which wireless carrier? *phoenix area*

[elbosco]

I'm about to buy a cell phone for the first time (motorola v620 or v600) and I was wondering which carrier I should choose. I've done some reading at howardforums and I'm leaning towards the T-mobile get more 1000 but I have a few questions.

Because I'm buying an unlocked phone I can simply buy a plan and install that carrier's sim card, correct? Or do I have to buy the phone with an included plan? Also, I was wondering if anyone in the Phoenix area could comment on their reception, sound quality and signal strength regardless who your carrier is.

Thanks

 

[RightWinga]

If you care about good cell service and are willing to pay a premium, Verizon. If you are cheap and want lots of minutes, T-Mobile.

I think Cingular/ATT might be the best now since they have merged? In Los Angeles they both sucked but people have been telling me only good things since the merger.

 

[bozik]

no complaints with verizon - unlimited minutes to verizon wireless customers - cant beat that.

 

[kdp]

Cingular was awful when I first got it 1.5 years ago, but it's steadily improved, and it's still relatively cheap ($60 for 3 lines, 500 anytime, unlimited night and weekend).

 

[elbosco]

Verizon's plans seem nice and all but I think their phone selection is lacking. If I could I would go with a v620 and Verizon, but that's not going to happen anytime soon, if ever.

 

[bozik]

Originally posted by: elbosco
Verizon's plans seem nice and all but I think their phone selection is lacking. If I could I would go with a v620 and Verizon, but that's not going to happen anytime soon, if ever.

agreed - verizon and their phone selection is weak. my sister works for verizon - and always has cool phones - but they are the phones that arent out yet. When i went to get my phone - all they had was the vx6000 or whatever that phone is - and its not even all that great. Cingular has awesome phones - but I just did not like their service at all. I dont live in phoenix so cingular might be just fine out there.

 

[elbosco]

Originally posted by: bozik

Originally posted by: elbosco
Verizon's plans seem nice and all but I think their phone selection is lacking. If I could I would go with a v620 and Verizon, but that's not going to happen anytime soon, if ever.

agreed - verizon and their phone selection is weak. my sister works for verizon - and always has cool phones - but they are the phones that arent out yet. When i went to get my phone - all they had was the vx6000 or whatever that phone is - and its not even all that great. Cingular has awesome phones - but I just did not like their service at all. I dont live in phoenix so cingular might be just fine out there.

The closest thing to the v620 that verizon carries is the v710, which in my opinion is the v620's bastardized 2nd cousin once removed who's been beaten with an 2" x 4" cut from the ugly tree. :|

 

[DaWhim]

verizon and nice phones don't go together.
verizon and good plans don't go together either.

if you want to go with v600/v620, you only have two choices - cingular/attws or tmobile. YMMY on this one. you need to take out a phone from both of them to see which one work the best. one thing I can tell you is tmobile has much better customer service that cingular/attws.

again, if you don't travel, you don't need coverage. if you travel a lot domestically, go with verizon. if you travel a lot internationally, go with tmobile or cingular/attws.

if you want to use your own phone, get a phone with the best resale value and ebay it.

 

[UnoSigmaPi]

nextel is the worst with phone selection

 

[DaWhim]

Originally posted by: UnoSigmaPi
nextel is the worst with phone selection

here the phone selection list gose

from worst to the best.
nextel
verizon
sprintpcs
cingular/attws = tmobile

 

[elbosco]

Well, I'm pretty much dead set on the v620/v600 as I love the look and can get the v620 for $300 or the v600 for free w/ plan.

So now it's down to either Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile.

Can anyone chime in with any past experiences with either company?

 

[Thegonagle]

Originally posted by: elbosco
Well, I'm pretty much dead set on the v620/v600 as I love the look and can get the v620 for $300 or the v600 for free w/ plan.

So now it's down to either Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile.

Can anyone chime in with any past experiences with either company?

No.

But be sure you know what both of their trial-period policies are and be prepared to use them. Go at first with the one which penalizes you the least for cancelling during the trial period. (One might bill you for airtime used, while another might not give you back your new account activation fee, and so on.)

Don't get too attached to your phone number at first; they might not let you port it out during the trial period. (The might call it a "demo line" or something similar until your trial period is over, and say you can't port demo lines.)

Last but not least, once you start to rely on your cell phone, you probably won't ever choose the phone first, carrier second ever again. I, for example, am limited to Verizon's phone offerings because I choose to use and stay with Verizon service; they happen to have the best, most consistent signal all over downtown Minneapolis, and they have free roaming (AKA extended network) almost anywhere in the US I would possibly go. Free IN-Network calling is a plus, too, because my sister, dad, GF, and 2/3 of the guys at work also use Verizon. (My mom doesn't have a cell phone, but if she did, it would be from Verizon, too.)

