Advice Needed On Which Provider And Phone Is Best.

[Fonzie]

I`ve decided to purchase wireless phones for my wife and I and could sure use some advice.I suppose our wants/needs are as follows:First,these phones won`t be our primary means of communicating with each other and friends { Chicago Metro Area With Occasional Long Distance Calls During Vacations Etc } so we won`t need a ton of minutes.Second,we don`t need tiny,fancy,phones either.Third,we just need a phone that makes and receives calls clearly and reliably.I`ve read a few of the posts here but all the options have got me confused.Good things were said about Verizon and Cingular and the Motorola V120c is supposed to be a good phone? Thanks in advance for any replies. Glenn

[KevinJames]

It sounds as if your main focus is the phone. In your area, Cingular is a TDMA carrier that will someday be GSM. Verizon is CDMA throughout all their markets. The good brands for TDMA are Nokia & Motorola. For CDMA: Motorola, LG and Kyocera seem to enjoy user appreciation.

CNet has reviews on many phones as does EPinions.

Though I live in California, the general aspects of some topics I cover on my website may be of help to you. Feel free to write me if I can be of assistance with specific questions (not related to region).

Kevin

[Tommyboy]

I think for your situation any of the big 3 carriers in Chicago will be adequate (AT&T, Cingular, or Verizon). All 3 have good reception for most of the area. Now keep in mind that all 3 will also have dead spots where reception is poor or non-existent so either try a friend's phone in the areas you will most likely make or receive calls or ask the local dealers about their return policy if you aren't satisfied. A lot of carriers will allow you to return at no charge within 3 days or so.

As far as phone models, Kevin's suggestions are good. Look for entry level phones for the manufacturers he mentioned and you should be ok. If you go to a store and you don't feel comfortable about something just walk out and think about it. Then come on wireless advisor and ask us what we think. There's enough people on here that either have the phone or the service that's in question. I hope I didn't confuse you further.

Good Luck.

Tom

[larry]

I've heard that PrimeCo might be the best for Chicago.

[erub]

PrimeCo?? I didn't know they still existed..I used to hear their commericials all the time in Dallas, I think...

[Uwdsr]

I would go for PrimeCo. I think they have the best plans in the Chicago area.

[Tommyboy]

Personally I don't like the Primeco coverage area in Chicago. It doesn't work for me but that's not to say it won't work for you. I can't speak directly about the quality of the service since I've never had it but I have heard my share of complaints. I still recommend any of the other main carriers in the area like Cingular, Verizon or AT&T.

Tom

[Jack]

Fonzie

IF you go with verizon go with either the v120C or the lg510

Jack

The best carrier in this area is AT&T Wireless. The have the best network and were rated Number One by JD Powers for 2001.

They are the only carrier that backs-up the talk with a 30 Day No Questions Asked Cancellation Policy.

Some of the worst Carriers offer 3 days to 14 days, which is not enough time to evaluate their system. Heck, 3 days will really be one by the time you charge your battery for the intitial 24-Hours and get a chance to use it.

[Fonzie]

Thanks alot for the input. I signed up with AT&T and their "Shared Advantage" plan yesterday.

go with cingular. i have found they have the best coverage in chicago. (where i am, and cingualr is who i use) also, i heard bad things about primeco. also, i have heard good and bad thigns about verizon. however the best phone, i think, is for sure a nokia. i would suggest, for your needs, the 5165. (cingualr) basically the 5100 series from nokia

[aiwapro]

I would suggest what I use, Voicestream. The service, reception, coverage, rate plans, and phones are great. I was there in Chicago, both the metro and subburbs, back in July and August, and the everything was just perfect. I made and received calls back home in Ohio, and some to Texas, and the calls went through fine, with no extra charges or roaming problems that you here people talk about. I think the best phone for you and your wife, would be the Nokia 3390. It is easy to use, for the beginner, and packed with features for the advanced user. I use the Nokia 3390, and I just love it. The $29.99 plan or th $19.99 plan would be good for you and your wife, probably the $29.99. It comes with 200 anytime minutes (anytime=minutes during the week), unlimited weekend minutes, and free long distance and natonwide roaming (that means you won't be charged for long distance calls, no matter where you go). You can go into a Voicestream store and talk to them, call 1-800-937-8997, or visit the following website for more information.
Voicestream Wireless (Online Store)

Or you can email me personally here: Christopher

excellent choice! Our family is happy with AT&T as well.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

[Kenny]

AT&T and Verizon are probably the best in the greater Chicagoland area. I have AT&T service and this is also what I hear from cellphone vendors and users in other forums as well. Although Voicestream is decent in the suburbs and the city, how expansive is their coverage? For example, does Voicestream have good coverage driving out to Rockford and beyond? How about the Gurnee Mills area? Or the Illinois/Indiana border area such as the Dunes, Michigan city, etc? So it depends on your needs.

The AT&T Shared Advantage Plan is great for heavy users in the local area because of the Unlimited talk time between the "Shared" phones on your account.

Verizon is good too here but I don't like their CSRs. I was asking one fellow about the America's Choice plan and Verizon's policy if I were to say change plans or shift up/down my rate plan in the middle of my billing cycle and what would happen? Would it be allowable and if so would the change be retro-active or would it require some pro-rated calculations? Well the idiot told me "...like why are you asking me this if you're not even a Verizon customer?" What a damn idiot! I told him flat out how he should treat would-be or potential customers! Of course customers are going to ask questions regarding Verizon's policies before jumping into a 1 or 2 year contract agreement! I also told the guy...excuse me sir, would you walk into a car dealership tomorrow and sign a 2 year lease agreement no questions asked? The next day I called my current wireless carrier, AT&T, and the CSR spent half an hour with me discussing different rate plans and options, and enticed me with a nice deal and so I extended my contract for another year.

[smithers]

I live in Evanston, and go from Chicago to northern suburbs daily, and sometimes Bloomington or Springfield. AT&T is ok, but not in populated areas. Especially with Nokia's "small" phones. Their reception is very poor. It's just not worth it to lose size to performance. I have heard very good things about Verizon. I spend much time in the car, so travelling 30 miles or more at a time and maintaining constant connetion is important. I recently had an independant telecom consultant in at my office, and he said AT&T and Verizon are the best, with Verizon offering the more stable phones and service. If you need the phone for reliable connection on the move, Motorola phones tend to maintain, especially with Verizon.