Reviews about Cell Phone Providers

atokad47 says "Consumer Cellular double charges you! Beware!" about Consumer Cellular

atokad47 — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:19:12 GMT

If you think Consumer Cellular is going to save you money - THINK AGAIN! I can't wait to go back to the other thieves at Verizon. At least they don't double charge your minutes for calling your own cell phone. I have two lines - I pay $40 for one (which is about $60 with taxes) and $10 for the other. My aging Mom uses my second line. Recently, due to health issues, we had to call each other more frequently. My usage went over the limit (800 minutes shared between both lines) and so I am charged 25 cents per minute. It was because of this overage that I took a good look at the bill. They charge me the incoming on one phone number and the outgoing on the other, so a 10 minute call is really 20 minutes times 25 cents for a total of...$5... yes... $5!!!!!!! I will repeat that - a 10 minute call cost me 5 dollars.

Also, not having an IN Network program (where you can call people who use the same company with no minute charge) chews up your included minutes BIG TIME!

Please.........

Jo says "Tracfone: When you want to keep in touch on the cheap. " about Tracfone

Jo — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:57:59 GMT

To the Point

My mom just wasn't using her cell phone so we canceled her service. Then she found herself one day without a phone. It was unplugged (don't ask!). I decided to buy her the Tracfone which my aunt also has and likes. This is a pay as you talk phone and perfect for my mom. I think it is perfect for young children who are not old enough to want to chat with their friends but want to call you for a ride or you want to find out when they will be done with soccer.

A Closer View

I bought the Tracfone at CVS for $10.00. I then bought a card which you will see in whatever store in which you go. The cards are for various amounts of time. I started out with a $20.00 card for 60 minutes. At the time my mom didn't quite understand and spent ½ hour on this phone!!

Yesterday I bought another card and got her another 60 minutes. It's great just for her to have so I can call her if she isn't in her room and vice versa.

The Features

There are no contracts. You will not have to sign anything with...

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big-bear says "CREDO is not cracked up to what they say they are" about Working Assets (Credo Mobile)

big-bear — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 02:51:04 GMT

My experience with Working Assets then CREDO started out OK then turned sour with age. I did like the support for causes, not having our phone records released to the government, etc. but the reception was sometimes dicey like at places I frequent like my mom's house (big dead zone there). Further, my wife and I had had some not always positive experiences with customer service representatives. Recently, customer service seems to have improved but systems management has not. In fact the whole system seems really messed up. We recently upgraded our old phone for free (nice I must say) but have had to go through the cycle of plugging them in and leaving them alone for four hours to have services installed several times now. I am on my third or forth cycle of this now. Why this is not done all at once is a mystery to me when the services are free. There excuse is that they must wait to see what the customer wants. However, they are not proactive about this in any way or form. They could have...

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taylor007 says "If you want the worst, go T-Mobile!" about T-Mobile

taylor007 — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:44:55 GMT

I was with T-Mobile and had an average cell phone experience for 5 years. Last month, for the first time I ever I went over my minutes. My bill was almost $200 extra. I called customer service, and instead of giving some sort of rebate, they informed me I should have checked my minutes (something that the sub-par retail guys never demo'd) and told there was nothing they could do about it. I also told them that I would be bringing in a work contract that would need about 6 new lines in the following month as I close the deal on the business I'm buying. Any company that doesn't want to retain a long customer is insane and deserves to go down. The final kicker was when I attempted to change my contract mid-month to add more minutes they wanted to have me sign a one year contract and have it enacted at the end of the month. That said, I would have gone over my minutes again. It's cheaper to buy out my contract!

I'm in a high status profession where I talk to A LOT of people about A...

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VixenViewTreasures says "Coverage area superior to others; Great Customer Service" about T-Mobile

VixenViewTreasures — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:46:47 GMT

First, T-Mobile cell phone service keeps me connected in more places than any other service provider I have tried in my area.

I live in a rural area and sometimes getting a connection is difficult. Since I've switch to T-Mobile several years ago, this has not been a problem. I don't have cut-outs and I can be reached and reach people in more places than I have with previous service providers.

PROS: great all around connection, great customer service, good phone selections, lots of opportunities for upgrade discounts after you have been a customer for a while, reasonable rates, family plans, add-on phones are discounted

CONS: easy pay glitches sometimes turn-off the easy pay feature, and you have to start over to re-add it. Text messages cost additional.