 

[agnitrate]

This should get you started in the right direction

E-------5-7-----7-|-8-----8-2-----2-|-0---------0-----|-----------------|
B-----5-----5-----|---5-------3-----|---1---1-----1---|-0-1-1-----------|
G---5---------5---|-----5-------2---|-----2---------2-|-0-2-2-----------|
D-7-------6-------|-5-------4-------|-3---------------|-----------------|
A-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-2-0-0---0--/8-7-|
E-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

-silver

 

[elbosco]

Originally posted by: agnitrate
This should get you started in the right direction

E-------5-7-----7-|-8-----8-2-----2-|-0---------0-----|-----------------|
B-----5-----5-----|---5-------3-----|---1---1-----1---|-0-1-1-----------|
G---5---------5---|-----5-------2---|-----2---------2-|-0-2-2-----------|
D-7-------6-------|-5-------4-------|-3---------------|-----------------|
A-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-2-0-0---0--/8-7-|
E-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

-silver

stairway to heaven?

 

[DaWhim]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: elbosco
Well, I'm pretty much dead set on the v620/v600 as I love the look and can get the v620 for $300 or the v600 for free w/ plan.

So now it's down to either Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile.

Can anyone chime in with any past experiences with either company?

No.

But be sure you know what both of their trial-period policies are and be prepared to use them. Go at first with the one which penalizes you the least for cancelling during the trial period. (One might bill you for airtime used, while another might not give you back your new account activation fee, and so on.)

Don't get too attached to your phone number at first; they might not let you port it out during the trial period. (The might call it a "demo line" or something similar until your trial period is over, and say you can't port demo lines.)

Last but not least, once you start to rely on your cell phone, you probably won't ever choose the phone first, carrier second ever again. I, for example, am limited to Verizon's phone offerings because I choose to use and stay with Verizon service; they happen to have the best, most consistent signal all over downtown Minneapolis, and they have free roaming (AKA extended network) almost anywhere in the US I would possibly go. Free IN-Network calling is a plus, too, because my sister, dad, GF, and 2/3 of the guys at work also use Verizon. (My mom doesn't have a cell phone, but if she did, it would be from Verizon, too.)

he basically summed it up. you need to try it yourself, that's what the buyer's remorse for. this is the nature of the wireless in US. there are spot here and there. there is NO best carrier; some work better than others. it is YMMV.
the best way to find out is to test it or ask your friends.

 

[elbosco]

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: elbosco
Well, I'm pretty much dead set on the v620/v600 as I love the look and can get the v620 for $300 or the v600 for free w/ plan.

So now it's down to either Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile.

Can anyone chime in with any past experiences with either company?

No.

But be sure you know what both of their trial-period policies are and be prepared to use them. Go at first with the one which penalizes you the least for cancelling during the trial period. (One might bill you for airtime used, while another might not give you back your new account activation fee, and so on.)

Don't get too attached to your phone number at first; they might not let you port it out during the trial period. (The might call it a "demo line" or something similar until your trial period is over, and say you can't port demo lines.)

Last but not least, once you start to rely on your cell phone, you probably won't ever choose the phone first, carrier second ever again. I, for example, am limited to Verizon's phone offerings because I choose to use and stay with Verizon service; they happen to have the best, most consistent signal all over downtown Minneapolis, and they have free roaming (AKA extended network) almost anywhere in the US I would possibly go. Free IN-Network calling is a plus, too, because my sister, dad, GF, and 2/3 of the guys at work also use Verizon. (My mom doesn't have a cell phone, but if she did, it would be from Verizon, too.)

Thanks for the great advice, :beer: for you .

I'm going to continue researching my options and talk with sales representatives from each company I'm considering or others highly recommend.

Now, if I were to hypothetically choose a carrier due to great signal strength, plan that fits me, etc. and I bought the phone first would I be able to activate the phone at a later date once I purchase a plan or would I have to buy a separate phone and swap the sim card? Or does this vary from provider to provider?

 

[elbosco]

Originally posted by: DaWhim

Originally posted by: Thegonagle

Originally posted by: elbosco
Well, I'm pretty much dead set on the v620/v600 as I love the look and can get the v620 for $300 or the v600 for free w/ plan.

So now it's down to either Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile.

Can anyone chime in with any past experiences with either company?

No.

But be sure you know what both of their trial-period policies are and be prepared to use them. Go at first with the one which penalizes you the least for cancelling during the trial period. (One might bill you for airtime used, while another might not give you back your new account activation fee, and so on.)

Don't get too attached to your phone number at first; they might not let you port it out during the trial period. (The might call it a "demo line" or something similar until your trial period is over, and say you can't port demo lines.)

