And no, “go fuck yourself” isn’t going to work for me.
I’m 90% certain I’m going to change mobile carriers. Mine won’t have 4g LTE in OKC any time before the end of the year. I can get similarly priced packages from Verizon and AT&T for what I’m paying now for four phones, unlimited SMS, 1000 minutes (we never use more than about 450) and 5GB of data per phone (we all have Android phones). US Cellular has, over the last several months, dropped or narrowed many of the perks that were unique to them, and combined with no 4g on the horizon in OKC and none at all in the places I usually go on vacation (Colorado, Florida and Southern California) I’m thinking it’s time to switch.
All three of them offer 15% discounts to employees of my agency or my wife’s employer, so there’s nothing that I can see with differentiates the blue death star from the red check mark.
Ash Can
Go fuck yourself.
…Wait, what was the question?
Omnes Omnibus
I still think “go fuck yourself” works.
ETA: I am also pretty sure this is some kind of self-enrichment scheme and/or grift.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
My anecdotal advice….Verizon drops fewer calls than AT&T. It’s not much, I know.
What about phone call quality? Is there a difference between the two carriers? What say you BJers?
MoeizW
T-Mobile, bro.
…and go fuck yourself.
MTiffany71
Blue Death Star if only because there’s at least some truth to their logo…
pacem appellant
Credo Mobile is what we use and I’m very happy with it. It rides on the Sprint Network. 4G, when you get it, is great, but definitely not as fast at AT&T. If it’s available in your area, check it out.
http://www.credomobile.com/
BC
I have had Verizon for quite awhile and like them as a carrier, as much as you can “like” a cell phone carrier. My daughter had AT&T, but switched to Verizon when AT&T started screwing around with her I-Phone contract. Most of my family with cell phones have Verizon, so we get to call each other without incurring any additional cost to amount of minutes (although I don’t think they track minutes like they did when I first got my phone).
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
Look at their coverage maps for any place you might be. I would find them for you, but I’m at work.
raven
I switched to Verizon 6 years ago. No regrets.
BC
@MoeizW: But T-Mobile just might not survive with their new business plan.
gelfling545
We went with AT&T in January. No dropped calls yet & they don’t require that you buy the maximum data plan for iPhones. We have 3 with shared data & unlimited talk & text plus 1 wireless home phone all for less that $200/month which I think is pretty good. This includes a student discount as my daughter & her husband who share the plan are students. Customer service has been pretty decent. Very nice people but it can take a 2nd call to get things moving. Verizon customer service, on the other hand, is Satan.
If you decide to go with AT&T I would advise that you go to their store. We got the best results that way.
IowaOldLady
IMHO, cell phones are an invention of the devil. They just make it easier for people to get hold of you, and what’s the point of that? My advice: Go phone commando!
Omnes Omnibus
Take a look at coverage maps for the areas where you spend the most time.
A Ghost To Most
According to Consumer Reports, Verizon is best in most markets (if you can afford it).
I’ve had 4G here in Denver for two years.
Loneoak
Setting aside all questions of network quality and customer service terribleness, the basic technology of ATT’s GSM networks is superior in some important ways to Verizon’s CDMA.
Also too, the color of their logos tells you something about their political giving. Verizon definitely leans right and is pretty anti-union, whereas ATT is thoroughly unionized.
sam
I don’t know what the quality of either carrier is in OKC, but as a general rule, I’ve found that Verizon has a reputation for better voice service, while AT&T has better data service (at least in NYC, where I am). So it may depend on what your priorities are. I rarely speak on the phone, but I use data constantly.
I originally switched from Verizon to AT&T back when I was traveling internationally a lot for work, and Verizon phones, with their CDMA, turned into expensive paperweights when overseas while AT&T at least got service (even if it was expensive). I think this is less of an issue now with higher end Verizon phones that have the dual CDMA/GSM capabilities, but it could still be an issue depending on the handset.
One other thing to note – you can talk and use the internet (apps, browser) simultaneously on AT&T. You can’t on Verizon (it’s a limitation of how their network is structured). Again, YMMV as to whether this is important to you. I find it extremely useful when my brother calls me with stupid questions that he could otherwise google if he had internet at home.
NCSteve
Hey, no need to go fuck yourself. You’re getting fucked no matter which one you choose.
