Cell phone providers

[GBRulz]

My contract is coming up soon with Cingular. Ya know, the company that is raising the bar on customer frustrations and home to the most dropped calls anywhere? Ok, at least in GB....

What carriers do you use, do you like them? comments, etc....

I'm thinking of going to Verizon.

[Partial]

Well, more importantly than carriers is what towers they have in the area, and what services share towers.

CDMA is a newer technology (US Cellular, Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, etc) and they all share towers for the most part. Verizon and Sprint are going to have the best phones since they are the biggest companies.

GSM is cingular, T-mobile, and has several different frequencies. Cingular generally uses all of T-Mobiles towers, but T-Mobile doesn't use Cingular's IIRC.

With CDMA phones, most of the thinner phones are digital only. I have an older phone and it does both digital bands and has analog as well. It gets PERFECT reception pretty much everywhere in Platteville, where as last year I had a vx6000 (digital only) which got absolutely awful service.

I would read reviews on www.phonescoop.com when picking out a phone and service.

[MJZiggy]

I just misplaced my phone while out of town and had a great experience with verizon. I got a human by pressing 0 and they said I wasn't responsible for calls made in the last 48 hours (my phone had been missing 1 hour at this point) and when it was found, they reinstated and updated it immediately. No long holding sessions, etc. Their land-line division could take lessons from these guys.

[Fosco33]

I've had VW for 8+ years and can count on one hand the number of dropped calls. I've upgraded twice and never had an issue with any phone (LG is great).

Plus I get 15% off with my company and a VCard for national broadband access (anywhere really).

Generally good customer service, too.

[Partial]

HAHAHAH Fosco still has his VCARD

[GBRulz]

Well, more importantly than carriers is what towers they have in the area, and what services share towers.

CDMA is a newer technology (US Cellular, Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, etc) and they all share towers for the most part. Verizon and Sprint are going to have the best phones since they are the biggest companies.

GSM is cingular, T-mobile, and has several different frequencies. Cingular generally uses all of T-Mobiles towers, but T-Mobile doesn't use Cingular's IIRC.

With CDMA phones, most of the thinner phones are digital only. I have an older phone and it does both digital bands and has analog as well. It gets PERFECT reception pretty much everywhere in Platteville, where as last year I had a vx6000 (digital only) which got absolutely awful service.

I would read reviews on www.phonescoop.com when picking out a phone and service.

Well, I go up to northern WI alot and based upon service up here, I am pretty much limited to a choice of either Cingular or Verizon. T-Mobile doesn't serve the GB area, actually they don't serve anything north of Milwaukee. people who have Sprint/Nextel can't get service up north, so they are out of the question for me. All-Tel is not here in GB, either, Cellcom is. AllTell bought out several areas that used to be served by Cellcom, but agreed to not compete against them in the same markets.
U.S. Cellular has pockets of roaming up north, too...so, they are out of the question. Like i said, my choices are Cingular or Verizon. I like what I've been hearing so far from Verizon.

Verizon and Sprint are going to have the best phones since they are the biggest companies.

Um, any phone can be used to work with any provider, just has to be unlocked. There are few phones that are made that are exclusive to certain carriers. Verizon has the "chocolate" phone, but I could care less. I want a phone, not an mp3 player. That's what my ipod is for.

[retailguy]

Well, I go up to northern WI alot and based upon service up here, I am pretty much limited to a choice of either Cingular or Verizon. T-Mobile doesn't serve the GB area, actually they don't serve anything north of Milwaukee. people who have Sprint/Nextel can't get service up north, so they are out of the question for me. All-Tel is not here in GB, either, Cellcom is. AllTell bought out several areas that used to be served by Cellcom, but agreed to not compete against them in the same markets.
U.S. Cellular has pockets of roaming up north, too...so, they are out of the question. Like i said, my choices are Cingular or Verizon. I like what I've been hearing so far from Verizon.

Verizon and Sprint are going to have the best phones since they are the biggest companies.

Um, any phone can be used to work with any provider, just has to be unlocked. There are few phones that are made that are exclusive to certain carriers. Verizon has the "chocolate" phone, but I could care less. I want a phone, not an mp3 player. That's what my ipod is for.

