Which Phone Carrier for the PNW?

[5Toes]

Okay so my family's AT&T contract is finally ending (woooot) and now it is time to switch. My Mom is afraid that any other carrier wont be as good, maybe even worse. I keep telling her how overpriced AT&T is though...

I am looking at Sprint, havn't looked too hard into any others. I will have a smartphone that will do 4G and as a family we all want decent coverage.

What does everybody here have, and how do they like it? How do you use the network? Do you get dropped calls alot, etc.

Thanks guys

[joshuaaa]

i have verizon and its a love hate relationship as with all carriers. i get good service in most places even some areas i shouldnt at all way out in eastern washington in the mountains and stuff. but its expensive as are all phone companies.

[5Toes]

Im viewing T-Mobile now... they have GREAT coverage up here in the PNW... especially in Kitsap County. Lots of towers

http://www.cellreception.com/towers/towers.php?city=seattle&state_abr=wa

[Mullet Bullet]

they all suck dick. plain and simple. go prepaid and be happy.

[10Toes]

Sprint sucks, Verizon is the best.

[Savagefurai]

Just stay with AT&T.

[DrJosh]

Sprint sucks, T mobile is a compete joke in the PNW (experience), AT&T is full of them selves and suck just as bad as sprint (experience), and the people at Verizon are complete assholes but I always have service.

[5Toes]

Well look at how many towers T mobile has... they have to have good service. Also... they are a PNW company if I recall... a Seattle forum says that Tmobile coverage in Seattle is top notch too.

Decisions

[e30austin]

That means absolutely fucking nothing. TMobile has always been shit and will always be shit. One out of every two calls, I have to hang up and call people back because they can't hear me. It's not a phone issue, it's just how TMobile has been for years. I can't wait until my contract is up so I can go to Verizon.

[5Toes]

Thanks for the advice Mick

[browntown]

I've been happy with t-mobile for years (since voicestream) and like to support a company (even though it is Deutsche Telekom) that is a major employer in the NW. Both Salem where I live and Redmond where I often work have call centers and the HQ is in Bellevue and employs a ton of people. The network has gotten much better than in years past and I have had very few problems.

I was going to mention the t-mobile att merger, but I got a google finance alert yesterday that it might be on the rocks cause of some regulatory problems.

Sprint is an attractive option, but my air card in my laptop used sprint and had horrible coverage outside of major metro areas. That said, I'm sending this message via CLEAR which uses the 4g spectrum from Sprint, so at least in the hills of West Salem --- Sprint does well.

Verizon is my newer air card in my work laptop and works very well almost everywhere. Verizon f-cked me in 1999 and we had an ongoing dispute about my startac phone and portability (this was before the laws were enacted). Because of that fight over 92$, I've refused to use them for my personal phone.

I have a similar 20 year boycott of Sony :-) I believe the best way a consumer can voice his/her dissatisfaction with a company is with their wallet. My wallet has a long memory.

[bkslaughterhouse]

I think mickey just had bad luck cause t-mobile kicks ass. Look into it, I'd suggest just checking out several different stores and talking about possible plans in person

[DrJosh]

T-mobile is German. And they suck in the US. Just get Verizon if you want coverage.

[brutus87]

Sprint.

[HarukoE30]

1. You should look into how much you wish to spend per month/year
2. What kind of handset/cell phone you want/need
3. Coverage Area, Do you leave town often or just on occasion. (Check with local friends or even random people, they are the best to ask)
4. Phone Brand, it does matter as some phones/handsets have more issues than others.
5. Making a collective choice & living with it for 2-years, because that's how long you'll have that phone.

If you want a cheap bill with lackluster/ok coverage = T-mobile
If you want a 2nd place coverage, worst customer service 2 years running, & great phone selection = AT&T
If you want the best coverage, decent enough customer service if you are within reason, & decent enough phone selection = Verizon
If you want a company that use to spend more on sponsoring Nascar than it's Network, has ok 3G/4G speeds, but the last of the *true* Unlimited Data plans (not for long) = Sprint

Also if you don't want a contract, I would look into Prepaid, it isn't all that bad & for $50 a month my GF get's unlimited text/calls Nationwide for that amount with Verizon.

Good Luck