alltel, suncom, and living in the mtns

[blueridgegirl]

Finally caved and bought into this cell phone madness.
I chose Alltell mainly because they have a 30 day trial period.
I travel a little- sporadically, but wanted to use the phone mainly to make long distance calls at home and save on my landline bill. Problem is I live in central VA, in the woods, right up against the blue ridge mtns.
I get almost no signal at home- which means I can't make calls at home which defeats the main reason for having the cell phone. My neighbor has suncom and I think I am going to borrow his phone and see what kind of signal I get at my cabin. Meanwhile I am getting ready to go on vacation so I figure I might as well keep the phone until I get back. My questions are: What kind of experience has anyone had with cancelling service with Alltel- they make is sound no hassle- I am hoping that is true.
And as far as Suncom is concerned- will they let you try out your service like Alltel?
Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.
Thanks!

[ComicalMoodyDan]

SunCom (Triton PCS) only gives you a 72 hour trial period. Try and see if you can borrow your neighbor's cell phone for a day or 2 and see if it works well for you.

[markv83]

I went to school in Virginia and a bunch of people had Alltel. Hopefully it will work out for you. I know when I go back to Charlottesville I don't have coverage with my new phone, but I did with my previous one.
Mark

[markv83]

Oh yeah, Suncom was another big provider in Charlottesville. That would be another good one to try. Let me now how Suncom works when you try his phone.
Mark

[WirelessBeachBum]

You may want to try US Cellular if they provide service in that area...They pride themselves on serving "rural" customers, so they may be your best bet in your area....

[BillRadio]

blueridgegirl,
Yes, Alltel is a big, reputable company and generates few complaints here. They have been good about accepting phones back. However, be aware, some deals have a maximum USAGE on the phone in addition to the number of days. If you go over that maximum, you may be sunk. Call Alltel and ask.

Knowing that, I would reconsider using the Alltel phone for a long trip. If you return it right away, it has MUCH more impact when you say "I can't use it", than when you return it after successfully using it for a few weeks. If it doesn't work at home, get rid of it ASAP.

Among others, Suncom, if it works at home, will work very well across the country, too.

[cryogenic]

I will agree with BeachBum up there saying that US Cellular would be a good one to look at, as their coverage is generally very very good in the areas they do cover. Their coverage down here in Knoxville, TN is excellent. However, Suncom also tends to have excellent coverage in even the most rural areas. I've run into a few places where Suncom phones work that even my phone doesn't work. They've also got agreements with AT&T, so their nationwide coverage is going to be very good as well. Personally, I'd go with them first, then if not, try US Cellular.. :-)

[ComicalMoodyDan]

Same here cryogenic, my friends Cingular (GSM) phone is pretty crappy around my house for a couple of miles but my SunCom phone is at 4 bars most of that stretch while Cingular seems to pick up nothing or a very faint signal. I'm not sure about your area blueridgegirl but SunCom is excellent down here.

[CDANMA]

I would agree that Suncom is one of the best 1900 MHz carriers to cover rural areas,but 800Mhz carriers,like Verizion,Alltel and US Cellular in Virginia still are the way to go in most of the rural areas .