Going to try T-Mobile

[Donald]

I went to the T-Mobile website (and some chat with their people) ordered a $0.99 SIM card which they said would work in my Verizon Droid 2 Global. The phone does have a SIM card in it. Buying it online waves the activation fee. When it comes I can sign up for a plan.

Their no contract unlimited everything is $50/month. The data is 2GB then they slow you down for the rest of the billing period. But you do not get charged extra. I think HOTSPOT is included also.

I will try it for a month and see how I like it. Verizon does not work at my house so T-Mobile cannot be any worse. But I work in Troy, so it needs to work around there.

The end game is reduce my cell phone bill, and a new phone (in a bit). I will sign a contract to get the discounted phone.

And I like the girl in their pink ads.

 

[Chris142]

That's $100 less than what I'm paying with verizon now. Can you keep your old number?

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
That's $100 less than what I'm paying with verizon now. Can you keep your old number?


The FCC basically forced all the carriers into "local number portability". The website says yes.

For my test I may just get a new one and keep my current forwarded to the new one. I plan to pay for both phones for one month. If the test does not work out, I do not want to disrupt the Verizon number. After the test I will determine. Sometimes its good to dump your phone number for a new one.

Did I mention I like the girl in their pink ads?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Did I mention I like the girl in their pink ads?

Yeah, but does she come with the plan?

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Donald
Did I mention I like the girl in their pink ads?

Yeah, but does she come with the plan?

She delivers the SIM card on her motorcycle.

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: Donald

She delivers the SIM card on her motorcycle.


Now you're talking

 

[rg200amp]

I had T-Mobile for over 5 years. I was always satisfied with the coverage and reception.

 

[opus1]

I hate to be a buzzkill, but I switched to T-Mobile in October and the person that delivered my phone looked more like Doug Heffrenin from "King of Queens"...then again, if you're just getting a SIM card, maybe the nice T-Mobile lady has room for that on her bike.

 

[DBMaster]

Phone reception and performance is based upon a host of variables. The variables include network coverage, interference, quality of transceiver parts in the handset (your phone), and more things I know nothing about. LOL.

I have been with T-Mobile for five years and find the customer service to be very good. The reception at my house was not good in 2008, but got better. That may have been due to network hardware changes (they happen all the time) or use of a different handset.

Overall, I prefer GSM carriers (T-Mobile and AT&T) because GSM is what the rest of the world uses. CDMA (Sprint and Verizon) is US-only. It is supposed to offer better voice quality, but I cannot comment. T-Mobile, being a German company, leans toward a more European model of mobile phone service. In Europe and Asia they tend to buy their phones outright and then get the best deal on service. Unlike us, they don't generally have long term contracts because their carriers don't subsidize their phone purchases.

If you want the best deal on service you might have to give up the notion of owning a $600+ plus phone. Even if you do want that expensive handset I still think you are better off shopping around, buying it outright, and then buying the service separately.

GSM phones also use SIM cards. They can be moved from one phone to another with no intervention required by the carrier. No "activation charges" required. So, you can own several GSM phones and use them as you like by moving your SIM card from one to another. My current phone is a Motorola EX-119. It was cheap ($100), I own it, and my plan from T-Mobile does not include the extra cost to pay the carrier back for a subsidized phone.

I should state that I like physical keyboards and the lightest, thinnest phone possible. That's a no-go for a smartphone. You can't really watch video or use an internet browser very nicely on the tiny screen.

If I were smartphone-crazed I would buy a last-generation smart phone outright and then put my SIM card into it. When I say "last-generation" I am probably talking about a device that is less than a year old since the lifespan of a smartphone model number seems to be less than a year.

 

[Donald]

I have no problem buying a phone once I see the service is at least as good as Verizon. And if I can get a cheaper monthly rate by buying a non discounted phone, great.

But the contract (for them) locks you in for 2 years and (for you) gives you a discounted phone.

The phone companies would prefer not to see "churn" which one could easily do with a SIM card and local number portability. Jump on the cheapest plan each month.

 

[daves66nova]

I have the pay as you go plan,50 a month.The data is only 1 or 200mb a month 4g,then it drops down to 2g!! for the remainder of the cycle.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: daves66nova
The data is only 1 or 200mb a month 4g,then it drops down to 2g!! for the remainder of the cycle.

200 MB limit? I'm pretty sure you've got that wrong.

 

[RTexasF]

It is the first 100MB at 4G speeds then it is throttled back, I have this same plan.

For the last several years my dealings with customer service have been the absolute worst. Were it not for the fact that no one can match their no contract plans I would have gone elsewhere long ago. I have been on autopay for years where the renewal is charged to a credit card. This past year T-Mobile has cut my phone off due to lack of payment AFTER charging the credit card!!! I've have spent months trying to get this handled going from supervisors in stores to supervisors on the phone. All have assured me it has been handled. Sure enough phone was cut off again last month after charging the credit card. Yes, card is good the charge clears without a problem.

I finally removed auto pay completely and use a third party service each month that charges slightly less than T-mobile for the same plan. That would be Calling Mart.....look into it. Instead of $50+ tax, etc. I pay a flat $49 and my phone doesn't get cut off by the morons/computers @ T-Mobile.