JGabriel
Soonergrunt @ Top:
Well, that would be redundant, ’cause if’n yer goin’ with Verizon or AT&T, then yer already fuckin’ yerself.
That said, I realize picking a cell phone carrier is pretty much a Hobson’s choice in today’s market, so: Verizon. AT&T has a reputation for equally bad customer service, but worse coverage.
Personally, I like T-Mobile, but it’s probably not a good choice for you since it’s coverage tends to be a little spotty outside of urban areas.
Edited To Add: Oops, ignore me. Sam’s got this covered, and I didn’t know that AT&T had the rep. for better data services now.
Gustopher
Why go fuck yourself when the telecom will do so for you?
AT&T and Verizon use different radio technology thingies, GSM vs CDMA or some such shit. Which means that your four existing phones will not work with one of those carriers for technological reasons.
The other carrier probably won’t let you bring the phones over because they are complete dicks.
If that happens, spitefully chose the former, and each time they ass-rape you, smile knowing that at least you got to choose who ass-rapes you.
Snark Based Reality
I’m riding an MVNO on AT&T currently. Having a SIM card makes phone swapping so much easier. Phones are transferable between AT&T, T-Mobile and MVNOs that use those two networks without much effort. Verizon and Sprint phones you can just throw in the trash.
I view AT&T areas with LTE coverage to be technically superior to Verizon LTE areas.
Mainly for the reason that if you need to fall back to 3G (which happens often on both networks still) AT&Ts 3G HSPA+ deployment offers far more bandwidth to the tower than Verizon’s EVDO deployment could ever provide. HSPA/HSPA+ evolved over time. EVDO didn’t.
Bouncing from LTE to 3G on Verizon feels like following down a flight of stairs speedwise and is noticable in most apps while for many apps the difference between AT&T HSPA+ and LTE is more difficult to notice.
Of course as always your local environment will dictate which carrier is better. Extreme rural areas are still better served by Verizon but I’ve seen AT&T putting up towers in the Adirondacks lately so they have been improving their rural footprint.
The Dangerman
FWIW, I’ve tried a variety of different prepaid solutions (I think Tracphone is on Sprint, for example). Yes, the per minute charge is obscene, but I use my cell a few minutes a month, so it’s far cheaper in the end.
Anyway, in my Prepaid universe, ATT has kicked everyone else’s ass in terms of coverage.
ETA: Also, go fuck yourself should be the official BJ motto.
max
so there’s nothing that I can see with differentiates the blue death star from the red check mark.
AT&T has long been reputed to have dropped call problem but I never saw it in Tornado Alley. I do see it in hilly areas. (LTE might be different.)
(OK, they are different as I thought, but GSM vs. CDMA is the heart of the deal. Here’s a good article on GSM vs. CDMA.
And I think your choice is going to be dictated by your existing phones – if you’ve got CDMA then Verizon is it.)
max
[‘Hope it works out for you.’]
mistermix
http://opensignal.com/
ranks Verizon as #1 in OKC, backing up the usual assumption that Verizon has better service than AT&T.
If you’re looking to save some money, get a T-Mobile burner and carry it around for a few days, make some calls, and see what kind of signal you get. T-Mob prepaid plus Nexus 4’s ($299/each) for everyone is way cheaper than AT&T or Verizon, if you go with the $30 prepaid plan (5 GB data, unlimited texting, 100 voice minutes each line with .10/minute over that). Plus no contract.
Note: this will not do LTE. But if OKC has HSPA+42 it is pretty fast.
gussie
I went with Credo, too, because at least I’m getting screwed by someone I like.
But I don’t know from 4G or SMS.
askew
Verizon is the root of evil. They nickel and dime you to death, there tech and customer support is useless. On the other hand, AT&T kept tying my account to another account with the same last name and trying to get me to pay their bill. So, either one is going to suck.
KSH
Verizon is ruler of the Rocky Mountain Kingdom (Colorado). AT&T sucks in Denver and isn’t as good up in the hills either. Choose Verizon if you want service on your vacations here.
NineJean
Ask around in the areas you spend the most time. I live in OR near PDX and I’ve had both; service from Verizon is great, never had any problem worth noticing. The death star is only so-so – lots of missed calls, delayed texts (sometimes 2-3 hours delayed!) etc. My phone only rings about half the time at home, and drops calls all the time at work.
My brother lives in central MO and has also used both, and has had exactly the opposite experience. I’ve been there a few times, so I know that my wonderful-at-home Verizon phone is barely functional there.
