Well, I've always said that I'd never get a cell phone, but things have changed.

I'm digging in for a fight with Ameritech over some "local long distance" charges on my phone bill and I'm pretty sure my line will be killed in a few weeks when they get my letter and find out that I've only paid the undisputed parts of my bill.

So, I'm looking for a good cell phone plan to completely replace my land line. Any companies I should avoid? Good links for reading about this?

I can get a plan through my employer with 300 minutes per month, unlimited nights and weekends starting at 8pm and going to 7AM, with a free phone, for $35 per month. It's with AT&T and requires a one year contract, but no activation fee. Is this a good deal, or is it pretty standard?

I've used Verison (under several names) for about 8 years. I've looked at others but always stay with them. They have many different plans that you can choose from and the best coverage I can find in my area, Virginia. I haven't had any problems with their service. When you get the actual phone I'd recommend upgrading one or two steps above the phones that they give you. Those work good but if you step up a grade or two you seem to get a lot more options and the reception improves.

Good luck with your dispute and search.

The deal through your company is par for the course.

I am going to sound like a crack addict but... MCI (aka World Com, and yes I have heard of their problems recently) is a pretty good company. MCI uses the Verizon Network (which is the largest in the US) and is very cheap compared to most others (I guess that is the case if you don't own your own network). The downside is that they basicly have no stores anywhere in the US.

Sprint: Cool phones (do you need a cool phone?) but very bad customer service. These jockers at one point attached my SSN to a deadbeats account...it was a bitch to clear up.

AT&T: Not alot of stores and their network is OK.

Verizon: Biggest network, great customer service. But if you lose, destroy, whatever your phone your gonna pay $200+ for a new one. Also depending on your credit they may make you make a deposit.

Good Luck

Do NOT get a Digital only phone, or you will find spots of no service. Analog and digital phones will give the best service coverage possible.

Some cell companys offer a plan thats pushes digital only phones, but you can upgrade($) the phone to a Analog/Digital phone without more cost to the monthly bill.

I could not deal with only 300 min.

The free nights and weekends will male it harder to track your billable minuites using the phones built in usage clock/timer.

Know what they consider roaming!

Im with Cinguler, have looked for better deals, they all are about the same. Judge them by there customer service reputation.

SSD

What he said, for the most part.

I work for Verizon.  The service is pretty good, we allow you to change plans whenever you want (up or down) all our phones are tri-mode (digital, analog and pcs), we've got the free long distance/unlimited night's and weekends and there are other perks as well... you won't go wrong with us. We're not perfect but probably the best of your options.  Get insurance on your phone if you're hard on your equipment.  If you opt out of insurance and lose your phone, drop me an email. I have so many phones laying around I'm sure I could help you.

I have Sprint 500 minutes anytime with long distance included - about $60 / month.  We don't usually use it all, and their coverage is NOT "nationwide" (plenty of areas with no service).

The customer service SUCKS!   A few weeks ago they phoned to see how their service was, just as we were tied up with something. I asked them to hold on , they said can we call back instead, but they never did call back.  If you try to phone them, you WILL wait 15-30 minutes to speak with someone.

And I have calls dropped ALL the time.

Oh, just wanted to add that two of our most popular promo plans are going away at the end of the month:

1000 anytime / 4000 night & weekend for $55

and

700 anytime / 4000 night & weekend for $45

both plans come with multiple-state free roaming and free long distance.

We have other plans as well, but these are a really good value for those that use their phones a lot.

Thanks for the info gunbert. From what reading i've found on the net it looks like verizon is the one to go with.

I've checked out the verizon web store but don't see either of those plans. There is a 600 anytime/ 4000 weekend plan that doesn't look bad for $40. Do you know anything about this one? Any strange loopholes I should look out for?

Also, can you recommend a decent phone? The only things I'd like are 1)built in speaker phone (don't know if this exists, my cordless phone has one) 2)long battery time 3)clear calls 4)durable beyond those 4 things, I don't care. I wouldn't use any of the web browsing organizer text message number directory features, so they don't matter to me.

Whats the deal with the phone insurance? Are the phones that they sell with the plans discounted when bought with a plan? They look pretty pricy as it is.

Well you better "hurry up and buy" before they  jack up your credit record for non-payment of ripoff phone bill.

Ha, good idea. I've got pretty good credit, so I don't think one month late would prevent me from getting the cell phone. By the time that they find out it's going to be infinite months late I should be set up.

Can anyone tell me the difference between the kinds of cell phone technology,

the verizon $40 plan uses CDMA

the $40 plan (600 anytime/unlimited night weekend, free long distance from home) through my employer uses TDMA

Any difference?

