Cell Phone Help

[Day Late]

[img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img] Starting the research phase and hope some of you who have been to the "School of Hard Knocks" can help. I'm retired now and have two landlines that cost around $75/month of which about $25 is taxes, fees, surcharges, etc. (I'm tired of paying these). One of the landlines is for dial-up internet. I use Costco phone cards exclusively for long distance. Including the $21.95/mo I pay my internet provider, you can see I'm paying close to $100/mo. I live in Corvallis.

Here's my plan. For a few dollars more per month I can go to cable internet for continuous and faster service and one family plan cell phone contract that gives you a second phone number for an additional charge so the wife and I can communicate (important so I can keep her posted on when to expect me home from my latest fishing trip). As an example, Verizon's home area plan covers Oregon, Washington and part of Idaho and offers 500 anytime, unlimited family and night and weekend minutes for $39.99 + $20 for 2nd line = $59.99/mo. Long distance and roaming outside the home area is charged.

Your opinions are of great value to me so please let me know what you think. I hate to sign a contract for one or two years and then discover I made a mistake. Recommendations will be thoroughly studied and greatly appreciated. Please tell it like it is!! Thanks much. :smile:

Day Late

[OceanBlue]

I absolutely LOVE Verizon's wireless service. Even if you enter into a 2 year contract, if they come out with another "deal" that sounds better to you, you can usually switch to that other plan.

The coverage is awesome. I recently drove down to So. Cal. The only place where I had little/no coverage was in the Siskiyous and over Shasta. AND - I only pay for roaming where they don't have a contract with a carrier (check to see if that applies with the plan you're looking at). That only happened to me in one small area in Ca.

The phone makes a difference, too. Make sure you get a good one. Mine's a Motorola and I've been very happy with that, too.

I have no desire to bash other carriers, but I can tell you that I know people who have used both AT&T and T-Mobile and have terrible trouble with dropped calls and aren't able to get coverage inside buildings, etc. At work, everyone has AT&T service and phones (provided by the company) They all have to step outside to use their phones. I can use mine (Verizon) anywhere in the building with no trouble at all.

[Fish Hawg]

I have had T-mobil [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] , Nextel and now Verizon. I Like the verizon alot better, It is the only Cell Phone service that will get out an Neah Bay,WA (imcluding AT&T). I would look at Verizon or Nextel to see wich one has the best plan for you. Hope this helps some....Ross

[fish assassin]

I had an ATT shared minutes plan. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

I now have the same Verizon package you are talking about above. Far
superior IMHO. What I like best about the Verizon service is that I can get
a signal further out to sea than I could with ATT. I also don't get asked
for my credit card number when I try to make a call from the docks at Depoe
Bay like I did when I was with ATT.

I also got the Motorola Flip phone because at the time it had the best range.
*MUCH* better than the freebie Nokia phone (which my wife uses).

Good luck!
-assAssin-

[Miss B Haven]

Careful with the coverage part. My ATT is far superior to Verizon for where I travel/fish, North Coast (out of Asotria) coverage and around Scappoose/St Helens.
ATT does suck down south. In Corvallis I'm on roam some places, then it will pick up ATT once in a while but if I get a call when it's on ATT it will disconnect when I try to answer (weak signal).

It's location dependant, check the coverage maps for the various services whereever you are most interested in having good coverage.

[Silver Hilton]

Mel,

The coverage maps aren't always accurate. ATT's says that they have coverage in the Wenatchee valley for their GSM service, which is not true. Best to talk to someone using the phone service in the area you are interested in, unfortunately.


Andrew

[Miss B Haven]

Agreed, if you can get first hand info!

[pdxkevin]

We went with Nextel. It was a tough call. We hated srpint and couldn't get away fast enough from them. We wanted to go back to Verizon but they didn't have any durable phones.... enter the Motorola i530 by Nextel. Built to Mil-spec (dust/moisture/impact resistant). Very loud ringer too. Definately worth checking them out.



If you are going to get broadband, check into Vonage. They are an broadband phone company (it is getting very popular in the NW! They have a basic plan @ 15 buck to the premium plan @ 35 bucks.

[willametteriveroutlaw]

I live in Salem and travel to Corvallis every day. I have verizion and only lose service areound jefferson on the freeway and one corner between C-town and albany.(the one before HP heading to Albany) I really like my Verizion service and have nothing but good things to say about them except I talk on my phone to darned much. Also get a bigger plan that you think you'll need, overcahrges are way more expensive than a bigger plan (I don't really think that 500 minutes will be enough (not for anyone in my family atleast)) make sure and get the unlimited longdistance for 5 bones extra too nice for talking to far flung relatives.