Soonergrunt
US Cellular is CDMA. In fact, many of USCC’s phones are Verizon models with “US Cellular” stamped on them instead.
Del
I can’t speak for OKC but in my neck of WIsconsin I switched from US Cellular to Verizon and haven’t had a complaint in the two years I’ve been a customer. Sound quality is good, my data access is good even out in most parts of rural hills surrounding my town, and I think I’ve dropped a call once the whole time.
The Moar You Know
Verizon consistently has coverage in places I wouldn’t imagine you could get any at all. Very impressed by them in that regard.
They also have the worst customer service I’ve ever dealt with. The only good thing I can say about it is that I rarely need it.
Should add I’m in California and am getting coverage in all of the deep desert areas I camp in; full coverage in the Bay Area, and they were the only working service last time I was in Tahoe and a big storm hit.
Fogeyman
I live in southeastern MO and AT&T has gone all to hell here. I switched to Verizon a year ago and it’s much better. So much depends on exactly where you live.
Maude
@Omnes Omnibus:
#2
WIN
JGabriel
Apropos of nothing, I cannot get Sloop John B out of my head.
And I’m getting really sick of it.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
This from TPM. When the bad guys feel comfortable killing LEOs, prison wardens and prosecutors, things are probably going to hell faster than we expected. Shit.
Rosalita
I’ve had Verizon for years and I haven’t had any problems — coverage around the home area and when I’ve traveled too.
JGabriel
The Moar You Know:
That sums up my experience with them exactly. I have their help number in my contacts list as “Verizon Torture”.
It’s like they’re specifically recruiting sadists to work there.
justdale
Currently with AT&T, but have had t-mobile and Sprint in the recent past.
I would switch to Verizon in a heartbeat for better coverage, but until they roll out Voice-over-LTE (VOLTE) most of their CDMA phones can’t support simultaneous voice and data unless they also have a WiFi link. That’s OK at home, but a complete deal-breaker for business travel (I’m regularly on long calls where we are shoveling documents back and forth). This isn’t an issue with AT&T or T-mobile since GSM supports simultaneous voice and data.
I liked T-mobile’s UMA (aka “wifi calling”) It lets you make/receive cell calls over wifi, giving you the advantages of having a femtocell without additional HW. They are now using a different back-end technology for this and it’s not clear how widely it will be supported with their new pricing model. And again, coverage was an issue while travelling.
Fred Fnord
Verizon is AWFUL to their employees. AT&T vacillates between ‘fine’ and ‘blah’.
So you’ve ruled out CREDO Mobile, then? Is the Sprint coverage not good enough where you are, or are they just too far to the left of you?
JGabriel
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
Yeah. Lots of murders of people in government work by fascists towards the end of the Weimar Republic too, if I recall correctly.
.
Trollhattan
My presumption is it’s mostly a regional issue. FWIW Verizon has better service and especially better coverage outside the city in my chunk o’ California, than ATT. It was dramatic when we switched to Verizon. Also, too, I got surprizingly good 4G coverage during our SoCal road trip last week, even in the sticks off the interstate.
I’d quiz as many locals as possible.
Mnemosyne
I have no experience with Verizon, but I’ve had to deal with AT&T for my boss’s cell phone and they have the most UNhelpful customer “service” team ever. Even for corporate customers. FWIW.
True life example: our company wants managers with corporate cards to use those cards to auto-pay their AT&T account. One of my bosses tried THREE TIMES to have auto-pay set up, each representative assured her that it had been set up, and THREE TIMES they failed to do it and we had to call to manually pay.
This is why she gave up her corporate phone and uses her personal phone instead. Which I think is Verizon.
Mnemosyne
@a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q):
FWIW, it sounds like a concerted terrorist campaign by the white supremacist Aryan Brotherhood, which operates in a lot of prisons and has a lot of reasons for wanting to bump off corrections officials.
Oh, wait, I guess I’m not allowed to call them “terrorists” if they’re not Muslims.
pseudonymous in nc
It entirely depends upon the quality of service where you’re likely to need it. For that, you ask your cow orkers and friends.
Schlemizel
@Omnes Omnibus:
I bet Sooner is going to steal a bunch of BJs April fools money for himself!
too soon?
