Tri City Tn Coverage

[djjim]

The call quality was always terrible, no matter where in the city we were, and there were zones where you'd always drop a call in business districts. Now, I haven't used Alltel in Winston heavily in two years or so, but I have yet to hear a single person say that Alltel is superior to VZW in coverage or call quality in Winston.

My wife worked at Forsyth Hospital in Winston and lived in Greensboro before we got married...2003-2006. She had many friends in Winston and never seemed to have a problem. She basicly switched from Cingular to Alltel back then so we could get free M2M and not pay LD. We never had a problem talking, no static, no dropped calls, no problem. Worked like a top.

[JearBear1]

Well, spent saturday looking at Alltel and a few others in Kingsport. Spoke with an Alltel rep at the Alltel store on East Stone Dr. She stated that changes to your circle numbers take 24 hrs to take effect. Nothing about a midnight activation time. She was very anxious to make a sale and admitted to a commission when I asked. She was disappointed when we left. Prices in the store are quite a bit more than on line or even at Walmart. Reviewing Letstalk and Wirefly did not give good impressions from those who have used them (maybe it's just bad luck for some??). Does anyone see a problem with using Walmart? Other than disliking Walmart, that is. I did notice the phone selection is quite a bit less, but workable.
Money wise, in my situation, the Verizon 1400 minutes plan almost equals the Alltel 1000 plan, except for 7pm and circle of friends...which more than makes up the 400 minutes difference. I did notice that the activation fees are NON-REFUNDABLE if we choose to discontinue Alltel during the 15 day trial. That stinks!!! At least Sprint will refund everything except usage time... Please comment on the Walmart question or any other suggestions. Thanks.

[djjim]

Well, spent saturday looking at Alltel and a few others in Kingsport. Spoke with an Alltel rep at the Alltel store on East Stone Dr. She stated that changes to your circle numbers take 24 hrs to take effect. Nothing about a midnight activation time. She was very anxious to make a sale and admitted to a commission when I asked. She was disappointed when we left. Prices in the store are quite a bit more than on line or even at Walmart. Reviewing Letstalk and Wirefly did not give good impressions from those who have used them (maybe it's just bad luck for some??). Does anyone see a problem with using Walmart? Other than disliking Walmart, that is. I did notice the phone selection is quite a bit less, but workable.
Money wise, in my situation, the Verizon 1400 minutes plan almost equals the Alltel 1000 plan, except for 7pm and circle of friends...which more than makes up the 400 minutes difference. I did notice that the activation fees are NON-REFUNDABLE if we choose to discontinue Alltel during the 15 day trial. That stinks!!! At least Sprint will refund everything except usage time... Please comment on the Walmart question or any other suggestions. Thanks.

My Circle Changes take effect at midnight. I change them now, they take a hold at midnight. Most reps are undertrained and underpaid. Folks on this forum know more than most reps regardless of the carrier. As far as Walmart...couldn't tell you. I personally wouldn't do it. I'd rather pay an extra 20, 30, 40 bucks at an Alltel store than buy at Walmart. You will recoup the cost quickly since you will most likely be paying less every month with Alltel. Also keep in mind that discounts like the one you keep talking about with Verizon only apply to the primary line. For example, I once tried to sign up with Cingular through work. I was going to sign up for the 69.99 two line, 700 minute family plan. They discounted 60 bucks. They did not discount the 9.99 add a line or the 14 dollar nights at 7. Didn't really save that much that way. Verizon does the same thing...they only discount the primary line. Not the add a lines or other services you add on. As far as activation fee....I believe Sprint is the only one that rebates if you cancel. I may be wrong..not sure. I DO know that Alltel's activation fees are among the lowest in the industry.

[UFO]

I copied and pasted this directly from Alltel's website:

"Changes to your Circle numbers take effect after midnight of the day you make your changes. For example, if you change your My Circle numbers on Monday night at 10:15 p.m., your changes will be in effect Tuesday morning after midnight."

Unfortunately djjim is right, most reps just don't take the time to read up on the facts and pay no attention to their training. There's so many people, for all companies, who dislike their job and are uninformed and trying to get commission. Most reps don't get paid a large amount by the hr but pick up a decent amount on commission per activation so that makes them kind of crazy.

I don't think you'll have a problem with wal-mart. As much as I dislike them too, they do a good job of backing up their products. Just make sure you clarify with wal-mart how long you have to return the phone if you're unhappy and where you return it too. What I would do though is go through on the Alltel website and select your phones and plan and print out your shopping cart (without ordering online) and take it to Wal-Mart. This way you would be sure to get the plan that you want, and if Wal-Mart doesn't offer that plan, the sales rep should inform you. Those poor Wal-Mart sales people are even more poorly trained so just take the extra time to make sure they get it right and you'll be fine. All Wal-Mart does is sell the phone and sends the information to Alltel, so I do think they would be a good option if they are cheaper. Just make sure that they give you an Alltel phone and the salesperson doesn't mess up and give you some other brand of phone because Wal-Mart carries several brands.