Overall, cost to service is excellent!...

nikkireader1 says "Customer service with Sprint is Horrible!" about Sprint Nextel

nikkireader1 — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:14:03 GMT

I have had Sprint PCS for over 6 years. My cell phone recently broke and when I went to "upgrade" I found that in order to stay with the same quality phone that I had I'd have to pay an additional $100 to replace it. I can get a free one but it is nothing compared to the one I have had for over 4 years. I called customer service to see if there was any way of getting around the fee being that I have been a good customer for such a long time and they basically said pay it or go without. I even asked why I would do that when my contract is up in a month and I could go somewhere else and get a free phone that's even better than the one I had. They basically said well do that then. I guess they aren't interested in keeping good customers....

julie145999 says "this company sucks the phones are crap. -100 stars" about Centennial

julie145999 — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:25:17 GMT

the worst cellphone company ever they are no help when there junky phones break. there rates are outragious. they should be shutdown. i have gone through 5 phones in less than a year and i am very careful with them so it's not me it's the damn phone and company....

arlo01 says "Cellular South is an excellent regional wireless carrier." about Cellular South

arlo01 — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 14:43:58 GMT

Cellular South is a regional wireless carrier in the southeast US. They offer true unlimited plans - unlimited calls, texts or data for a fixed price - for their local calling area and nationwide. The prices are competetive - $50-$100. Their coverage is the best in the region & their customer service is excellent....

this2shallpass19 says "Never had a problem in 8 years of service!" about Verizon Wireless Network

this2shallpass19 — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:47:00 GMT

I was a member of Verizon Wireless back when they provided my pager service under the name Airtouch Cellular. Wow, that was a while ago! In all of those years, I have never left Verizon Wireless. If I ever have a question, their employees are very helpful and responsive. They even guarantee that your problem will be fixed the first time you call. I have never had a problem with any of the phones I have gotten through them either. Reception is great. Once when I was on a plane that had just landed and people were able to turn on their cell phones, I was the only one that had service! I overheard people saying that they didn't have any bars. I don't ever foresee myself changing providers unless they drastically change their business....

Sarahmendez1 says "Great service -HORRIBLE phones:( " about Centennial

Sarahmendez1 — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:33:39 GMT

Our company currently has service through Centennial Wireless and I have to say it is not the top of the line provider. They charge for EVERYTHING but they do offer great options like the free incoming everything which is the main reason we switched over from Verizon Wireless. I live in the outskirts of Grand Rapids and it drops all of my calls at the same place every day on my way in and on my way home...DRIVES ME NUTS - this never happened with Verizon - my cell phone worked literally everywhere-for double the price:( The phones that they provide are pretty much bottom of the barrel and randomly turn off all the time - no memory at all and contain horrible ring tones but on the other hand the money we save a month is pretty considerable. If we could go back to verizon for the same monthly bill we would in a heartbeat but since we are stuck with Centennial I just sort of settled for second rate service. Like I said before Centennial does offer the free incoming everything which saves a...

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vikanesm says "Qwest is just okay..." about Qwest

vikanesm — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:57:57 GMT

Qwest is a good company but what I don't like is that they do not have very good reception. If you go a little bit out of town there are no bars and it enters the roaming, and then when you go back it takes a long time for the cell to go back to bars.

The price is a little high for me and now I am waiting for my 2-year plan to expire. I still have a year to go. After that I will probably change to verizon, because the price is about the same but there are more bars.

There weren't any problems with bills. In a month I will be calling about my deposit, we'll see how that goes, if they will return it.

It's not bad, but not great.

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brandi-c says "Alltel is the worst" about Alltel

brandi-c — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:57:54 GMT

I did not like my experience with alltel at all. They will try to over charge you for everything to try to make more money off of you. Our first bill they tried to charge us separte for both phone so the 2nd was $79 in stead of $10 them we fixed in next month my bill had all charges instead of nights and weekends free, we fixed it then they tried to charge us for roaming when we had unlimited in usa. So finally we cut the phones off and now they are tring to charge us $200 per phone instead of $200 for terminating the contract. I would not recommend them to anyone. In fact I tell people who are thinking about them what they really do....

Colecola says "Is Verizon Wirless really the best network?" about Verizon Wireless Network

Colecola — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:33:59 GMT

Verizon Wireless is always advertising how great their network is. As a former customer of Verizon I wasn't pleased. The commercials are almost comical. The signal is so bad that I couldn't get one bar at my house. Not only is their network bad but the customer service itself is terrible. The employees were always changing my plan without my permission and no one seemed to know what they were talking about if you asked them a simple question. When you go to the store you end up waiting twenty minutes minimum and they aren't even people in front of you that need to be waited on. The employees are too busy talking to one another than to bother themselves with actually doing their job and waiting on the customers. Even their phones are awful. They are constantly coming out with new phones claiming that they are the best out there.. I have yet to like one of their phones. They really should change their commercial. They aren't fooling anyone. ...