Personally I hate all of them, they all suck, they all lie & they all cheat. Cellular companies I mean! that said I have heard better things about Verisons network than ATTs but I am stuck with Sprint because they work everywhere I go currently better then my old carrier (ATT) did 10 years ago when I switched.
ranchandsyrup
I vote Verizon. AT&T drops tons of calls for me. Sprint worked OK but not in my house, which was very annoying.
gelfling545
@Fred Fnord: You know, I looked into Credo when we were looking in Jan. and, even given that dissatisfied customers review products more often that satisfied ones do, there seemed to be a lot of former (and current) customers who hated it. We decided not to take the chance. There were big complaints about lack of any customer service to speak of.
Maude
@Mnemosyne:
There’s a picture of James Dean in his car before he drove off and later crashed. It’s in The Times of London.
Maude
@Schlemizel:
Never to soon to say Sooner is going to have himself a good time on that money.
I have a landline and I am keeping it.
ploeg
Re: 4G LTE, has anybody else noticed latency issues with it? I tried out Sprint 4G LTE in Boston with a Galaxy S3 a couple weeks ago. I could download big files fast, but garden variety data use (browsing, Twitter, etc.) didn’t seem to be that much faster.
BTW, I can do simultaneous voice and data on my Galaxy S3 without Wifi on Sprint. I don’t know what the deal is for those who can’t do that, but apparently it’s not a technical limitation of CDMA.
tmf (formerly tesslibrarian)
We use Verizon; these are our first phones, and we’ve only had them for a year. It works just about everywhere except the football stadium during a game.
However, when we went to Paris last winter, we were prepared to pay about double for getting international coverage for our trip (thinking we’d have to pay for a month), and when the bill came, our total charge was under $9 because we’d only used them for a few things, such as texting with friends we were meeting for dinner, etc., and it turns out they pro-rated the international time. It felt pathetic to be so impressed by not being screwed over, at least on that point.
Soonergrunt
@Fred Fnord: I haven’t even looked at Credo because by their own site they don’t offer even 3G data where I live.
You did notice the main issue of mine–(lack of high speed data service,) did you not?
Morzer
Ain’t crowd-sourcing wonderful? I love seeing the Burkean modesty flow so richly among us!
Omnes Omnibus
@Soonergrunt:
It’s really just another way of telling you to go fuck yourself.
Billy K.
I’ve only ever had AT&T. All I can say is, their initial difficulties after the iPhone exploded seem to be over.
I used to have difficulty getting service at home and at work (the two places I actually need it most), but that ended once I moved up to a 4G phone.
I haven’t had a dropped call on AT&T in years. I suppose the lack of simultaneous data and voice is an issue for Verizon. AT&T has lousy tethering options. Aside from those, I don’t think there is much difference between AT&T and Verizon.
The thing is to find out how strong the signal is in areas you frequent. I have frined on Verizon with the same phone that cant send a text while I have full bars on AT&T. Then in some areas it’s the opposite. I’d survey immediate friends on the two plans.
pacem appellant
@Soonergrunt: Well, technically, Credo (aka Sprint) doesn’t offer 4G where I live, but I connect to 4G all the time in certain hotspots. Sort of an unadvertised feature. I’m surprised that Sprint hasn’t put at least a 3G network in Oklahoma City (that’s where you live right?). I’m going to look into that.
Betty Cracker
An account of my ongoing travails with Verizon is here. That said, they are all greedy, evil feckers who will suck the lifeblood out of you and discard your desiccated husk, so it doesn’t really matter which one you pick. In my experience, Verizon has the superior coverage, which is important for a boonies dweller such as myself…
pacem appellant
According to coverage.sprint.com, Oklahoma City has at least 3G. No 4G though. So if 3G is OK, then you can go with Credo and give your money to the devils you know.
lojasmo
@Loneoak:
I agree with this. We have ATT because they are unionized.
The Moar You Know
@Fred Fnord: I live in a major metropolitan area and Sprint can’t even get a signal inside my house.
Sprint fucking sucks, I don’t give two shits what their politics are.
WereBear
In my experience, FWIW, I get along with Verizon Customer Service, while AT&T Customer Service is the kind of thing I’d expect in a circle of hell where they put people who make excuses for not tipping.
For instance, when I dealt with them, they would not understand words like “invoice,” only phrases like “randomized silly word pile,” which was the AT&T word for “invoice.”
You can imagine.