Based just on the plan options, it seems like I should use the one from through my employer from suncom/at&t because I can get started with no activation fee and the night weekend minutes start at 8:00 pm as opposed to 9:00 with verizon.

Any reason to go with verizon instead?

I think Cingular is owned by Ameritech, so F them, it's no suprise they suck. Everything involving Ameritech is rotten.

CDMA vs TDMA, the technology difference isn't worth talking about.  CDMA (code domain multiple access) is a little more efficient than TDMA (time domain multiple access) when it comes to use of the RF spectrum.
You need to go to several service providers and get loaner phones to check the coverage in the areas that you will primarily be using the service.
I use Verizon because in my area they provide the best coverage service.
Sprint gave the best overall performance - but - only had coverage in half the areas I'm in, performance is good but what's the use if you're out of range...

As far as the actual phones, I use only motorola phones. I've had other brands and they just don't hold up to a firefighter/gun nut/farmers lifestyle. Mororola's are more expensive but very tough. I am currently using one of their StarTac models and love it.

Sounds like you have a digital only phone.

My Cingular service works 80 miles offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. ($2-3 a min.)

I have heard of sucky service problems from every cell company. (they all suck)


SSD

Ok... sorry it took me so long to get back to you, but let me answer some of the aforementioned questions:



The plans often vary by region, but it sounds like the local deal they're offering is pretty sweet (read; better than I'm sellin' here!). It's probably just a local (1 or 2 state free roam area) plan, hopefully with free long distance.  If no L/D, you can usually add it for $5.




The best phone you can get, IMHO, is the Kyocera 3035.  It has the speakerphone built in (which works very well), it's durable, easy to use and is the best all around phone that I've ever had (I use one myself). Its battery life is only average, so if you talk a whole lot you might want to invest in the extended battery, like I did.  But try it out first... most people do just fine with the standard battery. I guarantee you'll be happy with this phone.

Normally they sell the 3035 for $150, but they just went on sale this month for $79.99 with a $50 mail in rebate (based on a 2yr contract, $109.99 on a 1yr). Of course this offer may vary where you live.. if the deal they tell you about isn't that price, tell them you saw it on our website. They'll give in. And $29.99 is a smokin deal on this phone.




Insurance ($3.95 a month) covers everything that the warranty doesn't.  Loss, theft, damage, getting chewed by Sparky and/or going in the pool with you are all covered by insurance.  Most people have the incorrect belief that cellphones are inexpensive.  They are not, we just give people a kickback to sign up under a contract... but once you're under a contract you cannot get that reduced price again till the original contract is fulfilled. Kinda like crashing your new leased truck and telling Ford you want another 'cuz yours doesn't work anymore. We get that all the time.  
Generally insurance is a good idea... since to replace the phone you paid $29 for will cost almost $300.

Here's the dope on getting a contract; Its' up to you, but a 2yr contract is a better deal.

1. Your $35 activation fee is waived
2. You pay $30 lees than a 1yr customer for the same phone
3. If you're on a $35 or higher rate plan, at the end of the 2yrs we give you a $100 credit to come in and get a new phone, so in effect, as long as you stay with us you'll get a free phone every two years.

If you're not sure about the service, you can still do the 1yr as a kind of trial period, which is OK too.  

And on everything we sell there is a 15 day money-back guarantee that lets you try out the service and make sure it works for you... if not, just bring everything back and the contract is void. Simple as that.



Man, I haven't typed that much in forever! [:D]

You don't say where you live, but here in So. Calif, Sprint's dropped called calls force my wife's co-worker to switch cell-phone companies.

Oh, a few more things about phones in case you don't get the Kyocera 3035...  avoid anything by Nokia, avoid the Audiovox 100 or 135 (all other audiovoxes are pretty good), avoid the motorola v120, and like Stokes said, avoid the Ericsson 1228 as well as the samsung n150.

Anything by Kyocera is going to be pretty good, as well as most [b]other[/b] Motorolas, LGs and Samsungs.

At work we have these Motorola StarTac flip phones.  They seem fairly nice, and very compact too.  Anyone have experience - good or bad - with these phones?

DrMark

stay away from Nokia phones - they have serious firmware problems for many years that cause the phone to crash, etc....like windows crashes....
anyways, for service the absolute BEST is Verizon
I have had service on Cingular and they suck...coverage sucks, and it just sucks
SPRINT sucks too
http://www.sprintpcs-sucks.org/howsprintpcsscrewedotherpeople/howsprintpcsscrewedotherpeople.html
so does AT&T

Have you had at&t/suncom? What problems did you have? I'm in the milwaukee wi area.

DO NOT GET WORLDCOMM PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have one it SUCKS!!!!!!!!

DO NOT GET WORLDCOMM PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have one it SUCKS!!!!!!!!

