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Consumer reports has consistantly voted Verizon the best for customer service and overall coverage as well, the last few years. I did notice, if I remember correctly that it had dropped some or some of the other carriers were catching up.
Consumer Reports has consistantly voted Alltel ahead of Verizon in the Charlotte maket specifically though and in every market where Alltel competes vs. Verizon in the January 2008 edition. I've used them both here and would say, that at least for me, alltel does the best in the Charlotte market. Alltel was the first cell provider here back in the 80's and is frequently a little better indoors and on the outskirts of the city. I've been told, since they've been here the longest, they're usually at the highest point on the towers and own many cell towers here. But I would say, just in my usage and experience, Alltel is best, followed pretty closely by Verizon, and AT&T is a step behind. I really think Verizon is probably more popular because you see a ton of Verizon ads on tv talking about how "reliable" the network is, while Alltel advertises about its value with My Circle so I think Verizon is the trendy pick because they've convinced the average consumer that their coverage is best, but very few, if anybody I know that's tried alltel think somebody else is better.
Consumer Reports has consistantly voted Alltel ahead of Verizon in the Charlotte maket specifically though and in every market where Alltel competes vs. Verizon in the January 2008 edition. I've used them both here and would say, that at least for me, alltel does the best in the Charlotte market. Alltel was the first cell provider here back in the 80's and is frequently a little better indoors and on the outskirts of the city. I've been told, since they've been here the longest, they're usually at the highest point on the towers and own many cell towers here. But I would say, just in my usage and experience, Alltel is best, followed pretty closely by Verizon, and AT&T is a step behind. I really think Verizon is probably more popular because you see a ton of Verizon ads on tv talking about how "reliable" the network is, while Alltel advertises about its value with My Circle so I think Verizon is the trendy pick because they've convinced the average consumer that their coverage is best, but very few, if anybody I know that's tried alltel think somebody else is better.
I dont think advertising is why Verizon is popular here but more of the quality of service.
Apple Auto Sales advertises alot but it doesnt mean I want to buy a car from them but I love their cheeky commercials.
Verizon does have draw backs that I think should be brought up more to date. The new Vcast videos are too short. Web access seems like beginning of internet technology, The GPS navigator I am cancelling due to it cannot find its own location or where I want to go.
I am not debating your information you have and do provide good information and I will have to talk to my brother who sets up cell towers to find out who has the market.
I am glad I am able to keep amount of minutes for the price I pay for 2 phones since I began service with them 6 years ago. I notice now you get less minutes for same price for New accounts.
I dont think advertising is why Verizon is popular here but more of the quality of service.
Apple Auto Sales advertises alot but it doesnt mean I want to buy a car from them but I love their cheeky commercials.
Verizon does have draw backs that I think should be brought up more to date. The new Vcast videos are too short. Web access seems like beginning of internet technology, The GPS navigator I am cancelling due to it cannot find its own location or where I want to go.
I am not debating your information you have and do provide good information and I will have to talk to my brother who sets up cell towers to find out who has the market.
I am glad I am able to keep amount of minutes for the price I pay for 2 phones since I began service with them 6 years ago. I notice now you get less minutes for same price for New accounts.
I would agree in that advertising is not solely responsible for popularity. Word of mouth and especially quality of service is usually more important. I don't want it to come across in any way like I'm blasting Verizon as having a bad network, it is very good. And I would say noticeably better than AT&T, Sprint, Cricket, and SunCom, none of which are bad in the area. But Verizon is a much larger Corporation, 45% owned by Vodafone, the largest mobile provider in the world and they have very deep advertising pockets and you'll see many more Verizon commercials claiming coast to coast reliability than any other provider with the possible exception of AT&T. I really believe, and it's just my opinion, that this advertising plays a large role in people looking for a first time cell service provider. Many of these people try Verizon, are pleased with it, and never try another provider but are happy with it. It also seems like Charlotte has a fairly large population of people that have moved from the Northeast US where Verizon dominates and is untouchable. Alltel which started and is most popular in the Southeast US, is a smaller provider in terms of customer base and they must advertise less and do more to catch your eye. Alltel, while having funny commercials, usually falls short of pounding the message of reliability or having great coverage and Sprint, as another example, is too caught up in some abstract concept of having a dream of Sprint Speed.
And I guess my point is, subconsciously, advertising effects many people more than they realize because Verizon is so synonymous with 'Reliability'. They're both very good, and either Alltel or Verizon is vigorously defended and recommended by their own customer base. Alltel, IMO, is a little better in coverage and offers more minutes for the price in a plan at the moment. I do try to be as unbiased as possible and just say its my opinion in the areas I travel and welcome others to agree or not. But I would personally encourage a trial period with both providers to judge for yourself if there's any question for anybody who wants the best.
