But you can use the walkie talkie and still put the phone up to your ear so everyone and their brother doesn't have to hear it.LoKyBuckeye said:
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- Thread starter JohnnyCockfight
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gbearbuck
Herbie for President
My wife and I use Verizon (she's been with them for four or five years, I've been with them for two or three years), we have yet to have a problem.
My parents had Cingular and hated it. They lost calls all the time, the voicemail system was screwed up as often as it was working correctly. They had to change phones due to some problem... They recently switched to Verizon and are happy...
My two sisters have Sprint. They cannot get service at my parents house (middle of UA)... dropped calls on the highway in rural area's are also a problem... one of them switched to Verizon, the other has stayed with sprint (I think her boyfriend uses sprint and the moble to moble feature is important to her)...
My inlaws also use Verizon and I have not heard of a problem yet... I suggest Verizon. If they are 450 min. for $40 that's not bad... I'm 400 min. for $40 (before the corporate discount... I might go in and get my fifty free min. if that is what they are offering). They also have family plans that are not bad if you wanted to go in on a plan with a family member....
My parents had Cingular and hated it. They lost calls all the time, the voicemail system was screwed up as often as it was working correctly. They had to change phones due to some problem... They recently switched to Verizon and are happy...
My two sisters have Sprint. They cannot get service at my parents house (middle of UA)... dropped calls on the highway in rural area's are also a problem... one of them switched to Verizon, the other has stayed with sprint (I think her boyfriend uses sprint and the moble to moble feature is important to her)...
My inlaws also use Verizon and I have not heard of a problem yet... I suggest Verizon. If they are 450 min. for $40 that's not bad... I'm 400 min. for $40 (before the corporate discount... I might go in and get my fifty free min. if that is what they are offering). They also have family plans that are not bad if you wanted to go in on a plan with a family member....
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OSUsushichic
Fired up! Ready to go!
When I hear Nextel walkie-talkies on the train. I put on my headphones and turn up the music full blast. I can't stand them!
I have had Sprint for over 4 years now (in Arizona, Columbus, and now Boston), and I've had no complaints at all. I get 300 daytime minutes and unlimited nights/weekends for $34.95. I don't use the phone that often, so that's plenty of minutes for me.
I have had Sprint for over 4 years now (in Arizona, Columbus, and now Boston), and I've had no complaints at all. I get 300 daytime minutes and unlimited nights/weekends for $34.95. I don't use the phone that often, so that's plenty of minutes for me.
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So when you use the walkie talkie function you still use the Nextel as a phone and hold it up to your ear so no one else can hear?LoKyBuckeye said:
I guess I misunderstood you earlier when you said you use the walkie talkie option everyday.
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LoKyBuckeye
I give up. This board is too hard to understand.
Thump said:
When I said that people just use it the wrong way I meant they can still use it like a phone so no one can hear the whole conversation. I was agreeing with you. I use the walkie talkie all the time. Most of the time I'm out at a construction site so I use it like a phone. If I'm with a homeowner I'll use it like a phone. If I'm out by myself and there are not a whole lot of people around I'll use it like a walkie talkie... most of the construction guys use that way in the field so no one really cares.
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BrutuStrength
It's time to bring it!
My wife and I have been using Verizon for 5-6 years. We've had no real complaints about the service and reception. I recommend only going to the Verizon shops to buy your phones and pick out your calling plan. Their shops (at least in the Cleveland area) that I have gone to tend to get very crowded on weeknights and weekends. They now have kiosks inside of Circuit City, and their reps that we've dealt with in those stores are as good or better than their normal shop folks (at least in Cleveland.)
Their customer service people are great though, and are usually much more knowledgeable than their store staff. I contracted for the It department of a large bank, and received some training on the Blackberry phones that the company supported. The guys giving the presentation, and that tested the phones, both said that AT&Ts customer service was horrendous, and that they had no problems using Verizon's customer service.
Our current cameraphones (Samsung 670's I think) have been excellent over the past 7-9 months. We don't use the camera feature, but the batteries last a long time and they don't drop coverage easily.
Regardless of the phone you get, I highly recommend buying the bundle pack, or at least the leather case with the plastic click. I lost my last phone, which had the standard plastic holder and clip, in Lake Erie. It used to pop off frequently, but that doesn't seem to happen with these cases.
Their customer service people are great though, and are usually much more knowledgeable than their store staff. I contracted for the It department of a large bank, and received some training on the Blackberry phones that the company supported. The guys giving the presentation, and that tested the phones, both said that AT&Ts customer service was horrendous, and that they had no problems using Verizon's customer service.
