Is Nextel Worth the Money

My company just purchased Nextel phones, but they are allowing us to try them first. Anyone have an opinion about Nextel before I sign on the dotted line?

[KevinJames]

Nextel's mainstay is the "business customer." A friend who runs a commercial window washing business has them and appreciates the two-way radio feature.

Nextel uses Motorola's proprietary iDEN network whereas other wireless firms are upgrading to global standards (GSM, CDMA). As long as your business is in a strong service area you shouldn't need to worry. If you plan to use the phone on vacations, you should first check with the retailer to see what areas are covered. Due to 1) the proprietary system, and 2) no analog technology, Nextel's phones do not have the added benefit of using other carrier's towers (roaming) when their own are not available.

Bottomline: Good for businesses and slowly getting to be a good choice for the individual consumer.

PS. One small PR note: If you have an outside sales force calling on upper management clients, giving them these phones can seem a bit tacky to customers they will be calling on, especially if, during a meeting, the two-way blares out: bee-deep "hey Joe, are you there?" dee-beep

I have used Sprint, ATT and Verizon. Nextel has the largest digital footprint in the US. I have taken 70 round trip airline voyages year to date, almost always to differnt cities throughout this country and speak from experience. Some memebers who may never go past the local mall will tell you otherwise, based on posted maps on providers web sites. Nextel continues to add smaller markets (visit nextelpartners.com) and provides the most reliable set of features and service. I rely on my phone for business and would never give up Nextel. They do not have the best customer service, however, it is by no means the worst. Every time I need to place a call it goes through without system busy warnings. As to the remark about the two going off during client meetings; if you forget to turn the phone, ANY phone, off or to vib, you get what you deserve.

[CDMA]

I have heard many providers claiming to have the largest digital footprint, how can you find out who rates where? I know that in Michigan, TDMA cellular has the largest digital footprint. I know that Nextell does not have service at my cottage four hours out of Detroit, and my digital cell phone works great on digital service there.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img] As a user and reseller of Nextel I am finding them to be a great tool for a large groupe of people. The billing is a big plus and what a great way to stay in touch with people with the direct conect.

[Galhir]

Anyone know about coverage in Oklahoma or Arkansas?

[Nextel1]

I understand your concerns but the general game plan for Nextel is NOT to provide coverage at your cottage but rather provide you with great coverage where 80-90% of your revenue is generated. A common misconception the general public has is comparing Nextel with other wireless carriers. Nextel has a strong business focus and does not YET tailor service plans to the public!

[CDMA]

Looks like they are working on it. Have you seen the new Michigan coverage map on their web site. They are hitting I-75 so people on their way to their cottages can use their phones. Still a long way to go, but they are making progress. A lot of large business owners do have cottages out of the city, and the fact that Nextell does not offer service in many of these areas can't help their image. I have heard more then once "the boss won't get Nextell because they don't work at his place up north". I'm sure that in time, they will work almost everywhere. Not just where the revenue is generated.

[KYScott]

One small PR note: If you have an outside sales force calling on upper management clients, giving them these phones can seem a bit tacky to customers they will be calling on, especially if, during a meeting, the two-way blares out: bee-deep "hey Joe, are you there?" dee-beep

It is considered quite rude to just start talking to the other person on an initial call-up. What we do is push the button to make the intial chirps. The callee can see who is trying to reach them. They can then answer the caller. If there is no answer, I'll send an alert and the person can get back in touch with me when they get the time. To just start blabbing on the call-up is the height of rudness and boorishness!

Scott

[MidMiJeepGuy]

Hi

We just signed backup up with Nextel after having Sprint PCS for about a year. In the beginning the ability to roam with Sprint in Michigan was a great advantage. At first everything was great, sound was great, got my calls though, but over the past 2 months we have had numorous problems with Sprint. From dropped calls to not getting our voice mail for several days. All of her friends are on Nextel and have loved it, as well as her parents. I only dropped Nextel, because they were higher than all the rest, but I now see why. They offer a very good voice quality. We travel to Canada a few times a year and Nextel works on Telus Mobility MIKE network and we don't pay anything extra to make calls, we get charged our home rate for them. Now that they have come out with smaller phones going back was an easy choice. Hope this helps