WEDNESDAY WHINE: Cell Phone Dilemma
19Mar2009 Filed under: Apple, Technology, Wednesday Whine Author: Ricky
You may or may not be able to relate to this week’s whine, as it’s fairly specific to a situation I have been in for several years. I have a …
Cell Phone Dilemma
Okay, dilemma maybe too strong of a word but it’s at least a cell phone conundrum that I don’t know what to do about. Maybe someone reading this can help.
I have used T-Mobile as my cell provider for several years now. My wife and I currently share a family plan of some sort that ultimately costs just over $100 a month. It includes more minutes than we know what to do with as well as free nights and weekends.
T-Mobile’s service was great until we moved to Winter Garden where I’m lucky if I get one bar of signal. When we first moved here, we were locked into a 2-year contract, which has since expired. However, I have no idea what to switch to as it appears that every other carrier also has terrible service in this area. Moreover, I can’t reduce the number of minutes per month that I am paying for with T-Mobile without signing a new contract. But if I switch to another random carrier, I’ll have to sign a contract there too and I’ll likely end up being unhappy with them as well.
AT&T is supposedly installing a bunch of new towers throughout Central Florida, but I can’t seem to find any information as to where specifically. If I knew they were putting one near my house, I’d switch immediately.
Of course, then there’s the other issue of what phone to get. As much as everyone tells me to get an iPhone, I really don’t think I’d use it all that much. I am rarely in a situation where I’d need to use the Internet on the road and I generally just use my phone to make calls. So I think I’d prefer to just get a regular phone that I can get for free with a new contract.
However, with $99 refurbished iPhones available (and the new 3.0 iPhone software coming soon), it’s hard not to want to get one, even if I know I’ll barely use it. But if AT&T is terrible in this area (no 3G service here either), what’s the point?
So what’s my solution? Continue to sit around paying $100+ a month for terrible service hoping something better comes along? Switch to another provider hoping they’re better, but getting locked into their contract either way?
I have no idea.
- Tags: AT&T, cell phone, iPhone, T-Mobile
19 Responses to “WEDNESDAY WHINE: Cell Phone Dilemma”
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distant creations is a blog about the world and more. the world is: amazing. amusing. creative. confusing. this blog is here to deliver the best and most bizarre of the world and beyond. from distant lands to your home town.
topics to be featured here include technology, movies, television, music, collectibles (mainly action figures), theme parks (mainly Disney), video games, and any other interesting or strange news that pops up in the world.
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John
March 19th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
No mention of Verizon?
Ask your neighbors if they get lousy reception as well.
Matt
March 19th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Hello, Ricky
I have a few thoughts on the matter.
1) Verizon is arguably the best network provider across the US. This is not me saying this, but Consumer Reports who annually surveys over 50,000 users. In second and third are TMobile and ATT, respectively.
2) The best phone available today, hands down, is the iPhone. I do not own one for business reasons, but there are many reasons why you should strongly consider it as your next phone. Two off the top of my head are
- you’ll end up using the internet more than you think (you don’t now, most likely, because your current phone is horrible at internet)
- the iPhone app store is gaining more and more applications by the day, many of them Disney-related
3) if you are considering the iPhone, note that some features of the 3.0 software update are not available on the 1.0 hardware (MMS, specifically). There are also many rumors of a new version of the hardware to be released during the summer (June/July, from what I read). If you can hold off a few more months, it might be worth your while.
On a personal note, despite my preference to VZW’s great service, my wife will be getting an iPhone this summer, moving away from TMobile. I am very disappointed with TMobile’s service in Arizona, so anything will be an upgrade for her. I’m specifically excited for her to have access to a device that she will - for the first time ever - feel naturally comfortable with SMS/MMS, and email features.
micsaund
March 19th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
VZN, from what I hear, is the only provider that puts generators on all their cells, at least up here in CO. Thus, during a hurricane or whatever, they may be the only way to make calls. Maybe, in FL due to the weather, more carriers include generators for power outages, but I don’t know.
kurt
March 19th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Go for a pay as you go phone. I have Virgin Mobile, it costs $15 every three months minimum and takes out 25 cents a minute. I never use all my minutes at all, but they do have more normal plans too. My service is fine at Disney, don’t know what it is like specifically for you.
Alan
March 19th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Get a PAYG iPhone Ricky. There’s no monthly cost, you’re not committed to anything. And you get to have the most high-tech, Mac-friendly, mobile computer in the World on you at all times. As someone who puts out a Podcast every week, I think you’d find the iPod aspect very useful, with full access to all the Podcasts on the iTunes Store without any syncing required.
