Cell Phone service providers

Good morning everyone!

Curious what others use as a cell phone service provider in the Ashburn area. Are you satisfied or unsatisfied with your service?

My cell phone contract is expiring in January and I am looking into cell providers. I'm looking for a family plan and from my Internet research, it looks like Cingular and T-mobile have the best deals.

I currently have att/cingular. I have no complaints except Cingular is making it a pain for me to get a new free phone even though I am willing to sign a 2 year contract. I am told that because I am leftover at&t customer
The sales guy at Dulles town center says that i can get new phones by getting new service / new numbers and not transfer my current numbers. That's an option but I'd like to keep my numbers.

Looking forward to reading everyone's input

Mike

 

I have Cingular and have never had any problems out here. It's weird that the guy says you have to change your number etc, I thought that was the whole point of portablity (not having to change). After all Cingular did buy ATT. Anyway, I have been going to the Cingular store by Food Lion - Scott is the guy I deal with and have always found them to be helpful and take care of things quickly.

 

I'm a former AT&T customer now Cingular. The reason you may have to change your number is that many former AT&T Wireless customers had CDMA phones, and Cingular is not accepting new CDMA customers. That said, I agree with Beahmer, you shouldn't HAVE to change your number.

You say you're going to Dulles Town Center and a Cingular location there. That's a contract location, who probably gets less profit when just transferring phones and not showing 'new service'.

I'd head over to the Cingular Wireless store over in the Regal Plaza by Borders and Chipote's, that's a Cingular company store, and can offer deals that the contractor's can't, along with services the contractor can't, which is keeping the old phone number.

When my wife needed to replace her old CDMA phone, she was able to get a new CDMA phone at the company store, but could not get anyone else to do so. She was also able to find a phone there without a camera, which is major for her as some sites where she consults require that.

We're both happy with our Cingular service.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

I agree too - go to the one over by the Food Lion. The guys there are fantastic, and really know their stuff. Whatever you do - do not go to the Cingular store over by Safeway. They are awful.

As for provider - here's a little of what I've gone through in the past 2.5 years. First I had AT&T and loved them. Changed jobs so also changed to T-Mobile. It was AWFUL! I then went back to Cingular without issues. I love the mobile to mobile minutes they offer because most people I talk with on a regular basis are also on Cingular. The only other provider I would try is Verizon. I've heard nothing but great things about their cell service, though am not sure how the coverage is here in Ashburn.

Good luck!!

 

We've got Cingular too and don't have any major gripes. The only place I've noticed I don't get a signal is near the Rt. 50/15 intersection and for a little ways down 15 South.

When we had Sprint, we couldn't even get a decent signal in our house (Broadlands North).

 

We've got Cingular - no complaints, however, it seems that whenever I'm in Safeway in Broadlands....there is no signal at all....anyone else have this problem?

 

I have Sprint and have excellent reception except way out in western loudoun.

Works in safeway and giant and perfect at my home.

I experimented with the others and at least where I live and go sprint had the best reception.

Terrible customer service on the phone and at their stores, I was having a problem with a bill and had no luck in correcting it until I drove over to their corporate buildings in Reston, stood in the lobby of, one of them, asking everyone that came in if they could help and believe it or not after several thought I was a nut case I did get someone to help in the lobby and she fixed the problem and gave me her direct line if I ever had any future problems. I did go to an extreme in resolving this but I must say when you get to the right person it is amazing how quickly the problem gets solved.

Lee J Buividas

 

We have a family plan with Cingular with all 4 of my kids' with phones. No complaints. I got 4 free phones with a new 2 year contract. (Not a renewal.) They were offering the free phones on the internet, but not in the stores. I went to the Cingular in Broadlands Plaza and they honored the free phones. I only wish that I paid more attention to the text messaging, downloads and internet service ... when I signed up. First phone bill was $350.00. OUCH! Needless to say I had all of this blocked...disapointed kids, but Happy Dad I really like their minute carry over. If you don't use all of you'r minutes in the month you don't loose them for a year, they carry over.

 

FWIW ... the only Cingular owned store in the area, not a contractor, is the store over in the Regal Plaza, otherwise known as 21031 Triple Seven Road ??.

