cell phone service

[EricNoah]

Ok, Mrs. Noah and I are thinking about taking the plunge and getting cell phones. Only I don't know where to start. Anyone have a particularly good (or bad) experience with a particular company? Anyone have advice about cell phone features you can't live without? Anyone know of a reliable source that compares/rates different services? Thanks!

 

[Hand of Evil]

Check web sites and read the plans - things to look for:
...Service area
...Roaming
...Unlimited calling
........When (to same service provider - 9 PM to 7AM)

Look at your phone history:
...when do you use the phone?
...how long do you use the phone?
...Where do you use the phone from?

If you look at some sites they will show you that most coverage is 20 miles off of Interstate Highways, then it is roaming. Images on phones can have hidden cost in file sizes.

 

[TracerBullet42]

Well, I don't know much about the technology, but the customer service support that I've received from Verizon has been outstanding. Back in December, when my roommate passed away, I ran up a TON of minutes without planning ahead to change my calling plan. When I received the enormous bill at the end of the month, I gave them a call and explained my situation. Without hesitation, they simply said that they would "back-credit" me for that month as if I had been on a plan to cover the extra minutes.

I couldn't believe it. I was ready to put up a fight, and instead received some much needed grace. For that reason, I'll stick with Verizon.

So that's one vote for Verizon.

 

[GlassJaw]

Second vote for Verizon.

Getting started isn't that difficult. I knew nothing and just said give me a decent phone with an average plan. I've had no problems since - simple as pie.

 

[Rel]

When I started my own company in the fall of last year I found myself suddenly needing a cell phone. I found that the best thing to do was to ask friends and family in my immediate area. For example I found out that Alltel had the most dense coverage in this area. That meant that people using their service were less likely to need to step out side of a large building to get a signal. Since a lot of my work takes place in large office buildings downtown I went with them.

That's the kind of stuff I'd be on the lookout for.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Try and find out about the coverage where you need it. And check on things quickly. You can usually cancel a service within 14 days with no termination fee. When my wife was pregnant and I was taking a couple of night classes, I found that I could get a Cingular signal in the classroom, but not AT&T (now of course all the same network), so I switched. At my current job I can get a strong Verizon signal within the buildings so I switched to them. I have had a very good experience with Verizon.

As for features, I don't care about fancy new tech. I just want a basic phone, no cameras, no PDA built in, just a phone that has vibrate mode and an address book.

 

[Henry]

Also it depends on what you plan to use the Cell Phone for. For instance, my wife is a home health care nurse, and has an Alltel pre-paid plan for emergencies - we pay ahead of time for a set amount of minutes, and as long as we pay $20 every two months, we accumulate all minutes and don't have to worry about overage fees, or roaming fees, as it just comes off of the pre-aid minutes (it's double-billed if we do roam, but since everything in South and North Carolina is considered non-roaming, it's never been a big deal.)

So the things to consider:

-purpose of the phone (mainly emergency use, or consistent use)
-densest converage areas of the provider in the areas you mainly plan to travel
-roaming charges for the areas you may be in occasionally

 

[diaglo]

don't do it.

stick to rotary dial.

 

[Rel]

don't do it.

stick to rotary dial.

By God, diaglo, sometimes your annoying schtick wraps right back around to funny!

 

[Brennin Magalus]

Eric:

One thing you need to know is that even though your phone may not display "roaming" you can still be hit with roaming charges if you are outside your calling area. I was charged approx. $70 in roaming charges during my weekend trip to check out UF and my sister was charged over $800 for calls placed by my niece during a trip to Hawaii.