Cell Service Suggestions Please?

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

As this is a varied crowd, many of whom travel, I would appreciate comments from the users as to cellular service, customer support and any suggestion for recommended plans. This would be for escort business calls only, not personal calls, however I have noted many clients and some escorts are doing away with land lines, obtaining DSL or Cable Modem internet service and using the mobile for all calls, local or long distance.

 

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated and I am sure others here would appreciate them as well.

[Guest BradRudolphXXX]

Franco,

 

I use Sprint PCS... with a dual band phone. I get service everywhere... the dual band (some companys even have tri band now) allows you to get digital and the lower quality service so pretty much no matter where I am I have cell service. But Nextel is great too... they even have phones out now that will allow you to use them internationally. Let me know if you find anything better. Oh yea, I pay 75 $ per month for 1000 day minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, caller id, voicemail, text messaging... pretty much I just have to watch my day usage as I get alot of cell calls.

[+ deej]

A lot of people (not just escorts) are abandoning land lines and using cell phones for their primary contact. I'm pretty much doing that now.

 

My first cell phone was a Nokia with AT&T PCS service. Worked wonderfully everywhere in the country EXCEPT in my home in Chicago.

 

My next phone was a Motorolla with Sprint PCS service. It DID work in my home and pretty much everywhere else I tried it EXCEPT in the West Valley outside LA when I was here for a job interview. Fortunately, burglars liberated that phone from my premises in Chicago two days before I vacated.

 

Currently, I'm using another Nokia with Cingular service. It's worked OK all over the LA area, in Chicago, and in Florida.

 

One thing to watch for in the "free long distance" plans is they often won't tell you that long distance is only free if you're calling from your home area. If you're on the road, standard calling charges may apply. You need to ask about this.

 

The only guarantee is that as soon as you get one, someone with something ELSE will tell you how much of a better deal they got. }(

[Rick Munroe]

We've switched a couple of times but we'd only use Sprint PCS now; it's the best, except, for some reason, for when we're in SF, in which case it sucks (come to think of it, that's what I do in SF, too).

 

>One thing to watch for in the "free long distance" plans is

>they often won't tell you that long distance is only free if

>you're calling from your home area. If you're on the road,

>standard calling charges may apply. You need to ask about

>this.

 

With Sprint, wherever you happen to be is your local calling area. For example, when I'm in SF, a call to SF is local but a call back home to NYC is long distance for me.

[Huey]

I think I've tried nearly every mobile phone service in California. I would agree with those who single out SprintPCS. Over all the coverage area is excellent, the price plans are generous and customer care is acceptable ... if you can get through .

 

A close runner up would be T-Mobile. They offer limited national plans. I found the service to be clean.

 

Main thing ... try not to get yourself stuck in a contract, well at least one you can't upgrade or downgrade service without additional fee. SprintPCS is probably the most liberial on changing your service plan.

[+ deej]

>With Sprint, wherever you happen to be is your local calling

>area. For example, when I'm in SF, a call to SF is local but

>a call back home to NYC is long distance for me.

 

Cool, but be sure and ask. It can make the bill for that first month quite a shocker. :+

 

Also, a friend got socked with a $700 bill his first month because he thought "Free Evening Minutes" meant "Evening" wherever he was physically located. Instead, they define it as "Evening" in the area where he bought the phone. ;( So he bought the phone in CA, and then spent a month on the East coast racking up charges for calls he thought were free.

 

Cingular is touting their new "roll over unused minutes" plan. Now, think about it, if you routinely have THAT many unused minutes you're buying too many minutes in the first place!

 

Bottom line: always read the fine print and try to avoid getting stuck in a contract.

[guyinsf]

Sprint's coverage in San Francisco does "suck." I was able to get a more consistent signal in a rental condo on Kauai than I am in my apartment in San Francisco. Maybe it's all the hills. TV reception here sucks as well, in most neighborhoods.

 

I was going to switch to another service but after talking around and searching the Internet, it seems like none of the companies has good coverage in San Francisco.

[jackhammer91406]

I also use Cingular and have their nationwide plan that has free long distance and no roaming charges. This is of course provided I stay within my alloted minutes per month. On this plan however, you cannot roll over minutes, at least not as of 1 month ago. I have used the phone in Florida, North Carolina, Washington,D.C. San Francisco and Atlanta. Always had good coverage. Depending on building construction (as with any cell service I have had) sometimes inside connections are a bit rough, but I just move around til the signal clears. Can you hear me now?

jack

[Guest Not2Kinky4me]

Verizon ( Formerly Bell Altlantic ) offers "America's Choice" program which covers nearly 90 % of the Country and is LOCAL no charge.

 

Its tri band and its network and service is very reliable and affordable.

[HooBoy]

Many of my friends have Sprint PCS.

 

Sprint has a service they do not advertise that many of us use. For $5 extra per month, Sprint to Sprint calls are free, 24/7.

 

If both parties pay the $5, neither is charged for airtime. And that is anytime minutes, for those who did not catch the 24/7.

 

At the end of your billing cycle, if you call Sprint and tell Claire, the robo-op you want to cancel, you'll be amazed at what you can wrangle out of those folks.

 

I doubled my minutes, I cut my bill in half and I got them to waive the $5, plus they gave me extra credit because I was on the phone with them for so long and I threatened to go to A T & T.

 

All phone companies are phone companies, but the competition is stiff and if you're nice but persistent, you can get some good stuff.

 

So, if you have Sprint, call me all you want, any time, day or night. It's free for me! If I do not answer I am either busy, asleep or I cannot locate my phone.

 

Now, if I can only find my passport.

[Justice]

>Nextel is great too... they even have phones out now that will

>allow you to use them internationally.

