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First off, I had Verizon many years ago and haven't had them since because they are too expensive. For all those staunch Verizon defenders who say they have the best coverage in the US, that may be true, but the other carriers are catching up fast, and Verizon has definitely developed the megacorporation mentality in which they don't appreciate the customer, unlike the other three big cell phone carriers, who are still aggressively competing for customers and actually expressing some gratitude for our existence. Many people don't know that cell coverage is very dependent on geographical location. They just assume, "My current company X drops a lot of my calls and my internet connection is spotty, thus X company sucks." That's not necessarily true. You might not get good coverage with Company X in Baltimore, but you would get great coverage with Company X in Omaha.
A few years ago, I had to switch from T Mobile to ATT because I just didn't get good coverage in Houston on TMobile. I had their prepaid unlimited plan, but couldn't get 3G even in highly populated suburbs. It would slow to 2G, making it impossible even to web browse. So I had to get rid of TMobile and switched to ATT, and I've been with them about 5 years. After that, my ex got a work phone, and he had a choice of going with Verizon or ATT. I had ATT at the time. He chose Verizon. Big mistake. We lived in a suburb outside of Houston. I got excellent coverage and he was dropping calls left and right and couldn't stay online at all. But ATT has a great coverage throughout the city.
So I don't suggest paying a buttload more $$$ for Verizon unless you regularly travel nationwide, because the better coverage advantage evaporates and you're still paying more for your phones and plan. Check with your neighbors in your area and find out who they have. That will give you an idea which companies offer the best coverage.
We switched to Verizon 13 years ago. We moved around so much that we needed the coverage. We kept getting dropped calls and dead zones (we had sprint at the time) so we switched to Verizon. I agree they ARE expensive. We pay $222 a month for 3 smart phones and 10GB. I always have service and no dropped calls. I've also have never paid more than $50 for the iphone, my daughters was free. Now that we are settled I would consider switching to save money but its hard when I've been pretty satisfied. In the next two years we will need a 4th phone not sure I want a phone bill that looks like a car payment. I've been considering looking into AT&T.
You can still do the whole "Pay $199 for the phone and sign a 2 year contract" deal. They are heavily pushing the other type plans as you noticed. With the 2 year plans they still subsidize a tiny part of the price of your phone. They don't on the Edge plan. So it looks like a great deal for the consumer "hey, you can upgrade early if you want!"...but it's really a good deal for VZW...
I see Total Wireless selling 3 smart phones and 9GB of data for $85 a month on the Verizon Network, but all data is 3G. You can't even use a 4G phone.
While data is nice to have on the road to keep track of your email and some small tasks, I have to wonder why it is so important for people to have the speed of LTE? I mean if you have hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate deals dependent on fast processing of data, it's a no brainer. But I see people who are unemployed or who work in warehouses paying that kind of money for smart phones.
The difference between $222 and $85 will buy you a nice home service. Where I am 110 Mbps High-Speed Internet starts at $49.99/mo.
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Ever since color TV began in 1965 analysts have been predicting the end of the movie business. As better and better home equipment became cheaper and cheaper the end is said to be approaching. Last year the same number of tickets were sold as in 1989 when Batman was the #1 film (the one with Michael Keaton).
But the movie business has always held up to home equipment because teenagers want to get out of the house and go somewhere. What really has to executives worried is that teenagers are now starting to watch movies on their phones. Perhaps they park their cars in the woods and drink beer and watch movies on their phones.
My question is what are teenagers paying for data streaming to watch movies on their phones? Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy a boxoffice ticket?
Left Verizon for T-Mobile in 2013. $180 for 2 lines with only 6GB is an absolute ripoff. A similar plan on T-Mobile would run about $100 and there are no overages for exceeding your data limits. Unless you're traveling all over the country to far flung rural areas on a regular basis, I'd kick Verizon to the curb.
Wow! That same plan would be $120 at ATT. We have ATT and pay $90 for two phones and 3gigs.
The "amortize" plan is what is being pushed by everyone these days. Depending on your data plan, you can actually come out ahead dollarwise. I like not being locked into a two year contract-another plus.
. I like not being locked into a two year contract-another plus.
How many times have you switched carriers? I see a lot of people say this.,..the same ones that have been with the same carrier...forever. So what does it matter if you sign a contract?
How many times have you switched carriers? I see a lot of people say this.,..the same ones that have been with the same carrier...forever. So what does it matter if you sign a contract?
It's about not having to wait 2 years to replace one's phone.
Last September Mrs5150's iPhone 4s was starting to act weird. Her two year contract was not going to end for several months and we were not happy. I bought a new 5s for her. Both of our phones are off contract and if my phone acts weird after a year (which is actually 7 months from now), I can trade it in for a new one with no hassle. And the costs are the same over a two year period with our 3gig plan.
05-15-2015, 05:49 PM
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Can't be bothered to deal with some other carrier just to save $10-$20/month. Coverage is king and despite Verizon's fault, they offer coverage. AT&T is perpetually overloaded. T-Mobile and Sprint are just garbage (outside major metro areas and everywhere, respectively).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr5150
It's about not having to wait 2 years to replace one's phone.
Last September Mrs5150's iPhone 4s was starting to act weird. Her two year contract was not going to end for several months and we were not happy. I bought a new 5s for her. Both of our phones are off contract and if my phone acts weird after a year (which is actually 7 months from now), I can trade it in for a new one with no hassle. And the costs are the same over a two year period with our 3gig plan.
You don't have to wait two years to buy a new phone if you sign a contract. There is no hassle.
The new plans are almost always a giant ripoff unless the carrier is running some special. It's nearly always cheaper to just sign the contract. If you want to upgrade in a year, buy another phone and sell the old.
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