Nextel has finally driven me away

[thresher]

I have 4 phones on two seperate contracts with Nextel for a total of $260 a month and these jerks not only refuse to fix a once working antenna, they have the gall to tell me that "not enough customers have complained to warrant a repair". Well, thats $3k a year from me you no longer get. Turkeys!
So, now the time has come after 5 years to get another company. I don't give a hoot about the phones themselves, my concern is dropped calls and lousy range and phone-to-phone minutes.
Who do you have? Do you like them? Have you noticed a difference in customer service from any of them? My wife is livid as she had an emergency this weekend and with no landline and three phones in her hand NOT ONE could dial out!! She ended up going three houses down (it's not snow bird season) to borrow a phone. That's dangerous.
Thanks for all your help in advance. Really.

[Markel]

We have Verizon - they've been ok (sometimes in our house my wife's phone will miss incoming calls). Their free in-network calling (user to user) is nice (I think most carriers have this as part of their plans).

I think that a lot will depend on local coverage by the carriers in your paticular location.

[SecretIkon]

I've been using T-Mobile for a couple years now and I like their service. I rarely get dropped calls and they provide user to user on family plans only, althought you can purchase user to user on individual plans as well.

T-mobile has great coverage in my area (Los Angeles) except for when I'm at work inside the office. Other than that I get great receiption everywhere else.

[DaFunkyUnit]

Verizon's customer service is pretty good, (imo).

[brainsmile]

I've been happy with sprint in my area. Four phones and 1000 min for under $65

[MikeD]

I have 4 phones on two seperate contracts with Nextel for a total of $260 a month.

:eek3:

Holy smokes that's alot for cell phones. Congrats to you for looking around, taking your business elsewhere.

[mcs328]

I've been with Sprint for about 10 years but in my condo I get dropped calls fairly frequently. It's the condo and the trees I think. Spint also owns Nextel I thought. The customer service I've heard for Sprint is very good even and their plans are the cheapest.

Can you get your phones fixed at the B&M stores for Sprint or Nextel only?

[Burzhui]

I've been happy with sprint in my area. Four phones and 1000 min for under $65
ditto

[Kudos]

I've had....Nextel, Cingular, Verizon, T-Mobile and way back when, AT&T.

I went back to Verizon because they have the best reception hands down in most areas.
I think their customer service is horrible, but better then anyone else's. Nextel used to have the best customer service but I noticed a HUGE decline when Sprint bought them out

[Hiro]

It all depends on your area. I've had Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile. I'm now on Cingular and I am quite happy. Reception (even when I only have one bar) is great, I haven't had a single dropped call and I can hear people very clearly. With Sprint, I got dropped calls about one in 10 times, Verizon about one in five. T-Mobile, reception wasn't great where I am so I had to get rid of them.

I live on the western side of Virginia right now, just for reference.

[VTGreg]

I have Verizon now and am relatively happy with it. IMO, customer service for all wireless companies is terrible so I wouldn't base my decision on that. As far as the network, it all depends on the area that you live in. Verizon works for me now and is very good in most major cities and along the majority of the major highways in the US.

[Chgoman]

It's best just to talk to people in your area and find out what works. All the companies have good area and bad areas, it just depends on where you live as to which is the most reliable.

[kimchicowboy]

i've actually had a good experience wiht sprint CS this past year. no more of that woman-voice robot automatic answeirng junk.

but i'm still switching to verizon cuz it's the only one that works in DC and NYC subways and the girl has verizon, so free calls :)

[thresher]

I noticed a huge decline in customer service from 411 to generic assistance and billing all took a dive when Nextel was purchased. The saddest part was that since I fish offshore and nearshore losing my nextel is gonna suck. A lot of captains have Nextel and we call each other to tell each other where the fish are. It really helps your karma when you tell a captain with clients where the schools are.

[Thesifer]

I had Sprint and I dropped them after 7 years because their customer service was garbage and Service was crap.

I now have Cingular which overall is more expensive, but I have great service so far. And the customer service was pretty helpful in getting me my Federal Discount and such..

[redcolours]

i live in the philly, south jersey area, and i use cingular (was grandfathered from AT&T), and the reception with the combined towers they have is very good. even when im out of state.

i can recommend verizon also if youre in teh east coast. they also have very good reception. theyre a bit more expensive, so i stayed with cingular. and they dont use GSM, only TDMA (but i may be wrong in that one). i need the flexibility of SIM cards.

but yeah, check with people that live in your own area. they can tell you what works well with them.

