I was thinking of changing  from ATT to Nextel. I am sick and tried of there BS, every time a call there customer service I have to wait at least 20 mintues to talk to someone.  I have had so many problems with my phone its not even funny, I have had at  least three phones from them and they all have same problrem.  I know that Nextel coverage area isn't as great, but if the customer service is better I might change.  

Quoted: I was thinking of changing  from ATT to Nextel. I am sick and tried of there BS, every time a call there customer service I have to wait at least 20 mintues to talk to someone.  I have had so many problems with my phone its not even funny, I have had at  least three phones from them and they all have same problrem.  I know that Nextel coverage area isn't as great, but if the customer service is better I might change.

Their service area is great if you're in it. They have the motorola mil-spec and if you are hard on phones its great. No bling stuff, just a rugged little phone. The no-roam thing is a PITA though.

We used 'em at a place I used to work. They work great, but their customer service is mucho shitty. Constanly on the phone due to incorrect billing, rude customer reps, etc. This was a few years ago, they might've improved a bit.

Quoted: I was thinking of changing  from ATT to Nextel. I am sick and tried of there BS, every time a call there customer service I have to wait at least 20 mintues to talk to someone.  I have had so many problems with my phone its not even funny, I have had at  least three phones from them and they all have same problrem.  I know that Nextel coverage area isn't as great, but if the customer service is better I might change.

I dumped ATT for Nextel 4 months ago and am very happy with the service .

I have free long distance , nights , weekend and incoming calls.
and of course unlimited direct conect.

The service is ok.  The reception is wierd.  I get reception underground  (subways) where alot of people don't, BUT above ground there are dead spaces where people have no problems getting a signal.

Customer service is ok EXCEPT for the fact they have no Sunday hours.  I know this because I lost a phone on a Sunday morning and when I tried calling to restrict my line I got a recording telling me to call Monday.  Luckily weekends and incoming are free so no charges.

Quoted: Quoted: I was thinking of changing  from ATT to Nextel. I am sick and tried of there BS, every time a call there customer service I have to wait at least 20 mintues to talk to someone.  I have had so many problems with my phone its not even funny, I have had at  least three phones from them and they all have same problrem.  I know that Nextel coverage area isn't as great, but if the customer service is better I might change.   I dumped ATT for Nextel 4 months ago and am very happy with the service . I have free long distance , nights , weekend and incoming calls. and of course unlimited direct conect.

I have to pay $175 to get out of contract through ATT.  Sounds pretty much the same plan Iam getting now.  

i've been through like 6 cellular providers and am currently with nextel.  the services you listed are my bottom 2.  unless you MUST have the walkie talkie function, do not go with nextel.  alltell has amazing customer coverage everywhere, even in the middle of nowhere.  the last time i was in the cust svc center they went out of their way to save me $14 a month.  only dumped them cuz my nextel is free through work.

I have 4 Nextel phones but sometimes signal isnt so hot but thats the case with every phone provider in this area I am on the phone 15 hours a day so the 2 way radio is really nice.

All the Nextel phones took a dump here during the recent hurricane... The service was sporatic at best, if not flat out non-existent. Remember, all the cops, fire, ect use Nextel, and they wouldn't work for them for days !
A friend owns a construction company and they switched from Nextel to another provider and had no problems.
Alltel and Cingular worked so-so for a day, then were fine. I am not a big fan of Nextel.

I have had a nextel for a year now.  Why cant they put up more towers.  I live between Detroit, and Toldeo Oh.  You think I would have a signal at my house not.  Their coverage sucks.  I was at knob creek last fall and my nextel worked back in the sticks?  Go figure.   But the direct connect is nice when it goes through.

Nextel is so so, but around here, they have one of the largest coverage areas. Cheaper than Sprint.

I'm very happy with mine....I'm in Central VA.

I went from AT&T to Nextel and it's the best choice I made.  The coverage is awesome in my area(tower right here on campus), the phone is bulletproof(big reason for switching), I get service everywhere, and the customer service is good in my opinion.  Direct Connect is worth it's weight it gold sometimes and the plans are awesome.  I'll NEVER go back to anything other than Nextel unless I move out of their coverage area.

If you're into the techy phones Nextel released the i860 camera phone today.  Pretty cool.

IM me if you have any questions, I can help.