 

 

Some very good friends just switched from Nextel. They were constantly complaining about dropped calls and couldn't wait for their two year contract to end. (She practically counted the seconds.) Also, they live in New Jersey (in the 732 Area Code) and their Nextel phones were initially assigned to a number with an 845 Area Code. New Jersey's Area Codes keep changing, so at first they thought that they had been assigned to a funky new Area Code. It did turn out to be a new Area Code. The only problem was that it was the new new Area Code for Orange, Rockland, and Sullivan Counties in New York. Everyone who called their cell phones, from a land line -- including themselves --when their kids called from home, had to pay long distance charges. It took weeks for Nextel to get them a local number.

[Justice]

>Nextel is great too... they even have phones out now that will

>allow you to use them internationally.

 

 

Some very good friends just switched from Nextel. They were constantly complaining about dropped calls and couldn't wait for their two year contract to end. (She practically counted the seconds.) Also, they live in New Jersey (in the 732 Area Code) and their Nextel phones were initially assigned to a number with an 845 Area Code. New Jersey's Area Codes keep changing, so at first they thought that they had been assigned to a funky new Area Code. It did turn out to be a new Area Code. The only problem was that it was the new new Area Code for Orange, Rockland, and Sullivan Counties in New York. Everyone who called their cell phones, from a land line -- including themselves --when their kids called from home, had to pay long distance charges. It took weeks for Nextel to get them a local number.

[Justice]

>Nextel is great too... they even have phones out now that will

>allow you to use them internationally.

 

 

Some very good friends just switched from Nextel. They were constantly complaining about dropped calls and couldn't wait for their two year contract to end. (She practically counted the seconds.) Also, they live in New Jersey (in the 732 Area Code) and their Nextel phones were initially assigned to a number with an 845 Area Code. New Jersey's Area Codes keep changing, so at first they thought that they had been assigned to a funky new Area Code. It did turn out to be a new Area Code. The only problem was that it was the new new Area Code for Orange, Rockland, and Sullivan Counties in New York. Everyone who called their cell phones, from a land line -- including themselves --when their kids called from home, had to pay long distance charges. It took weeks for Nextel to get them a local number.

[OneFinger]

>Verizon ( Formerly Bell Altlantic ) offers "America's Choice" program which covers nearly 90 % of the Country and is LOCAL no charge...

 

I've used Verizon since 1996 and have been very happy with their service. I don't use their "America's Choice" program because there are some uncovered areas. :-(

 

I'm on their nationwide plan and pay $75 per month for 600 daytime minutes per month and 3500 evening/weekend minutes. Voice mail, caller ID, etc. are included at no additional cost. Other nationwide plans are available for as little as $35 per month.

 

I travel extensively and have always had quality service whether in California, Colorado, Michigan, New York, Boston, DC, etc. I was driving across I-80 in an unpopulated area of Wyoming when I had a blow-out. I was very surprised to find that even in this remote and lifeless area I still had cell phone service. :-)

 

I echo what others have said that you really need to read the fine print and make sure you understand the restrictions of your calling area. I'd also recommend that you use a service that offers web-based support. I really like the idea of monitoring my minutes and usage on the 'net. Helps eliminates those "surprises" when the bill comes.:o

[nate_sf]

I have two AT&T numbers, one for personal use and one "friends & family" for an extra $30 for escorting, which works well. It all goes on one bill. They have a bunch of rate plans, including California and national plans, depending on how much travelling you do. The service is consistently good, which is more than I can say about Verizon (at least in SF), which was spotty and had particularly bad reception in the Castro. And what the others say about Sprint is right, it's hopeless in San Francisco. Best bet is to ask about quality of coverage in the local area you're going to use most -- sometimes they'll even show you a map with the weak spots.

[Guest Hole_4_Hire]

>I have two AT&T numbers... The service is consistently good, which is more than I can say about Verizon (at least in SF), which was spotty and had particularly bad reception in the Castro.

 

I have always heard excellent reports on AT&T service. I was recently in SF and had absolutely no problems with Verizon coverage. I believe they have added more towers because I didn't have a single dropped call.

 

As for Sprint, I'd personally never use them.

[eastbayguy]

>I have always heard excellent reports on AT&T service. I was

>recently in SF and had absolutely no problems with Verizon

>coverage. I believe they have added more towers because I

>didn't have a single dropped call.

 

I have an AT&T cellular phone. Works great. Very few gaps in coverage nationally, except in weird locations. Have always had excellent luck with AT&T employees, either in the phone center stores, on the phone or whatever. I have a tri-band phone and full

international coverage. About a year ago, I was in Hong Kong and pleasantly surprised to be receiving incoming calls from the United States. (Had trouble dialing out, because all the error messages when mis-dialing something were in Cantonese or Mandarin.)

 

Count me a satisfied AT&T customer.

 

--EBG

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Thank YOU!

 

I had a "real" job in Atlanta with very demanding bosses who wanted me at their beck and call every minute of every day (now you know why I do so few overnights....) They provided a Nokia phone with Sprint PCS service. I spent ten days in San Francisco in 2000 and had no real problems using the phone to call Atlanta or to call friends within San Francisco. I did go to analog coverage in some areas, particularly when we spent Christmas in Guerneville and were driving through Napa. Otherwise, I was pleased with their service.

 

AT&T offered some good benefits, 500 day time minutes and unlimited nights and weekends, for a one year contract at $34.95 a month. On this plan, the long distance issue would be resolved as it would be included but daytime consists of 6:01 a.m. to 8:59 p.m., which seems extraordinarily long.

 

I am still doing more research but I do greatlly appreciate everyone who answered or private messaged me and the time and interest you have shown.

 

Thank you.