Verizon vs. T-Mobile - how is your coverage? (Sacramento, Elk Grove: fit in, sales)

[heather1098]

Are you T-Mobile folks out there happy with your service? Do you have any coverage issues? For reference, I live near the Capitol.

I have a miserably high Verizon cell phone bill (about $100), and it looks like I can actually get a better plan with unlimited everything for about $60 from T-Mobile. And now that they are offering to pay for early termination fees, I am especially thinking about making the switch.

[ryuns]

I do great with T-Mobile throughout the Sacramento area. No, it's not as good as Verizon, but that rarely makes a difference to me, and certainly doesn't make up for the huge price discrepancy. While I get great 4g coverage, I can't comment on LTE. I know it's offered here, but my phone isn't LTE capable, so I don't know about the coverage.

Note that T-Mobile doesn't directly subsidize your phone anymore, which is the reason for part of that difference. They'll do payment plans to help you buy the phone, but the smart money is on buying a phone from elsewhere and getting a SIM from T-Mobile. If you're looking for a top-notch phone, the Nexus 5 is probably the best deal. There are also more budget-oriented phones that you can find on Amazon by looking up no contract phones that are T-Mobile compatible.

[jonh23]

Originally Posted by ryuns

I do great with T-Mobile throughout the Sacramento area. No, it's not as good as Verizon, but that rarely makes a difference to me, and certainly doesn't make up for the huge price discrepancy. While I get great 4g coverage, I can't comment on LTE. I know it's offered here, but my phone isn't LTE capable, so I don't know about the coverage.

I've been considering a switch too. What do you mean by that "it's not as good as Verizon?" Could you provide some specifics? Are you talking about making phone calls, using data or both? I'm mainly concerned about call clarity, signal strength and dropped calls. I can really care less about data speeds.

[ryuns]

Originally Posted by jonh23

I've been considering a switch too. What do you mean by that "it's not as good as Verizon?" Could you provide some specifics? Are you talking about making phone calls, using data or both? I'm mainly concerned about call clarity, signal strength and dropped calls. I can really care less about data speeds.

Well, not exactly specifics--I probably shouldn't have sounded so precise in my first reply. I'm talking about coverage in general. It's just a general observation that Verizon tends to have the most reliable coverage out in the boonies. E.g., we'll go hiking and I'll have no reception and someone with Verizon will still have basic coverage. This is a minor benefit in case of an emergency possibly, but it's too small for me to really care about. I don't have any complaints about clarify or signal strength or consistency with T-Mobile.

Verizon seems to have more of an advantage for data coverage--T-Mobile's 4g is still concentrated in urban/suburban areas. So streaming Pandora on a roadtrip is out, but that's probably immaterial to you.

[heather1098]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes - I am aware that I would have to purchase a new phone, at full price. I was pretty angry when I figured out that my Verizon iPhone won't work on T-Mobile! And Nexus 5 is exactly what I was considering. The Nexus is $350 if you buy it directly from GooglePlay, but is about $400 through T-Mobile. T-Mobile's latest "breakup" promotion does have a catch that I would have to surrender my phone to them, get the "market value" and purchase directly through them. Even so, I would save about $240 on my phone bill if I get out of Verizon now, so it might be worth it.

I've experienced exactly what you are talking about - that my Verizon service works out in the middle of nowhere, whereas my T-Mobile and AT&T friends don't get coverage. But I am pretty rarely in those situations. Like the other commenter, I just want to make sure that T-Mobile will have clear calls that don't get dropped where I live - and that data coverage is good enough for GPS.

[Fearless Kid]

I'm looking to switch from Sprint to T-Mobile, as well. I just want to know how their coverage is in Elk Grove (near Bilby Rd where there is no Sprint signal...I have to use their Airave).

[ryuns]

Can't comment on Elk Grove, but another benefit of T-Mobile is free wi-fi calling. If you have internet at home, you're covered.

[ostrowsr]

I have Verizon. They used a bait and switch technique, promising I could get the new broadband antenna on my house for $5 more than I was paying for MiFi (home WiFi). They neglected to say I would need to pay for MiFi for another 9 months until the CONTRACT was up and the bill came in at $20 more per month. Then, I went to another Verizon store and they said they could fix the problem. While selling us our iPhone 4s, they gave us a great price for the phone, then said after downloading info from our old phones to the iPhones that the monthly fee would be $20 more per month. We hesitated and then agreed to do it anyway, although not happy with the sales technique. When the bill came, it was $10 more than we were promised. Grand Total price increase of $50 per month over what we were originally promised. So a switch to T-Mobile switch is DEFINITELY in our future. Oh yah, the Verizon store stated "we don't use those kind of sales techniques". So, they basically called me a liar. But I'm "the customer", I'm always right. Right?

[TD*]

Go with T-mobile and save your hard earned money.

[drunkwithwords]

I liked Verizon, but I agree, way too expensive.

Why don't you get Virgin Mobile? I had it when I lived in Sacramento (still do), but for $35.00 a month, I have a great phone with unlimited data, texting, and 350 minutes. My phone was about $200.00, and I don't have to worry about fees or going over data or minutes. I happily paid the termination fee and went with them. No problems with the service at all. I will never get a contract for a phone ever again.

I worked near the capitol and lived near Land Park. Again, great coverage.