Anyone here use Verizon for cell service?

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

I am proud to say I have never owned or used a cell phone in my entire 50 year life.  Prior to 1990, 250,000,000+ Americans didn't have cell phones and managed to live their lives quite nicely, thank you.  In my opinion, the cell phone is the MOST obnoxious invention of the past 100 years.

Just another example of technology and corporate marketers convincing people of some new thing that they can't live without and sucking money from their purses.  I can live without it.  What I have never had, I surely can't miss.

Cell phones are a way in which companies can get extra work hours out of their employers for no extra pay. If not for that, I doubt they would be as popular as they are.

[brunoflipper]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

I am proud to say I have never owned or used a cell phone in my entire 50 year life.  Prior to 1990, 250,000,000+ Americans didn't have cell phones and managed to live their lives quite nicely, thank you.  In my opinion, the cell phone is the MOST obnoxious invention of the past 100 years.

Just another example of technology and corporate marketers convincing people of some new thing that they can't live without and sucking money from their purses.  I can live without it.  What I have never had, I surely can't miss.

yeah... and to hell with them flushin' toilets, refrigerators and antibiotics; give me my good ol' fashioned drop lolly, ice chest and poultices and i'll be just fine...

funny thing is my great grandmother used to say the same crap about landline phones...

luddites

[Rowdy]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by Rowdy


Where do you get your information from? Verizon utilizes the new, Rev A EVDO technology that Sprint uses so to say Sprint is faster is ridiculous. Every site in Tulsa has Rev A EVDO.  How can Verizon be in the process of getting to Tulsa when they are already here? Sites are going up each and every month and they are building out quite vigorously.

Take a look at a Sprint or US Cellular cellsite and then take a look at a Verizon cellsite. One of the main differences is the fact that almost every Verizon cellsite has a generator on site that holds enough fuel to run a cellsite without power for long periods of time. Carriers like US Cellular and Cingular have to haul around portable generators every time there is an outage that lasts for more than 4-5 hours.  It isn't just a marketing tool to state that they are the most reliable network.  They are investing an appreciable amount of money into it each year to maintain and improve on their quality.

I get my information from side-by-side personal comparison. Yes, verizon uses evdo just like sprint, but verizon is only using evdo on their towers. My guess is they are either congested or limiting bandwidth during the buildout. I would tend to go with the later because I was consistently hitting the exact same speeds everytime.

Lots of cell sites use generators, verizon didn't invent them.

Incorrect on the assumption of how Verizon utilizes their Rev A technology.  I am sure it would be more than safe to say that the fact that Verizon utilizes generators at almost every site compared to everyone else's percentage is quite large and makes a big difference during outages. By the way, cellsite outages happen more than you know.

[Rowdy]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

quote:Originally posted by Rowdy


Where do you get your information from? Verizon utilizes the new, Rev A EVDO technology that Sprint uses so to say Sprint is faster is ridiculous. Every site in Tulsa has Rev A EVDO.  How can Verizon be in the process of getting to Tulsa when they are already here? Sites are going up each and every month and they are building out quite vigorously.

Take a look at a Sprint or US Cellular cellsite and then take a look at a Verizon cellsite. One of the main differences is the fact that almost every Verizon cellsite has a generator on site that holds enough fuel to run a cellsite without power for long periods of time. Carriers like US Cellular and Cingular have to haul around portable generators every time there is an outage that lasts for more than 4-5 hours.  It isn't just a marketing tool to state that they are the most reliable network.  They are investing an appreciable amount of money into it each year to maintain and improve on their quality.

My guess is they are either congested or limiting bandwidth during the buildout. I would tend to go with the later because I was consistently hitting the exact same speeds everytime.

Interesting assumption considering earlier you stated....

"Their service is VERY, VERY new."

"At this point verizon is not really competing in Tulsa, they are merely in the process of getting here."