But just as a response for letstalk, letstalk states on their website that you only have 7 days, not 15, to try out the service if you order from them. Some of those bad reviews might come from people who didn't understand they only had 7 days to get a refund, but letstalk does allow 30 days for exchanges.

I agree with you about the fact that Alltel should refund the activation fee, but at least they don't charge as large of an activation fee as others do and as far as I know Sprint is the only one that refunds that part. I guess they use that fee to make up the difference for bringing your phone back because it can no longer be sold as new. And I just thought of this, on the Alltel 1000 family plan, I'm thinking that the nights at 7pm is limited to the first 2 lines. I just thought of that and made the connection because you said you were activating 3 lines. So you might also need to specify which lines you want nights at 7pm to be on. Sorry bout that bit of bad news but I still think the plan has a greater value than any other.

Hope this was a help.

[JearBear1]

You are right UFO. The third line in the plan does NOT get 7pm. It stays at the 9pm. Locally, I was told that only Eastman and Walmart employees get a discount with Alltel. I have written to Alltel, but haven't received a response yet. (The discount won't make my decision anyway) We weren't disappointed with Alltel in any way. The young man at Walmart was very helpful (moreso than at the Alltel store). He has Alltel and was extremly knowledgable. The only drawback we saw, was the lack of phone choices at Wal. I have 2 questions. The circle of friends. Does it apply to all the phones on the plan, or are numbers assigned to each phone? (like the 7pm vs 9pm) And, when I make the change, do I cancel with Sprint first, or can I go to Alltel first. Will it make a difference in keeping the same numbers?

Something else I forgot to ask. My son is going to College next year. Either ETSU, UT Knox, UT Chatt or NC state. Will he still have coverage thru Alltel or will he be roaming outside the Tri City area?

[UFO]

Good luck on getting a positive response from Alltel, it might help to call and ask because their e-mail response is sometimes a little slow, 4 business days last time I used it.

On your Circle you will get a total of 10 numbers. All 3 phones will be able to make or receive unlimited calls to those 10 numbers. All 3 lines are on the same account and your Circle numbers will apply to all 3 lines. You won't have to worry about applying so many numbers to each phone, all 3 phones will be managed on the same Circle. I hope I explained that clear enough.

Your second question is a little bit more confusing. When you ordered from Sprint, did you port your number to Sprint or were you ording cell phone service for the first time and got a new phone number?

If you got a new phone number from Sprint within the past 30 days, you should return everything to Sprint first. Sprint will probably not let you keep the phone number unless you have been with Sprint for more than 2 yrs. or they will try to charge you for the Early Termination Fee.

If you ported your number to Sprint within the past 30 days or if you've been with Sprint for a while, and are now still wanting to keep your number with Alltel, you go to Alltel first and Alltel will port the number so you can use it with them. If this is the case, still make sure you return your Sprint phones and make sure you get a refund for everything within 30 days from the day you got service through them.

It will make a difference in keeping the same numbers, but if you got a new Sprint phone number within the past 30 days, Sprint is not required to let you port it to Alltel and they probably won't.

I hope this all made sense because it is confusing.

edit: To answer your additional question, with the National Freedom plan he will be covered in all of those areas. He will be outside of his home area in any of those places except ETSU so he will see a blinking triangle on his phone. This just means he is outside of his home area although he still might be on an Alltel network. For instance, in Raleigh he would see a blinking triangle, but Raleigh still has a really well built Alltel network. No roaming charges will apply and he will still get free mobile-2-mobile, MyCircle, and all the other benefits he would in his home area. I'm not sure why Alltel puts that on their phone because it just confuses people so ... don't be confused! lol But he would still get great service in all of those locations.

[JearBear1]

Perfect sense UFO. And thanks for the quick response. If I understand correctly, he could be in CA and still call mobile to mobile for free.? And he could add any numbers used frequently to our circle (even while in CA) and no charges or minutes would be used.? Right?

Forgot to mention, the Sprint numbers are brand new, less than 30 days. I will be cancelling them tomorrow and returning all phones to Sprint.

[UFO]

Perfect sense UFO. And thanks for the quick response. If I understand correctly, he could be in CA and still call mobile to mobile for free.? And he could add any numbers used frequently to our circle (even while in CA) and no charges or minutes would be used.? Right?

That is correct. Alltel allows you to do this no matter where you are, even if you are on the network of a roaming partner like Sprint or Verizon in CA. If you're ever uncertain, just make sure you have a blinking triangle as opposed to a solid one, which I sincerely doubt you will ever see.

Forgot to mention, the Sprint numbers are brand new, less than 30 days. I will be cancelling them tomorrow and returning all phones to Sprint.

Good luck. I do think you will be very happy with Alltel.

