Posted: 2/28/2007 1:09:23 AM EDT
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I heard lots of crap about them but I see the majority of my Department uses them. I love the walkie talkie idea with the phone. I am considering getting one if they have a plan that will allow walkie talkie feature only. I want to stick with Verizon for my cell phone provider. What are your thoughts or experiances? |
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Nextel can't be beat when it comes to their direct connect (since the merger it's called walkie talkie) capability. It is basically instantaneous, whereas the PTT (push to talk) services other companies offer have a very noticeable 1-2 second delay. Expensive, but IMO worth it. Nextel has had many issues in the past concerning reception in certain areas, but they have invested a lot of money into more towers, and the service has gotten noticeably better, althought their customer service is terrible since the merger with sprint. All in all not a bad service. |
service areas blow.3 our 4 local agencies use them Had a friend who stopped someone for speeding and she was wearing a nextel shirt. He asked if she worked there. She said yes. So he said if you can get service here i won't right you the ticket. Needless to say she got a ticket. I could be standing next to someone and get the " not available" message when i beep 'em. J |
| I was a Netel subscriber since they came out in the early 90's. After the merger with sprint the customer service was horrible and the reception was shit. I had tons of dropped calls or calls recieved not going to my voicemail. I finally cancelled after not recieving a text page for a Technical Rescue Team activation until we were almost finished with the operations(8hrs later). I use verizon now and I will NEVER use Nextel POS again. |
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I picked up the ic502 that uses Sprint voice/data and Nextel PTT. I've got no complaints so far. Good rugged phone, GREAT reception. It's also got a feature for "off network" walkie talkie. You have 100 channels to choose from and can use it just like 2 way radios. We tried them out on the freeway and they've got a range of probably 2-3 miles or so. I had a Verizon before, it sucked teh donkey nutz. I would walk in my house and instant dropped call. With Sprint I can go talk in the basement, no problem. |
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Majority of guys "had" Nextel. The direct connect was the best especially when you couldn't get any air time or working an op and didn't want everyone to "scan" your conversations. However, reception got worse, service sucked. Although many sacrified the 2-way option, they found that Verizon had better reception and their service is very customer friendly. |
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Depends on where you live. Around here, NEXTEL is terrible...including the direct connect. HORRIBLE service. I had NEXTEL, and dealt with the dropped calls and failed direct connects until my contract ran out. The last straw was my county getting hit with back to back hurricanes, 2 weeks apart. I was on duty for 4 day stints both times...people who had Verizon were talking on the phone all during the hurricane with ZERO problems. NEXTEL quit working as soon as the first leaf was blown off a tree...and was down for almost a month. Not to mention that when NEXTEL WAS working, the coverage was crappy. we have some stations where you actually have to stand outside, in a particular spot in the parking lot in order to talk on a NEXTEL. I switched to Verizon, and have had absolutely PERFECT service. I have yet to find an area it will not work. Also...the direct connect is cool for about the first year. Then it gets freaking ANNOYING, particularly when talking to people who dont understand how to talk on a radio. |
+1 I've had Nextel for about three years now and love it, out here that's pretty much all that works! Everyone at the station has one and we use it like others mentioned above, on ops and when we don't want the whole county to hear our conversation, including all of our mutual aid from neighboring counties and the local DOF guys dwon to the deputies from the SO.... Heck even our rescues (ambulance for you yanks  ) have nextels mounted in them..... Heck we know when we are about to get toned out for mutual aid before dispatch does...... When they guys from our neighboring county station beeps one of us up "hey we fix'n to call y'all for a structure fire!" My wife recently got a nextel and threw the cingular in the trash...... I have a i305 and don't have to worry about it getting destroyed, tough phone......love it  |
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Depends on where you are. The verizon people always tell my mom/dad/sis that they have the best coverage where we live, they dont. Everytime one of them try to make a call they try to tell me there was nobody home....I just redial them on my nextel and tell the said perosn my fam is trying to get ahold of them. I have been to 2 places where I didnt have service and they had barely enough. I personly think the Verizon people around here are cocky/stuck up so I will give my buisness to somebody else. Plus I know inside people at Nextel |
| I've had NEXTEL for almost 2 years. My contract ends in May and I'll be going back to Verizon and I know several other people who will be swritching when their contract ends. Bills are never right, a friend of mine had his service turned off for a 200 dollar delinquent bill that he had already paid. (it was never delinquent, he kept getting told by the sales rep it was an error and taken care of by nextel........WRONG....she also wasn't sending or crediting his payments) Like others have mentioned, I can be standing 20 feet from someone and neither the phone or direct connect work. Text messaging SUCKS with Nextel. (it's web based instead of over the data link like Verizon or Cingular) Can't tell you how many messages I've either not received or received in some cases 2 HOURS after they were sent. Stick with what you have if you want a phone that works. |
| I just saw an ad for a new Nextel phone. Apparently they combined the two networks finally. The DC is supposed to work on the nextel network and the phone will operate on the Sprint network to get the best of both worlds.... no idea how well it works yet, but I have lived in central Texas and Nebraska.... used Nextel for the past 3 years... I love it!! |
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Now that Nextel is owned by Sprint they have finally released a hyrid pohne that uses the Sprint Phone service and the Nextel service for the two-way / direct connect. They call these Power Source. Here is the link: www.sprintenterprise.com/nextel/?id6=Promo;PowerSource Once they get some better phones to choose from I think this is the route that I will be taking. |
| Thanks for all your input guys. I think I am gonna swing by a nextel store after work and check out their direct connect only plan. I may try it for a while if it has a decent price. The second I start feeling any bad vibes from Nextel/Sprint I will cancel the plan, |
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Cell phones and DC both will vary greatly from area to area. Reception has to be the "keyword". Best customer service is meaningless when you can't connect when/where you need it. I worked for a college where we all had "squawky-talkie" Nextel Moto bricks, no cell service on them (managers were the only ones with the cell phone turned on). It worked (this was downtown Boston) but I hated it. [This was 2001-2.] All providers will offer discount for state/muni/LEO/FF/EMS workers but you have to ask (usually the business office). I have Sprint for the past 3 years and it's great around here (MA) but I do not have DC turned on. |