[milhous]

If there's any advice that I can give about choosing a cell phone/service in the US, I have only one piece of advice:

DON'T GET AT&T WIRELESS!
DON'T GET AT&T WIRELESS!

or other TDMA-based carriers.
(with exception of Nextel which is proprietary)

After having the mistake of inititally going with AT&T, I have only incurred additional expense and hassle. I thought it was my phone that was the cause of the problem, but going through four different models ranging in price, I've only come to the conclusion that the service and the technology is pure crap.

I have since switched to Verizon Wireless (CDMA) and I can tell you that the service is fantastic! My calls are clear and crisp and I don't get many dropped calls compared to what I had before (about 1 every two calls). Battery life also seems to be noticeably better as well. The prices may or may not be as attractive then what the AT&T propaganda offers, but I believe it's worth the additional cost for better calls and enhanced services.

I write this so that people don't have to make the same mistake I did and waste money for nothing. Thanks.

P.S.- An example of AT&T Wireless shortcomings: why do you have to set the time manually on an AT&T phone when on a CDMA phone it sets the time for you when it pulls it from the network. That's smart and just makes common sense. When your battery dies or when you remove the battery, you have to manually set the time. That's proof positive.

[ 10-08-2001: Message edited by: milhous ]

[nonhuman]

I don't know about AT&T, but I definitely agree about Verizon. My first carrier was Sprint PCS, and they were ...ok�for the most part. Their customer service was horrendous, and their coverage area wasn't that extensive, but as long as you had more than one bar on your signal strength it was ok. Over the summer my phone died however, and Sprint started giving me a hard time about getting a replacement so I looked into switching. Of course, for some reason Sprint insisted that I had signed up for a one-year contract despite the fact that one of the reasons I was using sprint was that you didn't have to get a contract... So I eventually just cancelled my Sprint plan and switched over to Verizon.

Now, I am in total agreement about Verizon. They're service is fantastic. Great call quality, no dropped calls (yet), much better coverage. Even their customer service people are much more friendly and helpful. If anyone out there is looking into getting a cell phone (are they even still cell phones?) I would definitely recommend at least looking at Verizon. True, they're prices are a little higher, but it's definitely worth the slight extra cost.

[seanyepez]

Cingular owns you.

[guerro]

I have Sprint PCS. I agree that while the sound quality and connections are VERY good, the customer service heavily sucks.
I could write for days about my experience but I will spare you all.

[fulmer]

So what about Cingular? My sister used Alltel for a while, then switched to Cingular. She's been happy with the service. But really, how are they? And how do they rate up to Verizon?

Can anyone recommend a good company/plan for international calling--in Russia, for example?

[Xtopolop]

I can vouch for the utterly horrible quality of both Sprint PCS and Cingular's services. I would not touch either with a 10' pole. I had Sprint PCS first, and it had both dropped calls and a limited calling area!! Admittedly, they had the best service plans and no 1-year contracts. After being fed up with them, I turned to PacBell, which wasn't so bad, until Cingular took over and offered unlimited nights/weekends. That's when it took a turn for the worse. Over the past couple months, my cell phone has been a joke. Half of the time I try to make a call, I get a "System Busy" message. I can only receive calls about half the time too. Their infrastructure is "currently being updated," or so said the technical support person I spoke with last week. I was about ready to cancel my 1-year contract with only 2 months left, for $150! I have concluded that Verizon is definatley the way to go for a cell phone. BTW, I have the Nokia 8290, which is a decent phone, but I need a new toy, so I'm glad I'm switching service providers w/in a couple months. Hello, Motorola V.60 !

[LeftWingLock]

Not so fast. I've had Verizon for about 7 months now and have yet to be billed correctly. I'm being billed for minutes even when I am well under what my plan allows, my service has had to be reinstated at least twice, and they screwed up an area code change in my state. The customer service people on the phone are usually helpful, when I can get through, but the problems don't ever get solved. You would think that they would get tired of having to credit me $30-40 every month. Makes me think that maybe they are hoping that people don't study their bills closely and just pay what they ask for.
I switched over from US Cellular. May have been a big mistake.

[AlbertWu]

I think Cingular is great. The local plans are cheap, the GSM technology has never dropped a call, and I get a REALLY cool (puny) phone.

[Tominator]

I don't mind AT&T, but that's probably because we don't get much else here in eastern Washington.