If that's the case, then how could they be congested to where they have poor bandwidth?  That's because what you state does not make sense. From what you state, Verizon is so new and is not competing, therefore their customer base wouldn't be affecting their bandwidth due to low to zero congestion.

[Conan71]

I have Cingular and have been pretty happy with the coverage, it's been from here to Phoenix, Austin, OKC, etc and I get good coverage with rare black-outs.  The only place locally there seems to be a "black hole" is driving south on Hwy 75 between W. 41st St. and 61st St.  It's also sometimes patchy between 71st & 91st on Yale, but w/ those hills, whaddya expect?

My wife's company went to Blackberries a year or so back via T-Mobile.  Her coverage has always sucked, especially at our house around 15th & Harvard.  When we go on trips, we rely on my phone as the primary one.  The first two "crackberries" she had were ruled defective by her IT guy at work.  The third one was fine for awhile.  They finally gave her an older one and the coverage is acceptible.

We've also had some seriously pathetic customer service issues with my step-daughter's phone account at T-Mobile before.  I can also say that U.S. Cellular's local customer service (from prev. experience) is very lacking which always made me laugh at their commercials touting their superior cutomer service.

[AMP]

I have used US Cellular with a giant tall heavy phone, SW Bell with those small Erickson phones, Sprint with a Sanyo full Internet capable and Cricket NOKIA first then Motorola.  

Of all the hand sets, the NOKIA was by far the most dependable and withstood abuse better than any of the others.  You could buy an addtional battery and a stand to charge it while it was OUT Of the Phone.  Imagine that, what a concept.  Phones today seem to require being connected to the Pensacola Dam Turbine for life support and may go dead even while attached to their umbilical cord. My largest complaint is the cheap batteries going dead...

Cricket so far for my use has exceeded my  needs far beyond any other portable wireless voice phone/service I have used or owned.  

And the annoying "Not Charging" nag screen that pops up occasionally when it is an emergency or a most important call is occuring. Similar to Bill Gates Blue Screen thing.  

One bill, consistent pricing and it works most anywhere in the US I travel.  Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Illinois.  

Number one thing I like about Cricket is the bill is always the same no matter how many local or long distance calls I make from a Cricket calling area.  And I control the travel time minutes by using my Voice Mail.  

Most times I do not answer my cell phone, but allow voice mail and caller ID to handle incoming calls.  I digest the callers needs, then call them back on my time where I can control the call.  

Cell phones are nothing more than a wireless portable phone that goes further distance than a 900 Mhz home unit.  They all use a Land Line in a Central Office of the phone company, thus the standard xxx-xxx-xxxx phone numbering system.

Largest difference is the ability of your hand held to communicate with the signal provided by your cell carrier.

Believe I have had my cricket service for 5 or 6 years, or maybe even longer.  I got mine at Office Depot before the service was available in Tulsa.  It was around December the first roll out year.

[brunoflipper]

quote:Originally posted by Steve

quote:Originally posted by brunoflipper

quote:Originally posted by Steve

I am proud to say I have never owned or used a cell phone in my entire 50 year life.  Prior to 1990, 250,000,000+ Americans didn't have cell phones and managed to live their lives quite nicely, thank you.  In my opinion, the cell phone is the MOST obnoxious invention of the past 100 years.

Just another example of technology and corporate marketers convincing people of some new thing that they can't live without and sucking money from their purses.  I can live without it.  What I have never had, I surely can't miss.

yeah... and to hell with them flushin' toilets, refrigerators and antibiotics; give me my good ol' fashioned drop lolly, ice chest and poultices and i'll be just fine...

funny thing is my great grandmother used to say the same crap about landline phones...

We all have to make personal choices about technology and its impact on our lives.  I choose certain routes, you may choose others.  I prefer to keep my life as simple as possible, but that is my choice, not yours.  To each his own.

i provided you with an historical example that might help you to understand why younger generations would scoff at you...

