Are they decent? And are any of the walkie style phones good. I will be finishing my contract with cingular this week and will be in the process of finding a new carrier. Which one is best pricewise, coveragewise etc... Also I am not too picky about phone type, I could care less if it plays mp3's or can surf the intarwebz. Thanks

5/22/2007 11:16:08 PM

sprint and nextel are now the same company...they now have hybrid phones out that do nextel's walkie-talkie and sprint's voice

for coverage...with either sprint or verizon it's mainly phone dependent now - both of their networks cover the rtp/rdu area very well

5/22/2007 11:18:57 PM

unless you're in a building

I've had a sprint phone that was mine and I had a nextel for work. I couldn't get a signal with either one in my apartment and I live in the middle of Cary.
But maybe thats just me.

5/23/2007 12:07:24 AM

yeah I looked at verizon/ sprint-nextel, and they all charge almost the exact same thing for ~500 minutes a month. So it comes down to coverage/customer service (they all suck, but who sucks more)

5/23/2007 12:13:35 AM

sprint's customer service sux

go with verizon

5/23/2007 1:29:09 AM

If you want a phone with a two way radio then SprintNextel is your only option. Verizon has a walkie talkie feature but its crap and no one has it rendering it useless.

Plus I have always loved the free incoming call plan with Nextel. I leave my desk phone forwarded to my cell pretty much at all times. That way if I skip out a little early no one notices. Also only having to check one voice mail box is FTW.

5/23/2007 2:13:13 AM

I have a nextel atm. I dont get service inside most places, especially my apt. I have to keep the phone next to the bedroom window.

5/23/2007 3:26:07 AM

I've never had sprint, but those I know with sprint always complain about dropped calls and text messaging problems. I heard they are bad for correcting these problems, but if your even 1 day late on your bill they will cut your phone off.

I haven't had any problems with verizon. I only use my phone for voice calls and I text message once or twice a month. I haven't found too many places were I can't get good reception.

5/23/2007 3:39:10 AM

Quote :

"those I know with sprint always complain about dropped calls and text messaging problems"

i've never had a problem

Quote :

" if your even 1 day late on your bill they will cut your phone off"

that's silly and not true

5/23/2007 10:44:59 AM

Quote :

"I've had a sprint phone that was mine and I had a nextel for work. I couldn't get a signal with either one in my apartment and I live in the middle of Cary. But maybe thats just me. "

It's not just you.

Sprint is a terrible terrible service provider.


If I had known then what I do now -

Me |---------------10 foot pole-------------------------| Sprint



Don't ever do business with the company. In fact, if you can find some way to rip them off, please, by all means, do so.

And if anyone knows how to get out of a contract without getting suprise butt secks, help............ me...........................

5/23/2007 11:35:10 AM

my god, sglazier
is this your first cell phone ever

you seem like it

5/23/2007 11:39:14 AM

^^if you move out of their coverage area, they'll release you from your contract

5/23/2007 11:40:27 AM

well apparently they have coverage "everywhere."


Right now I'm in an "excellent" reception zone, yet I haven't made a call in the last 3 months that hasn't been dropped within the first 60 seconds.

5/23/2007 11:45:03 AM

maybe it's your phone?? in the 6 years i've had sprint, i've had maybe 5-10 dropped calls, so i don't know what to tell you...

5/23/2007 11:53:02 AM

well it is my first phone by myself, my previous phone was with my parents, and i paid them my portion of the bill each month

5/23/2007 11:59:26 AM

dont most of them have a trial period? I'd try that, make sure you get coverage in the places you're at the most.

5/23/2007 12:11:42 PM

^ yeah they had the 30 days BS trial.


Those 30 days were spent living on campus where my phone worked most of the time.

5/23/2007 1:24:28 PM

Verizon was rated by Consumer Reports as having the best rural coverage a couple of years ago. I have been with them for several years and have been happy so far. I figured any carrier should work in the city, but what I really needed was a phone that would work everywhere else.

Make sure you get a decent phone. When I bought my last one the Razr had just been released and I really wanted to get it. I went into the Verizon store at South Point mall in Durham and the Razr on display only had 1 bar while other phones had anywhere from 3 to 5 bars. I ended up spending $100 for a Motorola e815 which had great reception. The most expensive phones can still be horrible at their primary function as a phone.

[Edited on May 23, 2007 at 2:41 PM. Reason : s]

5/23/2007 2:40:15 PM

I've had Nextel for 3 years now and am still pleased (got the i860 as we speak). I love my walkie talkie option (considering most of my family has Nextel--comes in handy) and I like the fact that you can go like 3 months without paying and they STILL won't turn your sh*t off.


I have Verizon too (the one that opens up to a bigger screen) and they STAY ON MY A$$ about my bill. If you go ONE MONTH without paying, they are calling your # EVERY day. That shit is annoying. But both have good service and good CUSTOMER service, hence why I have both, plus I got a really good discount for IBM on both.


****Note: The only places I can't seem to get a signal in is the MALLS. BOTH phones NEVER have a signal when I'm in ANY mall...especially Cary Towne Center...WTF?

[Edited on May 25, 2007 at 3:51 AM. Reason : .]

5/25/2007 3:50:00 AM

malls are built like bunkers.

5/25/2007 9:45:26 AM

Quote :

"If you go ONE MONTH without paying, they are calling your # EVERY day."

maybe you should act like a responsible individual and pay your fucking bills.

[Edited on May 25, 2007 at 10:22 AM. Reason : god, i'd hate to see your credit rating...]

