Home  ›  Carriers  ›

T-Mobile

Info & Phones News Forum  

all discussions

show all 53 replies

T-Mobile vs. Cingular

mauimano

Apr 5, 2007, 3:51 AM
Hi.

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 T-Mobile and Cingular. 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 feedback...
(continues)
...
LilShorty

Apr 5, 2007, 9:08 AM
Here are a few rate plan options:

Monthly Rate (Recurring Charge) $59.99
Whenever 1000 $0.40
Unlimited Nights 99999 $0.40
Weekends 99999 $0.40
My Network 99999 $0.40

Monthly Rate (Recurring Charge) $49.99
Whenever 1000 $0.40
Unlimited Nights 9999999 $0.00
Weekends 9999999 $0.00

Monthly Rate (Recurring Charge) $49.99
600 $0.40
Unlimited Nights 99999 $0.40
Weekends 99999 $0.40
My Network 99999 $0.40

My network are the MyFaves five that you choose.

Blackberries are compatible with Macs using PocketMac. It is very limited what you can do with a PocketMac program, though. I would recommend the 8700g. I get VERY few complaints about it.
...
mauimano

Apr 13, 2007, 10:51 PM
Thanks for the info.

I'd like to be able to save my phone book on my Mac. Coming from VZW and CDMA, though not happy with either, I am accustomed to being able to save my phone book online. While I am happy to return to GSM and SIM cards, if I lose the phone/it's stolen or the SIM card is damaged, I am out of luck with my phone numbers.

Or are there other options I don't know about?
...
LilShorty

Apr 14, 2007, 8:52 AM
T-Mo is going to launch an online phonebook where your phone syncs with the network and stores it on T-Mobile.com. You will be able to make changes from either the handset or T-Mo.com. It would have to be a phonebook sync capable handset, though, and off the top of my head I can't remember which ones will work.
...
mauimano

Apr 14, 2007, 6:36 PM
Is this coming soon and will there be a charge for it? Will it apply to many handsets?

I don't really understand why it would need to be a specific handset actually because they all must sync to the network on some level, right?

I mean, if VZW can make all their phones do it I don't see why everyone else can't do the same. 'Specially since no one else is stuck in the stupid box they've created.

Thanks!

Thanks!
...
LilShorty

Apr 17, 2007, 9:16 AM
It will be a free service.

Not all handsets are designed to sync the phonebook with the network. I imagine, though, that as more handsets start coming out after this feature, that eventually they would all be compatible.
...
visa

Apr 5, 2007, 10:48 AM
I have used both Tmobile and Cingular. My personal preference is Tmobile, mainly for the pricing.

With Tmobile you get much , much more for what you pay for and they also recently came out with a plan called my faves if you call 5 five poeple very frequently. You can have unlimited calling anytime, to any 5 people cell phone or landline. Their text messaging bundles and data plans cost much less. All of the pricing plans are listed on their website www.tmobile.com .

As far as customer service, I feel that both Tmobile and Cingular ( Cingular has improved greatly in the past year ) are about the same , depending on which particular customer service agent you get to speak with when you call. This is my personal opinion based on my pers...
(continues)
...
cappy94

Apr 5, 2007, 1:44 PM
Avoid T-Mobile like the plague. The ad campaign is "Get More"...more like "Get Less." Most of the time their service is problematic at best and they blame everyone else for their issues. You end up paying more in time and getting MUCH less in service. Not to mention the fact that they can't even get their billing process done correctly. I had to call them SEVEN times to get a name spelled correctly and an address put on the account so I could get my bill. They are sloppy and make a lot of mistakes...more than any other carrier and I have tried them all. I just switched to Cingular/New AT&T, and I have to say that I am MUCH happier. I used to drop calls every day on the route I take to get home. I haven't dropped one call since I swi...
(continues)
...
LilShorty

Apr 5, 2007, 2:40 PM
Then why I haven't I had any issues with the service, either customer care or signal? 🙄
...
cappy94

Apr 5, 2007, 2:47 PM
Do I care why? All I know is that T-Mobile has the worst retention rate for consumers. They cannot maintain their contracts to save their bottom line and they know it. As a matter of fact, I have a friend at Deutche Telecom who has even told me that T-Mobile USA is in DEEP trouble...and you can see it in their marketing campaign. T-Mobile, "Get Less." 🤣

