Cell Phone Help

[Triskeliongirl]

I made the mistake of buying 2 reconditoned treo600s on ebay, that are failing fast. I have had a family plan (4 phones) on sprint for years, but don't have any service committments so am thinking about using the need for two new phones to switch providers. The newer treo700p is very expensive compared to the treo680 offered by cingular. But, reliablity is also very important to me, I don't have a land line. I like to ride my bike in the sticks and get a signal (so this is a tad cycling related). ANyone have any experience with cingular, good or bad, or have any other advice to give me? Obviously my phone has to work well in texas, my daughters has to work well in Wellesley MA and woods hole MA.

[salsabike]

It seems to vary a bit from region to region. See this Consumers Report ratings page below:

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/cell-phone-service-106/ratings/index.htm

We have Verizon and think it's quite good. KnottedYet, on the other hand, also lives in this region and hates them.

[roguedog]

I'm a Verizon person.

A few years ago I was in charge of buying cell phones for our sales engineers. We experimented with all the services.

Only 2 worked while I was out horseback riding in the hills: Verizon and Nextel.

We went with Nextel because of the way the guys communicated but I personally went with Verizon and have been with them since they were GTE. (Ok, maybe it was more than a "few" years ago).

But I also want the tri-mode phones so that when I'm out in booneyville I can still get on the analog waves to make a call. I'm not really into all the snazzy cool stuff. Well, I am but what I really want a phone for is to make calls and the feeling of safety from being able to make emergency calls.

[Pax]

I've had Cingular for years and find they offer the best coverage for my area, I've also had really good experiences with their customer service people. That said, when I was in AZ a LOT of calls got dropped.

[Triskeliongirl]

Thanks for the consumer report tip. I decided to join to read the article and it was worth it. Yes, Verizon came out on top in all areas studied. However, when I priced the services I used it will cost me a lot more than what I have at sprint. So maybe I just have to bite the bullet and buy the Treo700p, which did get a good report also (and see if sprint will give me a retention deal on them).

[roguedog]

Hey.. well, if yo're going to stick with cingular and you're interested in a "smart phone" why don't ya just get teh apple phone?

if you're gonna go for cool.. go for sexy too :))

see i do like toys...

[Mr. Bloom]

We just switched four lines to Cingular after being with Verizon for 14 years. Verizon did not allow us carry over minutes and every month, we wasted about 500 minutes...plus our coverage was weak in our house.

We're very pleased with Cingular.


Now, I tried a Treo...and didn't like it. I'm a power PalmPilot user...but I found it weak as a phone and weak as a PDA.

[Brandi]

Verizon here. And i travel all over the country. It has always been good to me.

[Triskeliongirl]

Now, I tried a Treo...and didn't like it. I'm a power PalmPilot user...but I found it weak as a phone and weak as a PDA.

Interesting. I have used a treo600 for years and just love it. Stable as a phone, pda and great for email and checking flights on the road, and playing music. In fact, I bit the bullet and deleted unecessary stuff and reinstalled the software on mine and its stable again. Now we just need to fix my daughters but she is too far away for me to do it......... We really do have a good plan on sprint, but I will never buy reconditioned phones again. I bought my son and husband brand new phones on ebay and they have been fine.

The iphone looks sooo cool, but it is going to be *very expensive*.

[colby]

A friend of mine at work got the treo 700wp from Sprint by calling them and telling them all the rebates she found for new Sprint customers and the cost for switching to Cingular -- they actually gave her the 700wp for something like $300-350 instead of $650. Worth a shot!

[SheFly]

In MA, I switched FROM Cingular TO Verizon - I was constantly getting dropped calls, especially on my commute to and from work. I live in the burbs, too, but a little further east than your daughter (my usual area is Lexington, Concord, Bedford, Carlisle, Westford, Chelmsford).

With Verizon, I can get all the way home from my office in Marlborough without dropping a call - not so with Cingular.

Good luck.

