Cell Phone Question: T-Mobile v. Sprint v. Verizon v. AT&T?

[phantom5251]

Hi all, currently paying about $80 a month after taxes/fees with T-Mobile. It's a MyFaves Family Plan with 800 minutes a month. Definitely am not getting full usage, the phones freeze up occasionally, and in our apartment we only get about 1-2 bars, even though according to T-Mobile, we have a tower nearby. After many rounds with them about our coverage, which differs from their map, I've heard anything about service being done on this nearby tower at 4-6 months from now. So of course, by there being allegedly 3 bars in my area, no ETF waiver. They said to call back in a week and check in again at the point as supposedly engineers were on site that day. At my work, we get pretty great discounts on Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and AT&T would probably have the ideal coverage for me. What's everyone's recommendations? Is it a losing battle with T-Mobile? Suck it up with them till said tower allegedly gets put in? Bite the bullet and pay the ETF fee? I just started with them back in April. What's been people's experiences? Thank you all!

[MR.O]

i had Verizon (NYSE: VZ) before i switch to at&t , verizon have the best network so far but it's really expensive . but if you are living in cedar rapids area & you are not a traveler at&t will be good for you + they have a nice pretty & cheap phones . costumer service its great

[Curious Monkey]

I've been with Verizon (NYSE: VZ) (sounds like a relationship :P) for almost 2 years now and I'm pretty happy with it. I live in PA, so geography has a harsh effect on signal quality, but I've rarely had problems getting a call through. I pay about the same as you with 450 minutes w/ unl. in calling (not just a select 5 people, although that is nice if you know people from different carriers.) as well as unlimited texting (I might decrease that just because my phone can't even hold 100 at a time).

My only complaint about Verizon is that the phones aren't quite as nice as the ones you can get with AT&T, although this is becoming less and less true in my opinion.

Just as a last thought, the primary factor in my choosing of provider was how many of my family and friends were with one provider or the other (almost everyone I know uses Verizon, so that allowed me to pay for less minutes).

[eric_cartman]

It depends on where you live. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) is usually pretty good around east of the mississippi, whereas ATT is pretty good from the south upto texas. I'd not say the same with Sprint (NYSE: S) though. They have been problematic lately.

You can use the following website to check the coverage of various providers, which are provided by the customers themselves.

[Nessa Girl]

Do AT&T!!! I have them and they are pretty good. Verizon (NYSE: VZ) might not be as bad either

[VincentP]

I think you should check the signal coverage map in your area to know which service provider is serving in your area. All the service providers has different plans. It's difficult to choose from hundreds of cell phone plans. So, it is often wise to compare cell phone plans and choose the right one that suits your needs.