Last but not least, once you start to rely on your cell phone, you probably won't ever choose the phone first, carrier second ever again. I, for example, am limited to Verizon's phone offerings because I choose to use and stay with Verizon service; they happen to have the best, most consistent signal all over downtown Minneapolis, and they have free roaming (AKA extended network) almost anywhere in the US I would possibly go. Free IN-Network calling is a plus, too, because my sister, dad, GF, and 2/3 of the guys at work also use Verizon. (My mom doesn't have a cell phone, but if she did, it would be from Verizon, too.)

he basically summed it up. you need to try it yourself, that's what the buyer's remorse for. this is the nature of the wireless in US. there are spot here and there. there is NO best carrier; some work better than others. it is YMMV.
the best way to find out is to test it or ask your friends.

Thanks, look like I have a lot more research to do.

 

[crawford]

I know you say youve ruled it out, but ive had really good reception with Sprint around the phoenix area. They have the phones for good prices at Costco too, and I think the plans might be a bit cheaper at costco as well.

 

[elbosco]

Originally posted by: crawford
I know you say youve ruled it out, but ive had really good reception with Sprint around the phoenix area. They have the phones for good prices at Costco too, and I think the plans might be a bit cheaper at costco as well.

Are you happy with the service and cost?

After a quick look it seems the plans come with few features? Would you agree?

 

[tami]

Originally posted by: crawford
I know you say youve ruled it out, but ive had really good reception with Sprint around the phoenix area. They have the phones for good prices at Costco too, and I think the plans might be a bit cheaper at costco as well.

agreed. i've had good reception with sprint as well in phoenix. i'd go with that.

 

[crawford]

Originally posted by: elbosco

Originally posted by: crawford
I know you say youve ruled it out, but ive had really good reception with Sprint around the phoenix area. They have the phones for good prices at Costco too, and I think the plans might be a bit cheaper at costco as well.

Are you happy with the service and cost?

After a quick look it seems the plans come with few features? Would you agree?

Well, what features are you looking for ? For like 10 extra a month I get unlimited text messaging and internet access. Im on a family plan now so I dont know exactly how my bill breaks down, but back when I was on it by myself I was always happy with the rates.

Im very happy with the service though, its been solid since about 2 years ago when I switched to Sprint.

 

[soup or man]

I live in tucson and i've had ATT for just about 3 years now. I've never had a clear phone call. I've had 3 entirely different phones, so i'm thinking it wasn't my phone. My family(5 people) and I all have the same experience. This was my first phone, so i assumed all of them were this bad, until I used a friend's and could actually hear what people were saying. If this phone wasn't free(my parents pay for the plan) I'd switch in a heart beat. As it is now, I only use my phone for emergencies, because it's pointless trying to have a conversation on it.

 

[elbosco]

Originally posted by: crawford

Originally posted by: elbosco

Originally posted by: crawford
I know you say youve ruled it out, but ive had really good reception with Sprint around the phoenix area. They have the phones for good prices at Costco too, and I think the plans might be a bit cheaper at costco as well.

Are you happy with the service and cost?

After a quick look it seems the plans come with few features? Would you agree?

Well, what features are you looking for ? For like 10 extra a month I get unlimited text messaging and internet access. Im on a family plan now so I dont know exactly how my bill breaks down, but back when I was on it by myself I was always happy with the rates.

Im very happy with the service though, its been solid since about 2 years ago when I switched to Sprint.

Well, for instance, sprint subcribers must pay for free mobile to mobile calls while verizon & Cungular/At&t offers it for free. I might be wrong, but I couldn't find an option for a one-year agreement with sprint where I saw one for Verizon.

You said you where extremely happy with the service, though, so that's a big plus for sprint.

If you don't mind my asking, who did you switch from?

 

[elbosco]

Originally posted by: soup or man
I live in tucson and i've had ATT for just about 3 years now. I've never had a clear phone call. I've had 3 entirely different phones, so i'm thinking it wasn't my phone. My family(5 people) and I all have the same experience. This was my first phone, so i assumed all of them were this bad, until I used a friend's and could actually hear what people were saying. If this phone wasn't free(my parents pay for the plan) I'd switch in a heart beat. As it is now, I only use my phone for emergencies, because it's pointless trying to have a conversation on it.

Do you know what carrier your friend was using? Have you or your family noticed any discernable difference after the merge with cingular?

From the looks of coverage maps, all of the carries have limited coverage in Arizona.

 

[AZGamer]

I live in Phoenix - I use TMobile - their coverage is good throughout all inhabitated areas and the main highways/thoroughfares (such as to Tuscon, Nogales, El Paso, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego). And, when I travel interntationally, it works as well, which is really the biggest benefit for me