Can you hear me NOW??

Can you hear me NOW??????



I *just* ran out of my plan with my phone provider. Excited at the prospect of finding a much better, and better-fitting plan, I started doing some research.

Disappointed isn’t the word. However, to save others the legwork, I reproduce my results here, for you. Remember that they change all the time, and this was current today (23 January 2006, East Tennessee Market)…


I got ripped repeatedly. I had an excellent plan with US Cellular back in the late eighties / early nineties, because I was working for them part time as an equipment technician.

THEN, they sold my subscriber area (Roane County) to Eloqui Wireless. This made everything around me long distance, and caused me to roam when I left Kingston.

So, I went to a Nextel National Plan. Did I mention that Roane County is sort of near the National Time Zone Border?

I started getting a HUGE bill ¾ of the way into my contract. I hadn’t moved, and was doing most of my phoning from the home/office. After much sleuthing, I found this: There is only one tower that my phone could possibly reach. It is MILES from the time zone. However, the computer that keeps all the records (called a switch) is across the border, at the other end of the state.

So, with the incorrect setting of one flag, a time zone issue started. The SWITCH thinks that I get free nights and weekends at 9PM. Unfortunately, it is an hour behind, so when I think it is 9PM, the switch thinks I am starting at 8PM, and charges me anytime minutes.

Well, the phone itself gets time data from the tower, which gets time from the GPS receiver in the tower site.

I said all that to now say that the handset says 9PM, but the billing computer thinks it is 8 and charges the higher rate. And, they DON’T care. Even under threat of lawsuit, and a front page article in the local newspaper.

SO, I dumped them, and went with Cingular. A little bastard in the kiosk at Best Buy TOLD me I was getting a 1000 minute/free N&W/nationwide plan. No, I got a 500 minute plan, with 500 bonus minutes for signing up. Remember the cell commercial; “HappyholidayfromtheHendersons >click<”

Yeah, that’s me until nine o’clock. For TWO years.

Well, now, I finally get out of contract. Here is what I found. I currently pay about $48 a month (base, usually with a little overage) for 500 minutes.

Eloqui – waste of time. Check out their website, it looks like it was built by a high schooler. No, that’s disresprectful for a high schooler.
US Cellular – won’t sell to people in Roane County, and the helpful little girl said that if more than 50% of my calls were placed out of my home area, they would drop me. (800 minutes nationwide for $49 / 1200 for $69, btw)
Cricket – Doesn’t cover or work well out of Knoxville, they say. (Unlimited talk for $45 a month, btw)
Nextel – Who cares? I hope they roll up and die. Why would you ask? Momma says that Nextel is the preferred wireless choice of satan.
Sprint – 1000 minutes for $55, nationwide, unlimited N&W. All of the people I talked to were unhappy with Sprint service due to coverage, or billing issues.
Verizon – 900 minutes for $59.99 or 1350 for $79.99, nationwide. EXCELLENT coverage.
Cingular (sigh) – 900 minutes for $59.99, or 1350 for $79.99, nationwide, plus rollover.
T Mobile – online, said they didn’t offer service to my area. Wonder if they ‘piggyback’ off of USCC towers?

Remember that these are base prices. Like a fricken car lot, you gotta add tags and title (universal cost recovery charge, charge charge, whatever). A national plan keeps you from having to make EXTRA sure that you don’t start accidentally roaming (been there). And, if you want to send a lot of pics or text, that also is extra….

So, since a lot of people I know are on cingular, ESPECIALLY since they got swallowed by SBC/AT&T (calls to other subscribers in the network are free), I opted to stay with cingular. Coverage isn’t too bad. I did learn at Howard Forums why Nokia phones work so well, and most Motorolas have issues with Cingular – the tower site equipment is all nokia. They just ‘talk’ better to each other.

A word on pay-per-use plans (boost, t-mobile, go phone, tracphone). If you actually use the phone, these will cost you more in the long run. They are designed for people with zero credit, and no ability to get a credit card or checking account. Yes, those people exist.


OH – There is considerable buzz about cingulars’ push-to-talk system. Unlike the failed sprint system, this one may very well be a competitor to nexhell. Time will tell.

So, now we start pricing wireless cards for the notebook……….. ;)
-Shawn