Sprint/AT&T/T-Mobile

[TexasHSFB]

Verizon isn't even an option because they don't even have a phone that compares.



Sprint - Palm Pre $199.99 + ($69.99 + tax/m), $200.00 cancellation fee w/ T-mobile

AT&T - Samsung Jack $99.00 + ($89.99+ tax/m), $200.00 cancellation fee w/ T-mobile.

T-Mobile - G1 $417.00 + $5.99 shipping + ($25.00 + tax/m), no cancellation fee.



Of course, the Jack is the most desirable of the phones, folllowed by the Pre, then the G1 in that order.


Which one? All of the plans are equivalents of each other. (unlimited internet/data/ texting/ 450 anytime minutes except with T-Mobile my minutes are unlimited too and I have fave 5.)


But, T-Mobile's coverage sucks. They have good customer service and a nice return replacement policy... but that coverage sucks.


I'm thinking I can maybe get AT&T to come down on their monthly rate because of what Sprint has offered me, BUT.... they might not. And I'm pretty sure I could get T-mobile to waive that shipping charge.


Sprint and AT&T both offered to waive the activation fee and Sprint offered me a $25.00 credit on my first bill.


Choices... don't know which one. I'm thinking Sprint.

My mom is wanting to get out of her T-Mobile contract ASAP.

[bwdlionfan]

AT&T... by far!!

AT&T has amazing reception compared to Sprint. And T-mobile doesn't have coverage in near as many areas as AT&T or Sprint. For an example... my g/f has Sprint and I have AT&T... well to save us both from running out of minutes, I added a 2nd line to my account for her to use. It's cheaper than us each upgrading our accounts and this way we have unlimited mobile to mobile. Her AT&T phone is just plain.. no text or anything... mine has text/data/etc...

She lives in Rockwall, and on her Sprint phone... I can only hear maybe ever other sentence she says. On the AT&T phone I can hear her as well as if I were in the room with her. And it's not just the quality of the phone either.... One of my friends used to have Sprint and we'd go camping at Lake Brownwood and he wouldn't even have service... sometimes 1 bar. I'd have a good 3-4 bars with my AT&T phone.

That's my 2 cents.

[big daddy russ]

I have AT&T right now. Started out with T-Mobile. Had a Nextel work phone for a bit. Had Sprint just before AT&T. Never had Verizon.


AT&T
Positives:
-Great coverage
-Rollover minutes

Negatives:
-Customer Service
-Average at least one dropped call per DAY. If I'm on hold for more than 30 minutes, I'm almost guaranteed to drop the call. Happened with Pioneer today, AT&T customer service yesterday.


Overall, AT&T's an OK company. Customer service is far better than Sprint and on par with Nextel, but doesn't compare with T-Mobile's. Nobody does.

Here's my own personal opinion of the companies: If you're looking for coverage, AT&T's the way to go. Sprint's far and away the worst of the bunch, but they go farther than T-Mobile and are just as cheap as T-Mobile. Nextel's OK, but I prefer AT&T and T-Mobile because of coverage and customer service.

If you're primarily along major highways, stick with T-Mobile. I wish I'd never left.

[TexasHSFB]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
I have AT&T right now. Started out with T-Mobile. Had a Nextel work phone for a bit. Had Sprint just before AT&T. Never had Verizon.


AT&T
Positives:
-Great coverage
-Rollover minutes

Negatives:
-Customer Service
-Average at least one dropped call per DAY. If I'm on hold for more than 30 minutes, I'm almost guaranteed to drop the call. Happened with Pioneer today, AT&T customer service yesterday.


Overall, AT&T's an OK company. Customer service is far better than Sprint and on par with Nextel, but doesn't compare with T-Mobile's. Nobody does.

Here's my own personal opinion of the companies: If you're looking for coverage, AT&T's the way to go. Sprint's far and away the worst of the bunch, but they go farther than T-Mobile and are just as cheap as T-Mobile. Nextel's OK, but I prefer AT&T and T-Mobile because of coverage and customer service.

