Cell phones: Recommendations for another pre-paid service besides AT&T?
Re: The phone you test wouldn't have to be prepaid
by Big Steve - 10/15/09 2:39 PM In reply to: The phone you test wouldn't have to be prepaid by Pepe7I don't have an older GSM? phone, this prepaid AT&T phone is the first cell I've ever owned.
QUOTE: 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.
I never said that, AT&T told me last night there were no cell tower issues in my area and that the signal strength was very good to excellent. You mentioned "AFAIK previously, now you mention "YMMV". Translate.
translation
by Pepe7 - 10/15/09 10:32 PM In reply to: Re: The phone you test wouldn't have to be prepaid by Big SteveYour phone should still be under warranty- visit a store for more info on that. They will check your phone & exchange the SIM if defective and test your service for you. In this case I see it being the most viable solution.
Regarding coverage, indoor coverage is not guaranteed, even in an area where service is excellent. Things like metal roofs, construction materials, localized topography and bad luck of being in a dead spot all factor in unfortunately. That's why even after getting a new SIM that they've tested, you need to verify what service is like at home when you return.
providers
by splenditello - 10/15/09 7:33 AM In reply to: Indoor vs outdoor at your location? by Pepe7i think its only a matter of time before each device will be usable on any network. the phone companies can't afford to not give the consumers what they want
This is a little more down the road per se
by Pepe7 - 10/15/09 7:49 AM In reply to: providers by splenditelloEven when Verizon hops over to LTE and ATT comes along afterwards, there still is no guarantee (for example) that they'll employ SIM cards. Also, the other smaller wireless carriers with no upgrade path (or plans to upgrade/switch technologies) certainly put a damper on your theory in the short term. They also stand to lose out on revenue which at this point, isn't something they'll be willing to forgo.
Re: This is a little more down the road per se
by Big Steve - 10/15/09 2:44 PM In reply to: This is a little more down the road per se by Pepe7So are you saying I should not consider Tracfone, NET10, some of the others like Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile? That I should just stay with AT&T Prepaid?
Why don't you...
by Pepe7 - 10/15/09 10:34 PM In reply to: Re: This is a little more down the road per se by Big Steve...first have the ATT phone & SIM checked out, and after that point see how it works at home again. If not, I'd say considering another provider (maybe a CDMA one) would be useful.
Re: Why don't you...
by Big Steve - 10/16/09 3:23 AM In reply to: Why don't you... by Pepe7I'll call Gus and tell him to bring his bus next week for a trip to the AT&T store. I'm scheduled to add another $25.00 card to the phone by October 27, 2009 but if I can't get this problem resolved I won't do it. I'll just stick the phone in my desk drawer and get something else. Should I consider a different model phone by AT&T or go with another prepaid carrier? Pepe7 you seem to know quite a bit about cell phones, are you an engineer? You're throwing these four letter terms out at me, the latest one is CDMA, I'll Google it later to see what it means. I just checked my phone again and it's still saying "NO NETWORK".
T-Mobile in your area?
by jennywren1420 - 10/17/09 9:13 AM In reply to: Recommendations for another pre-paid service besides AT&T? by Big SteveI, too, would recommend trying to go to an authorized AT&T store before throwing in the towel on your phone, but you asked whether anyone could share with you experiences about other prepaid plans, and I shall do so.
I have used T-Mobile for some time with a prepaid plan, partly because after doing some research on the subject, it seemed to fit my needs the closest. It has strong reviews for my area (New York City); it can be used (with a different SIM) in the UK; the phone is unlocked, meaning that I would not be tied to T-Mobile if I wanted to switch companies—for example, if I wished to get a Virgin Mobile SIM in the UK. (Oddly enough, Virgin Mobile phones in the US could not be used with another company, I was told by their reps here.) I don't have to pay a certain amount for my minutes; however, the more minutes you buy, the less-expensive each one is and the longer the period before which I must "top up." That means before I have to buy more minutes. With fewer minutes, you have to buy more before three months is up; I believe that the period is a year if you keep $100 on it (I'm not certain of the amount, but it's not huge.)
I have found T-Mobile people quite helpful, too, and here, at least, there are many places to top up minutes, ask for help and so on. I don't know whether that is the case where you live, whether reception is good for T-Mobile (if it even exists there), what are the terms and so on. One other good thing: If I recall correctly, you can top up online.
I seem to recall, from my researches, that the phones from Trac-fone and one of the others mentioned (Nextel?) cannot be used with different companies, but again, that was several years back. I know that at the time Virgin Mobile said that one could use only their phones and that they didn't us SIMs (?!?). That meant that I couldn't trade out a US SIM for a UK one (even a Virgin Mobile UK one), so that clinched it for me. One advantage, though (here, at least), is that their cards, and those of Trac-Fone and some others like it can be found in many places, including local pharmacies. I didn't look into rates that closely for those companies, because I wanted to be able to use the same phone for the US as for the UK and Europe.
