Cell phone service

[ajfishfinder]

I will be purchacing new cell phone service next week and was wondering about opinions on service. Cost is not a huge factor since this will be a work expense. What I want to know is who has the best coverage in the states I will be covering. These include OR, WA, ID, MT, UT. Also any advise on what brand of phone to buy or steer clear of??? Thanks for your thoughts ahead of time. :smile:

[MightyMo]

I have been a longtime AT&T customer but recent rolled over to Cingular when they bought AT&T. Any troubles or complaints I had with cell phones have been answered with Cingular.
Cingular has nation wide calling like other carriers, but the difference is Cingular doesn't charge you if you live in Oregon but happen to be calling from Seattle. That is included in all plans with no extra roaming charges.
Secondly, their rollover minutes are awesome! You can carry your minutes over to the next month and they are good for up to an entire year.
But like anything else do your research and I advise asking friends who have different carriers to see how their phones work the the areas you travel most.
Also, stick to either Nokia or Motorola. You will waste your time with any other cell phone maker.
Good Luck!

[MattyFlavor]

Just a heads up:
The Brits are once again reporting that these handy devices are being found to facilitate tumor growth in the human skull (particularly young'uns, per the report)... Drudge has it as his major headline this morning...
Link

I got off the stuff a couple years ago now, and after a few days we didn't miss them anymore. There's truly very few situations where they were desired, but in the end we have never absolutely needed to have one since then.

Sorry to get preachy, just my $.02 ...

[Norm]

I have AT&T, but the coverage at the coast is pretty bad. My father is using Verizon and he gets much better coverage.

[judyfish99]

I was stuck on I-205 with a dead car...Thanks to cell service, I was able to call a tow truck, my mechanic and friends that worry...I don't leave home without one. judyfish99

[Cool Texan]

I have AT&T...used to have a Motorola v60, and the reception wasnt that great for me. I switched to a Nokia 6560 or something like that...and its great.

Point being, its not just the service provider, its also the phone that matters.

[Smily]

I have been very happy with T-Mobile over the years.

The Samsung x105 phone sucks big time. Second one in 6 months and hoping to get another when the year is up.

[Corkie Monster]

I've been with Sprint for three yrs now, and I have no complaints. I do however have no service in Astoria and Lincoln City area's. Excellent coverage in Tillamook. Also, I think MT is a dead spot for Sprint, but you can pay $10 extra a month and get free unlimited roaming. The Sanyo 8100 is an awsome phone by the way. And Sprint also has some awsome plans at a very good price.

CM

[Tagster]

AJ-I live in Molalla, too...I work from home quite a bit and used to have AT&T...Their coverage is very spotty in Molalla...tried three different phones. I have since switched to Sprint and have no issues other than the coastal coverage. Verizon is also strong in Molalla.

Tag

[brshooter]

I just wish we could catch up with the technology used in Europe. While visiting my brother in Germany, we spent a lot of time in the Alps in Bavaria and Austria. No problem with his handi dropping calls or being out of service. We could learn a lot from them.

Also, in Europe, whey you call someone else on a handi, only the person placing the call gets charged for minutes, not both parties which is done here in most cases (except family plans and a couple other exceptions).

[Cool Texan]

Look for deals on the new service... you likely wont find them at the service providers stores. Amazon has some GREAT deals usually on phones/services. Then you can start working the system for other deals, etc. Get a GREAT deal on a GREAT (long term) phone...and you'll quick recover your costs from that phone plus enough to start the endless cycle of never really paying for good phones. But that's just me. :grin:

[24 on/ 48 off]

Call me on my VERIZON phone about this. You know the number :tongue:

--spud--

[legal_layover]

Verizon has good coverage. I used to have AT&T and there are just a ton of dead spots. Plus I could not get their customer service to resolve a voice mail issue.

[SheFish2]

I have used Verizon for years now...great customer service and very few "dead spots". They also have great long distance with out roaming charges on their America plans...

When I had a Verizon phone for work I wasn't happy with it, then I got Quest and learned what bad really was. Verizon was really a good provider.

My name is Lee Putman and Quest Cell service is bad!

[wthr4d]

I have had Cellularone, AT&T, sprint and verizon...since cellularOne disbanded my area I have had nothing but complaints about them all. right up until I found Verizon. now the only complaint I have is that I bought the wrong phone...I got a small flip open phone and they just dont have the POWER to send the signal like the others. If I were you and coverage was an issue I would get Verizon service and a Nokia phone.

My name is Paul weatherford and I approve of this message.

[ajfishfinder]

Hey everyone thanks a bunch for your opinions. It sounds to me like a good size phone and Verizon service. Now what about headsets. The company insurance stipulates they must be used while operating a company vehichle. Again any good bad or otherwise comments??? Thanks again for the help :smile:

[ampersat]

I have a boom style headset for my home phone that works on my cell phone. It's much better than that cheesy ear-bud headset most companies give away with the phone. I think I paid $10 for it at Radio Shack.

[judyfish99]

Find a phone with "blue tooth technology"...