Cingular vs. T-Mobile
I've been with VZW for a number of years and have been very unhappy. My contract is finally about to end and I'm trying to decide between Cingular and T-Mobile. Sprint does not work in my building.
My needs are as follows:
- Probably a minimum of 900 mins. (currently get by with 450 because most people I know are VZW)
- Prefer Mac compatibilty if possible (NOT interested in the iPhone, too $$$$, too big)
- High quality phone service and minimal call droppage (huge problem for me w/VZW)
- Good quality, well-priced data plans
- Good, timely, and reasonable customer service, in store and via phone
- The biggest bang for my buck (I don't have hundreds to spend on a phone or my cell bill each month)
I'm looking for feedba...
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I've been with VZW for a number of years and have been very unhappy. My contract is finally about to end and I'm trying to decide between Cingular and T-Mobile. Sprint does not work in my building.
My needs are as follows:
- Probably a minimum of 900 mins. (currently get by with 450 because most people I know are VZW) -I think GSM nation 900r u2m un/w with nights starting at 7. total cost around 70.00 plus tax.
- Prefer Mac compatibilty if possible (NOT interested in the iPhone, too $$$$, too big)
- High quality phone service and minimal call droppage (huge problem for me w/VZW)
- Good quality, well-priced data plans
- Good, timely, and reasonable customer service, in s...
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gizzo fizzone said:
who cares about quality as long as the text goes through. 😛
We're talking about Cingular and T-Mobile here. Not Verizon. Verizon can't even guarantee that a text will reach another GSM carrier in another country. I can text my family in Germany without any problem, unlike my little brother who has a crappy CDMA phone, none of his text message reach their destiny. When he calls Verizon they claim that since he's texting a Vodafone # they can't guarantee anything. How reliable is that?
Do you have anything helpful to say in that area?
In addition, are you saying that both T-Mo and Cingular are more reliable text-wise bc they are GSM? How are they with data plans as well. I have just refused to use VZW bc I don't want to live in their proprietory little box.
Thanks.
the_eraser said:
We're talking about Cingular and T-Mobile here. Not Verizon. Verizon can't even guarantee that a text will reach another GSM carrier in another country. I can text my family in Germany without any problem, unlike my little brother who has a crappy CDMA phone, none of his text message reach their destiny. When he calls Verizon they claim that since he's texting a Vodafone # they can't guarantee anything. How reliable is that?
Yeah but come on man all my friends have Verizon and I can text and call them for free. And I have this sweet LG EnV phone. Everyone has Verizon. Except for the 62 million AT&T customers.
No but seriously.
Everyone has Verizon.
Most phones are Windows-based, and therefore not Mac compatible. Apple has made no effort to create software for cell phones in general, as far as I am aware. Their first and only effort is the iPhone.
Can you please explain what you mean?
Thanks.
A Couple of factors that may help make your decision:
Tmobile vs cingular: Tmobile generally offers higher value plans: larger buckets of minutes for lower prices. However, the catch is that the network is not always the best, especially when traveling. If U.S. travel is your thing, cingular is better, more coverage in ALL major markets, cities, countries. Tmobile is also more lax on credit requirements, so if you are credit challenged, the deposit at tmobile may be lower or zero...since you've had verizon, I will assume you have good credit, as Verizons requirements are quite strict as well. All in all, Cingular is a better buy, an...
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😲
I assume Treo is similar to a Palm as some Treos run Palm OS. Correct?
What about Blackberry?
Thanks.
I can't find this on the website. Does it also sync data in addition to photos and music? Does it play iTunes or must you convert first?
Is Cingular really worth the significant amount of additional cash, and if so, why? I get the rollover minutes, I'm just not sure I'll have that many.
I must admit that I had horrific experiences with the old At&T Wireless so that makes me nervous, which is probably foolish.
I've been to 2 Cingular stores in my area and had the same weird experience in both. I was totally up front that I was just doing research, about a month away from the end of my contract. Both reps were really eager to get rid of me and getting info was like pulling teeth. Then they both had the gall to tell me to make sure to come back and deal w...
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As far as the phone, you REALLY need to find a store with a rep you are comfortable with. I guarantee if you search on the net you will find 2 dozen stores within a 10 mile radius of your location. Then play with them and see what you like. I can tell you what I like but that doesn't mean squat to you and your personal desires. I can't answer what fits best in your hand, what feels comfortable on the keyboard, etc. I own a chain of stores in Texas but grew up in So Cal. I guarantee there are stores there with quality...
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Actually, I don't remember LA Cellular. I wasn't living in L.A. during their reign. What I remember was AT&T was great for years in Hawai'i and when I moved back to L.A., not only were they not great, but their customer service was so evil I dropped them. They completely screwed me and told me to suck it up. I wasn't in Hawai'i anymore and shouldn't expect that level of quality.
I know it all depends on the rep, but I must have gone through about 10-12 before I dumped them. As much as I dislike VZW (I've had good and bad reps), the old AT&T has left a much worse taste in my mouth.
Yeah well, commission still sucks because it takes the focus off the customer and their needs and puts it on making a sale of w...
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Most people who make $8 an hour aren't very driven if that is all they care to make.
Now, back to the networks. Cingular's network there is an excellent network. But you need to try it for yourself. Others have mentioned in-building penetration and overall coverage and they are correct. There is a reason T-Mobile offers more for your money. They must to compete.
Also you mention in building performance. Cingular at 850MHZ will have much better penetration than T-Mobile at 1900MHZ. UMTS on Cingular is going to outperform GSM because of the rake filter both in the phone and in the network which is a huge benefit of a code division network over a time division network. This will act to combine not only the strong direct signal but also the weaker reflected signal...
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