Consumer Cellular?

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I've been hearing their ads on the radio. We're currently with AT&T. When I compare plans it would appear we could cut our bill by nearly half by switching to Consumer Cellular. Does anyone have any experience with Consumer Cellular?
 
Been with them for 2 years. Great company, very reasonable prices. They use the AT&T network so great coverage and speeds.

Not a single complaint.
 
Just a warning- some of the 2nd and 3rd tier cell providers specialize in customers with mid to poor credit, so their plans tend to be both more restrictive and possibly more expensive than a similar plan from AT&T, VZ , T-Mobile or Sprint. Be very careful in comparing plans so you do not get stuck with hidden fees, and be educated on any subsidy of the cell phone itself. I have no specific knowledge of Consumer Cellular. Cricket is now owned by AT&T. Boost Mobile is another option. AT&T is making a big push into Mexico, Central America, and bundling options with Direct TV.

AT&T overall has a more modern network and underlying technology (GSM), and provides better compatibility with the rest of the world. VZ (CDMA) tends to provide better coverage in some rural areas that AT&T ignores because they will never be profitable. Check all providers coverage maps and see which is best in the areas you are most concerned about, including home and work. If your willing to allow roaming then these differences become less critical, assuming the phone works with another major carrier.

(I was focusing on North America only) .
 
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Never used them myself but a lot of the second tier mobile companies do not own any towers of their own. Which is fairly obvious to most people but in a majority of cases the big 4 have deals with other providers (basically roaming). When a customer of their is out of service they can use the service of another company to get signal in that area.

All the large companies do it and rarely does this feature get used on a lower tier provider. So some people in some areas may get good signal near you and have AT&T so you think AT&T is good in your area. You go out and get a Cricket or GoPhone and you have no service.

People don't expect this and take it as a surprise since AT&T is AT&T but all the big 4 rely on other providers in many places. You don't get this feature so you should keep it in mind.
 
Go to howardsforum and check out MVNO section. Research MVNO. In my home and work area AT&T-based MVNOs are excellent, but on a cross-country trip, it may be dead in certain areas, e.g. Wyoming, Nebraska.
 
I switched to CC from AT&T, no change in coverage area or reception, my bill is 100 dollars cheaper per month with the same cell/text/data plan, VERY HAPPY !
 
Helped some older folks switch away from them recently. (they moved and AT&T tower reception didn't work in their new home) I found their practices in making it difficult to port the numbers out as unconscionable. They required details from the new company (Puppy wireless using verizon which I think is great) that no other requires- I am confident it is designed to make hard to leave (with your phone # at least.).. even if the service is good, this practice makes me not want anyone to deal with them.
 
Very satisfied customer here. No problem with customer service and I love my Motorola smart phone. Bill with taxes, and I pay the highest in the nation, runs around $23. A month.
 
Originally Posted By: rubberchicken
Just a warning- some of the 2nd and 3rd tier cell providers specialize in customers with mid to poor credit, so their plans tend to be both more restrictive and possibly more expensive than a similar plan from AT&T, VZ , T-Mobile or Sprint. Be very careful in comparing plans so you do not get stuck with hidden fees, and be educated on any subsidy of the cell phone itself.


There is no hidden fee with Consumer Cellular. Check them out! A top notch company with lower rates - carrying the ATT Coverage Network.
 
Originally Posted By: deanm11
Helped some older folks switch away from them recently. (they moved and AT&T tower reception didn't work in their new home) I found their practices in making it difficult to port the numbers out as unconscionable. They required details from the new company (Puppy wireless using verizon which I think is great) that no other requires- I am confident it is designed to make hard to leave (with your phone # at least.).. even if the service is good, this practice makes me not want anyone to deal with them.


Its rare when Verizon coverage works and ATT doesn't, for ATT gives you the 2nd best coverage in America.

If you live where coverage is difficult, then Verizon is your best bet. But again, a rare bird these days.... hardly ever occurs. I've taken my Consumer Cellular coverage and their cheap default flip phone all over Eastern and Midwest USA. If I lost coverage on any particular day, so did the Verizon phones I was nearby with..
 
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I'm a recent new smart phone holdout. I Had to cave to the sick trend as my 2G service got shutdown.

$35 a month on Cricket Wireless, unlimited** data, talk. Nokia Lumia windows phone for 30 bucks no contract.

Not too bad.

** Its likely a few Gb before throttling but I only chew up about 300Mb a month.
 
My parents have it. They like it, but their cell needs are extremely basic. I believe they mostly target older folks as their market (my folks are in their mid seventies) and it works well for them.

Probably not a good choice if you are a techie gee whiz and whiz bang kinda person.
 
