Any Experience with Blackberry Plans?

[MaxFletcher]

I have a Verizon America's Choice plan for my voice communications, but I am considering adding blackberry service from T-Mobile for email, text messaging and internet browsing. (I would not take a voice plan on the blackberry, but would use voice minutes on a pay-per-use basis at $.20/minute as a backup voice service. If possible, I would also use it for voice mail, which I would only check from a landline.)

I will not use a corporate Exchange server, but will just use the balckberry web client and forward my other email accounts to that one. I'd like to be able to sync my Outlook mail and contacts on my local PC with the blackberry.

Does anyone have any experience with blackberry plans on T-Mobile, especially in the NY/NJ/Long Island region? How about blackberry plans with other carriers?

I would appreciate any advice, tips, hints or cautions.

- Max

[Critic]

Can I just put the question out there: If you already have an account with VZW, why not just get the Blackberry with VZW?

[GoodmanR]

Originally Posted by Critic

Can I just put the question out there: If you already have an account with VZW, why not just get the Blackberry with VZW?

Probably because Verizon's blackberry plan is twice as expensive. The T-Mobile plan is $20 cheaper and the service works fine. The T-Mobile blackberry works in a fairly large area (remember the verizon one only works in 1x) and also will work overseas.

Max, if you are using a web-client, the client will be essentially the same no matter whose service you use. Delivery is reliable and relatively secure, although an enterprise server adds a good bit of security. T-Mobile's blackberry service is really pretty good. They offer the most competitively priced service, and have been running a web-client for a pretty long time. Nobody else can come close to providing what TMO can for $30/month. Verizon, Cingular and ATT all charge more like $50. You will be fine with TMO. Also, with a Blackberry, having perfect coverage isn't really necessary. Granted you don't want to have large swaths in your home area where you can't send email, but if you hit a dead spot on your way to work for 2 mins. a day it doesn't really matter. Email you are sending while out of service will be pushed and sent as soon as you return to service, the same goes for incoming email. I think you will do well with a TMO blackberry.

[MaxFletcher]

Originally Posted by Critic

Can I just put the question out there: If you already have an account with VZW, why not just get the Blackberry with VZW?

As GoodmanR speculated above, one of the reasons is that Verizon is more expensive. There are, however, serveral other reasons I prefer to use T-Mobile instead of VZW for my new blackberry account:

1. I think VZW has gotten too successful and no longer delivers the level of customer service for which it has been known. My experience with VZW CS has declined significantly in recent months, since the company has been gaining millions of new customers. I don't think the company is very hungry anymore, and I'd prefer to deal with a company that really wants my business.

2. The addition of millions of new customers to VZW since number portability last November has put real stress on VZW's network. I now get more dropped calls and find more areas in which I cannot get a signal. VZW is expanding its network, but in my area (NYC/NJ/LI) it does not seem to be keeping up with the new demand.

3. I would like to have a second (i.e., different) carrier as a voice backup, since VZW is not as good for me in my area as it used to be. Even though I will not put voice minutes on the TMO blackberry plan, I will be able to receive and send voice calls for $.20/minute. That would only be used for short, emergency calls, but it does give me a second line if needed for both incoming and outgoing calls.

4. After the Cingular/AT&T networks have been merged and my current VZW contract expires, I may change my voice services to Cingular. So I don't want to do anything that would extend my VZW contract now.

5. VZW's blackberry services are primarily intended for corporate use. (In fact, until very recently VZW only offered service to those who had access to Exchange servers and did not offer the Blackberry Web Client services.) While I have access to an Exchange server at my office, I want to use the blackberry for personal use primarily. I can have my office mail forwarded to my blackberry along with my various personal email accounts, so I don't need to to use the Exchange server for that.

I am a very long-term VZW customer with two, high-minute plans and am not a VZW-basher. I also am not someone who yells at customer service reps or expects more than is fair or reasonable. I was totally satisfied with VZW for years, but I can see that both the phone service and customer service are declining at VZW now. I just believe the company has become a victim of its own success in the past few months, and the only way I can really have a voice is to "vote with my feet." I'll leave VZW altogether as soon as there is a decent alternative in my area (probably Cingular after the AT&T network has been absorbed at the end of this year). That's what I did with AT&T many years ago when it was on the top of the mountain and had come to think that customer satisfaction didn't matter. Competition is great for the market.

- Max

[GoodmanR]

Originally Posted by MaxFletcher

As GoodmanR speculated above, one of the reasons is that Verizon is more expensive. There are, however, serveral other reasons I prefer to use T-Mobile instead of VZW for my new blackberry account:

1. I think VZW has gotten too successful and no longer delivers the level of customer service for which it has been known. My experience with VZW CS has declined significantly in recent months, since the company has been gaining millions of new customers. I don't think the company is very hungry anymore, and I'd prefer to deal with a company that really wants my business.


I agree 100%, I have had a terrible time with VZW CS in the last year, they are incredibly arrogant and unhelpful.

2. The addition of millions of new customers to VZW since number portability last November has put real stress on VZW's network. I now get more dropped calls and find more areas in which I cannot get a signal. VZW is expanding its network, but in my area (NYC/NJ/LI) it does not seem to be keeping up with the new demand.


Their network in the DC area is well over capacity. Delays of 10-30 seconds to place outbound calls during peak times are quite common. Also, a lot of people have had trouble recieving calls getting fast busy signals or straight to VM. The quality of service has declined remarkably here in DC within less than a year.

3. I would like to have a second (i.e., different) carrier as a voice backup, since VZW is not as good for me in my area as it used to be. Even though I will not put voice minutes on the TMO blackberry plan, I will be able to receive and send voice calls for $.20/minute. That would only be used for short, emergency calls, but it does give me a second line if needed for both incoming and outgoing calls.

4. After the Cingular/AT&T networks have been merged and my current VZW contract expires, I may change my voice services to Cingular. So I don't want to do anything that would extend my VZW contract now.

5. VZW's blackberry services are primarily intended for corporate use. (In fact, until very recently VZW only offered service to those who had access to Exchange servers and did not offer the Blackberry Web Client services.) While I have access to an Exchange server at my office, I want to use the blackberry for personal use primarily. I can have my office mail forwarded to my blackberry along with my various personal email accounts, so I don't need to to use the Exchange server for that.

Right, Verizon has only launched their web-client in the last few months. In addition, Verizon also doesn't have that many corporate Blackberry clients. Cingular carries the bulk of corporate email.

I am a very long-term VZW customer with two, high-minute plans and am not a VZW-basher. I also am not someone who yells at customer service reps or expects more than is fair or reasonable. I was totally satisfied with VZW for years, but I can see that both the phone service and customer service are declining at VZW now. I just believe the company has become a victim of its own success in the past few months, and the only way I can really have a voice is to "vote with my feet." I'll leave VZW altogether as soon as there is a decent alternative in my area (probably Cingular after the AT&T network has been absorbed at the end of this year). That's what I did with AT&T many years ago when it was on the top of the mountain and had come to think that customer satisfaction didn't matter. Competition is great for the market.



- Max

Good luck with the TMO service, I think you will be happy with it. My kids use TMO for voice only and I am always impressed by their customer service here. The voice quality is also second to none and coverage here in DC is excellent.