Cell Phones Questions

[redneckpastor]

How does everyone here do there cell phone lines?
Wife and I are getting started with cell phones and want to see which is the best route to go?
At&t
Sprint
....
ect..
DO NOT WANT TO PAY $,$$$,$$$,$$$

Any advice from you old married folks out there that go some experience under your belt.
Just 2 lines

 

[rhart]

I have run the gauntlet with companies over the years. Recently, I switched to Tmobile because they had the best deal.
I think it was 49.99 unlimited pretty much incl LD.
However, the coverage in southern indiana stinks

 

[SavageEagle]

I've gone with Sprint, ATT, and Verizon. I was with Sprint for 10 years because they had the best coverage at the time. ATT says they have good coverage, but Verizon wins hands down. My dad still has Verizon and when everyone else loses signal, he's still able to make calls. He even took it to Canada with him and it worked up there!

Sprint is a good service to have, but I've had problems with signal. My wife and mother have Sprint still and get decent coverage, but I opted to go with Tracfone and I've yet to have service or coverage issues. Then again, I only use my phone for emergencies only.

Also, unless you're getting a steal of a deal on phones through the provider, check ebay first and DO NOT BUY ACCESSORIES FROM THE PROVIDER!!!! A $5 car charger will cost you $30 from the provider!

 

[tyler34]

heres something to ponder, my wife manages at AT&T has access to free phones and plans but she still chooses to pay for verizon.

 

[Arm America]

Verizon for the seven phones that we use.
Had the Nextel and the Sprint with the bigger than expected headaches.

Verizon has served me well. Agree with above, get any/all accessories from e-bay.

 

[Tripp11]

Having had AT&T, Sprint and Verizon, I would say Verizon has the best coverage. We are currently with Sprint but just counting the days until my contract expires and we'll go back to Verizon.

Living in Fishers, IN, I drop calls all the time inside our house which is annoying.

I would suggest looking into a family plan for you and your wife.

 

[LotsofGlocks]

Ive had Tmobile and Verizon and Verizon wins hands down! Best service around!

 

[schafe]

If you are not intending to be "phone zombies" you can get basic or emergency only levels of service through Consumer Cellular. My wife and I use ours for emergency and travel. I think they buy time on the AT&T system because the coverage maps are the same. The results are very low bills with conservative usage. Good Luck!!

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I have to concur with the majority of the other comments. Verizon would be my choice as well. I currently have phones on both AT&T and Verizon and I have found the signal to be fairly consistent between both networks. One of the things I have noticed, however, is that I drop more calls on AT&T than on Verizon (And I thought this was one of AT&T's selling points). Also web browsing on Verizon seems to be faster than on AT&T.

If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely look into the prepaid plans. IMO being stuck in a 2-year contract is the biggest downside to having a cell.

 

[CopperWires]

People can give you their experiences all day. Take into consideration their work at finding the best deal for the best phone and the best plan. But, when someone tells you that one network is better than the other, you may not be able to use that information. For example, if you never leave your home area, you may have a different experience with the network as someone that travels the country. Here is another example....Everyone says that Verizon is way better than AT&T. I use AT&T and my wife uses Verizon. I honestly can't tell you which one is better for our area. They both work great. If one craps out somewhere in the far corner of the county, the other works or vice versa. My advice is this: If you can find someone that travels in the same day to day area, consider their experience. If someone from New York or California tells you that AT&T is awful, don't pay any attention to them.

 

[CopperWires]

I have to concur with the majority of the other comments. Verizon would be my choice as well. I currently have phones on both AT&T and Verizon and I have found the signal to be fairly consistent between both networks. One of the things I have noticed, however, is that I drop more calls on AT&T than on Verizon (And I thought this was one of AT&T's selling points).

AT&T uses this as a selling point because it's true....Internationally! Same with the more bars in more places slogan. In Jamaica, my wife couldn't use her brand new Verizon smart phone at all. I could however, use all features of my phone. Domestically and in the past, AT&T has let me down a few times but everything seems good in my area now.

 

[Eddie]

We go with Verizon. I would suggest asking people who live/work in the same areas you plan to use your phone what they use. Quality of coverage and dead spots can vary from county to county.

 

[22rssix]

You can get a plan that will suit two lines from any cell service.

If your looking to go cheap and don't plan to use them much, look at something like a pay as you go type phone.

Like what was said, your area and where you travel the most will be service you will want. Most cell companies will have the coverage maps and all that.

I have a Verizon and Sprint cell service, work/personal. I also travel to MI,KY and all over Indiana. Coverage between the two seem to be the same from my travels. If I hit a bad coverage area, both phones usually die. The Sprint phone in Michigan has better coverage in some places VS Verizon.

 

[360]

Verizon has best coverage, but ATT has rollover. Thats the only reason we use them.

 

[redneckpastor]

I have to concur with the majority of the other comments. Verizon would be my choice as well. I currently have phones on both AT&T and Verizon and I have found the signal to be fairly consistent between both networks. One of the things I have noticed, however, is that I drop more calls on AT&T than on Verizon (And I thought this was one of AT&T's selling points). Also web browsing on Verizon seems to be faster than on AT&T.

If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely look into the prepaid plans. IMO being stuck in a 2-year contract is the biggest downside to having a cell.

Those 2 year contracts get you phones for cheap though?

 

[Phil502]

I use Verizon but I can't get a signal inside at work, usually. A few people with AT&T do seem to get signal. I am not sure why.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Those 2 year contracts get you phones for cheap though?

Agreed. They get you the cheap phones up-front, but how far into the contract are you before you've more than paid for the phone?

Another thing to consider with is what features do you want/need. I have mobile web on my AT&T Blackberry and use it maybe once a week to check the score of a game. I also have TeleNav (AT&T navigation) which I use all the time for work. However for the cost I could have paid for (2) GPS units by now.

My work phone, on the other hand, is your basic flip phone. It makes calls, texts, and takes the occasional picture. I've come to the conclusion that's pretty much all I need out of a phone. It also seems a little more durable than the Blackberry which is a definite plus in my book.

I would encourage you to go to the stores and try out the different models to see what would be the best fit for you.

 

[tyler34]

me and my wife base our phone company selection on customer service and ease of problem solving because everything else is pretty comparable across the board(besides AT&T's sucky 3G coverage) my wife will tell you dealing with AT&T is like pulling teeth and every time we go to verizon she always is astounded about how much easier it is to get things done with verizon. versus the hoops she has to jump through for customers at AT&T.

 

[360]

It really is a "satellite vs. cable" argument.

 

[redneckpastor]

. It makes calls, texts, and takes the occasional picture. I've come to the conclusion that's pretty much all I need out of a phone.

Thats all we want/need. Looking for the cheapest way to go.