So last week, I decide it’s time to get a cell phone. I don’t have much choice in companies, and after much looking, I finally find one that provides service in the godforsaken town in which I live as well as in the town in which I work, and also has the sort of plan I was looking for, i.e., one with either lots of night and weekend minutes, or, as in the case with the plan I got through US Cellular, unlimited night and weekend minutes. Woohoo.
My phone arrives today. I activated it, charged it up, and turned it on to make my first call.
No signal.
NO FUCKING SIGNAL.
I go outside. One bar. I get in the car to go to work. I continue to have one bar, or at the most two until I get about 20 miles away from home, at which point it shoots all the way up to four. Oh joy. That’s so fucking useful.
I get home from work tonight and call tech support. She tells me that, according to their computer, I ought to be getting sufficient signal. She tells me to go to the nearest dealer to see if they can do anything.
They GOD DAMN better be able to do something, because I will NOT pay $35 a month for the next two years for a phone that I can’t use within 20 miles of my house. It’s fucking worthless to me now.
Well, Mishell, I’m not sure why no one has yet responded, but I agree with you. They should make damn sure you can get service where it’s promised. Unfortunately, I have the reverse situation.
Mine is the only cell phone I’ve ever encountered that gets reception where I live. My wife even has the exact same make and model and service plan and hers can’t get reception at our house.
So, I’ll never get rid of my cell phone. It’s been stolen, trashed and recovered, and you can actually see the innards through a crack in the side, but it still works, by gum.
Sorry.
Wow, thought this had sunk completely into oblivion. 
Everything actually worked out okay in the end. After an extremely frustrating conversation with the guy at the nearest dealer in which he interrupted me every time I tried to explain my problem with, “just bring in the phone,” and a lengthy conversation with customer service resulting in the recommendation that I either write a letter to the engineering department expressing the need for a tower in my area, or maybe try an external antenna.
So, I picked up an external antenna, which actually worked quite well. I went from no reception to really good reception. So, it all worked out okay in the end.