Mon 5 May 2008
Who is your current cell phone carrier, and what do you like and dislike about them?
Posted by IndigoRain9 answers so far!
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Mine was Cingular, and I never had a single problem. Since AT&T bought Cingular out, however, wait times when I have to call them for support have gone way up. The online support chat is ridiculous - you are sent into a chat room with many customers and many support agents, instead of a private chat with a support agent. You have to wait your turn to ask your question, but there are usually about 5-6 questions going at any time, with customers and support agents talking simultaneously. (When I got my unlocked phone, I needed them to send me the settings for MMS messages. I spent an hour in this chat and they told me they didn’t have the settings. I called Sony Ericsson and, although the settings were listed as not available on their website, the rep sent me the settings via SMS within 1 minute.)
There have been a couple of outages (never had an outage with Cingular), both data and voice. Occasionally I get a message on my phone saying “Emergency calls only.”
Although I pay my bill online, paperless, I have read on The Consumerist that AT&T now charges $15 to pay your bill over the phone and $5 to pay in an AT&T store.
I never sent many MMS messages (picture messages) with Cingular, but I’ve started to recently, and it can take hours for an MMS to go through. I had a friend send me a picture at 9pm at night and it came in at 3:30am! It takes a long time for the ones I send to be received, as well. (The people I’m sending and receiving with are on Verizon, so perhaps it’s the fact that they’re not on my carrier?) I’ve also had more SMS (text message) failure-to-sends, even when my phone shows I have a signal. And occasionally I receive (or transmit through no fault of my own) duplicate messages.
I’d love to switch to Verizon since I have an unlocked phone anyways, but I think I’m locked in until I give them my firstborn (can’t afford the termination fee). And I do know about CellSwapper, but I pay for my parents’ lines on my account, and their phones are locked to AT&T… not worth the bother, really.
The positives? Well, I usually do get a good signal, except inside my own house. And I love Sony Ericsson’s phones, and AT&T uses Sony Ericsson.
Oh, and BillShrink says I’m using the cheapest options available right now anyways.
I use Verizon. The carriers I’ve used before had poor reception in key locations (my house, my ex boyfriend’s house) so I guess I ended up switching because of that. (I can’t really recall switching, but I know I did.)
Things I like: Verizon’s reception is great everywhere I go. As for cost, I imagine the rate I’m paying is within ~10% either way of what I’d be paying another carrier, but I really have no idea. Even if it’s more expensive, it’s worth getting a signal. And it’s very easy for me to go get help at the local Verizon store. (Like the time the phone’s screen went blank, and the other time that the phone went into the pool. All I have to do is show up and they set me up with a new phone.)
My switchover was a few years ago. The other carriers (AT&T and Cingular) might be better at this point, but I have no reason to make a change.
I use AT&T, formerly Cingular. I switched from US Crapular. We got some amazingly high bills from US Cellular and I went to the store. The manager was a dick, and I don’t use that word lightly. He’d gotten my husband to sign a new agreement when he got me my phone. No problem. But he’d left off some of the features of his old plan, mobile-to-mobile, etc. I found this out by going to the US Cellular store at the mall and talking to a rep there. Customer service fixed it but they only took off a portion of the overage. I called 3 times and each time they gave one more concession.
Three strikes and you’re out with me. I switched to Cingular, AT&T bought them, I have a cool camera phone that’s easily upgraded, and my husband can get the iPhone when we have the spare cash later on this year. I pay my bill online. I have a bazillion rollover minutes because the next plan down wouldn’t be enough, but it’s still way cheaper than US Cellular. I don’t have my calls dropped unless my hubby is in his office surrounded by brick walls (no one gets coverage there). My phone works at my in-laws’ camp in the stick, where their phones won’t (Samsung).
Disclaimer: I used to work at [insert big cell phone mfr name here], the Corporate office, and I know what the carriers can do and why they do it and why there are so many different systems here in the U.S. as opposed to using GSM (hint: it’s to sell more phones, especially if you move around the country). Analog, Digital, TDMA, CDMA, woo-hoo, all great technology (some outdated now), but where’s the seamless integration? How come I can use Virgin Mobil in Chicago but not in another area of the country? It’s all bullshit. We should be screaming for GSM here but the current infrastructure is built around the carriers and the multiple phones designed to work with them so they’d whine about that too. Try to go to Europe with your American cellphone: you have to by a SIM card or rent a phone, right? Who’s making the SIM cards? More money out of your pocket (or your employer’s, that’s where the big bucks are).
So I am satisfied with my carrier, yes, and no problems with my phone. I’m kind of sorry they were bought by AT&T, monopolizers of the ’70’s, but I can’t control Corporate America, nor do I want to work under that crazy-ass system ever again. I truly believe some of them are insane, or at the very least, out of touch with reality.
I do not have a cell phone carrier, nyah, nyah, nyah — unless you count Tracfone (for emergency only). I’d rather have an ebola carrier than a cell phone carrier.
I use t-mobile because they had the best deal for the area I lived in at the time. There’s a lot of local carriers in the area, but I travel a decent amount and charge roaming charges outside the state so I decided against that.
The service is as good as I could expect and I’ve never had to call tech support anyways.
This is also the first cell phone I’ve personally owned and purchased; I was always on my parents’ family plan beforehand. Though, we did have nextel for a while which was HORRIBLE. Didn’t get cell reception all too often.
My contract’s up this summer, and my decision is largly predicated on what phone I want. I currently use a WM5 device, and don’t have much interest in the iPhone. Thinking about a crackberry or waiting for the android, both of which will be on the t-mobile network.
I’d rather have an ebola carrier than a cell phone carrie
I also haven’t had a land line in 8 years, so phhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhht!!!
t-mobile. great deal. great quality. great free phones.
oh, and Catherine Zeta Jones. (formerly)
Mine’s Alltel. They’re the only cellphone carrier I’ve ever had, so I don’t really have anything to compare ‘em to. I’m sure not thrilled about that Verizon buyout, though.