My contract with Cingular has finally ended, and I am free to change carriers and get a new phone. However, I'm finding myself very torn.
First off, the problems with Cingular and my current phone are:
1. Poor, patchy reception throughout Boston, especially at home. Frequently dropped calls.
2. The screen on the phone isn't working properly and is difficult to read.
So my options are as follows:
1. Switch to Verizon
2. Switch to Sprint
3. Stay with Cingular, get new phone
Let's look at the pros and cons of each -
1. Switch to Verizon
Pros:
- Best reception in Boston
Cons:
- Poor phone selection
- They cripple much of the native technology in the phones. For example, if I get a RAZR (the one I'm leaning towards), then I can't transfer files, pictures, ringtones, etc between the phone and my computer. Verizon wants you to pay them to use their services. There are ways to hack the phone and get around some of these issues, but they're pretty complicated and I would run the risk of breaking the phone.
2. Switch to Sprint
Pros:
- Good reception, from what I've heard from friends.
- Nights automatically start at 7pm
Cons:
- Similar proprietary UI issues as Verizon, though slightly less so.
3. Stay with Cingular
Pros:
- Cheap upgrade to a new phone (actually less expensive than buying a new phone and service from one of the other providers by ~$75).
- Many phones to choose from.
- Full functionality of phones
- Nights starting at 7pm is available option
- Rollover minutes
Cons:
- Frustratingly bad reception.
- Frequently dropped calls
- Pretty poor customer service experiences in the past
As far as service plans go, they're all pretty much the same (with the exception of 7pm nights and rollover minutes), so that's not really a factor. My main requirement for the phone is that it works well as a phone. I don't care about the camera or games. I do want a phone that has bluetooth and syncs with iSync.
I'm also kind of entertaining the notion of getting a crackberry or some other smartphone. Verizon has a deal on the Motorola Q and if I stayed with Cingular I could get a Treo or similar phone for about $25 through Amazon if I get a new 2-year contract with them. But really, it's not something I need, especially when you consider the fact that the additional data plan will add about $40/month to my bill.
So what do people think? What should I do? Any experience or advice?
Comments
It's been four years now, but I am still so scarred from my experiences with Sprint that I would warn against them. The WORST customer service EVER. Like AOL's, only much worse. They would switch the terms of my plan (like when my nights started) and not notify me. When I called to cancel my service, it took an hour and a half (and you know that I tried from the first second to just be connected to the person who could actually cancel my account) and after it was all over, I was CHARGED for that 90+ minutes. I later found out they were the only cellular company under investigation by the Better Business Bureau.
I was having a lot of problems with Cingular, too, and I will say that my reception improved a lot when I got the RAZR. It's still not perfect, but I don't think it's any worse than my friends on other carriers.
Posted by: Gwen | November 11, 2006 09:12 AM