All the others are listed on the Cingular website as 'Authorized Retailers'. You can verify this by heading to www.cingular.com and clicking on the 'find a store' link at the top of the page.

Again, the reason I suggest that you head to the company store is that it was the only location where my wife could move from AT&T to Cingular and keep her current number.

As I mentioned above, the company stores have access to system features the 'Authorized Retailers' don't.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

You're right, I can keep my number(s) but i have to use my current equipment (phone acts weird since my daughter spilled apple juice on it) or buy phones at a reduced cost. Even if I signed a 2 year contract i still had to pay for new phones. I guess. The Dulles Town Center sales guy said that if I wanted free phones, I have to sign up for new service (and new numbers). I guess there is no comission to sell to an existing customer.

Update I called Cingular and the customer service rep gave me more options...including the Motorola Razor at a very nice price (around $50). I really don't want to pay for a phone, but that is one SWEET phone! . BTW - the Dulles town center guy said that if I wanted to keep my number, I'd have to pay 200 for the razor.

thanks for everyone's input...I think I'll stay with Cingular.

Mike

 

I have had Sprint, Nextel and (currently) T-Mobile since moving to Ashburn. Huge customer service issues with Sprint, Nextel was WAY too expensive. LOVE T-Mobile. The only dropped calls I've ever had with them is when I talk to my dad on his cell (which is AT&T), and the dropping is on HIS end. I've had my T-Mobile going on 2 years. The only place my signal gets a little sketchy is on Belmont Ridge Road by the W&OD trail. Other than that I have no complaints.

 

The Razer is a sweet phone, it was $189 when I had to replace my old phone when I lost it somewhere. Going directly to Cingular is really the only way for old AT&T Wireless customers to actually get the deals, the 'authorized retailers' don't have the access.

FWIW .. my wife and I both have nationwide accounts, and we've rarely been in a place where we see a 'roaming' listed on the phone. The only place that happened was when we were in Scotland, even there, I had great access, both phone and data, at reasonable rates.



Neil Z.
Resident since 1999

 

Lee,

Just curious - have you used your phone throughout the entire store? My phone (Cingular) works fine near the entrances and about halfway through those kinds of buildings but not in the rear of them.

 

JLC I will have to check out what you have said, because I have not really paid attention or remember where I was when I have used it in those stores.

Give you an update in the next day or two and I will try it out in different parts of safeway and giant and see exactly where it works in the stores, I don't remember any dead zones, but you have me curious now.

I do know it does not work most of the time in Loews anywhere yet it does work most of the time at home depot. Go figure.
I just thought lowes had some kind of sytem that kills the signal on cell phones.

Lee J Buividas

BTW someone mentioned customer service sucks with Sprint and I agree, as I said before you get great service in the lobby of their offices in Reston you just got to ask enough people going through and eventually someone will help?? and that is a true story ha ha ha

 

I had T-mobile when I was in Broadlands and must say I was disappointed with both the reception and the customer service. Most of the time my phone would not work inside of our home. I also had some problems I needed resolved and the T-mobile customer service at Dulles Town Center were not the most professional...however anytime I called the T-mobile 800 number I always received very good service.

It is interesting though now being abroad and comparing the differences between US plans and overseas plans. Here in Pakistan a mobile company would never consider providing a phone for free. I'm still using my motorola phone here but switched to another service. T-mobile does work from here but the international roaming charges are quite high.

The overall charges here for service are much much less than in the US and there are also many phones available here that you don't see yet in the US.

 

So very true...the options over here (if you're willing to pay) in regards to models are ones that have not appeared in the US yet. Video phones are quite common.

Me though...I'm low tech...I just want something very simple to make and receive calls!

Also big here is SMS and MMS...more so than I saw in the States.

And yes, you are so right that it's nice to be able to just pop SIMS in and out...although the vendor from whom I did get my SIM from had to do something to my phone to make it compatible over here. I'm not sure what it was since my phone is a tri-band but until he did his magic the phone kept wanting an "unlock" code when I put in the new sim. Now it works fine.....I just didn't want to buy another phone when I like the one I've had for years and also know how to use it!

 

Most phones here are sim-locked to the provider you gto them from, meaning only a sim card from that provider will owrk in it. You have to unlock the phone (via unlock code or data cable) to get it to recognize a sim from another provider.