Ok, heard you LOUD AND CLEAR!!!!!

Gunbert,

How about working on getting Verizon into Nebraska?  It sounds like just the company for me (I'm currently using Cellular One), but you don't have any stores within a decent driving distance.

I know... we're big, but we're not everywhere. You might get away with picking up a phone the next time you're in a town that we have stores in, but I dunno how the service would be in your part of Nebraska.  Do you know if the local service is any good where you live?  The reason I ask is that if we aren't there with retail locations then the network there is probably not ours either, so we'd be using whatever system that is already set up there.

Call 1 800 922-0204 and ask what they offer in your area as far as coverage. They should be able to help.

I have a Sprint phone and I have dropped calls ALL THE TIME, even in the middle of Denver. I called the joke they call customer service and was told that they do have areas in Denver without service (WTF??) and it was sorry, too bad for me. Unfortunately, this includes where I now live.

As soon as my contract is up, that phone is gone.

Bastages.

My friends have AT&T.  They are okay, but I know for a fact their coverage is speckled.  Also, if your phone is OFF you cannot get voice mail!!!  This applies if you are roaming and people try to get ahold of you and they can NEVER leave a message for you until your phone is ON and then they'll probably just answer it anyways....

-Mike

Iteresting. Does anyone know if this is (no voicemail with the phone off) unique to AT&T or does this happen with verizon as well?

Another question. Does Verizon have any deals on a second phone? Mrs J and I don't always go in the same direction, and would like to get two phones.

I wish there was a way to "try before you buy" with cell phones and service providers.

I had Verizon, worked great at hom, sucked when at work.

Have AT&T worked great at work, sucked when at home.

Now that I am home (no more work), I have been thinking of dropping cell completely. But I have somehow become addicted to having it. Even though I don't use it very much any more. There is the comfort factor of being out, and having a phone on me, for "just in case".

Calls can go to voicemail wether the phone is on or off with Verizon. Roaming calls will get to VM as well.  If you don't answer after 4 rings it'll tell them to leave a message.




Yup.  Familyshare plans are available and vary by locality. Generally it only costs about $20 extra a month to add another line to your account. And we often have buy-one-get-one-free deals going on.  (this month we have the BOGOF on the Kyocera 2135, a good phone for $49.99)

I bet you would never be out of rang no matter the phone you buy with a hat like yours[;)]

I just signed up with verizon and am starting to get that "tar-baby in my wallet" feeling.
It doesn't help that I have the motorola v120. The antenna will break if you look at it wrong and the voice dial isn't reliable. With background noise-forget it. I saw the poster in the store, unlimited internet access for $5 a month so I added it.  Cool. Until I got my first bill and found out  that you burn minutes on it. And about the only thing I'd really want it for is looking up phone numbers, (the email was interesting too) but they kept changing the 3-4-5 layers of links you have to navigate to find it. I think they'd rather nail you for the 411 calls. When I called to pitch it, the service rep kept saying, "if you look at your contract" which I hadn't recieved yet; and then I get a letter telling me how lucky I am to extend the term of my contract by making these changes. The service in this area seems spotty. It will buzz or blank out, or even drop calls with a %30-%50 signal indicated. My Nokia phone could go almost a week between charges. I'm afraid to go two days with this phone.
I will keep it for a while but I will probably end up paying $350 in early termnination fees (Because I got two phones) and going to ATT.
And about Worldcom- They resell both ATT and Verizon. They are losing IIRC 750 million on two billion in revenues in wireless and the ceo just announced that they will be out of the wireless business before the end of the year.

If your phone is off, how would the system know if you're roaming and unable to receive a voice mail?  

If your phone is off then the call should go to voicemail regardless of where you're at. Of course you won't know you have a voicemail waiting until you either check your messages or jump back onto your "AT&T Digital PCS Feature Area".  

That's how I think the phone system should react when your phone is off.  I'll try it next week when I go to "Viva Las Vegas".

I utilize AT&T and it works great for me.  PacBell/Cingular GSM suck monkey ass.  There's a major probe against Cingular as we speak.  Mainly shoddy coverage and dropped calls, but that's not limited to Cingular.  Oh ya, Nextel sucks ass too.

My phone is the last generation Promax manufactured by Panasonic.  Extended battery lasts 400 hours standby and 200 minutes talktime.  
[img]http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid24/p895f9cdf07b43c268ce5ddecd8de89cc/fd92325b.jpg[/img]

The latest Panasonic Allure is pretty cool too but they don't offer an extended battery for it.
[img]http://store3.yimg.com/I/hypaudio_1694_220970701[/img]

I have had Verizon for several years. Current contract is up in a couple of months, and I will be checking out other providers.

