After an experience earlier this week with T-Mobile (formerly VoiceStream) Customer Service that still has be too incensed to rationally discuss it, I’m shopping for new wireless service. I refuse to give T-Mobile any more of my business. The choices, however, are dizzying.
Qwest has an unlimited minute plan that would allow me to not only replace my cellular phone service, but my home phone as well–and I’d save $25 off the combined monthly bill of each. The downsides are that Qwest has the smallest coverage area–the town in which Strawberry Blonde’s parents live, which we visit from time to time, is covered only as roaming. What’s more, I’ve heard poor things about Qwest’s ability to service its own home area, with tales full of “No Signal” woe. There are also no freebies or rebates; I’m looking to pay at least $150 for a phone, then around another hundred for what I consider mandatory accessories: Handsfree earpiece, beltclip and/or case, and car charger. If I do use it to be my only phone, I would likely want to pick up a spare battery and some way of charging it independet of the phone.
Of my options, Qwest is the only one that gives me enough minutes/long distance (unlimited, in that case) to replace both my mobile and landline phones. So, in addition to pricing out my mobile usage from the competitors, I’d need to keep my landline (around $50 a month).
AT&T Wireless is giving out a bonanza of freebies for ordering online: $50 instant savings on top of other savings and instant rebates specific to phones, a free hands-free headset, and free activation. I’d get a Motorola V60i phone (normally $150) for free. The monthly plan is better than what I’ve had with T-Mobile, and the price is identical.
Sprint PCS wants only $30 for the phone (after mail-in rebate), but the plan includes 100 fewer minutes than AT&T for $10 more per month.
Verizon Wireless is going to give me the same minutes as Sprint PCS (800) for the same price, and the phone will cost me $70 after mail-in rebate. The upswing is that I’ve gotten two trusted recommendations about Verizon. There are no accessory freebies with Verizon or with Sprint PCS.
Ugh. There’s a lot to go through. Some of the offers end within the next couple of days. While the ones that appear after them might be even better, they also might not. Either way, I want to setup new service immediately. My current billing cycle with T-Mobile ends in two weeks, and I want time to include a forwarding number message. Mostly, I feel so horribly treated by T-Mobile, that I want to give someone else my business immediately.
I’ve wanted to blog about my experience with T-Mobile Customer Service since Tuesday. Since this is a family show, though, I’ve refrained. They used to be professional and responsive, but that was before they outsourced their Customer Service. If you’re considering purchasing T-Mobile service, instant message me for an account of my experience.
Interesting post. My dh and I are probably going to get a cell phone in the fall, so this was informative.
Unfortunetly, lack of customer service is not just a problem in the phone business. More and more I find rude service reps and companies unwilling to be responsable in providing their service. Companies don’t seem to care about their customers like they used to.
After spending some time talking to a rep via phone and instant chat, I wound up choosing Qwest. They waived the activation fee for me, installed what I consider required basic services–voice mail, caller ID, call waiting–at no charge, and gave me a deeper price break on the phone. After a mail-in rebate, the phone will end up costing me $60. Again, it’s $239 retail, so that’s a pretty good deal on the phone.
Additionally I’ve found quite a number of accessories–hands-free headset, belt clip and/or case, car charger, etc–on eBay for cheap. The Motorola 60i appears to be a fairly popular phone.
In the end I felt Qwest was my best choice. For $79.99 per month I get unlimited local and long distance (!) in my home area (basically the I5 corridor throughout all of Oregon and Washington), which will enable me to not only replace my current wireless service but drop my landline as well. It already feels freeing! One phone number for wherever I go. Ahh!
The sales rep I spoke with allayed all my concerns and was incredibly helpful and friendly–so much so that I left a kudos call on his supervisor’s voicemail.
The only service I’ll be losing switching from T-Mobile to Qwest is the ability for my cel phone to accept and forward fax transmissions. To replace that, since I’ll no longer have a landline to run my hardware fax machine through, I’ll have to employ Office Depot or an online fax receipt/transmission service on those rare occassions when I need it.
I’ve already been given my new number, and my phone will arrive in two business days (this coming Wednesday). Once I call to have it activated, I’m ready to hang up on T-Mobile.
Bye-bye T-Mobile. Adieu, Verizon Residential Phone Service. I am totally satisified with my Qwest service.
Nice Blog
[Editor’s note: The author, e-mail, and URL fields were populated with ads for cellular knock-offs. I removed them.]
Thanks.
Please don’t use my blog to promote your cellular knock-offs.
Is Qwest a good service?