I have been with them once, they took care of me readily and made sure I got what I wanted! They even gave me my choice of ANY phone they carry for 50% off AND I still got the rebate.

I wouldn't believe customer service like that existed if it hadn't a happened to me. I recommend Verizon.:)
 
Originally posted by OwenM
How's your wireless service?
Who do you have, how do you like them?
Thanks:grumpy:
Click to expand...


I bought one of those Virgin Mobile phones just before christmas. $59 for the phone. the rate is .25 a minute for the first 10 miutes you use during the day then .10 a min
for the rest of the day.

You can top up your phone with cards you can buy at Target or electronics stores like best buy in $20 to $100 amounts. Or you can pay automaticaly with your charge card. You can set up your account so that every time your account has less than $5.00 left it will automatically charge a set amount like $25 to your CC. or you can set it up so you decide when to add money to your account with your CC. Service comes with voice mail.

The phones are Kyocera and they have 4 available in price between $59 and $179.

I used to have sprint and their customer service was the pits. At least 7 or 8 times in the 2 years I had their sevice the bill came after the due date. Twice I recieved the bill so late it came a few days before the next months bill.


Drew
 
I have had T-Mobile since they were know as Voicestream. I have never had any problems as far as reception and service go. When I first got their service I was naive to what phones were good and what was crap. I use a Nokia 3595 now. It serves my needs and I never had any service drop-outs. My wife uses a Samsung S105 and loves it. The plan I have costs me $45 a month which includes 600 anytime minutes, free nights, 3-day weekends, no roaming charges, free long distance and t-zone access (I can read my email on the road).
 
I very recently saw a local news story on cell phone plans. It was prompted off a recent Consumer Reports article (this was about the first week in January). They apparently rated Verizon the best in both their categories (which I think covered customer service and technical issues like dropped calls and coverage area).

I've had Verizon for somewhere around 6-7 years (maybe longer...they were Airtouch at the time I signed up with them) and have been very pleased. I always get better reception/coverage than my friends/family with other plans and always had great support when I've need to call them. I like Verizon so much, I recommend them to everyone!

The company I work for has Nextel. They want me to get a company cell phone, but I keep turning them down because of how bad they are in comparison. There's always issues related to features not working and their coverage is highly spotty in the Seattle area. Our field technicians are frequently "out of range" for 2-3 hours a day while in the greater metro Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia area. That's just not acceptable!
 
My parents have Verizon and like them well enough. They had a problem with a service upgrade once, but Verizon fixed it without too much fuss. Mom and Dad switched to nationwide coverage then went to Washington DC. And every time they used the phone there they were charged roaming. Turns out that the phone had to be updated for the upgrade to take effect and Verizon forgot to do it. Still, they did fix it and refund the charges, so I could still consider them. Everyone makes mistakes, it's a matter of how they deal with them once they occur.

That is the exact reason I'm going to tell you to avoid Sprint like the plague, just as Gollnick said above. The actual cellular service is top-notch, becuase they have lots of towers here. But customer service BLOWS. When I was sent to Korea two years ago, I had to cancel my wireless contract early. That was OK, because I had orders from the Army and Sprint had a military clause so I wasn't charged extra for it. The problem was they billed me for a month after I tried to close the account. It was my mistake for getting the paperwork in a day late, but it happened. Well, my Mom, being the great person she is, tried to get that money back. Sprint said, sure, no problem, you're right, he didn't use the phone, so we'll refund the money. That's what they said every time she called; the total number of calls ended up being eight I believe. She was put on hold for over two hours at one point. I never got the money back until a year later, when I got back to the states. They allowed me to use the credit as my activation fee for a new plan. So I very strongly advise against Sprint. Another thing they do is charge you five dollars to make your payment in the store. Five dollars. To hand your money to a cashier instead of mailing it. Only now they have a machine in the store to take payments. Only checks of course. And since no one can figure out how to use the machine, the clerk ends up having to explain it anyway. I'm surprised they don't charge you by the minute for assistance. :barf: to Sprint.
 
Thanks for reminding me Ron! I forgot about Nextel. My company issues me a nextel a verizon pager aka "my leashes". Nextel is actually pretty cool. Unlimited usage and instant connection! The only drawback is your contacts gotta have a nextel too, but if they do, you can call 'em anywhere, anytime instantly. The price of nextel service has dropped a lot too, and you get regular phone service as well as "radio" type service.

Verizon also gives you a SEPARATE allotment of mobile to mobile minutes that are used instead of your anytime minutes, if you call someone also with Verizon. So you get like:

-X anytime minutes
-free night and weekends
-1000 mobile to mobile minutes
-free long distance

The phone selection isn't the greatest however.
 
I dont own a cell phone, but work provides me with a Nextel (which is why I dont own one :))

Along the lines of them, Im not a big fan of there service, the 2-way feature is great, but when it comes to using it as a regular cell phone, there are 2 many dead spots. Even in the metropolitan area I work in (Baltimore) I get dead spots on major roads.

Basically what I am saying is, I wont pay for there service, but thats just my opinion and my area.
 
I have had a Verizen since 1986 or so. Actually they were called Cellular One back then. We have had our ups and downs over the years but I have kept track of my friends and co-workers and their service providers and all and all I am still sticking with them.

Gollnick: It seems to me that years ago being a loyal customer ment something to them, but now the line of people begging to throw their money at all of the providers is so long they no longer have time or reason to care.
 