Our current cameraphones (Samsung 670's I think) have been excellent over the past 7-9 months. We don't use the camera feature, but the batteries last a long time and they don't drop coverage easily.
Regardless of the phone you get, I highly recommend buying the bundle pack, or at least the leather case with the plastic click. I lost my last phone, which had the standard plastic holder and clip, in Lake Erie. It used to pop off frequently, but that doesn't seem to happen with these cases.
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K.. here's the skinny... I have wasted soooo many hours learning this the hard way...
Your service will be a direct function of your provider's coverage (# of towers) in YOUR home turf (or the area you most frequent)
The service with the greatest number of towers across the USA is Verizon... and with the new acquistion of MCI, their lead will increase even more... so generally the Midwest and NE should probably be winners for Verizon...
Sprint/Nextel is pretty strong in the Southeast... Cingular struggles everywhere... which is why they have the rollover minutes to compensate for their terrible customer satisfaction in coverage...
Probably good to look at the provider web sites to see the coverage maps... this will give you a GENERAL idea... looks like SD has complete digital coverage by Verizon... which is the most current technology..
As far as phones... they all suck... but the key to be aware is that there are digital towers and analog towers... to be able to use BOTH, you need a Tri-mode phone... In a year I believe all towers are to be digital... at which time, the Digital phones will be the best... but for a year, you could lose calls if your signal passes thru an analog tower... as you're travelling or whoever you are talking to travels between towers...
try out the phone at the store... call a friend... hear how they sound... ask them how you sound...
some states have outlawed cell phones in cars unless hands free.. that means the full setup, an earpiece or speakerphone feature... if you use earpiece or speakerphone... use that feature in a test call as well... you don't want to sound like you're screaming from the bottom of a water well...
Your service will be a direct function of your provider's coverage (# of towers) in YOUR home turf (or the area you most frequent)
The service with the greatest number of towers across the USA is Verizon... and with the new acquistion of MCI, their lead will increase even more... so generally the Midwest and NE should probably be winners for Verizon...
Sprint/Nextel is pretty strong in the Southeast... Cingular struggles everywhere... which is why they have the rollover minutes to compensate for their terrible customer satisfaction in coverage...
Probably good to look at the provider web sites to see the coverage maps... this will give you a GENERAL idea... looks like SD has complete digital coverage by Verizon... which is the most current technology..
As far as phones... they all suck... but the key to be aware is that there are digital towers and analog towers... to be able to use BOTH, you need a Tri-mode phone... In a year I believe all towers are to be digital... at which time, the Digital phones will be the best... but for a year, you could lose calls if your signal passes thru an analog tower... as you're travelling or whoever you are talking to travels between towers...
try out the phone at the store... call a friend... hear how they sound... ask them how you sound...
some states have outlawed cell phones in cars unless hands free.. that means the full setup, an earpiece or speakerphone feature... if you use earpiece or speakerphone... use that feature in a test call as well... you don't want to sound like you're screaming from the bottom of a water well...
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wow.. there's 4 people in the USA older than 12 that don't have a cell phone... now we know Thump is one of them.. only 3 more to go...Thump said:
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Ok, I think I have all your bases covered on this one. Don't bother with Nextel or T-Mobile, they suck. I used to be with Cingular... They do have the largest network now, but the drop calls all the time, and their customer service is horrendous.
I work for RadioShack, so I sell Verizon and Sprint. When it comes to the handsets, Sanyo are the highest rated in terms of quality and customer satisfaction. Despite the problems mentioned earlier in this thread, Samsung is actually right on the heels of Sanyo right now. I carry a Samsung, and I've actually had an experience with my phone that rivals that of what my collleagues have had with their Sanyo phones. My service is through Sprint, but quite honestly, I recommend Verizon. The main reason I go through Sprint instead of Verizon is that Sprint has by far the best data network out of everyone, so I can browse the internet on my phone, or use it as a wireless modem for my laptop. Avoid Sprint - you'll thank me in a couple years when you want to replace your phone. Unlike pretty much every other carrier, when you upgrade, instead of giving you new customer pricing, Sprint makes you pay full price unactivated price for the phone (often between, $200 and $300) and gives you a mail-in rebate for which you have to wait 6-8 weeks to get $150 back. It's completely ass-backwards.
Verizon has the second largest network, but their network is by far more reliable than any other out there. Also, their customer service is the best. Their plans start out at $39.99/mo., inclued unlimited In-Network calling, no roaming charges, ultd. nights & weekends, and incl. long distance. The nationwide plan at that price gets you 450 mins./mo., while the local version gets you 550. If you go up to the next plan, it's $59.99/mo., and it doubles you anytime minutes.