I can also use AT&T on this phone with a SIM card change but their rates are ridiculous and customer service is even worse.

 

[DBMaster]

It seems that customer service experiences vary quite a bit. Overall, I have found T-Mobile's C/S to be very good. EVERY call I have made has connected me with a cheerful and helpful rep in the U.S. who speaks clear, unaccented English. (I am not opposed to accents, by the way, I just know that some are.) When I went through an eleven month period of unemployment they helped me a lot by simply giving me the minutes that I went over on my plan. I had to change plans several times while adjusting to life without a land line in 2009. Again, they came through by allowing me to change plans mid-stream and backdating changes. When I bought my latest phone, which is not a T-Mobile phone, they even gave me some free data (I do not have a data plan.) to fine tune some settings on the phone.

I only had Spring prior to T-Mobile and its C/S went downhill rapidly as their subscriber base increased. I cannot say whether or not the other carriers have good C/S or not. Unfortunately, depending upon your location and choice of handset, YMMV when it comes to overall service from a carrier.

 

[doitmyself]

Who would have thought that the telephone would come to dominate so much of our lifestyle. What does everyone do with all the extra free time that today's modern conveniences create for us (sarcasm intended!)?

I have it on good authority that the T Mobile girl uses Mobil 1 in her bike. Which do you prefer Donald?....pretty in pink, or "Not Mr. Nice Girl Anymore"? My apologies for not contributing anything useful to this thread.

 

[yesthatsteve]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
It is the first 100MB at 4G speeds then it is throttled back, I have this same plan.

For the last several years my dealings with customer service have been the absolute worst. Were it not for the fact that no one can match their no contract plans I would have gone elsewhere long ago. I have been on autopay for years where the renewal is charged to a credit card. This past year T-Mobile has cut my phone off due to lack of payment AFTER charging the credit card!!! I've have spent months trying to get this handled going from supervisors in stores to supervisors on the phone. All have assured me it has been handled. Sure enough phone was cut off again last month after charging the credit card. Yes, card is good the charge clears without a problem.

I finally removed auto pay completely and use a third party service each month that charges slightly less than T-mobile for the same plan. That would be Calling Mart.....look into it. Instead of $50+ tax, etc. I pay a flat $49 and my phone doesn't get cut off by the morons/computers @ T-Mobile.

I can also use AT&T on this phone with a SIM card change but their rates are ridiculous and customer service is even worse.


My wife has the same plan as you do. Unlimited talk & text, plus 100MB data at 4G & unlimited 2G after that.

I have the $30 plan with 100 minutes of talk, unlimited text, and 5GB of 4G data.

Callingmart rocks. They typically offer 5% discount codes on their facebook page, which are good for a few days a month. We just paid $76 to top off both phones for the next month, and no sales tax!

If we ever ditch the landline, we'll probably switch Straight Talk's "Bring Your Own Device" for $45 a month unlimited everything for each phone.

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: yesthatsteve


If we ever ditch the landline, we'll probably switch Straight Talk's "Bring Your Own Device" for $45 a month unlimited everything for each phone.


Which if you get the 3 month cards comes up to $41.66 PERIOD per month. No taxes or fees.

I've been EXTREMELY happy with their service on all of our phones. The landline has been gone for a long time.

Their T-mobile works great (one phone on that) and the others on AT&T.

SimpleMobile also looks to be great (same company as Straight Talk but for under $40 per month) if you have a T-Mobile device.

Take care, Bill

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: RTexasF
It is the first 100MB at 4G speeds then it is throttled back, I have this same plan.

That's crazy. At 4G speeds, you can burn through 100 MB in less than 1 minute. You download a few emails, install a few apps, and you're done.

What do they throttle you back to after that? Is the speed usable for anything at all?

 

[yesthatsteve]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Originally Posted By: yesthatsteve


If we ever ditch the landline, we'll probably switch Straight Talk's "Bring Your Own Device" for $45 a month unlimited everything for each phone.


Which if you get the 3 month cards comes up to $41.66 PERIOD per month. No taxes or fees.

I've been EXTREMELY happy with their service on all of our phones. The landline has been gone for a long time.

Their T-mobile works great (one phone on that) and the others on AT&T.

SimpleMobile also looks to be great (same company as Straight Talk but for under $40 per month) if you have a T-Mobile device.

Take care, Bill


Thanks for the feedback, Bill! I'm glad to hear it's a good option.

My wife has been REALLY leery of ditching the landline, for fear of needing it in an emergency when cell service is out. We had an ice storm here a few years ago that took out just about everything except POTS in several neighborhoods, and she doesn't recall that time with any fondness.

 

[RTexasF]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: RTexasF
It is the first 100MB at 4G speeds then it is throttled back, I have this same plan.

That's crazy. At 4G speeds, you can burn through 100 MB in less than 1 minute. You download a few emails, install a few apps, and you're done.

What do they throttle you back to after that? Is the speed usable for anything at all?


I really don't know what it is cut back to. I seldom use the phone to go online so I've not noticed if it slows to a crawl or not after reaching 100MB.

Also, after dumping the auto pay with T-Mobile and going with Calling Mart my month to month renewed just as it should. I read where Calling Mart also has an auto pay that saves a few bucks but now I'm gun shy.