Considering that you are a tech tier II, and not in the executive office, I would assume that you are not privvy to these things. Besides, do you really think T-Mobile is the best GSM carrier? Think again...when I was a T-Mobile customer, I had blackouts, etc. The data transfer rate was a quarter of what mine is now with Cingular and I was in the top tier available at T-Mobile....
(continues)
...
knn_dm

Apr 5, 2007, 3:07 PM
I'm also a t-mo customer and I have never had one problem with them. My bill has always been correct, I never drop calls, and customer service is far better than Cingular. When I had cingular, I was had to call customer care at least 5 times a month to get my bill straight. If T-Mobile screws up, then they compensate for it. My opinion, mauimano, is if T-Mobile has strong coverage in your area, then save yourself the hassle of huge bills and horrible customer service.
...
Keovani

Apr 5, 2007, 3:09 PM
JUST LOOK AT THE COLORS AND PICK! GSM (AMERICA) SUCKS BOTH WAYS.
...
cappy94

Apr 5, 2007, 3:16 PM
That's IF they have good coverage in your area. I can tell you that in NYC/LA/CHI/MIAMI I can think of a dozen drop zones in each city. Now, bare in mind that I had the MDA, so the signal strength was also a device issue. But, I have friends who are still on TMO and they have the same problems in the same areas. As far as the billing issue, I am glad to hear that you didn't have any issues...when TMO made mistakes, they rarely compensated for it...and they are known for that.
...
V-Town

Apr 5, 2007, 5:37 PM
Ya, you got that right!

The whole being rated #1 by JD in customer service for 5 years in a row really shows how little they care about their customers.

Also being the only Wireless provider to ever be in BuisnessWeeks top 25 service companies totally means nothing.

/sarcasm

There are bad reps in EVERY buisness, but you are acting like you are guarenteed bad service by T-Mobile. When you get a rep that wont help you, hang up and call back! Chances are you will get a rep that will help you out the next time. T-Mobile is KNOWN for being the BEST in customer service!

Also with the huge purchase of spectrum last year, the coverage is only going to get better. And T-Mobile will show you exactly what coverage you will get at any add...
(continues)
...
BananaORiley

Apr 10, 2007, 4:09 PM
It definitely sounds to me like you got a bad REP or maybe even a couple. Sometimes when you start an issue and bad REP is the first responder it seems like every rep is out to get you. I know I have worked in 4 different departments of customer service and when I started to deal with an issue, I resolved it.
Not every answer can be in your favor either though, there are many people that call and expect the world because of 1 bad thing that has happened to them and it spirals down from that.
...
LilShorty

Apr 5, 2007, 5:02 PM
I am not biased towards them b/c I work for them. I am biased towards them b/c they are a genuinely good company. Their coverage doesn't work for everyone. No company's coverage works for everyone. My husband had to switch his Blackberry from Cingular to Verizon b/c he kept losing his GPRS signal in our house, which was bad when he was on call. He kept having to get his coworkers to cover for him. I never had a GPRS, or signal issue, at my house. I was at a party at my brother's house and my sister was talking about getting Cingular...until she found out that ALL the Cingular phones were searching for signal. All the Verizon and T-Mo phones were working just phone. And I've heard the horror stories about Cingular CC. They're at the...
(continues)
...
mauimano

Apr 13, 2007, 11:20 PM
ANother question- I have read that SPCS and T-Mo operate on similar networks. Is this the case? That would lead me to believe reception would be similar. I know Cingular works in my building and Sprint does not. I don't know anyone with T-Mo in my area, but if they use the same networks as SPCS I'd likely have problems in my building.

Thanks.
...
LilShorty

Apr 14, 2007, 9:27 AM
Well, it also depends on how many towers are in the area. If there is a tower close to your building, the frequency isn't going to matter. Testing is really the only way to know for sure.
...
dapokerkid19

Apr 7, 2007, 11:46 AM
Yea JD power and associates best in overall customer satisfaction 5 years in a row but your right T-Mobile is terrible 🙄
...
lancekalzas

Apr 9, 2007, 5:15 AM
I don't understand how T-Mobile USA is in deep trouble from DT's perspective if they're contributing over 25% of DT's EBITDA. DT makes a profit strictly because of T-Mobile USA and they know it. Where do you think the money for the auction came from? $4.2 billion? T-Mobile didn't spend that. DT did. I understand you had a bad experience with them but the fact is that could happen with any company in any industry. You can't make everyone happy and if T-Mobile was bent on making every customer unhappy, they wouldn't be in business. I guarantee you Cingular/ATT has unhappy customers who have dropped calls as well.
...
dan327