"What I have never had, I surely can't miss."

well then why even bother with the interwebs and computers at all?... based upon your use of the internet and this forum, you are rather selective about your technological utilization... for many people, technology and information access are a continuum across portals... eventually, integration will occur... "computer vs. television vs. telephone" will become a debate in semantics...

it is pretty obvious that everything out here is an "opinion" and involves "personal choices"...

and that is why your haughtiness is so unpalatable...

[Rowdy]

quote:Originally posted by AMP

I have used US Cellular with a giant tall heavy phone, SW Bell with those small Erickson phones, Sprint with a Sanyo full Internet capable and Cricket NOKIA first then Motorola.  

Of all the hand sets, the NOKIA was by far the most dependable and withstood abuse better than any of the others.  You could buy an addtional battery and a stand to charge it while it was OUT Of the Phone.  Imagine that, what a concept.  Phones today seem to require being connected to the Pensacola Dam Turbine for life support and may go dead even while attached to their umbilical cord. My largest complaint is the cheap batteries going dead...

Cricket so far for my use has exceeded my  needs far beyond any other portable wireless voice phone/service I have used or owned.  

And the annoying "Not Charging" nag screen that pops up occasionally when it is an emergency or a most important call is occuring. Similar to Bill Gates Blue Screen thing.  

One bill, consistent pricing and it works most anywhere in the US I travel.  Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and Illinois.  

Number one thing I like about Cricket is the bill is always the same no matter how many local or long distance calls I make from a Cricket calling area.  And I control the travel time minutes by using my Voice Mail.  

Most times I do not answer my cell phone, but allow voice mail and caller ID to handle incoming calls.  I digest the callers needs, then call them back on my time where I can control the call.  

Cell phones are nothing more than a wireless portable phone that goes further distance than a 900 Mhz home unit.  They all use a Land Line in a Central Office of the phone company, thus the standard xxx-xxx-xxxx phone numbering system.

Largest difference is the ability of your hand held to communicate with the signal provided by your cell carrier.

Believe I have had my cricket service for 5 or 6 years, or maybe even longer.  I got mine at Office Depot before the service was available in Tulsa.  It was around December the first roll out year.

I used to have Cricket and love the no-brainer plan on useage.  However, there IAs (inaffective attempts) were unreal. It took on the average 2-3 tries just to dial a number and have it ring on the other end. When I called about this problem, I was told that they were going to upgrade their network in six months.  I cancelled.

It has been a few years so I don't know how they are now and if they did indeed improve.

[TulsaFan-inTexas]

quote:Originally posted by sgrizzle

The razr is a prime example. sleek case, but the internals were over a year out of date before they hit the shelves, not to mention the internal antenna is shoddy.

I have a razr (on Cingular though) and I can't complain. The voice quality is good and reception is good. I hardly ever have a dropped call. However, I am in the DFW area, if that makes a difference.

[sgrizzle]

quote:Originally posted by Rowdy


I used to have Cricket and love the no-brainer plan on useage.  However, there IAs (inaffective attempts) were unreal. It took on the average 2-3 tries just to dial a number and have it ring on the other end. When I called about this problem, I was told that they were going to upgrade their network in six months.  I cancelled.

It has been a few years so I don't know how they are now and if they did indeed improve.

I had the exact same experiences. Plus I had one overpass that would kill my call everytime I passed under it.

[AMP]

I never experienced that problem.  All cell services have dropped calls and calls that don't go through and hit your voice mail box if you have voice mail.  And there are specific geographic areas that have no or llitle signal, but that is with all cell phones, some  may work in a specific place while others do not.

I have several friends that run their business on Cricket phones and none of them complain.  

Many Cricket exchange numbers are listed in Yellow Page phone book ads.

[tim huntzinger]

Well all I can say is that Verizon's entry into the market is spanking the 'new AT&T' badly, with sales down 30%.  In fact, the company believes that the iPhone is going to basically take them through the next year.  I use reviews from phonescoop, cnet, and letstalk (.com all) to determine which handsets have the best reviews.  JD Powers rated Sanyo #1, LG #2 and Samsung #3 in terms of overall customer satisfaction.

