# Cell phone / provider suggestions please **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 27, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919 "2007-02-27T19:52:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/1 "2007-02-27T19:52:05Z")
Well leaving the company means I have to get my own cell phone. What do you suggest? Which provider do you think is best? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/2 "2007-02-27T20:10:25Z")
I was a devout Verizon customer until they sent their customer service and image into the sh\*tter. I’m a T-Mobile subscriber now, and I use most if not all of their perks and incentives including the family-5 or whatever it’s called… I love them, never have dropped calls and in general like their customer service. ---
**Author:** ![Darryl\_Lict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7cd45c/32.png) [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/3 "2007-02-27T21:08:19Z")
[QUOTE=Phlosphr] I was a devout Verizon customer until they sent their customer service and image into the sh\*tter. I’m a T-Mobile subscriber now, and I use most if not all of their perks and incentives including the family-5 or whatever it’s called… I love them, never have dropped calls and in general like their customer service. [/QUOTE] No offense, but I’m a T-Mobile customer and have had really bad luck with their coverage. Their calling plans are inexpensive, but I spend a lot of time in the Bay area and half the time I have to walk out into the middle of the street to get enough bars. This happens at the two spots I spend most of my time at, my sister’s house in San Bruno and my friend’s house in the Duboce Triangle. Local coverage here also ain’t so hot, but it actually is pretty good inside my house. Compounding this problem is the fact that the voice mail implementation is by far the worst I have ever had on any cell phone. Voice mail seems to go into some black hole and then arbitrarily arrive 3 weeks later. Perhaps I have it set up in some weird fashion, like **Delay voice mail delivery for 3 weeks** mode. This is the 4th provider I’ve had, and I’d have to say it’s the worse. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/4 "2007-02-27T21:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=Darryl Lict] No offense, but I’m a T-Mobile customer and have had really bad luck with their coverage. Their calling plans are inexpensive, but I spend a lot of time in the Bay area and half the time I have to walk out into the middle of the street to get enough bars. This happens at the two spots I spend most of my time at, my sister’s house in San Bruno and my friend’s house in the Duboce Triangle. Local coverage here also ain’t so hot, but it actually is pretty good inside my house. Compounding this problem is the fact that the voice mail implementation is by far the worst I have ever had on any cell phone. Voice mail seems to go into some black hole and then arbitrarily arrive 3 weeks later. Perhaps I have it set up in some weird fashion, like **Delay voice mail delivery for 3 weeks** mode. This is the 4th provider I’ve had, and I’d have to say it’s the worse. [/QUOTE] That’s OK…I live on the coast in Connecticut. For some reason I have great service all over here. Then again I am exactly halfway between NYC and Boston, there are quite a few towers in the I-95 corridor between the two. I think there are good and bad things with all providers…Unfortunately it’s tough to try one, not like it and switch…they all have these hideous two year agreement plans with a penalty if you switch. Like I said, my wife and I were on Verizon for the better part of 5 years…we wanted a change, and T-Mobile really filled the slot nicely. Opinions vary and I’m sure there are hundreds of people who love Verizon, and T-Mobile, And AT&T etc…etc… ---
**Author:** ![VenusProbe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e495f1/32.png) [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/5 "2007-02-27T21:29:49Z")
you don’t have a location listed but I’m very happy with Cingular. No problems, good coverage. heck I live in the sticks in a house with metal siding and roof and I still get a good signal inside. I think you should ask friends, family or strangers near where you live/work. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/6 "2007-02-27T21:31:24Z")
Almost every area/region is different. Between work & home, Cingular was horrible for me. While on a Florida vacation, however, their service was wonderful. I switched to Verizon because by me, they have good coverage & service. Rick, where (the state or city would do) would you use this phone the most? Because its not going to help you to hear Verizon has great service in NJ if you won’t be using it anywhere near here. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/7 "2007-02-27T22:03:13Z")
Sorry, Southern California is my home. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/8 "2007-02-28T01:28:17Z")
I am also in So. Cal. and have had no trouble with Verizon. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/9 "2007-02-28T04:13:22Z")
I’m guessing that in So. Cal, you pretty much have your pick of providers, so start by looking at the phones each of them offer and seeing if any of them peak your interest. Phones are immensely cheaper when getting them with a plan, as in, sometimes you don’t pay a dime for a several hundred dollar phone (I re-upped my Verizon contract on Saturday, and could have had a PDA phone that would go for over $400 without a contract for free. Of course, some of that was a rebate I was offered for re-upping, but even without that it only wold have been $100. In fact, I’m actually going to take back the phone I did get and trade it in for that PDA phone i didn’t get.) One more thing to keep in mind: A Verizon phone will ONLY work with the Verizon network. A Sprint/Cingular/T-Mobile/Nextel phone will work on any of those networks. This is because Verizon uses the CDMA network and the others use the GSM network. Also worth noting that with a GSM networked phone, as long as it’s “unlocked,” you can take out the SIM card from the phone and put it in another phone and voila, the new phone is not only ready to go, but your contact list also got transfered. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2007, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-provider-suggestions-please/393919/10 "2007-02-28T05:38:54Z")
Oh, good, you’ve given me a reason to check out a site I heard about on channel 4 news the other day. [myrateplan.com](http://www.myrateplan.com) lists all the phones and all the plans available to you by location. Consumer Reports’ annual reader survey usually puts Verizon Wireless at the top of the heap for SoCal in terms of satisfaction .