Cell phones: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers?
- 8/15/07 1:57 PM
Why switch?
by BroJohn - 8/16/07 5:17 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I and my wife both use TracFone and have no problem connecting anywhere we are. Both of our phones are GSM and you can't beat the rates. We both have Double Minutes for life cards, so when we buy minutes we get them doubled automatically.
I doubt that any of the others out there can beat that. The iPhone is a neat gadget, but for those of us with older eyes, it ain't so great. Hard to see ya know. Until someone comes along with a better deal than we have now, I can see no reason to switch.
BroJohn.
service, service, service
by Jen_W - 8/16/07 5:38 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
At one time, various members of my family had three carriers because we were "chasing new model phones". Customer service calls raised my blood pressure to the max with two of the three carriers. My best experience has been with T Mobile customer service, and no phone will lure me to a competitor. Not worth the total meltdowns when calling for assistance!
My Company Admitting
by duddly - 8/16/07 5:57 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My company saying ok we screwed up. You guys go out and get what works in your area.
My company went with a provider that claims to have the best nation wide coverage, and were lucky if we get into their network 30 percent of the time.
I'd switch..for a SUPPORTED/LEGITIMATE unlimited tether plan
by moapys - 8/16/07 6:06 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Sprint has arguably the most cost effective data plan for heavy 3G/EVDO users: What is lacking is their agreement to open it up to bonefide tethered <phone-PC> operation. I suspect that their bandwidth consumption fears are overblown; who amongst us wants or needs to have two devices lashed together for any longer than necessary?
With the pervasiveness of free/low-cost hot-spots (faster than cellular is likely to be in my lifetime), tethering is simply brief laptop-life-support until the nearest Starbucks comes into the windshield.
Switching Cell phone service
by 46thchief - 8/16/07 6:34 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I plan to switch from Cingular(AT&T) as soon as this contract ends.
I want a no long term contract and a simple phone to call in and out. No video, no chat and text messages. Just phone to use as a phone at a reasonable price.
Shorter Contract.
by udittm - 8/16/07 6:48 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Shorter contracts will solve all the issues on most people's list of carrier complaints . If we have the choice of a new carrier every six months for instance, carriers would have to work hard to keep our business- they would finaly have to give us what we deserve.
Wouldn't unless they really screwed up
by allenfuller - 8/16/07 6:54 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My cell phone provider, Telus, would have to really screw up before I would change. It's service sucks but is better than it's competitors. It offers a wide variety of plans, and is the innovator in it's market. It also has had the best coverage in my area for years. As others rent it's facilities, I expect that it will continue to be the best coverage provider in the future.
I use a cell phone as a phone only, usually for emergencies, and usually when I am some distance from home. I would only take an iPhone, when it is introduced into Canada, if it was free and offered by Telus under my $25/month plan.
I have Verizon Wireless...
by BillyT2003 - 8/16/07 6:55 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I live in central Maine where the service is barely adequate and I drop calls a lot. I also hate the phone model (CDM 8940) I have, but they gave it to me for free - so I can't really complain and just need to wait until I can change phones. This is also my first cell phone and I only got it at the beginning of this year.
While I think I would stay with Verizon Wireless as I like the provider, I would like to see VW do the following:
+ Lower the pricing plans. I should be able to get a nationwide plan of 1000 minutes for $50 and 2000 minutes for $100 and the 200 minute plan should include unlimited data services.
+ Get rid of all of the subscription based data services and applications - if I can't just purchase unlimited use of the data services and applications, then I won't purchase. It seems crazy to expect me to pay $2.50 per month to access weather services. Some things should be included for free or turned on by a one-time reasonable fee. (Honestly the FCC should just mandate the wireless carriers to collaborate and create a common standard which the applications and services would be required to be written using such that said applications and services would just work with any provider on any future phone. If they did this they would open up a third-party market of companies which would provide these applications and services and open the door to competition for them and ultimately cheaper pricing for them.)
+ Lower the overall prices on the phones themselves. With the current pricing it seems that the cell companies must be making 500%+ profits on the phones over manufacturing costs. Even the subsidized (with contract) prices still seem high.
+ VW in particular should start nights and weekends at exactly 7:00 PM. Starting nights and weekends at 9:01 PM doesn't seem right. It only really gives me an hour or two at best to call my non-VW friends and family as most people I know have gone to bed by 11:00 PM these days.