[Cubsfan]

Verizon's always been pretty good to me. Reception is the best (I drive into relatively desolate areas occasionally), and their CS is definately passable.

[AlpineJay]

i live in the philly, south jersey area, and i use cingular (was grandfathered from AT&T), and the reception with the combined towers they have is very good. even when im out of state.

i can recommend verizon also if youre in teh east coast. they also have very good reception. theyre a bit more expensive, so i stayed with cingular. and they dont use GSM, only TDMA (but i may be wrong in that one). i need the flexibility of SIM cards.

but yeah, check with people that live in your own area. they can tell you what works well with them.

Cingular's gone almost all GSM now, and you can only get TDMA on their tri-band phones...

[indiglosolara]

I've had T-mobile for a number of years now. No problems thus far. But I would have to say it really depends on the area..

I would go and do some research and pull there coverage maps from each company. See what area you tend to visit or travel to allot. Then decide on a company that best fits your needs.

As far as rate plans go. I've been on a family plan with 4 phones. About $150.00 a month. We share 1000 anytime mins but we get unlimited free mobile to mobile along with nights and weekend mins. Not bad IMO. I've never gone over my rate plan with 3 yr and countin.

I choose to stick to T-mobile only due to the fact I get great coverage in the areas I travel most. The customer service is great.

Also T-mobile has a great selection on phones. Since they are GSM you can also get phones from other carriers that use GSM and get the phones unlocked. But from your post it doesn't look like you care too much about the new updated tech of the new phones now a days.

[SecretIkon]

Also T-mobile has a great selection on phones. Since they are GSM you can also get phones from other carriers that use GSM and get the phones unlocked. But from your post it doesn't look like you care too much about the new updated tech of the new phones now a days.

:stupid: some of the phones they have in other countries you can't get them here in the States. So I guess with GSM (tri-band or quad) its a +1 if you are up with tech and care about the design of the phone.

[baggio248]

I know a lot of people that don't like and have dropped Nextel. Their walkie talkie function was the main reason everyone wanted them, but now that other companies are coming out with it, they don't need Nextel anymore.
I actually just found out from friends of mine that their work (a major insurance company) is dropping Nextel for Verizon. That might put a ding in their income.

[redcolours]

Cingular's gone almost all GSM now, and you can only get TDMA on their tri-band phones...

oops, lemme rephrase that:

i can recommend verizon also if youre in the east coast. they also have very good reception. theyre a bit more expensive, so i stayed with cingular. and they [VERIZON] dont use GSM, only TDMA (but i may be wrong in that one). i need the flexibility of SIM cards.

again, exhorting the advantage of GSM phones, its easier to switch carriers since its all a matter of just using the same SIM card. If you travel abroad, you only need one phone (unlocked). and even if you DONT travel, you dont have to buy a different phone to get used to all over again.

[indiglosolara]

:stupid: some of the phones they have in other countries you can't get them here in the States. So I guess with GSM (tri-band or quad) its a +1 if you are up with tech and care about the design of the phone.


Right on....
GSM is widely known in allot of countries. Sometimes getting phone from overseas can be a plus if you like all the techy stuff. Like myself I don't really travel much but since the flexibility is there its always a plus in my book..

[AlpineJay]

oops, lemme rephrase that:

i can recommend verizon also if youre in the east coast. they also have very good reception. theyre a bit more expensive, so i stayed with cingular. and they [VERIZON] dont use GSM, only TDMA (but i may be wrong in that one). i need the flexibility of SIM cards.

again, exhorting the advantage of GSM phones, its easier to switch carriers since its all a matter of just using the same SIM card. If you travel abroad, you only need one phone (unlocked). and even if you DONT travel, you dont have to buy a different phone to get used to all over again.

All good points, and not to be nitpicky, but Verizon uses CDMA along with Sprint. TDMA to my knowledge is effectively dead.

[starkiis]

Anyone know if Verizon has the two ways

[Markel]

Anyone know if Verizon has the two ways
I think I've heard them advertising their version of it.

[starkiis]

I think I've heard them advertising their version of it.
thanks markel

[zero2dash]

I've used both T-Mobile and now Sprint in my area and had a fairly similar coverage experience with both. Of course your tech support varies from co. to co., usually Sprint gets dogged the worst (and I could agree with this, since the first day we got our phones I had to call them and complain that they were incorrectly billing me for several things that should've either been free or discounted). T-Mobile phone support is good.