Soonergrunt
@pacem appellant: I have 3G now, though.
Lumpy
Different providers perform differently in different areas. My experience with Sprint in NYC is not necessarily going to mean anything to your experience somewhere else. There is a cell phone forum (yes there is a forum for everything) the Howard forums. Try digging for advice there, or ask your local friends and neighbors.
ploeg
@Lumpy: This. Also I don’t know that 4G LTE is necessarily going to be that much different, at least not right away. Certainly if the towers in your area don’t have adequate backhaul to serve the subscribers, you won’t see that much difference between 4G LTE and 3G.
The Other Chuck
@Loneoak:
Actually last I heard, ATT Wireless is not union.
raven
Mingo County Sheriff Eugene Crum was fatally shot Wednesday outside the Mingo County courthouse, WCHS reports.
Scout211
We have had AT&T since our flip phones were the size of bread boxes . . . almost.
I have no other service to compare, but we have been happy with them for phone service as well as data service.
As with another commenter up further, go in person to the store to order and to set up your phone service and if you ever have a problem. The 800 number people are not that helpful.
They have company stores, contract stores and independent stores out here in California. We have all three types in our local area and the contract store has been much easier to deal with than the company store for some reason. I have been told to avoid using the independent stores because they pretty much only sell the phones and service. They can’t help you if something goes wrong.
Seanly
5 GB per phone? Are you using them as p0rn servers?
I have Verizon and like their coverage pretty well. Most of my issues are due to my phone’s terrible battery life. Then I use an app to save battery life which fucks with it connecting to the 4g network.
Bruce S
I have Verizon and have a lot fewer hassles with my iPhone calls (and previous phones) than my friends who have ATT because they were early iPhone adopters. Didn’t get an iPhone until it was available on Verizon because my friends had such sucky service from ATT. It was actually sort of humorous – listening to these guys tell me about all of the cool things their new phones did – except for…uh…basic reception.
Probably has gotten better, but I wouldn’t trust ATT for cellular service. (Their Uverse fiber optic cable kicks Comcast’s ass IMHO.)
PeorgieTirebiter
@ploeg: that’s been my experience. Switched from att unlimited 3G to Verizon 4G LTE with 5GB plan. The big difference is my bill and crappy support. Plus its 4g only about 60% of the time after a year. Verizon listed my address as strong 4g. Check the small print on the contract.
Steeplejack
@JGabriel:
I had the theme from The Rockford Files going around my head for a week. Ngrr!
jeffreyw
I’ve had a Verizon LTE MiFi hot spot for nearly two years. Good coverage in town, out here on the farm I have a Yagi antenna on a mast that connects to the device else it would be 3G only. Download speeds vary a lot, just now Speedtest.net reported ~10 Mb/sec down. We have Tracfones for voice. I just read today that AT&T went live with their LTE in this area but I have no idea where the closest tower is. I may look up their store and see what I can find out this week.
Schlemizel
@ploeg:
I do voice and data at the same time on my Sprint Galaxy. Thats no problem
mai naem
I have quite a bit of experience with this – first is this 4g that important to you? If it isn’t I would go with either Cricket or TMobile prepay. Verizon has slightly better coverage but they are noticeably more expensive and their service is awful. ATT phones can be used on Tmobile and vice versa. Also you might want to check with the people you frequently call to see who they’re with because most plans are free within their system. Also GSM is easier to use if you go abroad. If you have the right kind of phone you can just get a new SIM. Tmobile prepay is $50 for 2gb 4g and then unlimited 3g or $70 unlimited 4g. ATT has the prepay but it’s data limited. IMHO,I wouldn’t go with Sprint because of their crappy coverage. BTW, if you go with prepay i’ve found that Frys electronics has some well priced smartphones – better than the company phone stores unless the company stores are having a special holiday sale.
Birthmarker
@JGabriel: Think of a song you despise, and start humming it to yourself. This has removed the original song from my mind without replacing it with the new hated song. Don’t know why this works.
In my area Verizon is known to have better coverage. My kids, on ATT, had no coverage during spring 2011 tornadoes. I had some with Verizon. I have been equally infuriated with both. Verizon screwed me out of $175, woud not back down, even though I was a long term customer with a perfect payment record. They both know they sell something we want/need.
Anna in PDX
Another vote for Credo, but I don’t do the smartphone stuff.
