I'm looking for real life experiences from the people who are paying their own cell phone bills here in the Northwest. It doesn't really help if your friend is getting a deal through his aunt nor is it helpful if your friend uses their phone "a lot" and "doesn't pay very much per month". read on- I'm sure you'll see where I'm going with this if you don't already.

Here's what I'm on now:
T-mobile (formerly VoiceStream) regional plan:
3000 anytime minutes for $49.95 per month (plus taxes, etc it comes out to about $62/month). No long distance. Roaming is mucho dinero. If I leave the I-5 corridor, service shuts down. Hell, even on the I-5 corridor service isn't spectacular.

I use just over 600 minutes a month (most $39.95 plan minute maximums) and I'd like to be able to call Booyah in Cali, grandma in AZ and my boy Dan in Vegas without getting ***-reamed ($0.35 per minute for out of area calls, plus the minutes). That is to say, I'd like to be able to use my phone more- so a friend's suggestion about making fewer calls doesn't really apply. Besides, I'm paying enough that I should be able to call frickin England for just the price of minutes. I don't make a lot of evening calls- calls after 6-7-8- or 9 PM nor before 5-6 or 7 AM depending on the plan- and my weekend calls usually go something like "where the hell are you? Oh, ok, I'll be right over".

I've looked at all the majors and none of them had anything to offer on their websites. I'm going to start looking at the car audio places since they tend to have less-than-advertised specials. Virgin's pay as you go plan sounded cool until I figured out that I'd be looking at about $135 per month on their first 10 minutes per day is $0.25 per minute and $0.10 per minute after that.

Any suggestions will be entertained. Thanks everybody!!


Hey- TLNW group discount??

 

hmm.. I have 500 anytime minutes, 200 mobile to mobile, unlimited nights/weekends, free long distance and no roaming on the west half of the US. Verizon. bleh. I pay $35 a month.

 

Not bad... need more minutes... I looked at that one on their website. How's the call quality and customer service?

 

I havn't gone over on my minutes yet because my phone is a POS. The Motorola T720 randomly turns off and it takes about 10 special words and taking the battery out to get it turned back on.

 

I want to get a cellphone service instead of the regular landline.
Is AT&T any good?
Which is the best carrier in the Seattle area?

Thanks!

 

I too have Verizon, but my plan is 700 anytime minutes and 4000 nights and weekends, the service call wise and customer wise is bad ***...

 

I have sprint and I have no problem.......unlimited nights and weekends....and you can choose the plan with however minutes during the day.........I have 300 cause I work during the day and mostly talk at night on my cell

 

i am a verizon dealer...and i get free service...hehe.....but rah now...verizon is offering the american choice plans....40 bucks a month....400 anytime, 1000 mobile to mobile..and unlimited nights and weekend.....free Long distance...and no roaming unless u leave the network....verizon wireless has da largest and most advanced network in da US....and also....if u guys dun know...nextel lost there paten on da direct connect...and verizon wirless is releasing direct connect in september 03......and it will be national...where u can tway sumone in cali...if u from NY....

and u guys who dont want to lose ur number!!!!! well...da FCC has released number locking where u can keep ur number and transfer to a different carrier...and it also applies to home phones

a lot of info u learn as a manager at Radioshack....and u kno wut....da verizon stores dun know all da new info....

 

Have you looked into a more appropriate plan from TMobile? I've been a customer of theirs for a long time and you just have a lousy plan. I don't pay long distance ever, never have. I don't roam unless I leave the country. I pay $40/month for roughly 600 anytime minutes and unlimited weekends.

For your $60 price, you can get the next plan up and have 800 anytime minutes which would cover your monthly usage and give you free roaming and long distance.
-N

 

I started with this plan because I was actually using close to 1000 minutes a month while I was job hunting. You can imagine the bills on a 600 min a month plan. That, and I didn't know anybody who lived out of state so long distance didn't really matter.

I called Tmobile to tell them that I wanted to cancel my service at the end of my contract. They offered me a new phone, free months of service... the girl on the other end practically begged me to stay. After all the free **** they're putting in my lap, I just might I'll look into the 800min/mo plan. Thanks!

 

At&t $56 total 450 anytime unlimited nights and weekends. 5 state no roaming Wisconsin, Illinios, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. No long distance charges. Text messaging and all the bells and whistles included. No reception problems.

 

That's the best thing to do, Kris. Just tell em you plan on leaving and see what they can do to keep your business. Maybe go all out and try to get the plan you want at a lower rate. You'd be amazed by what you can get by simply asking or suggesting.

 

hum we at my work have verzion 1000min nationwide a month for 35.99 a month good deal no roaming free mobile 2 mobile etc plan im on its great i make a lot of random calls and still am yet 2 reach 1000 in a month and my bill is only like 50 a month i agree also with the t720 its a pos im in process of geting my money back on it and getting a diff more reliable phone

 

ok- my current plan expires soon, and I called this weekend to take them up thier offers. So, it's the "get more" plan (39.99, 600 anytime mins, unlimited weekends, no long dist charges) and the free new phone. They couldn't reduce the monthly charge, and they couldn't throw in the unlimited nights for free either... but I asked