Cell Phone Plan

[hammer]

What cell phone company and plan do you have? Advantages/disadvantages?

 

[hammer]

I went with T-Mobile because they were the lowest cost for a family plan and their phones can be used in Europe (I travel to Germany occasionally on business). The main disadvantage is that the coverage is not all that great.

 

[dmc]

I use Cingular because I was an AT&T customer and got swithed over... Also Cingular seems to have the best coverage where I live...

 

[Greg]

I have the Cingular Nation 450 w/Rollover plan. It gets pretty decent reception. Except for the Beast and Magic, I got good reception at most places I skied last season including Loon, Sugarbush and the 'Loaf.

 

[thetrailboss]

We have Verizon and have been very satisfied. The coverage has improved a lot in N New England and the service has been good. Downside is that it is pricy and coverage in some spots isn't the best, but I never roam...never.

 

[Paul]

I have Stinkular, I mean Cingular..

But I'm an employee of SBC which owns 60% of Cingular, so I get an okay discount...

 

[kickstand]

Verizon, because work is paying for it, but I would get it on my own. They seem to have the best coverage for where I spend my time away from home. We are switching most people over to T-Mobile BlackBerry's, but I think they're going to get some of us Verizon BlackBerry's.

 

[ctenidae]

I've got Cingular, and I've regretted "upgrading" from AT&T every single day so far.
The coverage isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't good. I can see, I mean literally see, with my own two eyes, the tower they have on top of the Pru from my back porch. It's about 3 blocks, horizontaly, away, yet I can't get more than 2 bars on my back porch. Forget using it inside my apartment. In NC last weekend, eveeryone had reception at the top of the trail but me. Unsurprisingly, I was teh only Cingular slave there.
When my wife and I changed from AT&T, hoping for some improvement in coverage, they charged us $18 each to "upgrade". They charged us, basically, to consolidate their accounting, and to make their bookkeeping much easier. That steamed me.
We ordered our phones online because it seemed easier. It hasn't been. When we got the phones, my wife's was defective. She uses it for business, and our AT&T account was already toast, so we went to a store to replace it. They couldn't, because it's different inventory. Fine, I can understand that. Cingular Cust Serv told us we had to buy a new phone, then they'd send us a mailing label, and they'd credit us for the cost of teh new phone. 2 months later, I'm still fighting for that credit. Using their label, their method, their dime, I put the phone in the mail, which USPS confirms. Cingular hasn't gotten it yet, and they say it's my problem. I have trouble buying that, since it seems to me it's a FOB shipment. I fulfilled my obligation by placing it with the carrier. I have two lawyers and a judge (all relatives) thinking that one out.
Their customer service is a joke. Every time I call about the stupid phone, I get passed around to at least 6 people, none of whom can help at all. The last guy I talked to was rude enough to tell me that it wasn't his problem the USPS lost the phone, and I should talk to them.

Sorry about the rant, but I doubt the poll was posted for fun. If you want to know my experience with Cingular, there it is.

BTW, I have the Rollover 450 plan. Two months in, I have 813 minutes rolled up.

 

[thetrailboss]

I've got Cingular, and I've regretted "upgrading" from AT&T every single day so far.
The coverage isn't terrible, but it certainly isn't good. I can see, I mean literally see, with my own two eyes, the tower they have on top of the Pru from my back porch. It's about 3 blocks, horizontaly, away, yet I can't get more than 2 bars on my back porch. Forget using it inside my apartment. In NC last weekend, eveeryone had reception at the top of the trail but me. Unsurprisingly, I was teh only Cingular slave there.
When my wife and I changed from AT&T, hoping for some improvement in coverage, they charged us $18 each to "upgrade". They charged us, basically, to consolidate their accounting, and to make their bookkeeping much easier. That steamed me.
We ordered our phones online because it seemed easier. It hasn't been. When we got the phones, my wife's was defective. She uses it for business, and our AT&T account was already toast, so we went to a store to replace it. They couldn't, because it's different inventory. Fine, I can understand that. Cingular Cust Serv told us we had to buy a new phone, then they'd send us a mailing label, and they'd credit us for the cost of teh new phone. 2 months later, I'm still fighting for that credit. Using their label, their method, their dime, I put the phone in the mail, which USPS confirms. Cingular hasn't gotten it yet, and they say it's my problem. I have trouble buying that, since it seems to me it's a FOB shipment. I fulfilled my obligation by placing it with the carrier. I have two lawyers and a judge (all relatives) thinking that one out.
Their customer service is a joke. Every time I call about the stupid phone, I get passed around to at least 6 people, none of whom can help at all. The last guy I talked to was rude enough to tell me that it wasn't his problem the USPS lost the phone, and I should talk to them.