Quite honesly, cameras are slowly becoming a pretty standard feature in phones. If you want to get a decent phone, you're likely gonna end up getting one with a camera that you just won't use. One thing to look out for: If you're from a rural area or commute through a rural area, it is wise to make sure that your new phone will pick up both analog and digital signals. (Look for a dual-mode (Verizon) or tri-mode (Sprint) phone.)
No matter what phone you end up deciding on, odds are you'll find the best price on it at a RadioShack. I'm not just saying this because I work there (I actually hate the place and am just a few weeks away from quitting,) it's just the truth. 9 times out of 10, RadioShack will sell the phones for a lower price than Verizon Sales & Service Centers, or pretty much any other authorized retailer. If you do go to a RadioShack though, make sure you go to one where you know the people are smart, or go to one at a mall, since they will be the best trained and most experienced people to help you out.
I work for RadioShack, so I sell Verizon and Sprint. When it comes to the handsets, Sanyo are the highest rated in terms of quality and customer satisfaction. Despite the problems mentioned earlier in this thread, Samsung is actually right on the heels of Sanyo right now. I carry a Samsung, and I've actually had an experience with my phone that rivals that of what my collleagues have had with their Sanyo phones. My service is through Sprint, but quite honestly, I recommend Verizon. The main reason I go through Sprint instead of Verizon is that Sprint has by far the best data network out of everyone, so I can browse the internet on my phone, or use it as a wireless modem for my laptop. Avoid Sprint - you'll thank me in a couple years when you want to replace your phone. Unlike pretty much every other carrier, when you upgrade, instead of giving you new customer pricing, Sprint makes you pay full price unactivated price for the phone (often between, $200 and $300) and gives you a mail-in rebate for which you have to wait 6-8 weeks to get $150 back. It's completely ass-backwards.
Verizon has the second largest network, but their network is by far more reliable than any other out there. Also, their customer service is the best. Their plans start out at $39.99/mo., inclued unlimited In-Network calling, no roaming charges, ultd. nights & weekends, and incl. long distance. The nationwide plan at that price gets you 450 mins./mo., while the local version gets you 550. If you go up to the next plan, it's $59.99/mo., and it doubles you anytime minutes.
Quite honesly, cameras are slowly becoming a pretty standard feature in phones. If you want to get a decent phone, you're likely gonna end up getting one with a camera that you just won't use. One thing to look out for: If you're from a rural area or commute through a rural area, it is wise to make sure that your new phone will pick up both analog and digital signals. (Look for a dual-mode (Verizon) or tri-mode (Sprint) phone.)
No matter what phone you end up deciding on, odds are you'll find the best price on it at a RadioShack. I'm not just saying this because I work there (I actually hate the place and am just a few weeks away from quitting,) it's just the truth. 9 times out of 10, RadioShack will sell the phones for a lower price than Verizon Sales & Service Centers, or pretty much any other authorized retailer. If you do go to a RadioShack though, make sure you go to one where you know the people are smart, or go to one at a mall, since they will be the best trained and most experienced people to help you out.
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As I said earlier, I have had the exact opposite experience with Radio Shack prices....I always get a better deal in the Verizon storejlb1705 said:
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BN11.. Thump had an excuse.. he's an escaped farmer... but you're in Canton!!!
my 7th grader thinks I'm an ogre since he's "the only one in his school that doesn't have his own cell phone"
BTW.. couple corrections on my earlier post... jlb is correct... as of late 2004, Verizon was #2 in size to ATT/Cingular consolidation... but not sure if that stands with Verizon/MCI consolidation... Note: Consumers Reports says the ATT/Cingular carrier is loaded with mega problems... also says Verizon led in customer sat in 10/10 cities but that T-mobile ran a close 2nd...
Another point to consider... is what service do the folks you call use... because Verizon in network calls don't count for usage... I assume similar with other providers
my 7th grader thinks I'm an ogre since he's "the only one in his school that doesn't have his own cell phone"
BTW.. couple corrections on my earlier post... jlb is correct... as of late 2004, Verizon was #2 in size to ATT/Cingular consolidation... but not sure if that stands with Verizon/MCI consolidation... Note: Consumers Reports says the ATT/Cingular carrier is loaded with mega problems... also says Verizon led in customer sat in 10/10 cities but that T-mobile ran a close 2nd...
Another point to consider... is what service do the folks you call use... because Verizon in network calls don't count for usage... I assume similar with other providers
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