Apr 6, 2007, 5:26 PM
I switched from Cingular to Sprint - but if I had to do it over again I would seriously consider T-Mobile. I can tell you that Cingular was the most expensive mobile phone service I ever had. They seemed to nickle and dime me and their plans were very complicated. Too many options with lots of ways to get charged for things under one circumstance but not in another. Their text messaging & web plans just were not worth the price most of the time.

Just look at the T-Mobile website and compare it to the Cingular/AT&T site. Look at how detailed the T-Mobile coverage map is. Look at how easy it is to pick a T-Mobile plan and get the right addons like text messaging. A website can say a lot about a company. If I had to choose between the new A...
(continues)
...
moto1

Apr 7, 2007, 1:48 AM
Be cautious about these personalized coverage maps from either carrier, as I find them unreliable. T-mobile initially wouldn’t sell me service because they said I resided outside their coverage area. After twisting the arm of a local rep, I get signed up and have a full signal at home. To this day, the T-mobile map shows me outside the coverage area. In places where they show excellent coverage, you’re lucky to get a signal at all. The whole thing is backward for some reason.

Anyway, I carry both services and to give you a solid recommendation is tough. All I know is real world experience by using a phone within its trial period might be the best bet. Again, these personal coverage maps seem to fail me every time; wouldn’t want that...
(continues)
...
CAD 5000

Apr 9, 2007, 8:28 AM
Lets get the small stuff out of the way. I currently have tmobile and had cingular for 5 years prior in otherwords, I sort of know.



- Probably a minimum of 900 mins. (currently get by with 450 because most people I know are VZW)


# Every carrier has a 900 minute plan. Tmobile for nationwide is cheaper (50.00 for 1000 min) Cingular has rollover (DEF: if you use 500 for your 900 anytime minutes, for the next month you techincally have 1400 anytime minutes) (59.99 for 900)

- Prefer Mac compatibilty if possible (NOT interested in the iPhone, too $$$$, too big)

#Any plam based or blackberry pda is that and the nokia pda for cingular does that as well.

-High quality phone service and minimal call droppage (huge problem for me w...
(continues)
...
buckeye12

Apr 9, 2007, 6:53 PM
Spend extra for customer service?

What cingular did you use? Can't be the cingular the rest of the U.S. has been using


If you want great service, the best customer service, and crystal clear calls - - For the best price in wireless

Then go with T-Mobile
...
jjgreene

Apr 9, 2007, 8:36 PM
🤣 🤣


i can't help but laugh, have you noticed how cingular/AT&T refuses to suck up or lash back at other carriers?

Cingular lets its product speak for itself, i suspect though that as soon as they are finally settled on a name, that you will see a less passive advertising campaign...

comparing t-mobile with AT&T is like comparing the Major Leagues to the Minors.
...
lancekalzas

Apr 10, 2007, 4:41 AM
Cingular/ATT is definitely bigger than T-Mobile. They definitely have faster data speeds. But you should give credit where credit is due and not to just Cingular. Cingular has done a lot without a doubt but T-Mobile has come a long way in the past five years. As an example, they've gone from 3 million customers to 25 million customers just in 5 years. That's an impressive feat. There's no reason why anyone can't give props to anyone or any company when they do something right. That's being unbiased.
...
CAD 5000

Apr 10, 2007, 8:38 AM
"comparing t-mobile with AT&T is like comparing the Major Leagues to the Minors."

were the majors are charging way tomuch to see a falty product, like the cost of cubs tickets..... Cingular is good, don't get me wrong.... but tmobile isn't huff either.
...
buckeye12

Apr 10, 2007, 10:00 AM
Your wrong sir, Cingular bashes right back at Sprint every chance it takes on TV and in Print.

T-Mobile has almost as many customers as ATT WIreless and Cingular had before their merger

hardly the minors
...
jjgreene

Apr 10, 2007, 3:21 PM
ok, that was over 2 years ago, and now AT&T has over 60 MILLION, to t-mobile's 25 million, correct me if i'm wrong but isn't that more than double?