5/25/2007 10:21:50 AM

sprint has been pretty good for me and I've had them since the late ninetees. they kinda suck in very rural areas though.

5/25/2007 1:26:37 PM

You can throw Nextels in to the sides of buildings or hurl them skipping down the stret and they wont break, some models (i580) can even get soaked and they wont break.

Try that with a Verizon phone. It will go like this.

5/25/2007 1:47:59 PM

yea my dads nextel got ran over by a taxi, he dropped it getting out of the taxi and the guy left and he noticed it after it was ran over.. the damn thing STILL WORKED. It was crushed and shit, screen was broken, but he could receive calls and make them but couldnt see the screen..

Also, had sprint for a year..service fucking sucked. In the middle of Asheboro (ok not a big town but a reasonable one none the less) I couldn't get a signal at all inside a restaurant. Nextel service is good around here tho.

5/25/2007 2:35:14 PM

yeah i went ahead and got one of the hybrid sprint/nextels, the ic402, pretty durable

5/25/2007 3:11:26 PM

We had Sprint & had a lot of problems with the coverage, but with Verizon we've hardly ever had network problems.

5/25/2007 10:55:00 PM

We've had Verizon for 5 years - no complaints

5/25/2007 11:15:59 PM

I work for Sprint, and it's amazing to see the amount of people that are pissed that their phone got cut off b/c THEY didn't pay their bill. Then they come in, bitching at us about how we suck. That's probably half the reason that Sprint (along w/other carriers) get a rap for having poor customer service.

Yes, some people get treated poorly, but that happens at any large company, but if you pay your bill on time, you'll be fine. If you have an issue, and handle it politely and not that "we're out to get you," you'll likely have it handled in a polite manner and everyone goes home happy. Why can't most customers be smart?

5/25/2007 11:35:11 PM

Quote :

"That's probably half the reason that Sprint (along w/other carriers) get a rap for having poor customer service. "

No I am pretty sure its because the service sucks dumbass.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/Advice/TheCustomerServiceHallOfShame.aspx

Quote :

"The results are in, and one company ranks below all the rest: Sprint Nextel, one of the country's largest wireless-phone carriers."

YOU HAVE TO BE FUCKING UP PRETTY BAD TO BE RANKED SHITTIER THAN EVERY OTHER SHITTY COMPANY IN AMERICA.

5/26/2007 2:04:41 AM

Sprint does have terrible service. I could never get a signal inside, anywhere.

5/26/2007 8:29:55 AM

Sprint may often have crappy customer service..but their help line is open 24-7.

My ex had Cingular and she couldn't get help on weekends or nights...I was stunned. I would check and make sure Verizon doesn't do this.

5/26/2007 9:04:00 AM

Quote :

"Yes, some people get treated poorly, but that happens at any large company, but if you pay your bill on time, you'll be fine. If you have an issue, and handle it politely and not that "we're out to get you," you'll likely have it handled in a polite manner and everyone goes home happy. Why can't most customers be smart?"

i like sprint, but ive never spent less than 30 minutes on the phone trying to get hold of a CSR. i pay my bills on time, but first the guy selling me the phone put my address in the computer incorrectly and now one of those same douchebags stole my information and charged 900 to my account.


^^ just depends where. it sucked in raleigh for me but i get max bars most places here in wisconsin

[Edited on May 26, 2007 at 9:05 AM. Reason : .]

5/26/2007 9:04:45 AM

update: i listen through one fucking long menu chain about fraud management and how their hours are m-f 8-5 cst and then 8-12 saturday. finally get through and they say they are only open m-f. thanks a lot you useless pieces of shit.

not to mention last time they couldnt look up the fraudulent account because it wasnt under my SSN. i had the name, address it was billed to, area code, etc but without the account number they couldnt look it up.

[Edited on May 26, 2007 at 9:57 AM. Reason : .]

5/26/2007 9:56:47 AM

Sprint sucks, I've had three months of billing issues* with them and my service is horrible, I probably have 5 dropped calls a week and thats on places like 95 or 40! Now, I have one of the hybrid phones, so maybe that is the issue, but I would never recommend them to anyone.

Quote :

"I've had Nextel for 3 years now and am still pleased"

I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint. Even afterwards I was happy for a while till I got the hybrid.

[Edited on May 26, 2007 at 10:38 AM. Reason : * I paid all my bills on time, I just had issues with what I was charged.]

5/26/2007 10:34:57 AM

[

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

Quote :

"I loved Nextel before they were bought by Sprint."

5/26/2007 10:44:43 AM

Quote :

"Try that with a Verizon phone. It will go like this. "

The G'Zone is fucking waterproof, shock resistant, dust resistant, etc. Some military spec shit, and it has a 2.0 megapixel camera and will do all the fancy shit as well. So you can get VZW phones that are very hardy.

Seriously VZW has no real reason to have a P2T phone. Nobody sells them because it only works with other phones by the carrier and Verizon has unlimited calls with VZW customers in or out. Hence P2T is an extra 10 bucks a phone that you have no reason to spend.

FYI if anybody is ever trying to get a CSR at Verizon, here is the trick. Dial it 1-800-922-0204 or *611 on your phone. The first prompt asks for your phone # so type that in. Then once its done just hit 4 and then 5. Thats all it takes to get a real person.

5/26/2007 2:30:41 PM

^^ ditto

but still, get the beep beep (and by beep beep, i mean Nextel)

[Edited on May 27, 2007 at 1:41 PM. Reason : ...]

5/27/2007 1:41:20 PM