Cell Phone Carrier

[h0llywood]

So I've been with Verizon for over 6 years and quite frankly, It took me this long to think that I am being ripped off.

I have 4 total lines and share 6GB of data, and after $15 overages for 1GB of data, buying stupid crap for Candy Crush, 2 $10 charges for stupid tablets I got suckered into buying, my phone bill amounts to between $280-$315 per month. Is this over the top? Mind you this also includes a 15% monthly discount for being a veteran but $300 seems too damn high.

I was hoping to move over to T-Mobile and based on their prices, I see prices at $150 per month and I can bring my phones over. They will also cancel my ETFs. Is TMobile a reliable carrier? Has anyone done a carrier switch recently? 

Any feedback would be appreciated because I think I am ready to ditch Verizon.

[Raskle]

Problem is, you can't really make an assessment based off of anyone else here, unless they share your location. For instance, I loved Sprint through five different states - never had problem one. I moved to Florida, and they are absolute garbage for signal here. Like, can't get reception on the damn highway the 15 miles between major towns horrible. So, I switched to Verizon, and am paying a crapload more for only slightly better signal. Wish I'd stayed, grandfathered in with unlimited data...sigh.

 

TL;DR: Ask folks who live near you their experience with different carriers. Folks in NC will most likely have a vastly different experience.

[h0llywood]

59 minutes ago, Raskle said:

Problem is, you can't really make an assessment based off of anyone else here, unless they share your location. For instance, I loved Sprint through five different states - never had problem one. I moved to Florida, and they are absolute garbage for signal here. Like, can't get reception on the damn highway the 15 miles between major towns horrible. So, I switched to Verizon, and am paying a crapload more for only slightly better signal. Wish I'd stayed, grandfathered in with unlimited data...sigh.

 

TL;DR: Ask folks who live near you their experience with different carriers. Folks in NC will most likely have a vastly different experience.

I'm in Pasadena, CA and Verizon pretty much is the King here. However in my house, I know for a fact that ATT gets absolutely zero service while Verizon gets all bars. I had a friend come over with T-Mobile and he got full signal here as well. I guess its more of a logistical question now as I really want to get 100 off my phone bill. Who doesn't want to save 1,200 a year on their cell phone.

[sharkkiller]

1 hour ago, h0llywood said:

I'm in Pasadena, CA and Verizon pretty much is the King here. However in my house, I know for a fact that ATT gets absolutely zero service while Verizon gets all bars. I had a friend come over with T-Mobile and he got full signal here as well. I guess its more of a logistical question now as I really want to get 100 off my phone bill. Who doesn't want to save 1,200 a year on their cell phone.

Call verizon and tell them you are switching and want to make sure your numbers are able to be ported over to your new carrier. (Hint: They are, you are just letting them know you are switching.) They will most likely transfer you over to their retention dept. Speak to the Agent, and tell them what offer you are getting from t-mobile. They will probably give you a better deal. It may not match the t-mobile offer, but it will probably save you about $75 a month if not more. 

 

If they do not offer you anything, then switch, as long as you know you will have service where you live and work.

[Chimera]

If you're in Charlotte, t-mobile is excellent unless you work in a bunker or somewhere underground. I once saw that Charlotte is a city where t-mobile tests out their new frequencies, so it gets better service before the rest of the country. (yeah, don't ask me to confirm that with a link; tried searching before responding)

I've had t-mobile for about 7 years now - got it after returning to the US from Germany (where t-mobile is king). Had I not based my decision on previous experience with t-mobile and listened to what people say, I wouldn't have gone with them. They have a bad rep, but idk why. Being that I've had it for 7 years, I guess I have been grandfathered because I haven't seen a single price increase, but I have gotten increased service. Originally my monthly plan was 1000 minutes, unlimited text, 2 GB data for $69.99 a month before taxes.

I've been getting unlimited everything for a while now (for at least two years) for $73.07 a month for two lines.