Dean C
March 19th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
I have Alltel at the moment, but they were bought or mergeing with Verizon. Before that I am still happy with their service also..you can also change your plan during the contact with out signing a new one(which I hope stays). My Alltel rep advised that the cell service is only going to get better cause now with both networks together make it even stronger. Alltel had a lot of the outlying towers and Verizon had a lot of the in city towers so the service I would assume get much much better.
Arnie
March 19th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
I would definitely wait until summer to see what Apple does with the iPhone, they may open it up to new providers. Also, I unlocked a first generation iPhone and bought a T-Mobile SIM, I signed up for their FlexPay account and get 300 minutes a month and free weekends for 29.99, the best part is that there is NO CONTRACT, you prepay for your service each month and that’s that.
Mike g
March 19th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
I was in WDW last Oct with my iPhone and had great service every where. Check the coverage map. I think Orlando was covered pretty good but I live up north.
Gordon
March 19th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
It’s been my experience that companies will let out of a contract if you can show that you frequently experience poor coverage (they seem to have the coverage statistics and I’ve never had to convince them coverage was bad — they knew). Last time it occurred I switched from Verizon to ATT.
Matt
March 19th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Looks like the answers here are all over the board. But I agree with a few here who say if you get an iPhone, you’ll use it more than you think you will.
But maybe that’s what you’re afraid of …
BJ Wanlund
March 19th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
I actually had so much trouble with Verizon, so I cannot recommend anything Verizon sells these days.
I also have an iPhone, and you WILL use it way more than you think you will. Honestly, using the iPhone 3G could not be a better phone experience. I haven’t tried it at Disney, but that might change pretty soon.
BI
colaboy29
March 20th, 2009 at 8:52 am
I knot T-Mobile has their Hotspots function that allows you to use your wireless network in your home (if you have one) to make calls through it. T-Mobile also is now offering flat rates with unlimited minutes if you’ve been with them for 22 months or more.
As for type of phone I can’t help you there.
Ricky
March 20th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Lots of good solutions. Not sure which one I’ll try but at least now I have some options! I was sitting in a doctor’s office waiting room today enjoying my time away from email and the web. I know that if I had an iPhone, I would have spent the entire time staring at it instead of getting some time away from a computer.
Matt
March 20th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
So think of it this way, any e-mails you would have taken care of while at the doctor’s office, you wouldn’t have to mess with later.
Ricky
March 20th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Yeah, then I’d just have to mess with the 20 more emails that I got afterward. ;) I’d rather just do it all in one swipe, every once in a while then little-by-little all day long.
I miss the days when cell phones didn’t exist. Once you left the house, you were unreachable until you got back. Now, you can’t get away… ever!
Brian in Vegas
March 21st, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Ricky - try going to billshrink dot com. They do a free comparison of service (including signal) and find the plan right for you. You don’t need to go through them. You just use them to comparison shop. I used them (and, as much as I wanted an iPhone, ended up staying with TMo).
Ricky
March 21st, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Great site. Unfortunately, the coverage maps for my area are incomplete and the reported signal strength is wrong (at least for T-Mobile). But it’s still useful for comparing plans. Thanks!
Brian in Vegas
March 21st, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Darn. Seems like Winter Park is just all-around spotty right now. Just don’t go with Sprint. Be interesting to hear what you go with.
DizWiz
March 25th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Go with an iPhone and AT&T. I have no love for AT&T, but all the cell phone companies are the same–horrible. I was with Verizon for 10 years (the whole time I lived in Orlando) and I got the free phones like you’re thinking about doing. But then my Verizon contract was up last April, and I bought a refurbished iPhone 1.0 and switched to AT&T and I haven’t been happier. I live in New Orleans, and my company phone is Verizon. When Gustav hit last year, I was the only one who could still use my phone. The Verizon phones couldn’t get through. And, like you, I didn’t think I would use all the features of the iPhone–I just wanted to make calls. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I use it probably 10% for making calls, 90% for doing other things. And a lot of the apps in the app store are really valuable. And the thing just works. Very intuitive.
And when I come to Orlando, I stay in Ocoee (I still own my house there) and I have great signal. And when I’m at the Disney parks, I’m Twittering and blogging and posting pictures on my blog while I’m there so people at home can follow me.
The only thing that the iPhone is missing is video capabilities. But, if the rumors are true, the next iPhone will have video. (Keeping fingers crossed.)
My two cents. Hope it helps.