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John Hagan

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Phone advice ATT?

by John Hagan » Wed May 25, 2011 7:59 am

Looking for advice here. Contract runs out at the end of the month for my old phone. Thinking of going with a droid of some sort. Looking right now between Verizon (maybe limited service out here in the sticks) or ATT (which I know works out here). I also spend a fair amount of time every year on the east coast, and have been told verizon works better up and down the coast than ATT network. Have also been told ATT always tries to stick additional charges on the bill that require arguing every month.
Thoughts?
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Robin Garr

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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Robin Garr » Wed May 25, 2011 8:10 am

John, I'm an iPhone fanboy, so I can't help you with the Android. But I have to tell you that in about three years (when did they roll out the first iPhone, anyway?) I have never had a problem with ATT billing. I cant testify to customer service, as I've never needed it, but I haven't had the storied coverage problems in and around Louisville (except inside Dirty Kroger), and our billing has always been accurate.
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Gayle DeM

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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Gayle DeM » Wed May 25, 2011 8:21 am

I'm with Robin on this one, John. Just traded in the original I phone for the newest version last time. I bought the original model two weeks after it came out and never had one problem with the phone, with ATT billing, or with coverage (except inside 2nd Pres. and I don't need a phone in church anyway!).
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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Robin Garr » Wed May 25, 2011 8:24 am

Of course, John, living in a more rural area, you would probably do well to read the coverage maps closely and even try to work out some kind of try before you buy deal. It would be a bummer to have a cellphone that won't work at home, especially if you're planning to do as we do and cut back on landline service. The only old-style phone that rings in our house any more is the fax line. All the others are strictly "on the cloud," with Internet answering services that send us Email when we get a call. :lol:
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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by John Hagan » Wed May 25, 2011 8:54 am

Thanks guys,
I know ATT works out here. Verizon site shows no coverage out here but my friend who has verizon makes/gets calls when he comes out to visit.
The crew I work with (when not at the greenhouse) all swear by verizon, but they live in Pennsylvania so....
Right now Im leaning toward ATT and getting a good deal on the HTC inspire 4G.
My biggest concern is the stories I have been told about the billing. Im glad to hear neither of you are reporting any such issues.

Oh yeah, cant drop the land line out here...the greenhouse has had that number for over 30 years.
The tall one wants white toast, dry, with nothin' on it.
And the short one wants four whole fried chickens, and a Coke.
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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Robin Garr » Wed May 25, 2011 9:45 am

John Hagan wrote:Oh yeah, cant drop the land line out here...the greenhouse has had that number for over 30 years.

Doesn't portability now require that they let you keep it? Or does that apply only to mobile phone numbers?
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Mark Bellou

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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Mark Bellou » Thu May 26, 2011 12:19 am

About a month ago I was making the same decision you are now. I just got a new Samsung Focus Windows Mobile 7 phone for ATT. I love the UI and I can't complain about the reception at all, as its better than my old gen 2 iphone. It even works on my farmland out in Bonnieville KY which is 10 miles south of Etown in the middle of nowhere. I've never had any problems with billing, and they let me keep the U of K employee discount I've had for like 6 years.

If I had to go Verizon I like the Droid 2 r2d2 edition.
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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Carla G » Thu May 26, 2011 12:43 am

I switched from ATT to Verizon and had ridiculous billing problems with Verizon and really bad customer service. I have a cell phone (basic stuff) and a computer card for my laptop. I was charged an additional fee for merely having both services on one bill from Verizon AND it took them 3 billing periods to actually get it right. In my opinion Verizon's customer service can't come close to ATT. I can't wait to switch back. .
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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Madeline M » Tue May 31, 2011 2:05 pm

Robin Garr wrote:
John Hagan wrote:Oh yeah, cant drop the land line out here...the greenhouse has had that number for over 30 years.

Doesn't portability now require that they let you keep it? Or does that apply only to mobile phone numbers?


Under portability laws, you can transfer a landline...it's not always as fast as a wireless, but it can be done. I'd suggest doing it during the off season for a business just in case something goes wrong though. I've known of landlines that take 7 days to clear...while your old phone "should" still ring, it also may not.

Having worked for AT&T wireless in their collections department, I rarely heard issues about the billing getting messed up. More often than not, we knew there had been some computer glitch that caused a billing problem before the customers did. Not saying it didn't happen, but most of the complaints about the bill were due to someone going over their minutes or texting like a teenager without a text plan.

I have had Verizon and AT&T...thought Verizon had more consistent coverage, but I can usually find a good coverage spot with AT&T. I haven't had billing problems with either one and they've both handled the few issues I've had with phones or plans quickly. I have had a LOT more dropped calls on AT&T, but my BFF has Verizon and her phone (a droid) drops calls left and right...if she gets a text while talking, the phone shuts off! I can text and talk at the same time...as well as surf the web or get directions while I'm talking so I'll stick with AT&T...I can't tell you how many times I've been talking to someone and wanted to know about an item or how to get somewhere and I can get info on the fly.
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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Carla G » Tue May 31, 2011 2:58 pm

I had ATT and worked in offices in DT Louisville . If the office's land line went out it was my cell that was always used to communicate with the server. No one else could get a signal.
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Art T

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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Art T » Tue May 31, 2011 6:14 pm

If you are going to port out a land line consider porting to google voice. You can tell GV that when someone calls my number, ring these numbers, go to voicemail, email, etc.

I think you can also configure it to send certain numbers to certain phones, ring the lake house if it's on a weekend, that sort of thing,

I don't use it, but i hear it's good, worth checking out.
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Robin Garr

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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Robin Garr » Tue May 31, 2011 9:09 pm

Art T wrote:If you are going to port out a land line consider porting to google voice. You can tell GV that when someone calls my number, ring these numbers, go to voicemail, email, etc.

I think you can also configure it to send certain numbers to certain phones, ring the lake house if it's on a weekend, that sort of thing,

I don't use it, but i hear it's good, worth checking out.

That's an excellent idea. I have a GV number and use it a lot to make free long-distance calls from my desk without using up minutes on my iPhone, especially for customer service calls and such where I might be on hold for a long time. It's also good for interviews as I can work hands-free. (I'm not a Bluetooth kind of guy.) We've also moved all our landlines to the cloud, using Grasshopper.com to take our messages and send us Email when someone calls. :lol: And one last landline for incoming fax and occasional outgoing local calls. I think it's about time to move that one to the computer, too, and pull the landline plug completely.

Anyway, thanks for the reminder about Google Voice. I'm pretty sure I'm not using it to the absolute best advantage. I've even got it set up on the iPhone and can use GV or Skype from wifi if I want to save even more minutes, but I rarely bother.

Point to all this babble is mostly just to concur that there are lots of options out there.
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Mark Head

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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Mark Head » Wed Jun 01, 2011 5:18 pm

ATT coverage is spotty in the East End. I'm an iPhone guy but I seem to drop more calls than those with other plans out in the Prospect area. I'm told they need more towers in this area.
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Gayle DeM

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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by Gayle DeM » Wed Jun 01, 2011 5:33 pm

ATT coverage is excellent in the East End by shelbyville Rd and Lake Forest.
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David R. Pierce

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Re: Phone advice ATT?

by David R. Pierce » Mon Jun 06, 2011 9:16 pm

I've had Verizon for 9 years, no problems. Just switched the missus and I from blackberry & Droid to Verizon iPhone 4's. Never a dropped call anywhere.
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