I had Verizon for three years, NEVER had the same bill twice. Their bills are very confusing, frequently wrong, and customer service for me was AWFUL. I would not use cellular service if my only choice was Verizon.

I've been with Sprint for the last four years, and LOVE it. I hear what you're saying about service, my mother lives in the middle of nowhere in North Central Wisconsin and it DOES NOT WORK at all there. Not even analog roming.

My advice - Use Sprint and buy a prepaid phone for when you go north. I wouldn't let my dog use Verizon.

[GBRulz]

Retail, I am up north way too much to consider buying a prepaid phone.

Cingular works perfect for me when I'm not in GB. Up in northern WI, I am using Alltell's towers and my service works perfectly.

Another thing, there are alot of pockets in GB where calls suddenly drop or you have no service. For example, at my house I'm lucky to have 2 bars on my phone. and I live in the city, not in BFE. I think Cingular just needs more towers around here.

Well, as of the beginning of the year, they will be AT&T, so we'll see what changes come around I guess.

[Partial]

Well, I go up to northern WI alot and based upon service up here, I am pretty much limited to a choice of either Cingular or Verizon. T-Mobile doesn't serve the GB area, actually they don't serve anything north of Milwaukee. people who have Sprint/Nextel can't get service up north, so they are out of the question for me. All-Tel is not here in GB, either, Cellcom is. AllTell bought out several areas that used to be served by Cellcom, but agreed to not compete against them in the same markets.
U.S. Cellular has pockets of roaming up north, too...so, they are out of the question. Like i said, my choices are Cingular or Verizon. I like what I've been hearing so far from Verizon.

Ok. If you're going to remote areas, check with your provider if the towers are analog or digital and what "band" they use. If you go with Verizon, if they're analog towers make sure you get a phone that is tri-band. The digital only phones like the razr get poor reception in remote places because people don't think to ask.

I don't necessarily believe that to be true with the area being exclusive to Cingular or Verizon unless they are not lending their towers, because Cingular does both GSM 1900 and GSM 850 (Most GSM phones support quad band, which means GSM 1800, 850, 900, and 1900 for the sake of only having to cut down on manufacturing costs), and T-Mobile does one or the other, but whichever one they do, if cingular has a tower in the area supporting that the T-Mobile phone will work.

I realize they may not advertise up there or offer support / stores there ( which means you obviously wouldn't want to get it; thats the reason we don't have cellcom despite being able to get it for like 10 bucks a month 'cause my buddy is an employee there ), but I would imagine that their branded phones would receive service to some extent there.

I would personally steer away from GSM because the technology is older and flawed in my opinion compared to CDMA. Sure, CDMA has its flaws such as the signal weakening with more people on the network, but it has a greater range and traditionally has worked better.




Um, any phone can be used to work with any provider, just has to be unlocked. There are few phones that are made that are exclusive to certain carriers. Verizon has the "chocolate" phone, but I could care less. I want a phone, not an mp3 player. That's what my ipod is for.

That's not entirely true. While in theory it is, in practicality I don't see that happening with too many companies. While I realize phones can be unlocked and purchased, it is much easier with GSM phones because they are tied to SIM cards. Most CDMA companies will not unlock or relock a phone any longer. US Cellular is pretty much the biggest mofo in the world with this, because I can buy a Verizon branded V3c Razr for 50 bucks on eBay or buy theirs with its shitty US Cellular locked firmware for twice the price.

No one is saying you need to get a chocolate or anything else. Do what you want I couldn't care less. But, not all CDMA providers are going to carry all the same phones likewise all the GSM providers will not carry the same phones. The iPhone that is coming out by Apple has a year long exclusivity to Cingular and they are not allowed to unlock them to be used by T-Mobile or other GSM carriers. This is a prime example of a bigger company (Verizon, Sprint, Cingular, T-Mobile) versus a local company (Alltel, US Cellular, Cellcom, etc) getting better technology faster because they have more customers to sell it to.

[retailguy]

Retail, I am up north way too much to consider buying a prepaid phone.

Cingular works perfect for me when I'm not in GB. Up in northern WI, I am using Alltell's towers and my service works perfectly.