I love Verizon. I've been with them for about 3 1/2 years now, been through three phones in that time. Verizon's coverage is excellent, I can get a GOOD signal in places where other people are roaming or have no signal at all(oh BTW, when you roam on Sprint you're using the Verizon network :) ). Customer service has always been great for me. I've heard horror stories about everyone, the simple fact is that sh** happens and you can't keep EVERYONE happy, I don't care because I'm one of the happy ones. There have been several times I went over my minutes, and not only was I able to upgrade to a higher plan, but they made it retroactive for the last month! Talk about saving a lot of money. The only downside to Verizon is that their data plans cost too much. If they could do a 1xRTT plan for what other carriers charge, they would OWN the market. Wouldn't you rather spend $20/month with T-Mobile or $10/month with Sprint rather than the $100 or something crazy like that last time I checked for Verizon's unlimited data service? I thought so.

One other thing. Don't forget to get the right phone!!!! This is SOOOO important. I have a Motorola T720 right now. THE WORST PHONE EVER. Don't get one. Read the reviews at Cnet and other places and check out what people think of the phone before you go buy it. I don't think I've ever seen a rating as low as the T720. Having a slow processer is something I can live with, but the buggy software isn't. I would LOVE to know why the phone freezes up when someone tries to call me or why it turns itself off for no reason when charging from the AC charger(not the car charger tho...)
 
I've personally owned 18 different cell phones with 5 different providers since cellphones were introduced. (Before that, I owned 2 phones on the manual system where you had to place mobile and marine calls through an operator) So I do have a bit of experience with personal wireless communications. ;)

My most recent experience was similar to Gollnick's. My Canadian service provider was Rogers/ATT (2-year contracts on GSM), with THREE Motorola P280 phones. Great phones, lousy coverage (I couldn't get service in my office in my house. Not acceptable when I make most of my business calls on my cellphone! About 16 months into the contract, I contacted ATT, told them I had been paying for months for no service, and asked to be switched to TDMA and offered to pay the current "promotional" price for THREE new suitable phones. And I offered to sign a new 1 -year contract for them. Answer: "Sorry, you'll have to pay the full retail price for the phones. And if you cancel the contracts, you'll be charged the penalties as outlined in your agreement."

My argument was: I have no service (at best, sporadic) where I need it most, I've been paying for no service for months, I want to switch to a "lower" system (GSM back to TDMA), I'm willing to sign up for another 1-year contract, and I'd like the THREE new phones at the same price that any "new" customer can buy them for.

Answer: "Sorry, can't do it."

So - I let the three contracts run their 24-month course. And when it was time to "officially" let the provider know whetheror not I was going to resign, I sent them a registered letter confirming that fact that all three contracts would NOT be renewed.

Well - "Hello!" I received THREE phone calls from THREE different account reps asking my why I was cancelling and what they could do to keep me as a customer. I was offered free air time, free phones, free optional services. I'm surprised they didn't offer me the services of a hooker! (After all, they're in the same business.)

I believe it was Noel Coward who stated: "I am never unintentionally rude."

The response to the lame efforts of Rogers/ATT to "win" me back as a customer was completely intentional! ;)

Now I use an Audiovox 8600 on Bell Mobility (Pay-as-you-play Plan) in Canada, and an Audiovox 8500 on Virgin Mobile in the U.S.

Good phones. Good service. Good support.

Rogers/ATT GSM? Good riddance.
 
The first phone I got was from Sprint. I really didn't like it all that much. I live in NYC, somewhat of a big market with plenty of cell sites, right? Well I had problems getting a signal all over the place. In my house the signal was great, but walk a couple of blocks away and no more signal, or a very weak signal. Worse I would get roaming charges if I went about a mile away from my house. This is all still in Queens, where I live. If I went into Manhatten I couldn't get a signal to save my life. And forget about if I left NY, then I might have well just have left my phone home.

When I killed the phone I decided as long as I had to buy a new phone I would get a new provider too. I went with Verizon, and have loved it. I can always get a signal, no matter where I am. I have gone to the Poconos and compared with my family, I am the only one who can get a signal. I haven't really had any problems at all with the serivce so far. I did have one minor problem with billing, but it was worked out without my having to say a word to them. Around Christmas they double billed me, but then a week later issued a credit so I didn't have to pay my next bill. As was stated before everyone makes mistakes, but at least Verizon fixed it without me having to even call.
 
Aloha.
My wife and I both use Verizon. I was with what used to be Cingular>>>now ATT here. I have an anecdote that I want to share. A couple of years ago, Cingular (then Ameritech) was basically the only game in town on this island, so that is who I had my service with. l There is a dead spot at my house, so I literally could not make a cellular call from my house. They said that they were going to fix it, add a new cell tower....."dont worry" they said. That went on for about 8 years without a change. 2 years ago I took a trip to Cambodia. Exotic, beautiful, but very 3rd World out in the rural areas. We were in a remote part of Siem Reap province, looking at some temples. We are quite a long way from town and from Angkor Wat. In the midst of these temple ruins our tour guide, a local girl, takes out a cell phone, and calls her family at home.
Amidst these temples, in blazing hot Cambodia, I had an epiphany....
Here I am in the middle of the Cambodian jungle, this woman is talking to her mother about dinner. I live in the USA, pay a dear sum for cellular service AND I cant even make a cellular call from my house!

As soon as I returned home, I called Cingular, cancelled my service, and switched to Verizon. I have been happy ever since.
I still smile at the irony of our tour guide making that phone call.

wabi
 
I'm with Alltel. There coverage area is great! Always good reception. But the phones suck. I have 1 more year left on this contract and if the phone haven't improved, I'm switching.
 
Thanks for the responses, guys:)
Verizon sounds pretty good, and one of my friends is also happy with them.
I do have to take into account what tonyccw said, because my phone is five years old, and noone I know that has Cingular has had similar problems.
I'm going to get with Cingular on Tuesday, and see what they're willing to do to work with me, and go from there.
 
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