[ 01-14-2004, 12:54 PM: Message edited by: willametteriveroutlaw ]

[Corkie Monster]

I've been pretty happy with my Sprint coverage, but their customer service sucks! Sofar I've been screwed out of $170 in rebates from Sprint. If your phone comes with a rebate, make sure you keep close track of paper work, who you spoke too, when you spoke to them, etc. I lost 2 rebates becuase of this. Also check to see if your contracts start over everytime you change somthing with your plan. (example) Sprint started my contract over when I took unlimited roaming off my plan. They did'nt start it over when I added it! As soon as my contract expires I will be switching. So don't do the Sprint route. Oh, my name is Brian Warnicke and I made a complaint.

CM

[KingCap]

I`ve had Verizon for several years now with different plans along the way . I have the family plan now with my daughter going to college down in Califoria it is a big help being able to talk anytime without extra charges . Have had no problems getting out from Tillamook , Santa Barbara, Neah Bay , Sekiu, Port Towsend ,Wiilapa Bay,Greys Harbor , no problems at all . Great company.Just make sure you get the phone you like even if it cost a little bit more , it will be worth it .

[Born to be Wild]

I don't know if you've heard, but starting Jan 1, 2004 you will no longer be able to use a cell phone while driving unless you have a "hands free" adapter. I went to Circuit City and they wanted $50 for a headset with a boom microphone for my cell phone. Having a friend in the cell phone business, I talked with him and was able to come up with an alternative, working through Office Depot.

These kits are compatible with any mobile phone and one size fits all. I paid $0.08 each because he bought in quantity. I'm selling them for only $1.00. I tried them out on Erickson, Motorola, Nokia phones and they worked perfectly.

A photo is attached (or scroll down). Take a look and let me know if you want one.

[Born to be Wild]

[Fish Hawg]

:grin:

[love2fish]

Hey Dan, I'll take 3. Do I get a discount for buying in quanity.

love2fish

[Born to be Wild]

Discounts are only available in quanities of a hundred or more. :grin:

[HeavyMetal BankFisherman]

Whatever you do, don't get a cheap phone. I went with the free Nokia phone from ATT and the buttons would stick down the first time I used the phone. Got another and the same thing happens every now and then.

[DAB]

I have verizon, 150 min. any time any where as long as I am in the USA no log/d charges at all. good enough for me.
DAB

[pdxkevin]

...update...

I love this phone. I park in an underground parking structure; sometimes a couple levels down. Yesterday, as I walked to my truck, I recieved a crisp, clear call one level underground. My old sprint phone wouldn't 'find' service until I was clear of the building.

[rpnsteelheadlps]

If you fish and travel DO NOT GET NEXTEL. If you go to Forest Grove DO NOT GET NEXTEL. If you go to McMinville DO NOT GET NEXTEL. Get my point? Trust me 100% on this one........................

[pdxkevin]

Been calling from Forest Grove, Gaston, Yamhill, Banks, North Plains, Sherwood, Hillsboro, and Newburg these past few weeks on our i530's hooked up to Nextel. All clear calls. No drops so far. Maybe the phone you had wasn't up to it or the network wasn't built up enough back when you tried?

[ 01-16-2004, 07:01 AM: Message edited by: pdxkevin ]

[Day Late]

Thanks to all of you who responded to this thread. :smile: Looks like Verizon for us and will be switching in May when we can move our landline numbers. I'll be in the market for a pair of Born Wild's modified hands free devices too! Do they come in an assortment of colors? :grin:

Day Late

[Rakkasan]

I am sure that all the people with T-Mobile are reading this going "I am not admitting I have T-Mobile"

Well I have T-Mobile and I even renewed my contract. The reason?.......You willl not find a plan that offers 3000 minutes for $49.00 a month. I only have long distance in Oregon and Washington, but that is all i need. My SO has another plan through them with unlimited night and weekend everywhere is the us with 800 anytime minutes for $35.00 and we have unlimited to any other T-Mobile phone.

I will say not to get the Motorola V66 flip phone. We upgraded for free and when I went back in to replace them there were two other people with problems with them in front of me being helped.

As far as coverage goes it is not much differant than AT&T which I had before.

I was having problems with calls dropping on the new flip phones, but now with the Nokias it is fine.

I guess it just depends on where you live and travel and what your needs are.

I almost forgot. Kathrine Zeda Jones is always nice to look at :grin:

[Born to be Wild]

You know, I've been thinking of switching from ATT to T-Mobile.

Do they not have a 3 day weekend also for the weekend minutes?

I think they might possibly have the best plan hands down?

And yes the hands free are available in sorted colors. :grin:

Dano

[Rakkasan]

They have the best rates out there. My new Nokia works just fine. I push a button and tell it who to call. That is the best deal for me driving a lot. They have a lot of good deals for new customers.

[Live2Fish]

Go with Verizon. All else will be a huge headache. A "durable" nextel phone will do you no good without the service coverage, which they lack. Goto Verizon, get a camera phone, and send those fresh fish pics to your buddies at work, right from the water.

Chris