Looking for a cell phone service provider that is not crappy

[veganmav]

I am moving back to America in a few weeks, and I'd like to get a cell phone when I get back.

Idealy it would be relatively inexpensive, and socially responsible.

cingular and verizon and stuff suck, I was looking for something more independant, or progressive in some way.

A friend had told me about some like this before but I totally forget the names.

Does anybody have any reccomendations other than the main crappy ones?

[vulturesrow]

wtf is a progressive cell phone company? verizon is the best imo.

[Jimmyjohn]

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wtf is a progressive cell phone company?

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Idealy it would be relatively inexpensive, and socially responsible.


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wtf is a socially responsible cell phone carrier???

JJ

[Biloxi]

and swallows

[XXXNoahXXX]

anything but a prepaid cell phone on the sprint network.

[RiverTheNuts]

It all depends on where you live as to which is best.


Look at letstalk.com and amazon and try and find reviews for providers from people who live in your area

[spock86]

You do realize if you stray away from the crappy main ones, you will probably get a horrible deal and just as bad service to go with it

[GeniusToad]

been with cingular for years and have never had any problems.
not sure quite what you're looking for. cingular has reasonable prices, good coverage and almost never dropped a call.

alltel might be worth looking in to as well.

edit: as far as progressive or socially responsible cell phones companies, good luck.

[Shoe]

DO NOT GET SPRINT. Anything else is better.

[suzzer99]

Verizon or Nextel. You pay a little more, but from what I've heard, their coverage is generally better. Cingular/AT&T/Airtouch/Clem's cel shop is about 200 cobbled together networks running on fumes and duct tape, and it behaves like it. I started keepng a list one time of all the bizzarro [censored] my cel phone would do, just for my own therapy.

Anyway I haven't kept this list up for a while, so it's very incomplete, as the phone still finds some new bizarre weird way to screw up at least once a month or so. And obviously some of these are the Nokia phone, which I generally like. But enjoy anyway:

Sometimes goes into "zombie mode" where it shows one bar of coverage, but really nothing is working. You don't find this out unless you try to dial out or all your friends yell at you for not answering your phone. When it comes out of this mode, the voice messages come along within a few minutes, text messages come trickling in over a few hours

Sometimes resets times to some random time, for no appaarent reason

Drops about 50% of calls in my current residence

Doesn't work at all where I stay in San Juan Capistrano

Won't let me lie down on the couch, sitting up is iffy

Phone doesn't work inside, so I have to go outside with all the loud trucks and leaf blowers

At my current residence often goes straight to voice mail, if I let it sit long enough, people trying to call get:
"Message GA-22. Welcome to AT&T Wireless Services, the wireless subscriber you have called is not available at this time." No chance to leave a message.
If I move the phone around the house it makes contact with the server and this message goes away

Phone sometimes shuts off for no reason

Phone sometimes locks up trying to call and I have to shut it off to hang it up, this seems to happen often when driving through SJC

Sometimes phone gives annoying "ber-dee-dee" old school invalid number sound--three times before lettin me call again, hasn't done this for a while

Used to have annoying text message that came with every VM and you had to delete it

Sometimes phone's setting to display clock goes away for no reason

Sometimes phone forgets last # dialed and instead dials previous # before that

When trying to listen to one message - "You have one unheard message. The following message has not been heard. First unheard message…" - very annoying

Phone used to last for five days until one time when I charged it before it was totally dead. After that it's charge lasted half as long

In this house, often person can't hear me but I can hear them, if I walk out in the front yard it goes away.

If I wave my phone around the room in SJC, the TV makes strange noises

For some reason, the phone just started showing the Nokia handshake when it comes on

Shows call from 720 area code when it's really 612

Hangs up on caller after one ring and gives them a message "the callee has dropped the line"

Alarm snoozes for indeterminate amount of time (10, 20, 30+ minutes)

Alarm goes off at 3:31 pm for no reason whatsoever, alarm icon was not showing

In Kansas City the phone works ok, unless in a car moving over 50 MPH, then doesn't work

Often dials and just sits in silence indefinitely, no ring, no busy signal, just silence

My friend used to get hundreds of spam text messages starting every night at 8pm. AT&T repeatedly told her there was nothing she could do about, until she finally complained loud enough. Then they said "ok", and did something that instantly fixed the problem. She can still send and receive norma test messages.

Sometimes you will say the same sentence 10 times, and the phone will cut out at the exact same point everytime. This is expecially fun when trying to read a phone #.

Often people have called to hear a message that my phone service has been disconnected, sometimes it actual says "for non-payment". Then they call back an hour later and it's fine.

Lately I've been getting calls that just say "CALL", not out of area, or private caller. There is never anyone on the other end of the line. No idea what's going on here.

In Mexico, there is no warning, but text messages cost $.50.

Phone sometimes shows a weird S with a diagonal slash through it. The manual says nothing, and no one at AT&T knows what this means.

"Internet browsing" is beyond a joke. Most websites you can find like 2 links and they don't do anything.