[USRufnex]

***disclaimer-- former employee of VZW***

A couple of years ago, Verizon Wireless touted that it offered its services in 97 of the country's top 100 markets.  The missing markets?  Little Rock, Tulsa and Oklahoma City.

Little Rock was added (w/o wireless broadband) 12/2005... Tulsa's towers were brought online in late 2006- but local prefixes and store services weren't avail. until 1/2007-- however Tulsa's towers started out as EVDO wireless broadband (same basic technology as Sprint's) from day one... this leaves OKC as the only top 100 market in which VZW doesn't offer local prefixes or VZW cell towers.

Last year, my mobile web worked at broadband speeds in the Chicago and St Louis metro areas and the slower "1X" speed (verizonwireless.com  website has this listed on its map as "Natl Access & Enhanced Services") until I was about halfway between St Louis and Springfield, MO... then the phone read "extended network" until I got to Joplin...

Last fall, I couldn't even check my yahoo email on VZW's mobile web once in Tulsa...... waaah, waaah!.... thumbody call a waaaaahmbulance... [xx(]

But once VZW wireless broadband came online in Tulsa (EVDO towers came online in December), it was actually quite a bit faster than my same VZW service in Chicago.  Why?  Because there's currently little traffic on the towers due to the lack of subscribers in the new Tulsa market.

Verizon Wireless's current price plans are all "no roam" and "national."  

Bottom line:  the VZW broadband areas in the Tulsa metro area appear to be comparable to the area Cingular currently offers... but if you're not in a broadband or VZW area in Oklahoma, you'll be using the "extended network" which is US Cellular... in Arkansas I assume the "extended network" is Alltel but could be wrong...

VZW's equipment for data services is "backward compatible," meaning the phones/pda's can go from broadband speed to the slower 1X and back without dropping your data session... what happens in the extended network, I couldn't tell you...

A big question to ask if you're a Blackberry/Treo user is how/if the data services will function in the "extended network" (Example: Muskogee or OKC) which requires data roaming agreements with other service providers... when I worked for VZW, there was nothing like that in place in Oklahoma... now, looking at the website, it appears that has changed so you could still use your data services in these areas...

For all you cutting-edge cell phone users (you  know who you are!)... if you're not already doing this, look at the un-advertised one year pricing on phones (usually around $50 to $100 more than the 2 year price)... the technology and styles change so quick that you could upgrade to another phone in 10-12 months and keep a nice phone that's only a year old in a drawer as a spare... for a cheapskate like me, it means I'd drop the insurance (industry standard $6 per mo. plus $50 deductible) and use the savings to get a new phone every year instead of every other year...

And if you try anybody else's service, see how long you can try the service (I think VZW recently extended their worry free guarantee to 30 days).  Mark that date on your calendar.

If you do lots of business in OKC or Fayetteville, you may want to hold off on looking at VZW.  Otherwise, it's just another option for cell phone service... competition is usually a good thing for consumers, no?

[AMP]

Cricket now has a National Plan, and you Cricket phone works with unlimited local and long distance in areas where Cricket is Local, such as Ft Smith, Houston, Tulsa etc.  

Check their plans, no contract, no mystery charges, one monthly rate period dot.

When they started it was $29.95 and I don't recall it having any FEES attached.  There was a minimal tax, but nothing like is tagged on the bill like today.

Still is the smartest buy out there for Cell Phones Service in my book. But I only travel out of state two to three times a month on weekends.

[tim huntzinger]

Well, here is something interesting: Sonopia, which re-sells V service, allows for smallish groups to creat their own wireless plans etc.(brief discussion from HowardForums here.)]

If one is a current 'new at&t' customer out of contract, PUT THE SCREWS TO THE COMPANY.  Sales are WAY DOWN and the company's churn will be a major issue.  Demand free phones, waived 'upgrade' fees, you name it.  And be sure to ask for your account number, which is a sure sign you are looking at moving your phone number to another company.