Another thing, there are alot of pockets in GB where calls suddenly drop or you have no service. For example, at my house I'm lucky to have 2 bars on my phone. and I live in the city, not in BFE. I think Cingular just needs more towers around here.

Well, as of the beginning of the year, they will be AT&T, so we'll see what changes come around I guess.

I hear you. I have ZERO experience with Cingular, other than I used to use Pacific Bell when I was in California.

Sometimes the demon you know is better than the demon you don't know, and VERIZON is a demon, of that I am sure.

If you're using Alltell's towers, why not use them? They must be in GB, right?

Had no idea you travelled into the wilderness that often. I see my mother a couple of times a year, and that's enough time to be in Northern Wisconsin. I don't, obviously, share the same love for it that you do.

Growing up there as a kid, on weekends, I had to drive 23 miles for a freakin' hot dog, and 12 miles for gas. Was great for three wheeling/snowmobiling and motorcycling, but that was about it for me anyhow. Never enjoyed fishing, and stopped enjoying hunting when my 16 year old brother mistook me for a deer.... Haven't been back in the woods much since.

[Partial]

Well, I go up to northern WI alot and based upon service up here, I am pretty much limited to a choice of either Cingular or Verizon. T-Mobile doesn't serve the GB area, actually they don't serve anything north of Milwaukee. people who have Sprint/Nextel can't get service up north, so they are out of the question for me. All-Tel is not here in GB, either, Cellcom is. AllTell bought out several areas that used to be served by Cellcom, but agreed to not compete against them in the same markets.
U.S. Cellular has pockets of roaming up north, too...so, they are out of the question. Like i said, my choices are Cingular or Verizon. I like what I've been hearing so far from Verizon.

Verizon and Sprint are going to have the best phones since they are the biggest companies.

Um, any phone can be used to work with any provider, just has to be unlocked. There are few phones that are made that are exclusive to certain carriers. Verizon has the "chocolate" phone, but I could care less. I want a phone, not an mp3 player. That's what my ipod is for.

I had Verizon for three years, NEVER had the same bill twice. Their bills are very confusing, frequently wrong, and customer service for me was AWFUL. I would not use cellular service if my only choice was Verizon.

I've been with Sprint for the last four years, and LOVE it. I hear what you're saying about service, my mother lives in the middle of nowhere in North Central Wisconsin and it DOES NOT WORK at all there. Not even analog roming.

My advice - Use Sprint and buy a prepaid phone for when you go north. I wouldn't let my dog use Verizon.

RG, they use the exact same towers :razz: Did she have a triband phone? New towers are all digital and are built around highly populated areas. Analog signal goes forever and is widely unused for the most part so it has pretty darn good range. I think it is funny, technically the only company offering service in Platteville is US Cellular, and they make a KILLING from all the students, but I see people with Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, Cellcom, etc talking on their phones happily ever after here.

The moral of the story is no company wants to finance all their own towers. That would be tooo expensive so they share.

[Partial]

Retail, I am up north way too much to consider buying a prepaid phone.

Cingular works perfect for me when I'm not in GB. Up in northern WI, I am using Alltell's towers and my service works perfectly.

Another thing, there are alot of pockets in GB where calls suddenly drop or you have no service. For example, at my house I'm lucky to have 2 bars on my phone. and I live in the city, not in BFE. I think Cingular just needs more towers around here.

Well, as of the beginning of the year, they will be AT&T, so we'll see what changes come around I guess.

Alltell and Cingular? Huh? Is it a really old phone? Perhaps they're both using good ol' TDMA, what they never should have ditched in the first place for phones!!

[Partial]

Retail, I am up north way too much to consider buying a prepaid phone.

Cingular works perfect for me when I'm not in GB. Up in northern WI, I am using Alltell's towers and my service works perfectly.

Another thing, there are alot of pockets in GB where calls suddenly drop or you have no service. For example, at my house I'm lucky to have 2 bars on my phone. and I live in the city, not in BFE. I think Cingular just needs more towers around here.

Well, as of the beginning of the year, they will be AT&T, so we'll see what changes come around I guess.