I think the best way (apart from trying to resolve your current problem with AT&T) is to go online and do some research for yourself. I sympathize with your dilemma. Also with your wish to remain with a prepaid account. I don't use my cellphone much, either.
I hope that this has been somewhat helpful. Sorry for your problems with your account. A real shame.
jenny
Re: T-Mobile in your area?
by Big Steve - 10/17/09 11:16 AM In reply to: T-Mobile in your area? by jennywren1420T-Mobile is in my area. One of the bus drivers who transports me where I need to go has a prepaid account with T-Mobile. His phone is also a Samsung phone, a slider I think it's called. He told me he paid $129.00 for it and purchased a $100.00 minute card. His phone is much nicer than my phone which is a basic low end Samsung flip phone, ( Model A137 ) which when it works has been a good phone and by purchasing a $25.00 minute card once every 3 months the phone when it does work costs me on average less than $9.00 a month which is cheap.
I turned it on this morning and it's still saying "NO NETWORK" so before I consider switching prepaid carriers I'm going to an AT&T company store to get another sim card, a free sim card and if that doesn't work I'll have to consider another prepaid carrier. The only thing I don't like about the models of phones T-Mobile offers for their prepaid plans here in my local area is the phones are pretty expensive in comparison to the phones currently offered by AT&T but T-Mobile's phones are not nearly as expensive as the phones offered by another prepaid carrier called Boost Mobile.
My phone back in January 2009 on AT&T.com wireless cost me $29.99 plus tax and shipping and I added to that a $25.00 prepaid minute card for my phone minutes. I went with the $0.25 a minute plan where I wouldn't be charged a daily access charge of $1.00 on the days I used the phone. I probably talk no more than 30 minutes a month and my minutes roll over if I purchase a new $25.00 prepaid minute card one week before my previous card is scheduled to expire.
I've always wondered if the prepaid phones operate off of different cell towers than the post paid, contract phones do. T-Mobile told me a few years ago that their prepaid phones would not work off of their post paid contracted towers. Is that true? Do cell phone providers have one set of towers for prepaid phones and another set of towers for post paid, contract phones? Thank you for your comments about T-Mobile.
Yes
by Pepe7 - 10/17/09 7:13 PM In reply to: Re: T-Mobile in your area? by Big SteveMost of the prepaid services offered by carriers have less coverage than the post-paid versions. This is because of roaming agreements they may have with other carriers to provide (more complete) service. They essentially are cutting their losses a little by only giving you so much for the $, hence the potentially better value going with post-paid service if you travel quite a lot and require other features like free mobile to mobile calling, etc. It's not entirely impossible that your particular location is not served by ATT prepaid, but the SIM card swap should determine that for you in a heartbeat.
You could pop over to the T-Mobile coverage map online and enter your zip code, which is probably a little more conservative than ATT's maps. In generally T-Mo fares much poorer when you travel very far off the beaten path IME. I'm not aware of their strong presence down south like ATT (think, Bell South) is anyway. Here's the T-Mobile prepaid & flexpaid coverage viewer-
http://www.t-mobile.com/coverage/prepaid.aspx
The really nice thing about T-Mobile prepaid is that the $100 balance does not need to be topped off for an entire year. Page Plus will give you more coverage nationally though. Also, finding a compatible T-Mobile GSM phone is extremely easy and cheaper via ebay or craigslist. They are much easier to work with than ATT in the sense that you can simply walk into a T-Mo store and buy prepaid service/SIM on the spot. The SIM itself might even be free if you buy the intial $30 or $100 on the spot.
Now get over to that ATT store already 
Re: OT Who is this mysterious 'Gus' guy?
by Big Steve - 10/17/09 8:55 PM In reply to: OT Who is this mysterious 'Gus' guy? by Pepe7'Gus' is the name of the guy who drives my bus. I use a public transit service which sends a bus directly to my house to pick me up. I had to meet certain medical criteria to qualify for this service which I certainly do appreciate because it's much cheaper than having to take a cab. 'Gus' could be Bob or David or John but he's not, he's 'Gus'. Mystery solved, that's just the guy's first name, 'Gus'.
travelling for sim
by wonnder - 10/17/09 1:14 PM In reply to: T-Mobile in your area? by jennywren1420Hey,
Yeah, I really think it's your sim card. Call customer care or something and tell them that you have to try it, but the nearest store is 25 miles away. I work for Sprint tech and if the store is that far away we'll send it out instead.
CDMA and GSM...CDMA are two different networks. You are on GSM towers (as are all phones with sim cards, ie. nextel, at&t and I think t-mobile.) CDMA don't use sim cards, ie. sprint, virgin (I think), verizon et al.
Nextel is iDen, not GSM (n/t)
by Pepe7 - 10/17/09 7:14 PM In reply to: travelling for sim by wonndern/t
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