A good resource of cell tower ownership if you're interested in checking out more info on it is http://www.cellreception.com/towers/
I'm sure your brother, since he does it for a living, could tell you more, and probably who is on which tower and exactly where. But the link is a really good resource for looking at trends and who owns the tower (and has the highest spot) closest to your exact location in the area. Most of what I've been told comes from the links as well as also reading the forums at HowardForums where several techs sometimes post. But on the cellreception website, Alltel towers are listed as 'Alltel Communications Inc' and they own quite a few, AT&T towers are listed as 'New Cingular Wireless PCS', and Verizon towers are listed as 'Verizon Wireless Personal Communications' or 'Cellco Partnership'. But where it gets a little hairy is when you see a tower company such as American Towers, SBC Towers, Pinnacle towers, etc., because it's really a guess as to who is on it and at what height. No provider is restricted to towers they own, and just because a certain provider owns a tower, doesn't mean another one isn't on it. But in any case, it's NOT a comprehensive website, so it can really just be used as a general guide and for people who just find stuff like that interesting. Another comparable source is http://www.antennasearch.com/
Since providers attempt to keep cell site locations as secretive as possible, for competitive and theft reasons, I've been unable to locate anything more detailed than those two sites available to the general public.
And yeah, I completely agree, that as time goes on, providers give less and less partly because of inflation and partly because of greed. If you have a 6 yr old grandfathered plan, that's probably better than anything you can get new today from any provider. Just don't let a salesman talk you into a newer plan or add-a-line, because that's often how people lose those plans.
Last edited by Trevor92; 12-23-2007 at 12:27 AM..
Reason: Deleted Link to another forum, unsure if it violated rules of no links to blogs
I brought my T-mobile phone with me when I moved. T-mobile is in the process of completing a purchase of SunCom, which should be complete before Summer 2008. Right now, I roam on SunCom and AT&T towers with excellent coverage.
The wife has Verizon and the coverage is good, but the customer service is terrible. She is the rare sort who audits her bill, and Verizon has failed repeatedly to get her billing correct, overcharging her for months.
AT&T is the undisputed worst in customer service; I'd own an iPhone in a heartbeat if not for the fact I'd have to work with Cingular/AT&T again. Sprint/Nextel seems to be racing AT&T for the bottom, according to Consumer Reports, JD Power and a few other sources.
Wait for the arrival of T-mobile and you'll find the least expensive calling plans around, combined with the acknowledged best customer service in the industry.
I had T Mobile and would agree there. Pricing was the best customer service was awesome. Verizon is good, but if I had a chance to go back to T Mobile I would.
Quick question - if you have a cell phone can you do away with home telephone service and just use the cell phone for everything?
I've never had a cell phone and am thinking of getting a good cell phone instead of using one of the telephone companies for my home.
Anyone here do that, or, do you mainly use your cell phones for outside the home?
Many thanks!
Maddie Claire
Quick question - if you have a cell phone can you do away with home telephone service and just use the cell phone for everything?
I've never had a cell phone and am thinking of getting a good cell phone instead of using one of the telephone companies for my home.
Anyone here do that, or, do you mainly use your cell phones for outside the home?
Many thanks!
Maddie Claire
Sure you can! My parents don't have a "home phone", just cell phones. This is becoming more and more popular.
The only reason I have a home phone is because of the triple play from Time Warner worked out to be a great deal for me and my family. When my contract is up in 5 months I will review and most likely do away w/the "home phone".
Wow!
I can't believe how many people think that Verizon has good customer service!
In my experience, Verizon's customer service is just terrible!
I cannot wait until my contract runs out! Then I will switch to Alltel or SunCom. Many people, here in Charlotte, have told me about their (Alltel's) problem-free coverage, along with great customer service. I don't care if the damn phone gets up and cooks dinner...bad customer service outweighs coverage and so-called bells and whistles any day!
Never heard about Alltel before moving to Charlotte, but the word-of-mouth is, that they're great.
Sure you can! My parents don't have a "home phone", just cell phones. This is becoming more and more popular.
The only reason I have a home phone is because of the triple play from Time Warner worked out to be a great deal for me and my family. When my contract is up in 5 months I will review and most likely do away w/the "home phone".
My wife and I did away with landlines a couple of years ago. Even though we get the TV and internet from the cable co, the amount of the "deal" through the cable co for telephone service was money saved in the pocket each month.
Since she and I are out a lot (work, errands, whatever), the idea of waiting to come home and sift through messages was just one more task to complete. The phone is with us, so the callers (usually our parents or kids) don't have to run down a long list of numbers to reach us; it is either her number or mine.
The secret, though, is to be master of your cellphone. You are under no obligation to answer it while you're out (or even at home). Set the ringer on a low volume, on vibrate only, or turn it off completely unless you're expecting a call. Be diligent about checking your phone for messages, but not obsessive. Two of our girls answer their cell's ringing bells with an eagerness and efficiency which would have made Dr Pavlov smile, and that's just wrong.
To keep myself in check, I think of my just-turned-80 year old mom. She is the only person I know of whose line will give you a busy signal if you call her and she's on the line with another call. She has no interest in call waiting and voice mail, since her attitude is, if the call is important, they'll call again.
Verizon is the BEST! Who cares about "customer service" anymore (that would be nice) but my only requirement now a days is that they speak ENGLISH!
I have had Verizon (Bell Atlantic Mobile before Verizon bought them) for 10-12 years and have NEVER had any problems. Coverage is good as any cell provider can be.
Don't use or have or need a home phone with Time Warner Road Runner
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Cell phone vs. home phone service?