Raenelle
We pay about $60 a year for Skype. Not only are we saving a butt-load of money, but we’ve reduced the amount by which we’re financing predator capitalists. To cover any needs outside what a house phone could provide, we got a couple of burner phones. We found, however, that we never used them. For us, the sense that we needed to have a phone on us at all times was a created need without any actual substance.
karen marie
@gussie: Me too. I don’t even have texting. I’ve got it blocked incoming and outgoing. The service has been perfectly fine for the 9 months I’ve been using it.
Robert
Verizon has the best coverage map but you have to download an app to switch off 4G. The customer support is really good in store if you don’t mind just getting a new free phone every time the hardware fubars.
Brother Shotgun of Sweet Reason
We’ve got four phones on Verizon, all with data plans, for ~$240 a month (Yikes!). We’re happy with the coverage and call quality. No problems with tech support, either.
Bobby Thomson
Had AT&T since they bought Cingular. No complaints. Sprint sucks ass.
dopey-o
i use a verizon motorola droid pro on pageplus cellular. $30 for 1,200 minutes,several megs of data and lots of texts. it’s a CDMA phone, with ability to insert a AIM card for globe-trotting. pageplus uses verizon’s network, and any verizon phone will work, as long as the EISN number isn’t black-listed by verizon. (this can be checked on verizon’s website)
i hate getting locked into a $100/ month, 2 year contract.
Woodrowfan
Verizon has been good. Pricy, but reliable. And whenever I needed help the customer service was quite good.
FYI, I do not have a smartphone and don’t connect my phone to the internet, so I can’t offer an opinion on those services.
Used to have Cingular and it SUCKED>
Apocalypse Tom
I recommend surveying folks who live and work in your area regarding their quality of service. I spent several years waiting for TMobile and then AT&T to improve service just north of the Ship Canal in Seattle, and finally got sick of it.
When First Horsewoman decided to upgrade phones, we went with a Verizon family plan, a pair of iPhone 5s, and haven’t looked back. I now drop almost no calls, whereas before the switch I was dropping approximately 50% my calls across several different iPhones and Motorola phones before that.
The upshot is that my friends and colleagues who live in other parts of Seattle have reported fine service with AT&T, and I had no problems at my office in SoDo–the problem was entirely geographical
Bubba Dave
I switched from company-paid AT&T to personal Verizon the day the iPhone was released for Verizon, and I’ve been happy with their service. Big difference where I sit is the signal bars don’t lie to you. On AT&T I was regularly dropping calls while the phone was showing 4 bars of signal strength. On Verizon, the only time I drop a call is when the phone is showing 0-1 bar.
And I honestly believe AT&T corporate tech support is worse than the end-user version. It’s horrible. Our parent company probably spends in the neghborhood of $1-2M per year on AT&T cells, and we dread having to call tech support.
Fred Fnord
@Soonergrunt: Indeed I did. That’s why I asked if Sprint didn’t offer good coverage where you are. (Credo being a virtual mobile network operator, who piggybacks off of Sprint.) You didn’t mention them (or T-Mobile) at all in your writeup.
am
If you haven’t checked out Ting (ting.com), it’s incredibly great. It’s a MVNO based on Sprint with roaming on Verizon. Pay up front for the phone, charged month-to-month based on usage. I pay 1/3 for my wife and myself what we would have had to pay for one line on Verizon. Excellent customer service, too. I can’t believe nobody brought it up already.
Lee
I’ve been on Verizon for about 8 years. I’ve never had a problem with their customer service. There is have only been a handful of times I’ve ever needed to be on a call and needed to surf.
Ruckus
There probably isn’t 2 shits difference between red and blue. Except that it takes verizon 60-90 days to refund money they overcharged me even though they knew they were going to overcharge me 2 weeks before they did, and said they couldn’t fix it.
So I’m recommending att just on principle as I told verizon that I would not ever use or recommend their service to anyone ever again and would recommend against them every chance I get. Plus their service sucked.
Fuckers.
Assholes.
In case you haven’t noticed I’m still pissed.
Original Lee
@Snark Based Reality: This.
We have AT&T primarily because international coverage is better (Original Spouse travels a lot for work). We have had AT&T for almost 20 years. Prior to that, it was Sprint.
