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cell phone advice needed
People, I need to get rid of my iphone. The cost of the service (which I barely use) is RIDICULOUS. I get horrible coverage at my house anyway, so I never really use it to talk to anyone. I do text some, but not that much. I literally use maybe ten minutes of talk time a month. I tend to use the phone more like mobile internet than anything.
I love the iphone, and how easy it is to use, but honestly, if I can find a cheaper plan I'd be happier not paying nearly $70 a month for something I barely use. And quite frankly, with the cost of our internet connection, AT&T is getting enough of my money.
Suggestions?
I love the iphone, and how easy it is to use, but honestly, if I can find a cheaper plan I'd be happier not paying nearly $70 a month for something I barely use. And quite frankly, with the cost of our internet connection, AT&T is getting enough of my money.
Suggestions?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by ks on -
Mr. S loves his Sprint Evo.
I find it awkward to talk on, but it is a fun toy to play with and the internet in the car on long trips provides amusement for the kids and for me.
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Permalink Reply by Herasmus B. Dragon on
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If you don't use it that much, cut your losses and ignore all Smartphones. They charge extra for the data plans. You can get to a computer when you need one, right?
Also, I have almost never had a call drop on Verizon, even in elevators. I've never been to your house, but they do have, as they say, the largest coverage nationwide.
What about a pre-paid?
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Permalink Reply by mightyninjamom on -
Kiwi - I don't have to stay with AT&T, and currently the plan I have is the cheapest they can go for me with my current phone. So if there is a better offer out there for a different phone, I could be interested.
HBD - I don't know anything about pre-paid phones - enlighten me?
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Permalink Reply by kanachick on -
I have a very old Samsung phone with a T-Mobile prepaid plan. It costs me about $100 a year and the minutes roll over if I don't use them. At this point I have something like 1500 minutes. I only use it for emergencies and I only have one friend who texts and since it takes me about 20 minutes to text back (it doesn't have a real keyboard or anything so it's a PITA to text) we don't talk that way much.
I love my phone. I bought one like it for my 12 year old and the whole package - phone, talk time etc cost about $50 to get started. It's not a fancy phone and there's no games or anything but it works when she needs to be picked up from swim meets and that's all she needs.
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Permalink Reply by Kiwi on -
For the way you use your best bet is a pre-paid. Virgin Mobile and Boost have the most comprehensive coverage areas because they are on the Sprint/Nextel Network.
You can get plans starting at $25 month with them.
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Permalink Reply by GreenLantern on -
Verizon has great coverage, but aweful customer service. I was with them for 6 years, and after they treated me like crap for the 100th time, I switched to T-Mobile. I couldn't be happier. The coverage is great, and they offer the cheapest plans that I've seen. I have the MyTouch 3G slide smartphone, and I love it. They have great deals going all the time for smart phones. Even though I'm a big apple fan, I prefer the android operating system. It's easier to customize, and you can get apps that aren't available from apple. I'll never to go AT&T. I know too many people that are unhappy with them, and they seem to be a little pricier than other carriers.
When it comes time to thin the herd in your decision making process, make sure to look for deals only available online for whichever carrier you choose. I saved us about $30 a month by doing everything online with T-Mobile. Plus, it's much easier to not have to go to a store and wait in line. I called their 800 number with any questions I had, and they were very helpful. I think T-Mobile has been rated number one in customer service for several years in a row now.
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Permalink Reply by hermit crab on -
I completely envy people within the Virgin Mobile coverage area. Really cheap pre-paid service with smartphones.
I got a used Treo 700 for PagePlus. Very cheap, plus with the Google mobile apps suite I get the Gmail/maps/YouTube on the rare occasions when I'm on the road; just use it as a cell phone (at a very reasonable $.04/minute) when I'm not. PagePlus uses Verizon towers and so works well wherever Verizon does. I put $30 worth of minutes/data on my phone at the beginning of September and I still have $10 left on it.
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Permalink Reply by Boring User Name on -
Are you thinking of jailbreaking the iphone and taking it elsewhere?
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Permalink Reply by Mamawho on
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I had Verizon in Texas and had great coverage. I also have had excellent customer service with them - we have them for cell, phone, cable, and internet.
Fun note about Verizon coverage - my husband deployed to the CBD of New Orleans for Katrina. He was the only one in his unit with coverage. Even Verizon was surprised he had service! His phone was commandeered more than once. It was also dropped in the floodwater a time or three. That crappy Samsung wouldn't die.
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Permalink Reply by Kiwi on
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Until my recent purchase I've had nothing but Samsung phones and they can take a serious beating.
If I could have found one I liked during my most recent upgrade I'd have gotten another.
Mamawho said:That crappy Samsung wouldn't die.
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Permalink Reply by kanachick on
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I love mine - I dropped it out of the car the other day and made my husband do CPR on it so I wouldn't have to get a different phone. It was part of a plan that we had in Texas and we know we'd paid off the plan (so probably at least a 2 year deal) and we've been in New York for 4 years now so it's at least 6 years old. It's been through a lot. It doesn't do anything fancy but it still makes calls.
Kiwi said:Until my recent purchase I've had nothing but Samsung phones and they can take a serious beating.
If I could have found one I liked during my most recent upgrade I'd have gotten another.
Mamawho said:That crappy Samsung wouldn't die.
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