+ Also, if I make a call at 9:00 PM, VW should not charge me for any more than one peak minute. The way it currently works, VW charges me peak minutes for the entire duration of the call - even if the call crosses into nights and weekends hours. This just doesn't seem right.
+ VW should either deal further with Apple in order to provide the iPhone under their service, or partner with a third-party to create a suitable/real alternative.
- Other reason (What is it?) ALL OF THE ABOVE.
by waltnich - 8/16/07 7:09 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The industry has us over the barrel.
And we jump in and reward them for it.
- Selection of phones Should not varry from carrier 2 carrier
- Better rate plans and why have contracts unless you think your competitor is offering more than U do ???
- - Better or larger coverage area NOBODY offers good coverage 4 Me. And I am next to a freeway in a high population suburb. Tower near my home - but terrible service cause they put the tower too high - shame on me, I only use 2000 minutes a month - think what I might use if I could also connect at home.
- Better customer service - INDUSTRY JOKE.
I Go into the Sprint Company Store and All they care about is serving the loud, ill dressed obnoxious customers who want their service turned back on with a partial payment - meanwhile I must listen to all this and wait for half an hour to get ill equipped service. Was told to try Radio Shack, their people know more - L0L
i agree with "all of the above"
by boopiejones - 8/16/07 8:18 AM In reply to: - Other reason (What is it?) ALL OF THE ABOVE. by waltnichmy biggest peeve, however, is that there is no such thing as a cell phone that is JUST A PHONE. i would love a cheap, unlimited minutes contract with a tiny phone (not a camera phone, not a smart phone, not an mp3 player) that just makes and receives calls - nothing else. with current technology, there is no reason why a simple phone can't be made that is no larger than the average bluetooth headset.
if someone made a tiny headset phone with a cheap contract, i'd switch carriers in a heartbeat - even break my contract and pay the penalties.
"Was told to try Radio Shack, their people know more - L0L"
by kdude90 - 8/17/07 9:17 PM In reply to: - Other reason (What is it?) ALL OF THE ABOVE. by waltnichThats because we DO know more! LMAO! There's a reason we're America's #1 wireless retailer, you know! ^_^
I left Spint Last week after 8 years
by afroloq - 8/16/07 7:30 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Funny that I would get this...
Over the past 2 years Sprint has progessively worse.
- Horrible customer service both in store and by phone
- Phones are too expensive and don't hold value and then are crap peices of equipment
- Way too many dropped calls
- Replacement plan is horrible (5 bucks a month for insurance, if something happens to the unit, pay 50 bucks for a refurbed that can be just as problematic as the original)
- Shoddy network...I went to a friend's home and could only get a signal in thier den...
I switched to verizon.
Length of contract
by jcmarlton - 8/16/07 7:34 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Two year contracts are very restrictive. I got stuck with a carrier because of the type phone I required for making calls back to the US from overseas.
At that time the equipment selection and US based carriers were very limited. You could either pay-as-you-speak, or sign the 2 year contract. Pay-as-you-speak was charging $2.47/min. The contract was inclusive for all calls regardless of time or location.
Now not doing Int'l travel, I am stuck with this poor quality phone. Poor quality in reception, sound and hardware. Early term. fee is not where I want to go and I will finish out this term but will be far away from this carrier, and never again get this manufacturers equipment
Nothing !!
by jamboody - 8/16/07 8:51 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I have been with the Verizon/GTE/etc.............. camp since 1995. I've had excellent service coverage, WONDERFUL customer service from the call centers and outstanding service at the local stores. I can walk into any Verizon store in the country and get that same excellent service and help. Defintely NOT NOT NOT my experience with Cingular. I can also maintain and administer my account online and do just about anything I need to do myself including activating/deactivating phones or moving them around to a different phone number within my account. Customer service means more than anything to a customer, and customers will put up with some minor aggravations when it comes to coverage and such when they are getting treated like they really matter to the company.
Great job Verizon !!!
Switch cellular carriers
by AlbyW - 8/16/07 8:57 AM In reply to: What would make you want to switch cellular carriers? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
SERVICE, SERVICE, SERVICE, need I say more.
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