Cell phones: Recommendations for another pre-paid service besides AT&T?
Recommendations for another pre-paid service besides AT&T?
by Big Steve - 10/4/09 5:47 PMI signed up with AT&T's Pay As You Go prepaid wireless service in January 2009, I bought a Samsung A137 phone for $29.99 and went with the AT&T prepaid 25 cents a minute plan with no daily access fee charge. I also purchased a $25.00 minute card to start out with because the minutes were good for 90 days and any remaining minutes that I had left over would roll over to the next 90 day period as long as I bought another $25.00 minute card before my minutes on my first card expired. I have been using the phone basically for emergency uses only.
AT&T claims that their 3G network is the best, the phone has provided good basic service for me since January 2009 but lately as in the last two weeks when I tried to use the phone to make a call the phone would display "NO NETWORK" and I could not make a call. I still have about $35.00 USD in minutes on the phone and if I decide to keep the phone service active I'll have to add another $25.00 in minutes before October 27, 2009 because if I don't any remaining minutes that I have will expire and I'll lose them.
If I continue having problems with my AT&T prepaid cell phone service I'm seriously considering switching to another prepaid service carrier. Can anyone here recommend another good prepaid cell phone service besides AT&T? I decided to go with AT&T back in January 2009 because my home phone and internet service is with AT&T but I didn't want to go with a post paid contract phone for 2 years because I only use the phone for about 30 minutes each month, no texting or web use, not what I needed the phone for, just for making calls. Feedback would certainly be appreciated from those who might know.
Why prepaid?
by wonnder - 10/4/09 5:59 PM In reply to: Recommendations for another pre-paid service besides AT&T? by Big SteveBoost is a pretty good pay as you go. boostmobile.com. But I have to ask, almost any company will get you a basic talk plan for 29.99 on a contract. For $5 more you always have a phone and you don't have to constantly top up...
Re: Why prepaid?
by Big Steve - 10/4/09 8:37 PM In reply to: Why prepaid? by wonnderI don't want to be tied down for 2 years at $29.99 or whatever a month for a phone that I will use less than 30 minutes a month, that's why prepaid. There is one carrier in my area that was one of a few that maintained good working cell service here in coastal Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina, it's a Mississippi based provider called Cellular South.
Cellular South just recently started offering prepaid service to their customers but the minimum monthly charge is $50.00. Right now with AT&T if only my phone will continue to work or should I say AT&T's 3G network will work, my current phone service with AT&T right now costs me less than $10.00 a month. The phone is already paid for, I just have to add the minutes. Now if I talked 300 or more minutes a month I would definitely go post paid.
Re: Why prepaid?
by wonnder - 10/4/09 10:41 PM In reply to: Re: Why prepaid? by Big SteveI see your point.
Have you tried calling at&t to ask that they block that network (3G)from your phone? I know that on the fancier phones they can. Or there might be a setting for how your phone connects to the internet...
I know boost is .10/min, but you'd need a new phone and they aren't cheap...I don't imagine tech support for payasyougo is fantastic, but it should be a simple enough step for them to try.
Re: Why prepaid?
by Big Steve - 10/4/09 11:07 PM In reply to: Re: Why prepaid? by wonnderMy phone comes with a feature called "MediaNet" which is an internet access on AT&T Pay As You Go phones, I tried to get it blocked but AT&T's tech support told me they could not block or deactivate it on my phone, a Samsung a137, a very basic no frills phone. AT&T's prepaid tech support isn't the greatest either, everytime I called my calls got routed to India or to the Phillipines(sp?).
Those techs in India are the worst, I can't understand them. I was reading on a discussion board on another site about prepaid cell service and many on this other board said Tracfone or Net10 would be a good alternative to AT&T. You know anything about Tracfone or Net10? I did look at Boost Mobile and you are right, their phone selection is very limited and also expensive compared to AT&T.
Change the MediaNet settings
by Pepe7 - 10/5/09 7:50 AM In reply to: Re: Why prepaid? by Big SteveIf you manually enter incorrect data in the fields, you won't be able to connect to medianet and hence will not incur the extra charges. [FWIW, Medianet is not limited to PAYG phones/plans- it's on their regular phones too.] Sorry I am not copletely familiar with that particular Samsung handset or I could walk you through the medianet changes. Pop over to howardforums.com for that- there are dedicated ATT/ATT Phone/Samsung phone sections to ask questions. It does sound like you are on the perfectly priced plan for your needs.