I hear you. I have ZERO experience with Cingular, other than I used to use Pacific Bell when I was in California.

Sometimes the demon you know is better than the demon you don't know, and VERIZON is a demon, of that I am sure.

If you're using Alltell's towers, why not use them? They must be in GB, right?

Had no idea you travelled into the wilderness that often. I see my mother a couple of times a year, and that's enough time to be in Northern Wisconsin. I don't, obviously, share the same love for it that you do.

Growing up there as a kid, on weekends, I had to drive 23 miles for a freakin' hot dog, and 12 miles for gas. Was great for three wheeling/snowmobiling and motorcycling, but that was about it for me anyhow. Never enjoyed fishing, and stopped enjoying hunting when my 16 year old brother mistook me for a deer.... Haven't been back in the woods much since.

I am very surprised you dislike Verizon. They're very expensive in comparison to the others but they have won many awards for their fast acting customer service.

[Fosco33]

Well, I go up to northern WI alot and based upon service up here, I am pretty much limited to a choice of either Cingular or Verizon. T-Mobile doesn't serve the GB area, actually they don't serve anything north of Milwaukee. people who have Sprint/Nextel can't get service up north, so they are out of the question for me. All-Tel is not here in GB, either, Cellcom is. AllTell bought out several areas that used to be served by Cellcom, but agreed to not compete against them in the same markets.
U.S. Cellular has pockets of roaming up north, too...so, they are out of the question. Like i said, my choices are Cingular or Verizon. I like what I've been hearing so far from Verizon.

Verizon and Sprint are going to have the best phones since they are the biggest companies.

Um, any phone can be used to work with any provider, just has to be unlocked. There are few phones that are made that are exclusive to certain carriers. Verizon has the "chocolate" phone, but I could care less. I want a phone, not an mp3 player. That's what my ipod is for.

I had Verizon for three years, NEVER had the same bill twice. Their bills are very confusing, frequently wrong, and customer service for me was AWFUL. I would not use cellular service if my only choice was Verizon.

I've been with Sprint for the last four years, and LOVE it. I hear what you're saying about service, my mother lives in the middle of nowhere in North Central Wisconsin and it DOES NOT WORK at all there. Not even analog roming.

My advice - Use Sprint and buy a prepaid phone for when you go north. I wouldn't let my dog use Verizon.

You must go over your limit or use lots of services (text/pix msg, downloading stuff, etc.). My base has been the same for years and is very consistent.

I'm thinking 'user error' :razz:

[Fosco33]

Note, I have 'America's Choice' plan - giving me no real 'roaming' - all the signals are generally full bars with the exception of Nashville, TN. Check out their coverage map for the North Woods from VW.

Yes, the VCard is back - you can be 'born again'. The thing works 'ok' - a little faster than dialup but when you're on a plane or in a cab, it's great. My company pays for this b/c otherwise I wouldn't get it.

[the_idle_threat]

FWIW, I've had great luck with Verizon and an LG phone. No problems getting a signal, even at the family vacation house way up north.

[Partial]

I am telling you guys, phone may be more important than the carrier! Getting that analog in remote places is key!!

[SkinBasket]

I had Sprint for 5 years. Their reception AND coverage was much less than ideal. I ofetn found myself in major cities without coverage, roaming, or with "1 bar." Out in the sticks - forget about it.

A few months ago we moved to Verizon. The coverage and reception is great. The phone pisses me off to no end. We got the Razor, and almost all the features have been crippled or removed by Verison. If you simply use it to make and recieve calls then this wont be a problem, but doing anything else will require paying more money to Verizon or literally hacking into your own phone.

The other company that has great coverage in out-of-the-way places is US Cellular. There hasn't been a golf course in Wisconsin I couldn't reach my dad at yet.

[GBRulz]

Partial, I think you misunderstood me. I didn't say that Verizon and Cingular are the only carriers who's service will work in GB. I'm saying based on choosing a provider where I can go up north (which by the way are all digital towers) and not be roaming or not have service, Cingular and Verizon are my only choices. I suppose U.S. Cellular and Cellcom would work, too but I wouldn't recommend Cellcom to my worst enemy. I had them for a year and they sucked. AllTell doesn't offer service to GB. Sprint/Nextel doesn't even have a signal up north. TMobile doesn't offer service in GB.

