Cell phones: Signal problem! I just bought Straight Talk... Help!
Signal problem! I just bought Straight Talk... Help!
by yiwakawa - 10/23/09 9:24 PMHi I hope I didn't shoot my self in the foot going cheap, but I just bought Straight Talk from Walmart and all it will show is I'm on Roam. So I'm out of service at home. I got to get back to my old Boost plan if this don't work.
I guess the question I want to know. Who provides the service in my area? I know Sprint only gets 1 or no bars around my home "I had one and my friends has the same issues here", and my friend that has Verizon gets about 2 and sometimes 3 bars? I'm seeing 4 full bars on my Samsung R451C. Anyone know who's signal I'm seeing on Roam? To my knowledge we only have Verizon and Sprint as the CDMA carriers in my area for sale.
Thank you for your help.
RE: Signal problem! I just bought Straight Talk... Help!
by plarsen111 - 10/24/09 5:23 AM In reply to: Signal problem! I just bought Straight Talk... Help! by yiwakawaVerizon Wireless provides the network. Boost mobile runs on the Sprint Network.
I would see if you have a friend or family member who has a Verizon phone, and have them make phone calls from your house. If the quality is poor on their phone, then you know it is the carrier (Verizon). If it is fine on their phone, then you need to take your phone back to Walmart or StraightTalk.
BTW, I inquired about the return policy from both Walmart and StraighTalk. They will take it back.
Do everyone a favor and report back your findings. It will be nice to found out if it is the phone, or the carrier.
Keep in mind that...
by Pepe7 - 10/24/09 8:09 AM In reply to: RE: Signal problem! I just bought Straight Talk... Help! by plarsen111...the OP's findings will only apply at his specific location/domo\icile. If he would supply a zip code it would be inherintly more useful if we could pop over to the verizon prepaid coverage web site and see what coverage should be expected.
-Pedro
OK.
by yiwakawa - 10/24/09 8:19 AM In reply to: RE: Signal problem! I just bought Straight Talk... Help! by plarsen111OK I'm going to see if I can get the Verizon phone out to my house again.
I really don't know what kind of signal Straight talk's getting? It's got to be Verizon since I know all my other friends "about 4" got to hike up the little hill in the yard to get 1~2 steady bars. I had the same issue with my old Sprint phone. I went with AT&T but the sound quality was not too great in the area, and Boost offered about the same quality for a lot less.
On the straight talk phone it shows 4 full bars again? I really think it's a Verizon signal. Just don't know why my phone won't work on it?
Thanks again!
Your specific location
by Pepe7 - 10/24/09 8:43 AM In reply to: OK. by yiwakawaIf you have experienced reception problems with other carriers besides Verizon/Straight Talk, I believe you have answered your own question. Your friend's experience sounds like it mirrors yours too.
Quite a lot of the problems with cellular service are solved by trial and error, apart from any sort of technical support by a particular carrier. Hopefully the Verizon tech can determine if it's a topography/small dead spot issue.
No the Verizon worked as good or better than AT&T
by yiwakawa - 10/24/09 8:58 AM In reply to: Your specific location by Pepe7No the Verizon phone my friend had worked great. The Voice was good little better than AT&T? and had really fast web.
I just got to get him out here again to see if he's on roam too.
Thanks again.
worst phone system ever!
by solar goddess - 11/2/09 4:15 PM In reply to: RE: Signal problem! I just bought Straight Talk... Help! by plarsen111I purchased this phone, thrilled to find a phone that promised verizon carrier and cheap. However, today i had to go and sign up for an expensive contract with Verizon because all i have had is trouble from day one. I use this for business and people OFTEN get a message that the "number they dialed is disconnected" or more often, that the "network is busy". I bought two of these phones, one for myself and one for my S.O. He gets the same trouble as well. When i called the straight talk line they said that they had not had this complaint and the woman was totally useless. When i went to wal-mart, the daft clerk also said that she never heard of this problem, but when i googled StraightTalk and Problems, i found others complaining as well. I am hoping that they fix this problem within the month so i can cancel my verizon contract. When i asked verizon if they were the carrier for straight talk, they said they never heard of it, yet in all the press releases, it says verizon, and when i place a call to my VoiceMail on the phone, it sometimes says Verizon Wireless, this call can not be placed as dialed." so it is a verizon network, but probably not the top tier.
I agree
by plarsen111 - 11/2/09 5:34 PM In reply to: worst phone system ever! by solar goddessI give up. I went back to ATT. Not only that, I signed a two-year contract to get a decent phone (it pains me to sign a two-year contract).
I will say though, I feel like a big burden has been lifted. Everybody sounds much more clear.
Pre-paid will get there someday, but I have tried Net10 and StraightTalk, and they are not quite up to par.
Unless you are really cheap, I say stick with the big boys.
Hofo is a good resource too for prepaid, etc.
by Pepe7 - 11/2/09 6:10 PM In reply to: I agree by plarsen111Howardforums.com is a useful site for additional feedback on prepaid, etc. Keep in mind you didn't have to obtain the phone directly from ATT. You could have brought in an unlocked phone to avoid being locked into a contract. All they would have charged you for is the initial activation fee and possibly the cost of the SIM card. Granted, this is not something they advertise however.
T mobile has no contract plan.
by yiwakawa - 11/3/09 1:03 AM In reply to: Hofo is a good resource too for prepaid, etc. by Pepe7T mobile has a plan that you buy the phone full price up front and your not locked into a 2 year contract. I hated cellphone contract since my phones never seem to live past the first year, and your stuck with a contract and got to buy a new phone full price anyhow.
I'm really happy that a cell phone company has a plan that cater to people like me. Some what cheap, don't want to be locked in, and want a choice of nice phones! Not bad for about $70 a month with unlimited talk and text.
Got it.
by yiwakawa - 10/24/09 1:58 PM In reply to: Signal problem! I just bought Straight Talk... Help! by yiwakawaI went back to Walmart and asked what was going on. Thay say it takes 7 days for my old number to port and once the number ports the "Roam" will disappear and the old phone stops working. If I remember right Boost gave me a temporary number while the number got moved from AT&T to them.
I wish they told me when I bought the phone.
Thank you for all the help!
Get Google Voice Number
by plarsen111 - 10/24/09 6:56 PM In reply to: Got it. by yiwakawaAs I previously mentioned, I got rid of my iPhone and am going to StraightTalk (currently Net10).
But I would not being doing this unless I was lucky enough to get a Google Voice account. I tell everyone my number, go buy different phones, set up Google Voice to ring my new cell phone...and I receive every call.
In two years you will laugh that you ever worried about some company porting your number again.
Google voice?
by yiwakawa - 10/24/09 7:24 PM In reply to: Get Google Voice Number by plarsen111I got a invite for that few months back. Just didn't know what it was for? It would be nice to have a permanent number after this kind of junk. It's $10 to set up Google voice right?
Thank you.
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