Cellular Phone Tips/Advice

[jazzcat]

I have a cellular phone now that I just use for "emergencies" or to have in the car for when you may need a phone. Once I move, I thought I'd like to have a "cell" phone to be able to call my friends frequently with out the long distance (in state fee). Basically, my question is, does the phone make a difference on reception or does it just boil down to the area you are calling from? I will research this more once I move, however I thought you'd all be more honest, less biased than the Companies out there wanting to sell their product.

Thanks Ahead.

Beth

[KathrynY]

Hi Beth - I'm pretty sure it's the area you're in that makes the most difference. You have to get a strong signal from the tower in order for your phone to work well.

My phone's with Cingular, and just before Christmas I switched calling plans to one that included unlimited night (after 9 pm) & weekend long distance. I thought it would save on our long distance calls to both families (out of state). It didn't work, because my phone doesn't get much of a signal at my house :(. It works fine plenty of other places, though.

Good luck!

[jphilg]

Honestly, I hate cell phones. I mean, I love the convenience, and I have one that I use fairly often, but I have yet to send or receive a call on a cell phone that was as clear as a call on a hard-wired phone.

I live in DC, where there is as good of a wireless network as you are going to find anywhere, and still I have a problem with static and dropped calls. This is fine when I want to call DH to tell him I am running late, or when I get calls from clients and colleagues to discuss a quick action item, but not only do I never call friends for a "good talk" on my cell, I hate it when they call me on their cells to chat. You spend so much time adjusting stuff to get a good line, it is totally distracting and not at all enjoyable. My MIL and FIL each have a cell phone and have not installed hard lines at their new house, and honestly I NEVER call them because it is such a drag to try to decode what they are saying.

So I would not recommend a cell phone for the reasons you discussed. Yes the phone itself has something to do with clarity, and the service does as well, but overall, the technology is not quite there yet in order to provide a low cost platform for girl talk that is as satisfying and relaxing as a hard wired phone.

Jen

[ashleenicole]

I've used Sprint PCS for the past few years and I've been happy with both their service and the phone I selected. I definintely think the phone you select makes a difference. I've used others cell phones that they either paid little for or were provided for nothing at all in a promotion and have had problems hearing due to static. But, the phone I've had for the past two years is extremely clear and most people don't even realize I'm on a cell phone! I have a Sanyo phone for which I paid around $200. My favorite part about Sprint...you don't have to sign a contract committing you to the service for any length of time. But, you definitely want to check out the signal in the area as it will impact your sound quality.

Good luck! :)

[luv2cook]

My DH and I both have Nextel. When we got it initially it was for the long distance. Now that most companies offer long distance at no extra charge, I ended up sticking with them when I lost my phone because their minutes and service and what was included was cheaper than Cingular or Sprint. Get a decent phone.

Cell towers do matter, tho. Find out how many they have in your state or surrounding area. They should show you a map. I have no reception about 70 miles outside of Houston until I reach the outskirts of Shreveport, LA. and that drives me crazy! But I can't complain about other places...

[jazzcat]

Thank you all so much with your input. Perhaps I could purchase a phone that I could "return" if it didn't seem to have good reception at my new home. My sister has Nextel and seems to like it very much, however we are in different parts of CT so what works for her, might not work for me.

You all are giving me different things to think about when "shopping" for a new cell phone and possible change of service.

[Melman]

I'll have to vote for yet another company. I've had Verizon and the same cell phone number for 8 or 9 years. One thing that has always stood out with this company for me is their customer service. If there's every been even the slightest problem with a bill or a question about service or anything else, I've YET to run into someone who couldn't answer my questions. I'm in the process of possibly switching to a wider calling area with my service and called yesterday. The rep was knowledgeable, helpful, and actually very pleasant to speak with. I don't know that Verizon has the best deal around (doubt it since they're all constantly competing with each other), but I'll definitely give my own thumbs-up based on my experiences with their customer service.

[lhall]

We've got VoiceStream phones (used to be Powertel). We opted for this because it's digital and had good coverage for metro atlanta at the time. Now that Powertel is VoiceStream we've got coverage outside the southeast with no roaming.

We don't really need one for long distance. That and we got the cheapest plan with the most minutes of any of the competitors. We've used more than our alloted minutes 2 times in 3 years (not big phone people).

My dad had Cingular with the nationawide long distance. He uses it to call my brother and his sisters, plus he travels all over the country. We can always reach him with a local call. The only problem is that it's a hassle for him to get (maybe it's just him) his voice mail messages so I usually don't leave one and he just sees that I called.

Leigh