I have a Star-Tac and I get great signal at work, but NO signal at home and the service cuts out along the drive home too. What good is having tons of free nights and weekend minutes if I can't use the phone at home? My whole area is a dead spot, and Verizon keeps saying they can't fix it.

Any thoughts Gunbert?

Get a Motorola phone. I have seen the side by side comparisons for RF performance, and ruggedness.

There have been some with antenna that break off. Appears to be fixed on newer phones.

The cell phones that my work provides (AT&T and Nextel) are OK if you're not planning on needing it when you're out in the sticks. I live in the sticks so my personal phone is through Verizon. If good coverage in rural areas is important, then you really have only one choice. I pay $55/month for 400 minutes nationwide, no roaming or long distance charges. It was one of the very few phones that actually worked at the BRC firing range....

My Verizon voicemail will answer when my phone is off....

Whatever you do, don't take their "free phone" offer.  Those phones suck and you will not be happy with it.  Spend the extra money up front and get a good phone and the heavy duty battery.

I've had Sprint for a couple years now.  Good phones, good service along highways.  You have to roam off the highways and outside any major city and that get's to be expensive.  I think they look for people who failed their GED to work their customer service, it's really bad.

Cingular has no roaming and no long distance anywhere.  My girlfriend has a Cingular phone and has reception in the middle of the Appalachian mountians.

My brother has Verizon and I'm constantly saying "Can you hear me now" because they have poor coverage where he is at, western Illinois, and he can't hear me.

It all depends on if you travel much or not.  If you don't, find out who's good in your area.  If you do and stay on highways or big cities any company is fine.  If you don't Cingular will be the cheapest because they have no roaming, even off their network.

I am currently a Cingular (Ameritech, SBC) customer and I am less than pleased.  They forced me to go digital and I HATE IT!  I had good coverage and performance from analog in my area but constantly have trouble with the digital.  I HATE IT!  Seems when SBC bought Ameritech all of the dire warnings came true.  I HATE MERGERS!  The only reason for digital was to squeeze more users onto the same spectrum even in rural areas.  They never mentioned that the digital system requires much better signal to noise ratio to even work, that it gives no indication or warning about marginal signal and that it just dumps your call.  The stinking thing is an ALLIGATOR - all mouth and no ears.  Did I say I HATE DIGITAL?  When this contract is up in the fall, I will be looking at Verizon.

I too hate ameritecc---that's the reason I'm getting rid of my land line and getting a cell phone. Amerifuck is the only local provider in my town.

Even if another provider were in your area, Amerifuck would be providing the SERVICE and someone else the billing.

They FORCED me off analog and I am still pissed.  They used to have great ISP service and it has gone down hill too.  Like you, I am not happy with SBC.  Merger was horrible thing and will not get any better.

I can't confirm that. Whether my AT&T phone is in it's home area, or in another state, people can leave voice messages regardless of the phone being on or off.

[img]http://www.rogerstwoway.com/images/nokia3360.gif[/img]

No one mentioned it, but if you have a best buy around you, or maybe even car toys type place check them out as well. No matter which plan you go with, they usually have the same phone either cheaper, or free. We found that out researching phones. Now they have less of a selection than the actuall company stores, but it sure is nice to get the 200 dollar phone(99 at verizon with one year,) for a penny at best buy(with the same one year contract.)Also the warranty will be cheaper through them as well.
Also, nokia seems to be the best for customer service on their phones. If you grenade one within their warranty period, they will fix or replace it. A buddy dropped it off his truck (put it on the roof while getting in and forgot about it,) picked up all the pieces and told them what happened, and they sent him a new one.
I currently use att and have one of the discontinued plans. It gives unlimted time to each phone on the plan plus the home line for about 60 bucks a month.
Most others have the same except no home phone line. Cingular I thing was the cheapest. You add 10 bucks a month to the line and you can talk unlimited to any cingular customer.

Just one thing about those rice rocket car shops that sell phones and those independent type stores who only sell phones.  While you could get a good deal from those places...

Some of the jerks try to get a bigger early contract cancellation fee from you.  Instead of say, $150.00 for early termination, this one fck company tried to get $300.00 from me.  I was forced to keep a shitty phone from a shitty company.  Now known as Cingular.  Some of them also try to give you a "used" second hand phone.

Of course that doesn't matter if you don't care about "used" crap.  I only buy my shit from "known" retailers such as Goodguys & AT&T stores.  Also watch out for those mall type kiosks who push cell phones.  One jerk tricked my co-worker by saying the rebate was in effect but it wasn't.  Another case of, "read the fine print"!

Most importantly, make sure you read all "the fine print"!  Cell phone sales people can be very sneaky.