One other thing I noticed regarding your NO NETWORK message and comments regarding ATT's 3G network. Your A137 handset *does not* have the correct UMTS frequency bands for use on ATT's 3G network. It's only a very basic 850/1900 GSM (not UMTS) phone. Even if you travel to an areas with 3G coverage, you can't use it w/o changing to a newer phone. Anyway, if you aren't getting coverage with GSM alone, I'd agree that perhaps another carrier might be worth looking into. Page Plus is a very reputable service, provided you have coverage in your area. Since you only need voice service, the phone choices won't be as relevant per se (e.g. smartphone features, etc.). Go online and enter your zip code to see if they offer service where you reside down south. Another cool thing about Page Plus is they will activate many other CDMA/EVDO carriers handsets for use on their network. In this sense you could pick up an inexpensive but reliable Motorola RAZR (CDMA/EVDO version) and use this w/ Page Plus on the cheap. Here are some links that might help if you want to check it out. Again, you have to look into which carrier gives you the coverage you need.
Page Plus
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/
Coverage Map
http://www.pagepluscellular.com/Why%20Page%20Plus/Coverage%20Map.aspx
Regarding Activation
http://pageplusdealer.com/Information/ActivationStep1.html
Hope this helps.
-Pedro
Re: Change the MediaNet settings
by Big Steve - 10/5/09 1:26 PM In reply to: Change the MediaNet settings by Pepe7I'll check out those links you provided, I'm located in Biloxi, MS and use my phone also in Gulfport, MS which is one reason I went with AT&T because their website indicated strong coverage in those two areas as long as I'm close to the beach. I live less than 3 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.
I'm not going to mess with any settings, I tried to use the phone this morning from here in the house just to test it and it's still saying "NO NETWORK". I called AT&T tech support again, they said again to turn the phone off, take out the battery and the sim card, reinstall the sim card and the battery, wait 5 minutes, turn the phone back on and check. I did all that and it's still saying "NO NETWORK". The phone is less than 10 months old and was purchased new. Do you know of any other discussion boards that get into discussing issues with pre-paid phone service? Advise if you do.
Re: Change the MediaNet settings
by wonnder - 10/5/09 5:44 PM In reply to: Re: Change the MediaNet settings by Big Stevecellphoneforums.net There's a lot of stuff there, but if there's a solution you can do, it would be there.
Indoor vs outdoor at your location?
by Pepe7 - 10/5/09 7:57 PM In reply to: Re: Change the MediaNet settings by Big SteveAre you able to get any signal outside your home? How about when you drive a mile from home in an area with coverage you've used at a prior time? Indoor service can really be a crapshoot IME.
By the way, none of the settings I was referring to will affect your voice coverage, only internet. Do you have a friend's ATT phone you could quickly pop your SIM into to test it out vs your handset? These suggestions will help eliminate whether or not it's the handset or the network per se.
Howardforums I believe has some pre-paid sub forums, but keep in mind that many prepaid carriers are often using parts of the major carriers networks for their various services.
-Pedro
Re: Indoors vs outdoors at your location?
by Big Steve - 10/5/09 11:12 PM In reply to: Indoor vs outdoor at your location? by Pepe7I use the phone mainly while I'm away from the house like I said before for emergency use only. While I'm at the house I primarily use my landline phone which is also with AT&T and my landline phone has unlimited long distance service on it for $24.99 a month. Nobody I know has an AT&T prepaid phone which I could test as you suggested, AT&T tech support suggested that I do that weeks ago but I couldn't.
If I had a different model AT&T Pay As You Go phone, different from the one I have now which is a Samsung A137, could I take the sim card out of my current phone, insert it into another AT&T Pay As You Go phone and would the phone work if it was fully charged? Would my AT&T sim card work in another provider's phone like NET10 or not?About the cell towers if I did switch from AT&T to NET10 or Tracfone chances are they would use AT&T towers to carry their signals?
That wouldn't do me any good if there's a problem with AT&T's signal in my area. One day while I was in the house and was able to make a call from inside the house the signal meter read 4 bars, then 3, then after I finished the call the signal dropped to 2 then 1 then zero and the "NO NETWORK" message reappeared. Will using a cell phone close to a computer or a wireless router affect how it works? I guess I need to try using the phone a few times outside the house to see if I get a better signal or not but won't be using it for long at the rate of $0.25 a minute. I can make a call that lasts only 13 seconds and AT&T still deducts my account $0.25 for making that call.
Re: Indoors vs outdoors at your location?
by Big Steve - 10/14/09 9:35 PM In reply to: Re: Indoors vs outdoors at your location? by Big SteveWell since my last post I tried to use my phone again today from inside the house, then I took the phone outside and tried to use it first from the front yard then from the back yard and all day with minutes still available and a fully charged battery the phone still said "NO NETWORK". So earlier tonight with all of my notes in hand I called AT&T Pay As You Go customer service again, I spoke to someone in Texas first then my call got transferred to a tech support call center located somewhere here in the USA. The tech support guy wouldn't say exactly where he was located except to say that he was located here in the USA and it was nice to talk to someone who I could understand.