Originally Posted By: KCJeep
My parents have it. They like it, but their cell needs are extremely basic. I believe they mostly target older folks as their market (my folks are in their mid seventies) and it works well for them.

Probably not a good choice if you are a techie gee whiz and whiz bang kinda person.


I'm nowhere near their target demographic and I still think their stuff is more than adequate. I am a moderate data user and their speeds are as good as anyone elses.

The only thing they don't do is rip you off for being naive and wanting to have an overpriced plan.

You can buy any GSM phone, old or new, and use it with them so it's not like they mandate you use a flip phone.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Been with them for 2 years. Great company, very reasonable prices. They use the AT&T network so great coverage and speeds.

Not a single complaint.


Great company. Highest rated customer service in USA. Good pricing. They use ATT or T-Mobile cell towers depending on which SIM card you get. No contract. You can buy a phone for the price and pay 1/24th each month. Our daughters are on CC with family plan.

When you get to be an old geezer, they have phones with BIG buttons.
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Originally Posted By: KCJeep
My parents have it. They like it, but their cell needs are extremely basic. I believe they mostly target older folks as their market (my folks are in their mid seventies) and it works well for them.

Probably not a good choice if you are a techie gee whiz and whiz bang kinda person.


I'm nowhere near their target demographic and I still think their stuff is more than adequate. I am a moderate data user and their speeds are as good as anyone elses.

The only thing they don't do is rip you off for being naive and wanting to have an overpriced plan.

You can buy any GSM phone, old or new, and use it with them so it's not like they mandate you use a flip phone.


This is where I'm at. I'll keep my current AT&T smart phone. I'll be on the same AT&T 4G LTE Coverage Network. I'll have more data to burn than my current AT&T plan. And all this for about half the cost. The only draw back I'm seeing at this point is Consumer Cellular only serves the U.S. and many U.S. territories. With AT&T I get unlimited talk and text while on vacation to Mexico. Weigh that with saving roughly $360 per year. Perhaps with the savings, I'll give the U.S. Virgin Islands a try on my next vacation?
 
For limited use, CC may be a good deal for some folks,esp if coming from postpaid Verizon or At&t. No sense paying for something you are not using that's really overpriced. But for someone who actually uses their phone a moderate amount, I would consider H2O,or any number of others like Airvoice who have a paygo for limited use. If you put your $10 month on autopay, your balance just keeps rolling over indefinitely. In comparison, a $10/mo plan on CC just buys you an expensive flat rate per minute for calls and does not include even the first minute of calling. Cricket has been great for us with 5 phones with unlmtd call, text and 4gb data each phone for a total of $100/mo. All the above use At&t. For Verizon towers, page plus, total wireless, boom.us and expomobile have been really good and cheap to use. I have my father in law on puppy wireless (verizon flip phone) and he talks wide open for $80/year. He was paying about $50/mo for same thing from verizon directly!
 
Originally Posted By: bmwtechguy
For limited use, CC may be a good deal for some folks,esp if coming from postpaid Verizon or At&t. No sense paying for something you are not using that's really overpriced. But for someone who actually uses their phone a moderate amount, I would consider H2O,or any number of others like Airvoice who have a paygo for limited use. If you put your $10 month on autopay, your balance just keeps rolling over indefinitely. In comparison, a $10/mo plan on CC just buys you an expensive flat rate per minute for calls and does not include even the first minute of calling. Cricket has been great for us with 5 phones with unlmtd call, text and 4gb data each phone for a total of $100/mo. All the above use At&t. For Verizon towers, page plus, total wireless, boom.us and expomobile have been really good and cheap to use. I have my father in law on puppy wireless (verizon flip phone) and he talks wide open for $80/year. He was paying about $50/mo for same thing from verizon directly!


Here's the nuts and bolts of what I'm looking at:


Our current AT&T plan: Unlimited Talk/Text with Mobil Share Value 300MB with rollover data shared with my wife. With my Corporate discount we're paying $79.64 per month.

Over the last six months we've averaged 759 Minutes Talk per month with a max of 1164 minutes.

Over the last six months we've averaged 2163 Texts per month with max of 2334.

Over the last six months we've never exceeded our 300MB data limit.


With Consumer Cellular including Taxes/Fees/Surcharges we're looking at approximately $45 per month:

- Talk 1,500 Minutes per month

- Text Unlimited

- 500MB Data


Notes:

- Consumer Cellular tells me the Taxes Fees and Surcharges are charged per bill, roughly $5.00 . On my AT&T bill, I'm charged Taxes Fees and Surcharges per line of service, roughly $5.00 per line.

- As a matter of fact, Consumer Cellular tells me they utilize the AT&T and T-Mobil networks.
 
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