Cell Phone Providers

[Thom]

I am looking at the cell phone options for Eastern Missouri. I currently have T-Mobile but am going to research other options when I decide to purchase. I am getting a little peeved that every time I upgrade I must buy new cases, chargers, etc. etc. An extra 50 + dollars.

I am happy with the service and coverage but was just wondering if anyone has any recommendations or beware of suggestions. Since I travel somewhat I need one that has a good USA network coverage.

My current plan is $49 / 1000 hrs plus $10 for extra phone. Using government tax math that comes to roughly 72 dollars a month.

Does anyone make a phone that doesn't take pictures, receive text messages , bake bread and play stupid songs instead of ring?

A waterproof one might be nice since I baptised my last phone in Taney trying to escape Terry's squid. The phone now qualifies for membership in the Baptist Church that I belong to but don't work anymore.

[davekeim]

darn, that's a pretty darn good plan. $49 for 1000 hours! They do mine in minutes. ATT. I travel all the time. Very seldom do I not get a signal. You have to have the goodies with your phone. I can watch TV, receive and send e-mail with attachments. It's like my American Express, I don't leave home without it!

Someone make the water go down on TR. I finally have a slip and can't get to it!

Signed,

Cardiac

[catman]

Me and the wife have Cingular AT & T and 2 phones and we pay $100 bucks a month for both with lots of roll over min. our monthly bill hasn't changed in 5 years, it's always $100 a month. I think we both get 1,300 min a month each..

By the way Alltel is the by far the worst.....

[Greg]

Thom

If Alltel is available in your area you might check them out. I've shopped around quite a bit in my area (SW MO) and their pricing was the best in this area. They have been really reliable too. Very few dropped calls and good coverage. My phone was free (with my last contract) and it is just a standard phone - Sanyo flip phone.

Greg

[brittsnbirds]

I have had AT & T, Cingular then AT & T forever. My plan isn't as good as yours we have 4 phones w/ 800 minutes, text and the other stuff. My bill runs around 115 a month. The only place that I have found that I go to and do not get a signal is Montauk. If you go up on the hill to where the blacktop starts ........ but other than that I think they are great. They started the roll over minutes a couple years ago.

The thing I don't understand is my wife's uncle and his friend live down at the LOZ, they have Alltel (I think). They get service everywhere! We were standing in the middle of a wheat field in the middle of Iowa one year and they were getting calls. I only got a signal when I got close to town. I don't know how they do it but seems that they barrow towers from other company's or something.

Good luck on your quest, would like to hear your decision and why. Just for future referance.

Pat

[Greg]

The only place that I have found that I go to and do not get a signal is Montauk. If you go up on the hill to where the blacktop starts ........ but other than that I think they are great.

Pat

Pat - I have Alltel and I don't get a signal at Montauk either. But that's about the only place I've been either in or out of MO that I haven't had coverage.

Greg

[rps]

Eureka Springs area - ATT used to be my provider, but I couldn't get a signal at my house or in most of the town. Switched to Altel and have had zero problems.

[soggyfeet]

sprint has unlimited everything for 99 bucks and their network is getting better but their customer service is lacking a little

[Project Healing Waters]

Alltel's strategy has been to fill in the gaps in the big 3's coverages. Thus, in extremely rural areas they usually have better coverage. But everywhere else they pretty much suck. Billing problems, dropped calls, service outages, etc. are all more common with Alltel among the folks we have known that have it than with any other service. This has always been a MAJOR topic of comparison and discussion among real estate agents. A few years ago in SWMO you had Alltel or nothing. Nobody else had decent coverage areas. But that's different now and the real estate agents have been dropping them like hot potatoes for the past couple of years. The ONLY place I have found in the past 3 years where Alltel phones work and our AT&T/Cingular phones don't is out near Crane. Nothing works inside the park at Montauk. But you don't have to drive up the road far to get a signal.

Personally, we wouldn't have anything but AT&T nowadays. I can live without the phone in Crane. But almost everywhere else we go people are amazed that we have full service when they have none in the boondocks. And their customer service and tech support can't be beaten. But the best part is that if we go to California, Colorado, Maine, or Florida, our network is still the same. In fact, we could go to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Munich, or Jerusalem and still get the same service.

Our plan costs us $70/month for 2 phones unlimited nationwide w/700 anytime minutes and unlimited rollover, nights and weekends, and mobile-to-mobile calling. But we've had that for about a decade. FYI, we were Cingular fans vs. AT&T fans. We had dropped AT&T wireless in favor of Cingular several years ago. Then AT&T bought them a couple years ago.

[Thom]

Thanks for all of the input. My contract will be up soon and I will reconsider the options and advice then.

BTW when I go to montauk the i fortunately have an onstar sattellite in my Tahoe that gets out otherwise I have found nothing else that works there.