If you're primarily along major highways, stick with T-Mobile. I wish I'd never left. I agree the service is great.... but tmobiles coverage sucks and their phones are a step behind.

[big daddy russ]

PS: Here's how I'd rank those four companies on major cell phone issues:


Customer Service
1. T-Mobile
2. Nextel
3. AT&T
4. Sprint (keep track of your bills if you get Sprint)

Call Quality
1. T-Mobile
2. AT&T
3a. Nextel
3b. Sprint

Coverage
1. AT&T
2. Sprint
3. T-Mobile
4. Nextel

Reliability (Dropped Calls, Dead Spots, etc.)
1. T-Mobile
2. Nextel
3. Sprint
4. AT&T

Internet Speed
1. AT&T
2. T-Mobile (limited use... only on friends' phones)
3. Sprint (Don't know why, but their 3G runs much slower than AT&T's. Maybe it was just the two phones I was using from Sprint, but it was terrible.)
**I've never used Nextel's internet, so I can't rank them.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by TexasHSFB
I agree the service is great.... but tmobiles coverage sucks and their phones are a step behind.
Coverage definitely sucks. But phones are only behind Verizon and AT&T. You'll find that most Sprint phones lag in technology. Still use IMEI instead of SIM cards... at least as of a year and a half ago. That's why they've had such a hard time making slim, lightweight phones.

[TexasHSFB]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
Coverage definitely sucks. But phones are only behind Verizon and AT&T. You'll find that most Sprint phones lag in technology. Still use IMEI instead of SIM cards... at least as of a year and a half ago. That's why they've had such a hard time making slim, lightweight phones. That new palm pre is NICE from sprint.


AT&T is the leader in phones and technology for sure.


And out tmobile is horrible about dropped calls and quality.

[turbostud]

I have TMobile and have been with them since 2003. I have never had a problem with coverage from their service or with dropped calls.

[X21AAAPlayer]

I had the T-mobile G1 and I couldn't stand it. Entirely too bulky and slow. Also, with t-mobile, I don't beleive that early termination fees apply. I received a letter in the mail saying that they were ruled unconstitutional. If anyone else has more information please feel free to elaborate as I am unclear on the details.

[PPSTATEBOUND]

All a big waste of money......:D

[BreckTxLonghorn]

I've never had anything but Cingular/AT&T, so I can't really give you an idea for service on anything else. But I've had ATT since 02, and only had one customer service issue ever. It was my fault, but they credited me the funds back immediately and upgraded my plan for no extra cost. Loved it.


However, if all things are equal, take Sprint. The phone costs more, but you'll make that money back in phone bill savings after 5 months.

When I worked at a bank, T-Mobile was far & away the one that got the most complaints for auto billing without permission, over billing, and double billing. Just a horrible company from the finance side (at least from what I experienced).

[pirate4state]

I've had Verizon (Dallas), Nextel & Sprint.

I was with Verizon from 99-01. Never had a problem, but I hated my phone. I moved back South and none of my friends had Verizon and my plan was crap, so I just switched to Nextel.

I LOVED my Nextel phone, hated the service if I left the area. LOL. I never had service in the Hill Country and limited service in West Texas.

So, I switched to Sprint. I've been with Sprint for approximately 5 years now and have never had any major customer service issues, but when I've had to call them and/or chat online, they have been very helpful.

I'm more of a text freak, than phone calls, so I can't tell you about dropped calls, but I know they DO happen with just about every phone carrier!

I still haven't figured out all the things my HTC touch Pro can do, but I LOVE that it's like a mini-pc. :nerd:

I was considering switching to AT&T since most of my family is on AT&T, but then I remembered I don't like most of my family. :p ;)

[BEAST]

Get the iPhone from AT&T. Ive had a palm and a bberry. The iPhone will dance circles around both of them. And very user friendly.




BEAST

[solocam]

ATT best reception

[bwdlionfan]

Some of you are including Nextel in your comparison of Sprint...Aren't Sprint and Nextel the same company? Therefore they would have the same coverage areas?