[poocat]

you only dream of cell phones.
take it from me, you only dream.

docomo just launched their 3g service...

anyone for a cell phone that acts like a landline?

how about a cell phone with a digital camera...
eh... how about a video camera?

welcome to japan.
poocat.

[milhous]

Originally posted by poocat:
<STRONG>you only dream of cell phones.
take it from me, you only dream.

docomo just launched their 3g service...

anyone for a cell phone that acts like a landline?

how about a cell phone with a digital camera...
eh... how about a video camera?

welcome to japan.
poocat.</STRONG>

DAMN! I think I'll have to make a stop to Japan at least once in my life. Tell me, do many of the gadgets made for the Japanese market have english inscriptions on them, our are they all in Japanese for the most part?

Maybe next time I go to Korea, I can take a slight detour....

[Q27]

I have pondered the issue of getting a cell phone for a while now. While studying all the companies and finding out people's opinions of them, I have found it to be a very daunting task. For every person that says something good about one service, there are at least 3 or more people who will say it sucks. I hear lots of complaints about every single service. I recently read an article that said about 52% of people in the US own cell phones and about 60% are not happy with their service. You would think that if it was this bad the companies would do a complete overhaul of their systems. Does anybody know if the companies will let you test their service before you sign a contract. I would hate to sign a contract for service that is just going to suck and I will be stuck with it for a year.

[AlbertWu]

The problem with the Japanese "Do Co Mo" phone system is that
a.) the PDS system is japan-proprietary
and
b.) PDS has CRAPPY range

but it's REALLY COOL... oh well...


I'll settle for my GSM

[milhous]

Originally posted by Q27:
<STRONG>I have pondered the issue of getting a cell phone for a while now. While studying all the companies and finding out people's opinions of them, I have found it to be a very daunting task. For every person that says something good about one service, there are at least 3 or more people who will say it sucks. I hear lots of complaints about every single service. I recently read an article that said about 52% of people in the US own cell phones and about 60% are not happy with their service. You would think that if it was this bad the companies would do a complete overhaul of their systems. Does anybody know if the companies will let you test their service before you sign a contract. I would hate to sign a contract for service that is just going to suck and I will be stuck with it for a year.</STRONG>

As a firm believer in Verizon Wireless, I personally recommend it to you if it is available in your area. I just checked the Verizon Wireless website and they have a 15 day money back guarantee. If you don't like it within the first half month of signing up and assuming that the phone is stil in new condition, you can return the phone for a full refund MINUS the minutes that you used.

What's also great is that if you decide to change calling plans, the plan goes into effect IMMEDIATELY and is calculated on a pro-rated basis for both the new plan and previous plan that you had.

Also, you can sign-up for a two year agreement which will do two things:

I. wave the activation fee
II. get a free phone every two years up to $100 value or use it towards a purchase of a more expensive phone.

I think you can tell that from the consensus here that Verizon Wireless is pretty good stuff. With the exception of what LeftWingLock said, which seems to be a very extraordinary circumstance. My bills have come out in-line of what my plan is (National SingleRate 400 @ $55/mo. + 3000 night & weekend minutes/mo. for life).

Additionally, the policies for Night & Weekend minutes differ among carriers. I know that AT&T considered night to begin at 7PM as opposed to Verizon which is 9PM. So make sure that you have all your questions answered and don't assume that the policies of one carrier will be similar to another one.

Also, CDMA-based networks will be much easier to upgrade to the 3G system when the technology is made available. I'm fairly certain that Verizon Wireless will be the first network in the US to have mainstream 3G capabilities.

I guess the main point that I'm trying to express in this thread is five words:

STAY AWAY FROM TDMA-based CARRIERS!

CDMA ALL THE WAY!

[ 10-10-2001: Message edited by: milhous ]

[poocat]

oh... now everything in japan is cdma (two different kinds, but still)
and with 3g up and running, i think crappy service... well, there is no service like crystal...

god. i love the toys here.
my phone`s in english... mostly.
they all do at least two languages...
mine also plays the piano.

crazy insanity.
pc.

[Kenneth]

Currently, I'm using the VoiceStream. The network is GSM/1900, and it is working fine here in Washington State U campus. The bad: screw up company, poor billing system. I used AT&T wirless back in 1998, then I changed it to VoiceStream in 2000. My friends use Verzion, Sprint PCS, QWest. I'm looking forward to the 3G.