Please inform me of Cingular bashing back at Sprint, where can i find this ad? I'd love to see it...(i've heard of an international roaming commercial but i've never seen it).



I'm sorry but Sprint makes very misleading claims against Cingular....
...
buckeye12

Apr 10, 2007, 4:54 PM
two years ago and Cingular had to buyout another company to reach those numbers.

AT&T Wireless had WCDMA running in select markets before the merger .... what has Cingular done besides expand the network that ATT had built.

There was an ad recently in a paper I saw it on Digg I will find it though here soon.

Sprint didn't make any misleading claims, or they would have been sued

Sprints Power network is faster and covers more area than Cingulars PRIMARY network Edge

you know as well as I do that Cingular's 3G doesn't cover anywhere near the amount of people thats the Power Network covers
...
jjgreene

Apr 10, 2007, 7:58 PM
No, but sprints primary network is not EV-DO, more area is covered by their analog coverage....


Might just be a GSM benefit, but nevertheless

they should be comparing EV-DO to WCDMA

WCDMA is actually springing up in a lot of places, you'd be surprised how many cities are covered, and as soon as the TDMA network is shutoff, look for those sites to be replaced with WCDMA,


yes AT&T wireless started deploying WCDMA first, but in my oppinion it was their downfall, they had horrible coverage because of their lack of GSM deployment,

K, well it took T-mobile 5 years to reach 25 million,

while Cingular added 14 Million in 2 years....what's your point? for the most part the same pace....
...
buckeye12

Apr 10, 2007, 8:18 PM
Sprint is not primarily analog

If any place still has tdma towers turned on they will not be replaced with wcdma ... they will put edge on them first.

Tmobile went from like 5 million to almost 30 million in less than 5 years.

btw AT&T never suffered from lack of GSM coverage

man .... where do you get your information?
...
jjgreene

Apr 11, 2007, 1:18 PM
i'm sorry i guess i worded that poorly, although if you look at the comparison i was making you should have understood what was meant.

i said Cingular added 14 Million over a 2 year span, and T-mobile added 25 million over a 5 year span...take it for what you will....

what are you talking about??? ask anyone, AT&T wireless' network was horrible....

The majority of Cingular's network is already covered by EDGE, all i'm saying is that there will be a lot of room for network expansion, through the freed up spectrum and tower space...
...
buckeye12

Apr 11, 2007, 2:24 PM
Thats great that there will be room

T-Mobile just spent tons on a HUGE chunk of spectrum ... so your theory goes both ways

AT&T Wireless was not crap I used them for 3 years
...
nextel18

Apr 10, 2007, 5:03 PM
Yes, that 60 million is correct, but that is mainly because of outside growth not organic growth, and that doesn’t count, because they spent $41B buying AWE out. give T-mobile a chance because I think they have a great chance to be in the top 3 over the next 10 years, especially with their price points and prepaid, especially since Verizon doesn’t have a true 3G+ offering.
...
nextel18

Apr 10, 2007, 5:07 PM
Actually Cingular bashes at Sprint in some lately advertisements, and quite frankly, they are hilarious.


Cingular actually has a blitzing with it comes to advertising check the figures last year and check the TV this year.

It is difficult to compare AT&T/Cingular to T-mobile USA but they are both going to be great in the future, but I think T-mobile USA would be better.
...
nextel18

Apr 10, 2007, 5:26 PM
You can check this URL to see where T-mobile ranks…

http://www.download-telekom.de/dt/StaticPage/30/00/0 ... »

Check out slides;
6, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 25, 26, 27, 29, and 35.
...
buckeye12

Apr 11, 2007, 10:32 AM
That was honestly one of the most informative things I have ever gotten from this website.


T-Mobile isn't behind ... they are just pacing themselves


brilliant
...
nextel18

Apr 12, 2007, 5:46 PM
Thanks.
...
jarethsgrrl

Apr 12, 2007, 10:52 AM
Robert Dotson said "if we can't do it better we're not doing it at all."

Plans are to have 3G rolled out in certain markets by the end of fourth quarter '07.