bagap says "Virgin Mobile, as close to free phone service as possible!" about Virgin Mobile

bagap — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:59:24 GMT

I have been using Virgin Mobile for almost a year, after having Tracfone for about 8 months, which was on the heels of having AT&T for 12 years. Virgin Mobile is hands down the best service for someone who, like me, has "been there done that" with the big cell phone companies and just wants cell phone service for the occasional phone call and to check email. I pay on average about $100 a year now, down from about $400. I use the Super Slice phone and can text, check email, and of course, make phone calls on it. Since I don't live with my phone attached to my ear like some folks, this is the perfect service for me. Right on, Virgin Mobile, keep it up!!!...

reuser says "net 10 seems simpler" about Tracfone

reuser — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:12:15 GMT

Good for an "emergency" phone where you make calls out, but don't get calls in. Also good for making long distance calls out - to avoid paying for long distance service at home.

To use it regularly, you should buy the double-minutes for life card, and purchase online (and get the extra minutes) and drop your per-minute costs to around 10 cents per minute.

Net10 is similar, but has a higher cost of entry (around $30-40 for the phone versus around $10-15 for a Tracfone), and a less complex pricing structure of 10 cents a minute. So if you intend to use it for incoming and outgoing calls, Net10 is less hassle.

With disciplined regular use, I got my monthly usage to below $30 a month. One month, I went to $40 a month. If I hit $40 a month for another month, I'd switch to a contract phone or get MetroPCS, which is $35 a month with no contract and unlimited talking.

Between $30 and $50 a month is a gray area, really, where there are a lot of potential options. At $50 a month, though,......

ANTI-ATTFAMILY says "AT&T borders on illegal business practices" about AT&T (formerly Cingular)

ANTI-ATTFAMILY — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 04:15:04 GMT

AT&T customer service is the worst service I have ever had to deal with. Their phone system and network of customer service representatives is convoluted and designed to funnel you into a frustrated state that ends with you giving up on your issue due to hours and hours waisted on the phone.
More specifically, when we moved to our new home, we signed with ATT after they said our zip code had cell service. Once we moved in, we found out there was zero service for many blocks. We were in a cell dead zone. After 7 months and almost $100 per month, we are tired of not having service. We pay our bill on time every month even though we use only 5% of our allotted time!! We have called ATT 6 times and on the last time tried to get out of our contract via a 3 hour phone call that resulted in numerous on hold periods. The end result is that in order to get out of the contract we will have to pay $175 per line or $350. This is absurd and totally fraudulent. ATT has provided......

alicat8 says "I can call people, that's all I ever expected from my Tracfone." about Tracfone

alicat8 — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:30:28 GMT

I used to think "I don't want a cell phone, I don't need to be in constant contact with everyone I know." Then I started thinking "What if I got lost while driving or popped a tire or plowed into a snowbank?" So, I broke down and spent fifteen bucks on something called a tracfone. Now I'm really starting to like it. I can call my Mom to check up on her and see how she's doing while I'm at work, well on break. I feel good about my little pink Tracfone!

I like that I don't need a plan or monthly bill to use this phone. So far I have not spent much money on calling cards because I don't use it much. I haven't had any problems with reception yet. It's very easy to use and if I have any questions I can ask anyone that has a cell phone and they can answer my questions. I would recommend this phone to anyone that wants an emergency cell phone or only makes occasional calls.

Thumbs UP!
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zanabug says "they have the best rate plans" about T-Mobile

zanabug — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 18:17:24 GMT

t-mobile flex plan is a great choice if you want to have a contract but you don't want to have to worry about all the hidden cost or over yor planned budget for going over your plan min. the flex plan is prepay contract you pay your bill at the beginning of the pay period and if you use all your allowed min you can purchase more or just wait for the new billing cycle you can add funds to your flex acct which is basicaly your prepay act to download ringtones games or use for extra min if you run out they have the flex pay for all need family plan single plan and even for the fav 5 familey and single with good rates....

stephnmike33 says "Basic phone, with not much extra" about Tracfone

stephnmike33 — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:23:11 GMT

I own the Tracfone. It is very easy to use, but does not have much for extras. It is not internet accessible and you cannot download new ringtones. The original ringtones are pretty boring and annoying. The cost of minutes is really good though....

lss111767 says "at&t wireless....great service outstanding customer services" about AT&T (formerly Cingular)

lss111767 — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 20:07:22 GMT

i have used cingular, verizon, sprint and other cell phone companies in my area. i have found that at&t (formally cingular) is a great service. the phone upgrades are fantastic and there service is awesome. i never have dropped calls and i always have a signal. great company and they let you rollover unused minutes for great savings....