Nextel is a neat service but be careful.  They have poor to no coverage in lots of Oklahoma.  For good quality calls and lots of service I switched to US Cellular from AT&T.

I cannot say enough bad things about AT&T.  I was very happy to get rid of them.

We are issued NEXTELs. The whole Department is listed in the direct-connect menu. The Chief left his in a local dining establishment once, and the troops who picked it up had great fun bumping supervisors on it and yelling at them.

The downside is that they break occasionally, particularly the flip-open covers (they last a year or two) and they put out lots of RF. They will jam the speakers on your computer, the speakers in your car, and occasionally your radar, in-car video and sometimes the trunked radios. Coverage can sometimes be spotty, even in areas with lots of towers, you can get into dead spots. All in all, they are pretty handy, and the direct connect is great in LE, at least if your team mates and enough other officers have it. If everyone has them, they are great.

I have a Nextel.  Have used them for about 3 years now.  In my business (construction) I wouldn't have any other phone.
If I wasn't in construction, I'd take anything BUT a Nextel.  Their phones are way behind the technology curve in terms of features, their coverage is hit or miss for no reason, and their plans are almost always more expensive than a competitor's plan with the same amount of minutes.

Plus, if I see you in the grocery store "direct connecting" your wife to ask if you should buy salted or unsalted butter, I'm going to bean you in the head with a can of Campbell's beef stew.  The big one.

I was with Verizon for 3 years and just switched to Nextel and so far and very satisfied with the coverage and quality of the signal and the mil spec phone is perfect for me at the golf course where it gets wet and beat up a lot................................

i have a nextel as well as a bunch of other officers. We love them. Customer service is decent too. We should have a list of private ID numbers for the members. Nice way to stay in touch or if you have a question that you know another member may have an answer for.

J

I Love my Nextel

I have had several other carriers and none as good as Nextel, especially with the direct connect - 2 ways service

I even yak on mine in elevator if necessary but that is more relative to our strong service area (Tampa Bay area) than Nextel or the Motorola phone

Awesome!

Do it.

I've learned that your cell phone service should be based on where you use it the most. I've had several "national" plans and coverage wasn't always great everywhere. Sprint, for me, was the worst.

I have great Nextel coverage in my area, and they are the first cell phone company to call once a month to make sure I'm happy. That speaks volumes to me.

Worst phone/service I have ever dealt with.  Customer service was a joke, and reception was terrible.   I am much happier with Cingular and Verizon.

I dunno about customer service since I've never needed it...the service is great and the phones are tough...I do wish I hadn't "upgraded" to the i730 because my i90c was a little more rugged and seemed to get a better signal in crappy areas... I've been happy with my billing and the phone service. I used to sell U.S. Cellular and they were the pits in my opinion for a number of good reasons. that is all

Got nextel now too....had cingular, att, tmobile before.

Alot of my guys at work carry the nextels and we use the two way radios alot instead of the old car to car channels.  As long as you are in a major area the cell service is good but does suffer dropped calls from time to time...but so did all the other cell phone companies so that doesn't bother me.  

Customer service is great for me but my friend is a manager for a nextel store too.

also, they give government employees, like cops, 10% off the products and monthly plans.  

Place I worked at had Nextel, it worked better then Sprint.  Phones are tough and that walkie talkie thing is cool.

I have Qwest, Nextel's coverage in Minnesota is not the greatest if you get about 10 miles off the interstate once your outside the metro area

I have Nextel. I got it last year when I was activated and Cingular was running me a fortune. The Nextel coverage Downstate was great. Then I got home and found the coverage in Upstate NY was not as good as claimed. I am still keeping Nextel for the time being. I have come to see one company as being much better than any of the others.

I have 52 Nextels, they work very well for me.

Quoted: The downside is that they break occasionally, particularly the flip-open covers (they last a year or two) and they put out lots of RF. They will jam the speakers on your computer, the speakers in your car, and occasionally your radar, in-car video and sometimes the trunked radios.

Yes they do!  If I'm in the car or at the computer, I know I have an incoming call before my phone even rings.

Quoted: Nice way to stay in touch or if you have a question that you know another member may have an answer for. J

You know, that's not a bad idea.

