I’m thinking about switching away from Sprint PCS. I’ve had cell-phone service with them for over four years now; I’ve renewed my contract a couple of times, and it turns out my last renewal ended in October 2003: I’ve been free from early termination fees this whole time, and didn’t know it! While the service hasn’t been horrible, it hasn’t been great either. My gripe basically has to do with reception, which is unreliable in my apartment and nonexistent in the Metro. (Whenever I need to call Thom while commuting, I have to wait until the train briefly resurfaces over the river or at Arlington Cemetery.) I’m leaning toward Verizon, partly because that’s Thom’s provider, and he seems to like them. Anyone have advice or experiences to share, concerning either wireless providers or phones themselves? (Right now I have a very basic Samsung model, so anything new will be a step up.)
My husband has similar problems with Verizon. He has to step outside his Orlando apartment to talk to me. I don’t know if it’s his phone or Verizon.
I hated Verizon. Kat and I have Sprint now, though it annoys me that I can’t call her when I’m on the metro.
I forgot to say that Kat’s calls always got dropped when she went in certain areas. I wouldn’t recommend them.
No cell phone is going to work in the Metro if Metro isn’t rebroadcasting the signals through its tunnels (BART out here is currently investigating a $200 million+ project to rebroadcast through the Trans Bay tube). I personally switched off AT&T Wireless where I was for three years over to T-Mobile and I’m happy. T-Mobile has the coolest phones (I have the new Nokia 6600) and if you travel at all, you’ll be glad you have them. Verizon and Sprint phones won’t work in Europe (or much of the rest of the world) because they use an American-only cell technology versus the more widely adopted GSM technology that T-Mobile, AT&T, and Cingular use. You could also have issues with Verizon if you travel to Mexico or Canada because it’s mostly GSM there, too. GSM technology is also, in general, more reliable than the CDMA/TDMA technology Verizon and Sprint use (mainly because it’s newer technology).
What?!
*pretends not to hear*
I have Verizon, i love them. they have not yet managed to really piss me off. sure i get ticked off every once in a while with them but thats life. they have treated me very well, i get great reception, and their customer service is very nice. Granted i dont go through a metro line everyday like you do, but they are still very reliable.
they have good plans and they are always changing them. you can get a new plan anytime you want for a better deal. i have changed plans a couple times and never got any kind of hassle about it. id say try them see if you like em i know i do.
I’m in the same boat with Sprint. My husband has Verizon and not only does he hardly ever lose signal, if he ever did his plan has free roaming!
I’m tempted to switch over when my contract ends…
*hides from Susan*
Verizon is plenty evil but their reception cannot be beat. When I was living in DC I got great reception in Metro. My other regular haunts (Boston, NYC, and the Bay Area) have also been trouble-free. Plus, I just signed a new contract and they have a deal whereby all calls to other Verizon customers are free at any time of day. I thought that was pretty sweet. Their customer service is pretty awful but if you buy a good quality phone you should be in good shape.