SheFly

[sbctwin]

I have cingular and have been very happy with it. I like the idea of the roll over minutes. I have never used anywhere near my monthly minutes so I feel like I am not paying for something I don't use. At some point, I may have to use them:p .

[Bikingmomof3]

We now have Cingular (we had Sprint) and I am extremely pleased with the service, options, and price. :)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I just got a Tracfone pay-as-you-go cell phone and am VERY pleased with it.
No contracts, no monthly bills or surcharges. Just pre-pay a chunk of minutes like on a phone card, and use it as you want. It piggybacks onto any cell phone tower in the area, so coverage is good all over the country. No roaming charges, does text messages, long distance is the same cost per minute as local, free voice mail and call waiting. All your minutes roll over as long as you keep your phone non-expired. The phone cost me $50 in Walmart, and it's a really SWEET little silver LG fliptop phone. Bought 4 months service with 200 minutes for $30. That's about .15 cents per minute, but I can get cheaper minutes if I buy like 400 minutes or more. Now I can just buy more months of service and/or more minutes, only as I need them. So for $80 I'm up and running. It really makes sense for people who don't need a big family plan setup, and also is great for people like me who don't gab a lot on their cell phones. I feel much safer now on my bike alone on the backroads miles from home, or when driving alone. Will also be handy when we go on vacation.
Here's their website: http://www.tracfone.com/home_page.jsp

[emily_in_nc]

Lisa ~

Thanks so much for explaining more about the tracfone option. I have been toying with the idea of going with a tracfone once my current contract with Alltel expires, but didn't really know much about them. I like Alltel -- they have very good coverage in rural areas so are good for traveling, cycling, hiking, etc. -- but I pay over $45 per month and use less than 100 minutes all month, if that. That covers all calls (they're always quick) to/from DH and ALL our outgoing long-distance. We are just not phone people and primarily correspond via email these days. We also have no children to share minutes with!

So, I have the least expensive plan available ($39.95 + tax which includes free long distance and roaming) but use it so little. For me, it's more like paying an insurance premium, since in an emergency, I darn sure want my phone to be there, but I'd REALLY like to keep costs down to a bare minimum. I also don't need or want a fancy phone -- I have a cute little white Kycocera flip phone, but purposely got one of the only two Alltel offered without a camera (I have two digital cameras already, don't need another). I just want a basic, compact phone that works well and to be able to call when I need to but not to pay for zillions of minutes and features I don't need. I don't text or access the internet from my phone. Sounds like tracfones might really be the way to go for me!

<Sorry for the thread hijack...I know that Triskeliongirl uses her phone for work and needs much more functionality than I do!>

Emily

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Emily,
I got this tracfone for $50 at my local Walmart:
http://www.compare-prepaid-cell-phones.com/TracfoneLG3280.html
It's not available directly from Tracfone yet (their website says "Coming soon!"), and they didn't have it at RadioShack, but they did have it at Walmart. I really like it. It is non-camera, but has lots of other features. You have to buy a specific Tracfone phone, like this one was marked as. The saleslady assured me it would work in my area otherwise they wouldn't be selling it there, and also I could return it within 30 days for any reason. It works great. Go to your local Radioshack and Walmart and see which tracfones they offer. You can also order one directly from tracfone online with their specials deals, but i liked the LG model Walmart had better so I got that one. (usually I don't shop at WM but they are a Tracfone dealer).
Tracfone is perfect for people who only make maybe up to a dozen short calls a week or so.

[emily_in_nc]

Lisa -- thanks for the phone info; that looks perfect for me. And since it works well on Alltel's network, which is what I use now, it would be fine. Unfortunately, my contract isn't up until Feb. 2008, so I'll have to check back in about a year and find out what is available then; you know how quickly phone models change. I'm definitely going to check out tracfone thoroughly, though; looks like it is a perfect option for us. And we have a Wal-mart nearby.

Thanks again!!
Emily