Okay ladies and gentlemen, here's the deal: My girlfriend and I are about to take our relationship long distance. We've talked to a number of people about how to make it work, and the best advice we've gotten was about staying in constant communication with each other.
Thusly, we're about to take the plunge into a cell service plan. We're looking at a number of companies. There seems to be tons of people who hate Verizon's service and billing policies, but I was wondering about the experience you've all had with others.
Sure, letstalk.com has a good comparison list (even if it doesn't cover Sprint), but I'm wondering about the stuff it doesn't cover, like horror stories with stupid and irresponsible corporations. Or better yet, maybe some nice things to say about companies who go that extra mile (I know, rare but worth asking for).
So consider this an open request for your input. Who are the big bad wolves in the forrest?
Cellular Technology...
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eddiecanuck
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Well here is my 2 cents worth.
I've been with Sprint, Cingular, and Verizon, in that order. Of the 3, so far I'd have to say I was most satisfied with Sprint. But at the time I was on a month to month basis and that was a while ago. My wife just switched from Sprint to Verizon. The only reasons I switch was I liked the phone Cingular was offering at the time, and Sprint had NO coverage in Canada (important for me, maybe not for you). I could usually get coverage in all major cities and I could check voicemail without actually using my cell phone. Recently though, we tried to pay a bill at one of their stores and they wanted to charge me $5 extra for it. I almost hit the guy.
The one I hated the most was Cingular, while I was told they had coverage in Canada, they didn't. And their coverage here in Spokane was spotty at best. The only reason I was able to use the phone was because I was allowed to connect to AT&T towers with no charge. So I set my phone to always use AT&T service. So I guess you could say I've been a customer of theirs as well
Anyway, Cingular customer service for me has been poor, their support of accessories for their phones suck, and I would probably never go back to them.
I've been with Verizon for a couple months and the service seems to be pretty good so far. I think my biggest problems have been with the phone I selected. It seems to drop calls from time to time and they had an annoying banner on the inside and outside displays. But with some searching on the net and a data cable I've fixed that and so far am pretty satisfied with Verizon. Haven't tried the Canada coverage yet, but I know they have it.
In the end it's a tough choice because it depends upon your personal preferences, and what you are looking for not only in service but in the kind of phone you want. A good thing to look for in your situation, depending upon how many minutes you will use in a month, is a plan where you can talk to each other for free. Verizon currently has it, as well as Cingular I think. Other than that, take a close look at the coverage in both the areas you will be using, and make sure to check out the phones the providers have. So, that's my experience with providers, hope it helps.
I've been with Sprint, Cingular, and Verizon, in that order. Of the 3, so far I'd have to say I was most satisfied with Sprint. But at the time I was on a month to month basis and that was a while ago. My wife just switched from Sprint to Verizon. The only reasons I switch was I liked the phone Cingular was offering at the time, and Sprint had NO coverage in Canada (important for me, maybe not for you). I could usually get coverage in all major cities and I could check voicemail without actually using my cell phone. Recently though, we tried to pay a bill at one of their stores and they wanted to charge me $5 extra for it. I almost hit the guy.
The one I hated the most was Cingular, while I was told they had coverage in Canada, they didn't. And their coverage here in Spokane was spotty at best. The only reason I was able to use the phone was because I was allowed to connect to AT&T towers with no charge. So I set my phone to always use AT&T service. So I guess you could say I've been a customer of theirs as well
Anyway, Cingular customer service for me has been poor, their support of accessories for their phones suck, and I would probably never go back to them.
I've been with Verizon for a couple months and the service seems to be pretty good so far. I think my biggest problems have been with the phone I selected. It seems to drop calls from time to time and they had an annoying banner on the inside and outside displays. But with some searching on the net and a data cable I've fixed that and so far am pretty satisfied with Verizon. Haven't tried the Canada coverage yet, but I know they have it.
In the end it's a tough choice because it depends upon your personal preferences, and what you are looking for not only in service but in the kind of phone you want. A good thing to look for in your situation, depending upon how many minutes you will use in a month, is a plan where you can talk to each other for free. Verizon currently has it, as well as Cingular I think. Other than that, take a close look at the coverage in both the areas you will be using, and make sure to check out the phones the providers have. So, that's my experience with providers, hope it helps.
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bio
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My experience is pretty much the same as Eddies.
I had Verizon for 2 years (and I used the Canada plan... worked perfectly!). I never got nailed with anything weird on the bill. The reason I left them was because I wanted a cooler phone (they didn't give you a discount back then on a new one).
Then I was with Cingular for 2 years. They pretty much sucked when it came to customer service, and like eddie, I had issues with signal strength (read: the phone didn't work at home or in the office... I had to be outside to use it).
I'm back with Verizon right now, doing the "Family Plan" thing. It's unlimited calling between phones, and saves you about $30 a year compared to two seperate plans (I have the 400 min a month gig). They also now give you a discount on new phones when your contract comes up (so you can get something spiffy and stay with them for another 2 years).
Like eddie said, check the coverage where the two of you plan to live and see who covers it best.
I had Verizon for 2 years (and I used the Canada plan... worked perfectly!). I never got nailed with anything weird on the bill. The reason I left them was because I wanted a cooler phone (they didn't give you a discount back then on a new one).
Then I was with Cingular for 2 years. They pretty much sucked when it came to customer service, and like eddie, I had issues with signal strength (read: the phone didn't work at home or in the office... I had to be outside to use it).
I'm back with Verizon right now, doing the "Family Plan" thing. It's unlimited calling between phones, and saves you about $30 a year compared to two seperate plans (I have the 400 min a month gig). They also now give you a discount on new phones when your contract comes up (so you can get something spiffy and stay with them for another 2 years).
Like eddie said, check the coverage where the two of you plan to live and see who covers it best.
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