I've been through 4 Blackberries with AT&T and before that had several Nokias. I just purchased a new phone a month and a half ago. I was going to buy the I-Phone for $200, but I was just so happening to be walking around Wal-Mart when I saw the AT&T store in Wal-Mart had the Samsung Eternity for $78. This phone is comparable to the I-Phone, but it's much cheaper, it runs on a less expensive data plan which saves you money each month, and last, it can send multimedia messages where the I-Phone can't (I heard the new one will be able to though). As Beast said, the I-Phone will dance circles around a Blackberry, as will the Samsung Eternity. I haven't once regretted choosing the Eternity over the I-Phone. It doesn't have as much internal storage space as the I-Phone, but I already had a micro SD card that I put in it for music. And the GPS capability is as good as the one I had on my Blackberry Curve was.

Back to the customer service thing. I've had 3 run ins with Cingular/AT&T and I've been with them for 5 1/2 years. In all three situations they corrected the errors and when appropriate they have credited my account. Their customer service is fine, you just have to ask for a supervisor and then they'll do what you ask of them. I even got them to waive my activation fee on the Samsung I just bought.

[pirate4state]

Originally posted by bwdlionfan
Some of you are including Nextel in your comparison of Sprint...Aren't Sprint and Nextel the same company? Therefore they would have the same coverage areas?

They merged, but it's only been a couple of years. When I had Nextel, they were independent of Sprint.

The only "dead spots" I have with Sprint in Texas are small little towns and even then, if I can't make a phone call, I can usually send a text!

[Tx Challenge]

IMO I think they all have good and bad. I have been with ATT, Sprint and now Verizon. I travel a lot and have found that as far as service goes, they all have dead zones, but really overall service is about equal. It depends on where you live, and use your phone.

I hated Sprint's customer service and they always had something bogus on my bill. I got tired of spending time every month with customer service getting adjustments made to my bill. They also tried a couple of times to extend my contract saying I had made a change to my plan. The phones or the service was never an issue, but I will never go back.

I am 18 months into my Verizon plan. So far I have had no issues with service or billing. We originally were going to choose ATT. We have a family plan and some of our phones are a different area code. ATT would not allow this at the time. This was a deal breaker. Verizon allows this so they won out. Maybe ATT has changed it policy since

The import thing is to get with a service that suits your needs. The plans are competitive, so find a phone and plan that works best for your wants/needs

[DDBooger]

I had sprint when I first arrived here, according to the Sprint tech, the fault line that runs through here distorts the signal. :thinking:

Well, it doesn't seem to bother AT&T now :)

[TexasHSFB]

My gut says Sprint, but my heart says AT&T. My wallet says T-Mobile.

[HEMOTOXIC]

I've had TMobile since 2003 and I have never had a problem with my coverage as it relates to signal. That includes living in Navasota, Pearland, & Houston and travel throught the U.S and Canada. However, in Navasota, I still do not pick up 3G. But, its not a problem for me because Im usually just visiting for a day or two.

[big daddy russ]

Originally posted by TexasHSFB
My gut says Sprint, but my heart says AT&T. My wallet says T-Mobile.
Go with AT&T before you go with Sprint. And if you go with Sprint, keep an eye on your monthly bill....and always go with a paper bill.

[TexasHSFB]

Originally posted by big daddy russ
Go with AT&T before you go with Sprint. And if you go with Sprint, keep an eye on your monthly bill....and always go with a paper bill. AT&T costs $20/m more for te exact same plan..... AND... Sprint has offered to waive my activation fee and give me a $25 credit on my first bill. AT&T hasn't done either of those. AND Sprints nights and weekends start at 7, AT&T's at 9.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by TexasHSFB
AT&T costs $20/m more for te exact same plan..... AND... Sprint has offered to waive my activation fee and give me a $25 credit on my first bill. AT&T hasn't done either of those. AND Sprints nights and weekends start at 7, AT&T's at 9.

have you tried the site billshrink.com that T-Mobile advertisements have been trumpeting? I went there and it told me to use AT&T, which I already do.