I got a swift kick in the pants today when Sprint sent me a SMS saying I was nearing account spending limit because my bill was a month behind (unbeknownst to me). Quite irritating. But not as irritating as when T-Mobile would call me within 3 days after my bill due date if it wasn't paid. "This is a courtesy call" to which I'd reply 'no, it's harassment'. This is the reason I dumped T-Mobile and switched back to Sprint.

I have friends who have Cingular/AT&T and also Verizon. I hear Verizon is good but it's also the most expensive carrier. Apparently their cust. service is ok to good. But I also know that my friends have also lost phone calls with both companies by walking through a doorway, and that's just messed up. :confused:

The moral of the story is - most carriers will work in your area. Compare them based more on price of service and customer service. If I could've gotten any other provider than Sprint without paying a deposit, I probably would've done it. I've already got a bad taste in my mouth from 3 mos. of Sprint service that I can't stomach going through another 21 mos. of this garbage, but for the time being - guess I have to.

You'll hear horror stories and praise for all of the providers, really, because everyone has different experiences. :shrug:

[mcs328]

AT&T used TDMA before it was bought by Cingular which uses GSM. Now Cingular is being bought by "AT&T" and the brand will go from Cingular to AT&T.

Anyone remember Cell One and Voicestream? Horrible providers.

Sprint has the cheapest plans FWIW.

[kimchicowboy]

am i the only one that thinks sprint CS has gotten better? i'm really happy with theirs

[AlpineJay]

Anyone remember Cell One and Voicestream? Horrible providers.

Sprint has the cheapest plans FWIW.

Voicestream aka T-Mobile.

[indiglosolara]

am i the only one that thinks sprint CS has gotten better? i'm really happy with theirs

Sprint and Nextel has Joined forces. So if you have Sprint you are part of Nextel and Vise Versa. I never worked with any of these carriers so I don't have a opinion on this.

At&t and Cingular join forces. This is why Cingular signal is so much better now. They have a wider coverage due to the fact these companys merged and now giving them more towers to provide the service in area they didn't before.

T-mobile AKA voice stream (old name) has been allot better then the past years. Not only this but T-mobile is using some of Cingulars towers thus increasing the coverage area. They are still not as great as Cingular, but good enough for the avg. person.

IMO It's more of personal preference of which carriers you like. I like both T-mobile and Cingular since i've used both of them and never really had any problems. T-mobile does have outstanding customer service. Never once have I had to call and complain. Cingular on the other hand has decreased there customer service levels since at&t merged. My Parents Had Cingular during the merge and they were getting all kinds of problems. They had to work out there kinks. But we decided to move them to T-mobile a few months later.

As my previous post stated. I would shop around and see what carriers have the best coverage in the areas you travel most. Thats probably the best way to start. Then Look more in to the customer service and phones they can offer to you would be the next step...

Whatever carrier you choose.. best of luck..

[SecretIkon]

Sprint and Nextel has Joined forces. So if you have Sprint you are part of Nextel and Vise Versa. I never worked with any of these carriers so I don't have a opinion on this.

At&t and Cingular join forces. This is why Cingular signal is so much better now. They have a wider coverage due to the fact these companys merged and now giving them more towers to provide the service in area they didn't before.

T-mobile AKA voice stream (old name) has been allot better then the past years. Not only this but T-mobile is using some of Cingulars towers thus increasing the coverage area. They are still not as great as Cingular, but good enough for the avg. person.

IMO It's more of personal preference of which carriers you like. I like both T-mobile and Cingular since i've used both of them and never really had any problems. T-mobile does have outstanding customer service. Never once have I had to call and complain. Cingular on the other hand has decreased there customer service levels since at&t merged. My Parents Had Cingular during the merge and they were getting all kinds of problems. They had to work out there kinks. But we decided to move them to T-mobile a few months later.

As my previous post stated. I would shop around and see what carriers have the best coverage in the areas you travel most. Thats probably the best way to start. Then Look more in to the customer service and phones they can offer to you would be the next step...

Whatever carrier you choose.. best of luck..
:agree: couldn't have posted better.

[kimchicowboy]

i will say this, though. sprint workers in the B&M stores are terrible. i don't know if it's just the stores i've been to (both in CA and VA/DC), but the workers have been pretty dang ghetto and don't give a damn about their customers.

phone CS, though, has been great.

[clutchy]

I just signed up with cingular 2 days ago, couldn't resist that stupid razr any longer... i'll post a report when i get the phone and get a feel for the service.

[thresher]

Thanks Clutch and et al!

[LegendKiller]

Sprint has treated me reasonably well. My bud, who has an ugly arse moto Nextel phone seems to like the service.