Sorry about the rant, but I doubt the poll was posted for fun. If you want to know my experience with Cingular, there it is.

BTW, I have the Rollover 450 plan. Two months in, I have 813 minutes rolled up.

Four words: Better Business Bureau Complaint www.bbb.org They are great. :idea:

If that doesn't work, write the CEO.

Better yet, switch. They don't want your business.

 

[ctenidae]

Oh, I'd switch, no doubt. Except then they'd hit me for $350 in early termination fees. The BBB is my next step. Even talked to the POst Office, who said Cingular's full of beans, and it's clearly their responsibility.

 

[hammer]

Sorry about the rant, but I doubt the poll was posted for fun. If you want to know my experience with Cingular, there it is.

Sorry to hear about your frustrations...

Since you live in Mass., have you considered contacting the state? I'm not sure if it was the same office, but I contacted the state when my in-laws had a problem with their AT&T local service (they were being incorrectly charged lots of in-state long distance $$$ for local calls made to an ISP). Within a few weeks, the charges were removed with a lot of apologies.

Actually, if Verizon offered a decent family plan that included international calls I'd consider switching...I'd really like to be able to use my cell phones at ski areas...

 

[thetrailboss]

Sorry about the rant, but I doubt the poll was posted for fun. If you want to know my experience with Cingular, there it is.

Sorry to hear about your frustrations...

Since you live in Mass., have you considered contacting the state? I'm not sure if it was the same office, but I contacted the state when my in-laws had a problem with their AT&T local service (they were being incorrectly charged lots of in-state long distance $$$ for local calls made to an ISP). Within a few weeks, the charges were removed with a lot of apologies.

Actually, if Verizon offered a decent family plan that included international calls I'd consider switching...I'd really like to be able to use my cell phones at ski areas...

If the Atty. General is anything like the one in VT, they'd be very interested in helping you out and making sure that consumers are protected...

 

[ALLSKIING]

I Have Verizon. I am happy with it except at Sugarbush.

 

[Paul]

Sorry about the rant, but I doubt the poll was posted for fun. If you want to know my experience with Cingular, there it is.

Sorry to hear about your frustrations...

Since you live in Mass., have you considered contacting the state? I'm not sure if it was the same office, but I contacted the state when my in-laws had a problem with their AT&T local service (they were being incorrectly charged lots of in-state long distance $$$ for local calls made to an ISP). Within a few weeks, the charges were removed with a lot of apologies.

I'd contact the AG as well, can't speak for V-mont's but CT's would have them in a bind.

Actually, if Verizon offered a decent family plan that included international calls I'd consider switching...I'd really like to be able to use my cell phones at ski areas...

If the Atty. General is anything like the one in VT, they'd be very interested in helping you out and making sure that consumers are protected...

 

[dmc]

I've got Cingular, and I've regretted "upgrading" from AT&T every single day so far.

My problem with Cingular was they won't delever phones to PO Boxes... Which isnt a big problem..
But they won't let you buy a phone over the NET if your billing address is a PO BOX!!?!?!?!?!?

So I had to spend an hour and a half in a mall today to get a new phone...

 

[ctenidae]

I'm on person # 14 just today.
At this point, the only thing that would make me happy is a return of the $160 they owe me, plus canceling my account, with no termination fee.

 

[ALLSKIING]

I've got Cingular, and I've regretted "upgrading" from AT&T every single day so far.

So I had to spend an hour and a half in a mall today to get a new phone...

Is that CrossGate Mall.

 

[JimG.]

But they won't let you buy a phone over the NET if your billing address is a PO BOX!!?!?!?!?!?

That's because UPS won't deliver to PO boxes, only physical addresses and Cingular prefers to send things via UPS because their policies regarding lost shipments are much more lenient than the USPS.

If the USPS loses something, good luck trying to get reimbursed for it.

 

[dmc]

But they won't let you buy a phone over the NET if your billing address is a PO BOX!!?!?!?!?!?

That's because UPS won't deliver to PO boxes, only physical addresses and Cingular prefers to send things via UPS because their policies regarding lost shipments are much more lenient than the USPS.

If the USPS loses something, good luck trying to get reimbursed for it.

I understand that... But my billing address???
They can send a friggin bill to it but they can't bill a new phone to it??

 

[pizza]

DMC is right. A billing address is only used for authorization of a credit card. The only reason they wouldn't accept that is if their system sucks and they don't allow to have a different shipping address. If that was the case, they should definintely at least have the option to ship USPS or DHL, both of which can go to PO Boxes.