Sure, I can go get T-Mobile or AllTell service, but I won't have a local GB number. FCC regulations won't allow it since they aren't licensed for this market. AND, you need to be careful if you have a service and are constantly using another tower, they probably will cut your service. I know several people who had Cingular but did not live in an area with their towers and so they had their service cut off. A cell provider would much rather use their own towers vs. paying another provider to use their towers. They lose money that way.

Alltell is not a "local" company. They are the 4th largest carrier in the U.S. Like I said before, they bought out several markets that used to be Cellcom (Rhinelander, Eagle River where I go up north) and established an agreement that they wouldn't compete in the same markets as them. So, GB has Cellcom. Which means that AllTell isn't available to me.

[Zool]

I am telling you guys, phone may be more important than the carrier! Getting that analog in remote places is key!!

Ding. Correct for 200 points. My friend and I are both on Cingular. I have full bars 99% of the time and have never dropped a call. He has crap service. I paid for a Nokia 6503 and he got whatever crappy free phone they give you. We live within a mile of each other too. At his house my phone signal is great. A lot if it is phone.

[CaptainKickass]

Sprint and Verizon Wireless do not publicize this information very well but I am here to let you in on a bit of a secret to service when traveling outside of your "home" area - particularily out of state or at least a 50 mile radius.

I can't recall what the codes are for Sprint - but - for Verizon Wirelss - you simply dial *228 and select option 1 to "activate" or "program" your phone. (If you are wealthy enough to have a PDA use *22899 no need to make a selection just wait for "programming successful" to appear on your phone.)

You'll want to do this AFTER you arrive in your new destination (such as another metro area)

What this does is "resets" what they call a PRL or "preferred roaming list". This will ensure that your phone will attempt to "find" the tower that's geographically closest to you, instead of trying to "find" your local home tower first and then running through a progression of algorythms to attempt to locate your position or the closest tower.

To summarize: dial the activation # when you arrive in a new area for best service and reception.

[Partial]

I am telling you guys, phone may be more important than the carrier! Getting that analog in remote places is key!!

Ding. Correct for 200 points. My friend and I are both on Cingular. I have full bars 99% of the time and have never dropped a call. He has crap service. I paid for a Nokia 6503 and he got whatever crappy free phone they give you. We live within a mile of each other too. At his house my phone signal is great. A lot if it is phone.

Nokia has pretty much mastered the cell phone. I remember those nokia tank free phones that everyone had a few years back. Those had better service than any phone I have ever experienced. My house is very near several service towers, and my sister and I had phones that were digital only. Her's worked great and mine sucked, simply because it wasn't designed as well. It's amazing how big of a difference different phones can make on a like-network.

[GBRulz]

I am telling you guys, phone may be more important than the carrier! Getting that analog in remote places is key!!

Ding. Correct for 200 points. My friend and I are both on Cingular. I have full bars 99% of the time and have never dropped a call. He has crap service. I paid for a Nokia 6503 and he got whatever crappy free phone they give you. We live within a mile of each other too. At his house my phone signal is great. A lot if it is phone.

I don't necessarily agree with that. At least from my experience. When I first switched to Cingular, I had the Motorola V551, which at the time was a top of the line phone. I was dropping calls left and right. About 6 months ago I bought a Razr and while the calls don't drop as much, they still drop. Unfortunately, my thesis shows me that even having a good phone cannot overcome Cingular's crap service!

I have heard though that Nokia's are the best for obtaining a good signal.

Just as important, it really depends where you live. Like I said in one of my earlier posts, my service works great for me when I go to Milw, Chicago, etc...just works for sh*t in GB !!

[Partial]

I am telling you guys, phone may be more important than the carrier! Getting that analog in remote places is key!!

Ding. Correct for 200 points. My friend and I are both on Cingular. I have full bars 99% of the time and have never dropped a call. He has crap service. I paid for a Nokia 6503 and he got whatever crappy free phone they give you. We live within a mile of each other too. At his house my phone signal is great. A lot if it is phone.