Happy cust here i ve had it 4 years  

Quoted: All the Nextel phones took a dump here during the recent hurricane... The service was sporatic at best, if not flat out non-existent. Remember, all the cops, fire, ect use Nextel, and they wouldn't work for them for days ! A friend owns a construction company and they switched from Nextel to another provider and had no problems. Alltel and Cingular worked so-so for a day, then were fine. I am not a big fan of Nextel.

+1 about the hurricane problems.  Direct Connect was worthless and most voice calls went right to voice mail without even ringing the phone.  And then it would take 5 - 60 minutes to connect to get the messages.

However, outside of that situation, it works far better than most other providers in my area.

I hate Nextel.

The phones put out so much RF, my computer speakers "crackle" when a call in inbound.

When you are in their sales office, take a look at the coverage map. They have major cities covered, but as soon as you hit the countryside, you had better stay near a highway or your phone will not work. I travel a lot, and more often than not, my phone is in a dead zone.

I have broken a few phones - and I try very hard to treat them well. I just got a i730 two weeks ago, and now it will power cycle every few hours. It will also stop taking incoming calls and not allow outgoing calls even thought the antenna reading is full strength. I have to power the phone off then turn it back on to get it to work. Or I just wait a bit and the phone will do it by itself.

As soon as I can, I am going to switch to anyone else. Two cans on a string would be better at this point.

Av.

Quoted: I have 52 Nextels, they work very well for me.

It must be a real pain in the ass carrying all those phones around.

Quoted: I hate Nextel. The phones put out so much RF, my computer speakers "crackle" when a call in inbound. When you are in their sales office, take a look at the coverage map. They have major cities covered, but as soon as you hit the countryside, you had better stay near a highway or your phone will not work. I travel a lot, and more often than not, my phone is in a dead zone. I have broken a few phones - and I try very hard to treat them well. I just got a i730 two weeks ago, and now it will power cycle every few hours. It will also stop taking incoming calls and not allow outgoing calls even thought the antenna reading is full strength. I have to power the phone off then turn it back on to get it to work. Or I just wait a bit and the phone will do it by itself. As soon as I can, I am going to switch to anyone else. Two cans on a string would be better at this point. Av.

I live in the country and my i730 works fine... but my friend lives in Rockford and he has the same problem you complain of with his i730... he didn't have the problem with his i90c, however....weird.

Since I work for Nextel, I may be able to clear some things up about the phones and the coverage issues.

First of all, Nextel phones do not put out more RF than any other phone made by other companies.  At max power, the phone only puts out 6/10th's of a watt of RF energy.  The interference that you hear before the phone rings, or if you are receiving a text message, is caused by the modulation that is used by the phone communicating with the cell site radios. Completely different frequency range than AM or FM radios in your car or house.  Just one of those quirky electronic things.

The coverage area issue is common among all cell phone companies, not just Nextel.  Just because you may see a tower close to you, does not mean that Nextel is on that tower.  Sharing towers, or co-locating, is common within the industry, but is harder than you might think.  The sharing of a tower may be restricted by a few things; local zoning ordinances, strength of the tower, willingness of the tower owner to have more than one or two companies on the tower, willingness of the competetition to share space on the tower among other things.  Plus now it is getting harder to put towers up due to some people fighting new tower construction because they feel the towers are ugly, or cause cancer(which they do not, RF energy is non-ionizing radiation, meaning no molecular damage occurs), or they think the tower will reduce their property values.  Heard a million reasons for not putting up a tower in a certain location.  Problem is, these same people that do not want a tower close to where they live, will be the first ones in the office complaining about not having better coverage at home. Go figure???

As far as the hurricanes in Florida go, we got hammered by the storms.  Some companies got really lucky and had some sites that stayed on air, but we really got hammered.  The Pensacola/Mobile area took the brunt of the storm and caused us extreme damage.  Not much we could do about that issue.

OKLAHOMA_LAWMAN, I would suggest going to your local Nextel dealer and asking if they will allow you to have a "demo" phone for a day or two.  These are phones that work, that you can take home and check the signal out, plus drive around with it and see if it works where you need it to.  Sometimes the local sales people may or may not have demo's on hand, but it is definitely worth the effort to try and get one.  If you are happy with the coverage area, then it would be time to switch over to Nextel.  If the demo doesn't work, then no harm caused on either side.  You are not out any cash, and Nextel is saved the trouble of having a pissed of customer.

