Cell service providers in the PNW?

[GLC1968]

Hey all!

I'm probably going to have a ton of silly questions as we make this move happen , but my first one is the following:

What service provider do you have for your mobile phones, and do you like them? Why or why not?

We will need to set up service on at least one phone when we are visiting next week, so I don't know who's the most reliable in the area. I currently use (and like) Verizon here in NC, but I know that service can vary by location.

Thanks in advance!!

[salsabike]

We have Verizon and really like 'em---no trouble at all. We're in the Seattle area.

[SadieKate]

Lessee - Here in Bend, Verizon is buying Unicel. AT&T is buying Edge.

In the Portland area, I suspect either is just fine. Jobob has a great GPS service with her Verizon service.

[teigyr]

We have Cingular which is formerly AT&T and is now AT&T once again. I have no idea how that works.

We have no complaints. I've heard wonderful things about Verizon but I have no reason to break my contract with AT&T/Cingular. We have a 550 minute family plan with roll-over and it's about $100. We also have text msging, of course, and I have internet access on my phone. I was pricing out other providers and really couldn't get it any lower, especially for two people.

Call quality is ok. We rarely get dropped calls and the places where they happen are predictable. Customer service is good but only because (I suspect) I get my service through the business contract division. I have a different number to call and they are always Very Nice.

That is so exciting that you'll be up here! I read your thread about moving and promptly got busy and never responded. I look forward to meeting you

[Xrayted]

Welcome! We have cingular/att and like them a lot. There's also one called Cricket that see advertised all over. I don't know much about them though. Might be good to check it out.

[Starfish]

Verizon here. Seems to work better out here on the Peninsula than ATT or Cingular, esp more remote areas. Had Verizon for years and seems to work well.

[elk]

we have T-mobile here in the hills...I have no problems with it, but my Dh's Razr doesn't' work as well...I think its the phone more than the service though.

[Dianyla]

I'm currently on T-Mobile. A few months ago with the heavy rains and flooding their Seattle datacenter got flooded out. I was out of service for a day or so, which IMO is unacceptable for a company of that size to not have switched us over to a backup/disaster recovery service.

I've been considering switching to Cingular/AT&T because I'm interested in rollover minutes, but I'm still plan-shopping.

Verizon's network in the PNW is not as good as it is back east. But it's decent, I had Verizon before T-mobile. I mainly left them due to billing/customer service issues. But, you know what? They're all evil, so just pick your poison.

[GLC1968]

Thanks guys!

It looks like we'll price plans at Verizon and ATT/Cingular when we are there next week. Cool!

And I've not heard the best things about the Razr call quality...no matter what service one uses.

[Wahine]

Have T-mobile and I am very happy with the customer service, coverage and quality. But they do seem to have short periods when phone service will not be available for no apparent reason. It doesn't last long but does happen. I live in the Gorge, east of Portland and Verizon does not have good coverage out here. Cingular is fine.

[LainiePants]

I also have Verizon in Portland. Has worked well for me.

[oxysback]

Yep...Verizon down here in Newberg. Works well for the entire PNW area.

[TsPoet]

In the more rural areas, Verizon is head and shoulders above the rest. They have many more towers. I just switched to AT&T - stupid stupid stupid. I used to get service all around town and on most of my bike rides and hikes with Verizon. With AT&T I don't even bother to carry my phone on hikes as I know I won't get any service - and since i got the phone in the first place for added security while out by myself it's rather a waste.
On the other hand, AT&T has excellent customer service.
But, I am talking the little area of SE Washington where I live and sparcely populated areas around here. In big cities, they both work just fine.

[Susan Otcenas]

House is in Beaverton, office is in Hillsboro. I have Cingular/ATT. Actually, it's Sprint--->MCI--->Worldcom--->AT&T--->Cingular--->AT&T. I wonder how many people have stuck with them as long as I have! Anyhoo, I have no problem with the coverage. I seem to have coverage all over the state, rarely being out of a cell tower range. I have an inexpensive $29.99 per month plan and since I don't text and don't spend much time yakking, it works for me just fine.

Jeff has T-Mobile with no monthly plan. He buys $100 worth of minutes at a time, prepaid. This works out really well, because he spends less than $100 a year on minutes. The only drawback is that the coverage sucks. It's basically I-5 corridor. I think T-Mobile limits the service coverage areas on pay-as-you-go minutes to encourage customers to upgrade. However, the poor coverage doesn't really matter, because we spend most of our lives in the I5 corridor. If we're travelling, we're together and my service is great.

Hope this helps.

Susan

[Susan126]

Can you hear me now? LOL Sorry I just couldn't resist!