I don't necessarily agree with that. At least from my experience. When I first switched to Cingular, I had the Motorola V551, which at the time was a top of the line phone. I was dropping calls left and right. About 6 months ago I bought a Razr and while the calls don't drop as much, they still drop. Unfortunately, my thesis shows me that even having a good phone cannot overcome Cingular's crap service!

I have heard though that Nokia's are the best for obtaining a good signal.

Just as important, it really depends where you live. Like I said in one of my earlier posts, my service works great for me when I go to Milw, Chicago, etc...just works for sh*t in GB !!

more expensive phone != better phone.

more expensive phone == more features

For example, the Razr and the Slvr are very expensive, feature rich phones. They're both notorious for their lack of signal strength and inability to hold a call, though.

Nokia phones are the cream of the CDMA crop because they are generally bigger, constructed better, good feature set for the price, and tri-band.

For GSM, you cannot beat a Sony Erickson phone. Online reviews continuously put them at the top even above Nokia, unfortunately I do not beleive they make CDMA phones.

[Zool]

I am telling you guys, phone may be more important than the carrier! Getting that analog in remote places is key!!

Ding. Correct for 200 points. My friend and I are both on Cingular. I have full bars 99% of the time and have never dropped a call. He has crap service. I paid for a Nokia 6503 and he got whatever crappy free phone they give you. We live within a mile of each other too. At his house my phone signal is great. A lot if it is phone.

I don't necessarily agree with that. At least from my experience. When I first switched to Cingular, I had the Motorola V551, which at the time was a top of the line phone. I was dropping calls left and right. About 6 months ago I bought a Razr and while the calls don't drop as much, they still drop. Unfortunately, my thesis shows me that even having a good phone cannot overcome Cingular's crap service!

I have heard though that Nokia's are the best for obtaining a good signal.

Just as important, it really depends where you live. Like I said in one of my earlier posts, my service works great for me when I go to Milw, Chicago, etc...just works for sh*t in GB !!Location is a big factor I suppose. Its all about towers and tower leases. Sprint sux donkey doo at my house, but Cingular is crystal clear.

I guess the moral is, get the service that is best in your area. I, unfortunately, am not in your area.

[Scott Campbell]

Um, any phone can be used to work with any provider, just has to be unlocked. There are few phones that are made that are exclusive to certain carriers.


That's not accurate. A GSM phone (T-Mobile, Cingular) can't be unlocked to work on a CDMA network (Sprint or Verizon). And visa versa. The phones use different hardware.

[Partial]

Um, any phone can be used to work with any provider, just has to be unlocked. There are few phones that are made that are exclusive to certain carriers.


That's not accurate. A GSM phone (T-Mobile, Cingular) can't be unlocked to work on a CDMA network (Sprint or Verizon). And visa versa. The phones use different hardware.

Even thats not true in reality. You would have to go manufacturer direct. Companies alter the firmware now-a-days and refuse to unlock/relock in order to get you to buy the more expensive phone from them and to cripple features.

A prime example of this is a follows:

Motorola phones used to have a really shiity user interface. Just terrible. About a month ago they released a new user interface called "synergy" that is backwards compatible with most newer phones. US Cellular (and I am sure other companies) have blocked the ability to upgrade the phones software for several reasons. It truly is a pain in the ass.

I can understand firmware hacking to prevent piracy in electronics (with video game consoles, soon to be pcs, etc) because those companies have the right to protect their intellectual property, but crippling firmware to take away standard features on a cell phone is a TOTALLY different and BS thing to do.

[Scott Campbell]

Um, any phone can be used to work with any provider, just has to be unlocked. There are few phones that are made that are exclusive to certain carriers.


That's not accurate. A GSM phone (T-Mobile, Cingular) can't be unlocked to work on a CDMA network (Sprint or Verizon). And visa versa. The phones use different hardware.

Even thats not true in reality.


Yes, it is true. GSM modems are physically different than CDMA modems. It's not a firmware issue. It's a hardware (modem) issue.

[Partial]

Um, any phone can be used to work with any provider, just has to be unlocked. There are few phones that are made that are exclusive to certain carriers.