Hope it works for you and you make the switch.

I have a Nextel for work and up until a month ago I had two phone lines on it, one for work and one for home. The coverage in this part of CA is not good when you get away from the cities and into the country, so I bought another cell phone with better area coverage nationwide.

I do like the two way radio feature and use it more than I do the phone. I have used the radio to talk to a buddy in CA when I was in New Mexico, which I thought was pretty cool!

According to consumer reports Sprint is on the bottom of the list and Verizon is on top.
I've had Sprint and I finally got sick of dropped calls and piss poor coverage. I switched to Verizon.
I also have a nextel phone I use daily for work. The nextel is ok, but it does have coverage issues.
As far as switching from Sprint to Verizon, I've never looked back and personally I'll take Verizon over Nextel any day of the week.
The bottom line is Verizon has the best coverage. You will have a phone that works when you need it to.

Quoted: Since I work for Nextel, I may be able to clear some things up about the phones and the coverage issues. First of all, Nextel phones do not put out more RF than any other phone made by other companies.  At max power, the phone only puts out 6/10th's of a watt of RF energy.  The interference that you hear before the phone rings, or if you are receiving a text message, is caused by the modulation that is used by the phone communicating with the cell site radios. Completely different frequency range than AM or FM radios in your car or house.  Just one of those quirky electronic things. The coverage area issue is common among all cell phone companies, not just Nextel.  Just because you may see a tower close to you, does not mean that Nextel is on that tower.  Sharing towers, or co-locating, is common within the industry, but is harder than you might think.  The sharing of a tower may be restricted by a few things; local zoning ordinances, strength of the tower, willingness of the tower owner to have more than one or two companies on the tower, willingness of the competetition to share space on the tower among other things.  Plus now it is getting harder to put towers up due to some people fighting new tower construction because they feel the towers are ugly, or cause cancer(which they do not, RF energy is non-ionizing radiation, meaning no molecular damage occurs), or they think the tower will reduce their property values.  Heard a million reasons for not putting up a tower in a certain location.  Problem is, these same people that do not want a tower close to where they live, will be the first ones in the office complaining about not having better coverage at home. Go figure??? As far as the hurricanes in Florida go, we got hammered by the storms.  Some companies got really lucky and had some sites that stayed on air, but we really got hammered.  The Pensacola/Mobile area took the brunt of the storm and caused us extreme damage.  Not much we could do about that issue. OKLAHOMA_LAWMAN, I would suggest going to your local Nextel dealer and asking if they will allow you to have a "demo" phone for a day or two.  These are phones that work, that you can take home and check the signal out, plus drive around with it and see if it works where you need it to.  Sometimes the local sales people may or may not have demo's on hand, but it is definitely worth the effort to try and get one.  If you are happy with the coverage area, then it would be time to switch over to Nextel.  If the demo doesn't work, then no harm caused on either side.  You are not out any cash, and Nextel is saved the trouble of having a pissed of customer. Hope it works for you and you make the switch.

As I stated above, down here in the Stuart/Port Saint Lucie area of FL (ground zero for Frances and Jeanne),  the Nextel service was degraded far more than the other providers.   And my problem with them was them telling me that it was possible that towers were down in our area.  My question to the Nextel representative was "Then why am I still getting 4 -5 bars of signal strength?"  The problem was the traffic.  Nextel could not handle the volume of traffic during that time.  Now, that could also be a testament to the popularity of their service here due to the fact that so many people use the service, that at times of extreme usage, the system can't handle it.  Either way, with our land lines down and cell phones being the only option for many of us, I came to realize that in an emergency situation, don't count on Nextel to get you through.  But as I said earlier, outside of the past month of problems, my Nextel beat all the other cell providers in my area.

Thanks everyone!

Just got my i860.  Pretty cool phone!

I switched to Nextel almost three years ago when we bought the farm (literally, not figuratively ) because Nextel has the only service available locally whose signal could be picked up at our house.  A half-mile in any direction and you have service from anyone, but at our house and around our property, it is Nextel or nothing (none of our friends with other providers believe us until they come for a visit and experience it in person).

I probably would not have chosen them, all things being equal - but I haven't had any problems/complaints since switching to them.

The basic phones ARE pretty rugged little phones - I can't tell you how many times mine has been dropped...