The tech support rep said he was with tech support for Pay As You Go phones, he had me reset some settings on my phone but afterwards I still couldn't make a call so he has now recommended that I take my phone to one of two AT&T retail company stores in my area, not to an authorized reseller like Wal-Mart or Radio-Shack but to an AT&T retail company store and have a store clerk check out my phone and my sim card. The guy in tech support seems to think that the sim card in my phone could be bad. The sim card in my phone right now is the same card which originally came with my phone when I purchased it new back in January 2009.
The tech support rep told me if I went to one of their retail company stores and they determined the sim card in my phone was bad I would be given a new sim card free of charge. I then asked if I could just buy another sim card online rather than go to an AT&T retail store, the tech rep said I could but the sim card if purchased online would cost me $25.00 plus tax plus shipping.
My phone, a Samsung A137 costs me $29.99 plus tax and shipping back in January 2009 when I bought it new and yet AT&T wants $25.00 plus just for a replacement sim card? This is all new to me but the sim card in my phone is nothing more than a small piece of paper smaller than a first class postage stamp and AT&T wants $25.00 just for a new card?
One AT&T company retail store is almost 25 miles to my west and the other store is about the same distance from my house to my east. I was also told if I did take the phone to an AT&T company retail store and a clerk inserted another sim card into my phone and the phone suddenly worked that test would rule out that the problem is with my phone, the problem would definitely be with the sim card. Does any of this make any sense?
I've exchanged SIM cards in the stores for free
by Pepe7 - 10/15/09 7:57 AM In reply to: Re: Indoors vs outdoors at your location? by Big SteveFWIW, you can also find them online from third parties for practically the cost of shipping (~$5).
Have you tried your phone/service somewhere else besides where you live? Are you able to use the handset away from your home/neighborhood? Just trying to get a sense of whether or not its the coverage at home your are lacking, or a bad SIM/handset.
Reading your comments on the cost of the device/service/SIM, I guess you may want to consider greater issues like cost of doing business and the wireless industry in general, and how they earn their keep. The phone is still under warranty AFAIK, since it's less than one year, and the SIM card is easily exchanged. $25 is fairly nominal fee compared to the cost of repairing 99% of consumer electronics you have to take in to be repaired. Often just the first look will cost upwards of $100 before the actual repair/parts are involved. Just pointing that out.
Even if the employee used a SIM card at that location 25 miles from your home, that does not 100% guarantee there is also not a coverage issue where you reside. It's *likely* to mean the SIM is bad, but you still have to test out the new SIM at home to be certain.
-Pedro
Re: I've exchanged SIM cards in the stores for free
by Big Steve - 10/15/09 2:30 PM In reply to: I've exchanged SIM cards in the stores for free by Pepe7Last Friday I tried to use the phone at my doctor's office after I received my annual flu shot and the phone still read "NO NETWORK" yet all around me were other patients in the office using their phones. My doctor's office is about 15 miles NW of my home and according to AT&T their signal is very strong in that area as well. I been to see the doctor 4 times since purchasing the phone and it has worked everytime except this most recent time last Friday. AT&T told me last night there were no cell tower issues or problems in and around my area, that the cell coverage in my area including my home address was very good.
That's why the tech guy with AT&T recommended that I go to an AT&T company store and have the phone checked and get a new SIM card free of charge if it was determined that my phone would work again with another SIM card installed. What do you mean by "AFAIK"? So are you suggesting rather than take public transit and go approximately 25 miles to the nearest AT&T company store just order a new SIM card online and pay the $25.00 charge which was quoted to me last night by AT&T which you say is a reasonable charge?
If I knew for sure that would solve my problem I would bite the bullet and do it but then if I bought another SIM card and the phone still wouldn't work it would be a phone handset issue and not a SIM card issue.
Reasonable is relative, of course
by Pepe7 - 10/15/09 10:28 PM In reply to: Re: I've exchanged SIM cards in the stores for free by Big SteveI see SIM cards for sale for $1 + shipping, FWIW, they just aren't sold this cheaply directly from ATT. They are generally willing to eat the cost and replace a defective one if you can get to the store in person. Sorry to hear you don't have a car and travelling to the nearest store is not a good option. As far as I know your prepaid handset should still be under warranty, although I'm not certain prepaid customers can do exchange by mail like us post-paid customers can. The bus trip to the ATT store might be the most effective solution for you albeit less convenient.
The phone you test wouldn't have to be prepaid
by Pepe7 - 10/15/09 7:35 AM In reply to: Re: Indoors vs outdoors at your location? by Big SteveYou could use any ATT branded phone to test service in your location. Also, you could use your older GSM phone with your current SIM & prepaid service, as long as it has the 850 & 1900 frequency bands. Your ATT SIM will not work in a Tracphone or Net10 handset AFAIK, even if they use ATT towers for their service. It's a different technical issue per se.
Like you've hinted, if you really are in a low or no-signal area all bets are off with your current carrier if it has been determined that the problem does not lie with your handset or SIM. Being close to a a router shouldn't present a problem, although the GSM phones will sometimes cause interference with what you hear through the PC speaker. YMMV.
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