That's not accurate. A GSM phone (T-Mobile, Cingular) can't be unlocked to work on a CDMA network (Sprint or Verizon). And visa versa. The phones use different hardware.

Even thats not true in reality.


Yes, it is true. GSM modems are physically different than CDMA modems. It's not a firmware issue. It's a hardware (modem) issue.

Right, I understand how it works. EE/SE student here :wink: I was saying its not true that you can unlocked any CDMA phone to work on any CDMA tower and any GSM to work on any GSM tower. Not only are there frequency restrictions, most companies are unwilling to do that, now.

[Tyrone Bigguns]

They all suck. It is as simple as that. I rarely meet anyone who is happy with their service.

It is true that certain companies are stronger in cetain markets, Verizon is strong out west.

Myself, I have had sprint since 00. Do i love them, prolly not. But, everytime I thought about switching, someone I knew, who had the other company, was talking about switching to sprint.

I like my new sprint phone, the blade. Think it has a better hand feel than the razr and a little more heft.

Mostly I don't switch cause I play the "i'm leaving, what are u gonna do for me" routine. I love customer retention plans. I got the blade for free, the usual 500 more free minutes (i'm up to like 2500 for 40 beans a month) and 7 call time. I've done this every couple of years. I think I started with 500 anytime minutes.

[MJZiggy]

I am happy with my service.

[Little Whiskey]

my cell service is great.....until it sucks!!

[Fosco33]

Sprint and Verizon Wireless do not publicize this information very well but I am here to let you in on a bit of a secret to service when traveling outside of your "home" area - particularily out of state or at least a 50 mile radius.

I can't recall what the codes are for Sprint - but - for Verizon Wirelss - you simply dial *228 and select option 1 to "activate" or "program" your phone. (If you are wealthy enough to have a PDA use *22899 no need to make a selection just wait for "programming successful" to appear on your phone.)

You'll want to do this AFTER you arrive in your new destination (such as another metro area)

What this does is "resets" what they call a PRL or "preferred roaming list". This will ensure that your phone will attempt to "find" the tower that's geographically closest to you, instead of trying to "find" your local home tower first and then running through a progression of algorythms to attempt to locate your position or the closest tower.

To summarize: dial the activation # when you arrive in a new area for best service and reception.

I was just gonna post this.

While it's not posted, they will tell you to do that when buying your first phone. I travel all the time (west-east) and stop over in Chicago, Dallas/Houston, Cincy or NC. I do this monthly at least.

One thing that I'd disagree with though. It's not only if you travel.

As VW updates their coverage, you have to do this to keep your software on your phone up to date.

[MJZiggy]

As I just had to talk to them, they recommended this as well, but they suggest that after you dial *228, you choose option 2. Seriously painless.

[SkinBasket]

As I just had to talk to them, they recommended this as well, but they suggest that after you dial *228, you choose option 2. Seriously painless.

I don't know about painless. I spent 100 bucks for a fricken phone (before finding out it had been hobbled by verizon). Why can't it do this administrative bullshit itself?

[Fosco33]

As I just had to talk to them, they recommended this as well, but they suggest that after you dial *228, you choose option 2. Seriously painless.

I don't know about painless. I spent 100 bucks for a fricken phone (before finding out it had been hobbled by verizon). Why can't it do this administrative bullshit itself?

They probably could set something up - like Windows Updates - still have to install them for the most part. It's not a big deal really - I always remember when I pay those darn bills. :lol:

One other thing that I do - more to keep big bro a little less out of my hair - I switch the GPS locator to off. Obviously VW knows where I am and the gov't probably just hacks and grabs data so they have it but have to find it.

[Sparkey]

My contract is coming up soon with Cingular. Ya know, the company that is raising the bar on customer frustrations and home to the most dropped calls anywhere? Ok, at least in GB....

What carriers do you use, do you like them? comments, etc....

I'm thinking of going to Verizon.

I live in Sheboygan, GBR and I still use Cellcom. Have a cabin up near Lakewood and overall, get really good reception throughout the state.

CELLCOM.......SIMPLY THE BEST! ;) Mike Sherman said so!