Cingular sues T-Mobile because they were advertising in certain markets that they had better coverage than Cingular. Which is true. If you go to North Carolina T-Mobile coverage sucks in most places, but if you go to LA, Cingular coverage sucks.
...
CAD 5000

Apr 10, 2007, 8:33 AM
Don't forget the lack of pda's tmobile has.... I am just trying to be unbaised and when you have cingular for ten years and you were grandfathers from cell one, and you remind customer service of this everytime you call you get respect from your company.
...
imcoolerthanyou

May 2, 2007, 4:46 PM
Moron. Yeah, Cingular is going to give you better customer service, just ask J.D. Powers.
...
PhoneHero

Apr 10, 2007, 2:50 PM
I've had both T-mob and Cingy, T-mob wasn't bad, but i constanly had dropped calls (as in a dropped call every 2 calls), and i have to wait till cingy or verizon to give their leftovers (phones) to t-mob for them to start selling them.

The price was nice but i didn't get much out of it. When i swicthed to Cingy my drop call rate went to 1 or none every month, i liked their phones alot better, better coverage where i lived, and ACTUAL data coverage, not a wi-fi tmob wifi hotspot -.-

I feel like tmob are more for teens or people who don't want to spend money for service.
...
buckeye12

Apr 11, 2007, 12:27 PM
I feel like T-Mobile has the fewest drop calls acrossed the top 35 U.S. markets


and they don't get leftover phones

they debuted the pearl, rizr, pebl, sidekick 1/2/3, blackberry 7100 series

and their data plans include Hotspot access for your computer
...
lancekalzas

Apr 12, 2007, 4:36 AM
The Razr is a prime example of a phone that is leftover but T-Mobile didn't debut it first because it didn't pass quality tests so it went to Cingular instead. I think this is obviously true considering how much the Razrs still suck.
...
mauimano

Apr 14, 2007, 2:13 AM
Based on my research, it does appear that T-Mo provides much more for the price, both in voice and data plans.

Are their data plans as good as Cingular's? They are certainly more understandable.

Someone did suggest that I should try them both out to determine coverage in my area and if T-Mo had the coverage to go with them. That is starting to make quite a bit of sense financially.

My frustration is that no one I know has T-Mo. Anyone out there in my area that can give some feedback on their experiences?

I live in L.A. proper, Mid-Wilshire. I spend a lot of time on the Westside and Hollywood, some in the South Bay, some in the Valley. Subscribers, employees, whatever...I'm just looking for applicable knowledge in my ...
(continues)
...
jrfdsf

Apr 14, 2007, 12:24 PM
Have you checked both out to see which one will pick up best where you work, and at home? That should be your MAIN consideration.

You mentioned Sprint won't pick up inside your building. Don't let any of these guys fool you, while I'm very happy with Sprint(Nextel), if it didn't pick up where I work and live, it would be absolutely worthless to have!

Same is true for your decision. Find out which one works best, then go with it.
...
LilShorty

Apr 14, 2007, 2:26 PM
Who's trying to fool OP? 🤨
...
jrfdsf

Apr 14, 2007, 2:42 PM
It happens.
...
mauimano

Apr 14, 2007, 6:45 PM
Huh?

I know Cingular picks up in my building bc a neighbor had it. I know Sprint doesn't bc another neighbor has it. I don't know anyone who has T-Mobile.

I don't have a set office currently. I work all over so that doesn't narrow it down.

It does seem as though Cingular has the larger network. They are just so damn pricey for everything compared to T-Mobile!
...
chocolateman85006

May 1, 2007, 8:15 AM
VZW is the best; but if you must leave, get T-mobile! The phones are awesome and so are the plans.
...
ygbhen

May 1, 2007, 12:22 PM
Based on your opinion or maybe where you live BUT they are not where I live 🙂
...
jmac32here

May 1, 2007, 9:06 PM
Hrm..iv VZW is the best..explain these National Numbers for coverage:

Sprint covers 295 Million
Cingular covers 273 Million
T-Mobile covers 268 Million
VZW covers 260 Million

Thats the number of people each carrier states they cover..as posted side by side on www.drakoswr.tk -- but the same information is available separately on each carriers sites.
...
LilShorty

May 2, 2007, 9:07 AM
3 words. Roaming, roaming, roaming. ;-)
...

You must log in to reply.

Please log in to report a message to the moderator.


all discussions

Subscribe to Phone Scoop News with RSS Follow @phonescoop on Threads Follow @phonescoop on Mastodon Phone Scoop on Facebook Follow on Instagram

 

Playwire

All content Copyright 2001-2024 Phone Factor, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Content on this site may not be copied or republished without formal permission.