We have 4 iPhones on our plan, national family coverage, huge number of minutes, etc. The international access can be turned on and off as we need it – just call Customer Service the day before we need it, and again the day after we don’t, and it’s all pro-rated. They will also retrofit if you need it. For instance, normally Original Spouse normally uses only the voice part of the plan when overseas, but once an emergency situation arose and the data plan was needed for huge amounts of internet use on the iPhone, so after the text telling me this, I called Customer Service, got the international data plan turned on, and they backdated the plan to the start of the emergency for us, avoiding a huge bill.
Similarly, we get e-mails if one of the Original Kids starts approaching the normal usage caps for the data plan. This is awesome, as we can let the kids know to knock it off in time to avoid overage charges.
We have Verizon for the house, and while we love love love FiOS, Customer Service sucks wind sideways and we always always ALWAYS end up paying through the nose if something unexpected happens. However, it’s still miles better than ComCast, so we don’t complain too much.
ploeg
@Schlemizel: Yeah, I have a Galaxy with Sprint too. Which is why I’m puzzled about the AT&T ad that brags about how AT&T is the only carrier that allows simultaneous voice and data use on an iPhone. Either there’s something fundamentally flawed about the iPhone, or there’s something fundamentally flawed about how other carriers use the iPhone, or that ad is dead wrong. (And I don’t understand why Apple allows AT&T to keep plugging away with those ads, they just make the iPhone look really bad.)
Yutsano
@Original Lee: The one positive I will say for AT & T is that they do let me know if I’m in danger of going over my data limit. Which since my phone (crackberry) seems to be possessed by the spirit of Elon James White, almost happened last month. I do have a bunch of junk on there I need to get rid of but I’m thinking I’m just gonna dump them like a hot mess and suck up any early termination fee.
Heliopause
Get rid of your mobile device. You’ll be surprised at how little you miss it after a few days.
p.a.
Disclaimer: I’m a Vz employee (not Vz wireless) so I can’t comment personally on other coverage; I’ve always had Vz because of the employee discount. But in my travels companions w/other carriers generally have more coverage issues. I’ve found Vz wireless tech support superior to Vz wireline/fios/business support. One thing u should know, Vz wireless stores can either be company owned (trained, no-commission employees) or vendor-owned, with ‘issues’. Vz wireless is not unionized, although we’ve been trying. ATT is union.
TNTDevil
Someone posted this earlier but, just to re-emphasize: GSM Phones (AT&T, T-Mobile) use the world-wide standard. Therefore, if you go overseas, your device will work. You’ll just need a SIM from the local carrier and your phone “unlocked” (not restricted to a carrier). Pre-paid SIMs are very good bargains. (There are a number of domestic pre-paid options available but, that’s another thread.)
GSM also enables a great deal of flexibility in the device you can use. Tons of bargains to be had on the interwebs, especially Craigslist, for the “latest & greatest” at a fraction of retail. Bonus- new device & no contract extension.
I’m an AT&T customer and have been for years. So I can speak in great detail as to the amount of suckage delivered by AT&T customer service (the only place you can get 5 different stories from 3 different reps). However, I rarely, if ever, need to deal with them and therefore it’s not as big detriment to my experience.
Just to be clear: I hate AT&T. I quit them in 2000 or so and went with a regional carrier (Cingular). Cingular used GSM devices and allowed me to buy inexpensive phones for my kids allowing us to drop our land-line at the same time. Well, then AT&T decided they wanted back into the Cell business and buys Cingular. Welcome back to AT&T. I’ve stayed because I’m under no contract and, in my area, the coverage is very good. I can’t really speak to the data coverage as AT&T won’t allow me to purchase a data plan because I use a SGT7, which I’ve modified to also be my voice device.
MoeizW
@BC: Their business plan has them in danger every year, nothing new.
am
Ting, Ting, Ting, Ting. Sorry to repeat myself, but please – for your sake – at least take a look at them. There forums have advice on how to port you own devices, and how to integrate with Google voice. Only negative is that it’s on Sprint’s network (I switched from Verizon and was used to slightly better coverage).
Original Lee
@Yutsano: Does Elon know that his spirit wanders the astral plane over to your Crackberry? I foresee podcast possession in the middle of business meetings, which would be awesomely educational for all.
Cassidy
Late but hopefully you’ll see this, When I lived in Lawton and in Colorado, I had no issues with coverage under Sprint.
rikyrah
hope you find a good carrier. my phone is the equivalent of an 8-track, so I’m of no use in this conversation.