[JearBear1]

Wanted to say THANKYOU to all who helped make this transition decision. As of this afternoon I am now part of the Alltel family. Extremely nice young lady named Jennifer in Johnson City provided some invaluable assitance. Have been playing with my new Razr which shows MAXED out signal stregnth inside the home!!!!! Calls are crystal clear with NO static or hickups Feel very good about our decision... Thanks again.

[UFO]

We are very happy that it worked out well for you and you are welcome on all the help. Feel free to stop back by anytime if you ever have anymore wireless questions. Enjoy the maxed out signa!

[nKrypteD1]

Wanted to say THANKYOU to all who helped make this transition decision. As of this afternoon I am now part of the Alltel family. Extremely nice young lady named Jennifer in Johnson City provided some invaluable assitance. Have been playing with my new Razr which shows MAXED out signal stregnth inside the home!!!!! Calls are crystal clear with NO static or hickups Feel very good about our decision... Thanks again.

I agree with the Unidentified Object, extremely happy Alltel worked out for you. Nothing better than seeing someone satisfied.

[alltelwirelesstech]

Well since Verizon does include Unlimited MTM on all calling plans and you have other friends with Verizon they would be a good choice. Alltel covers most of the country with no extra charges but remember on Alltel's national plans there is still a few areas where you'll get hit with roaming charges. Verizon on the other hand has no roaming charges at all.

You are right there are no roam charges with Verizon in the few areas b/c instead of allowing the phone to work and just charging the customer roaming, the SID is blacklisted in the PRL and the customer gets "No Service"
Personally id rather pay a fee than be restricted from use.

[strunke]

You are right there are no roam charges with Verizon in the few areas b/c instead of allowing the phone to work and just charging the customer roaming, the SID is blacklisted in the PRL and the customer gets "No Service"
Personally id rather pay a fee than be restricted from use.

Yes, but this won't be problem at all for Ken7. The area he is in is all friendly roam.

[djjim]

Wanted to say THANKYOU to all who helped make this transition decision. As of this afternoon I am now part of the Alltel family. Extremely nice young lady named Jennifer in Johnson City provided some invaluable assitance. Have been playing with my new Razr which shows MAXED out signal stregnth inside the home!!!!! Calls are crystal clear with NO static or hickups Feel very good about our decision... Thanks again.

Told ya so, told ya so...haha. Good choice my man! Enjoy! You will not be sorry! Let us know how tha AX355 is...I really want to go get that phone.

[strunke]

Yes, but this won't be problem at all for Ken7. The area he is in is all friendly roam.

Wow....mixing two different threads together....

Sorry about that....

[JearBear1]

We ended up with 2 razrs and an LG355. And that's my question. Is there an easy way to activate the speaker phone on the 355? I have found it buried under about 6-7 steps which is very inconvenient. Haven't found anything reading the manual. The razr = 1 button on the side. Please help... If we can't figure this out, we're returning it for another razr. Other than this, my wife LOVES the 355.

Was there anything in particular you want to know about the 355?

[UFO]

I don't have the AX355 so I don't have anyway to check the info I'm giving out. But the Alltel website diagrams the phone and lists the 'Speakerphone' button as being between the 'Send' And 'End' Buttons (the green and red buttons). Try tapping it and if that doesn't work holding it down for like 3 seconds. Try it during a call because it might not work if it's not during a call.

If this doesn't work I'll try to look up some more details on the phone or maybe somebody with an AX355 can chime in?

[JearBear1]

I'll try that tonite and let you know. From what I remember the send button is on the left, end button on the right, the button in the center is the back button. But I haven't tried holding it down for several seconds. Will let you know. Any ideas on how to activate the voice call feature. It's also burried under several steps...
Thanks

[strunke]

Are there any buttons on the side? It took me a while to figure out with 710 and 815 that you have to hold down a certain button on the side of it. I'm sure LG though of this as well, I'll see if there are any answers somewhere on the internet that are more definative...

[strunke]

Ok I found it. You press and hold down the black key in between send and end (under the circle navigator thing). You can turn the Speakerphone on and off before a call or during....

[JearBear1]

Yes there are buttons on the side, but so far, I haven't discovered the voice activation button.

However, my wife just called me, and I had her try the central button while in the conversation, and, IT WORKED... Speaker phone activates during a call by pressing the back button or the center button between the call and send buttons (just like UFO suggested)... WAY TO GO !!!!!

Now if we can figure out the voice activation, she'll be flying high and keeping the phone. Thanks guys.

[strunke]

Oh ok you got it. That's good. The voice thing on the lg seems strange to me. You have to press the left soft key, go to settings (9), then tools (1), then voice command (1), then it will ask you what you want to do. You say "call someone", then say the name of the person as it appears in the phone book after it asks you.

The numbers in () are useful because memorizing them help with the "handsfree" dialing. Moto's have the advantage when it comes to this though....

[UFO]

I'm glad that the last idea worked for the speakerphone.

Strunke's description was the only one I could find for the voice recognition feature: menu-9-1-1.

You can try the buttons on the side of the phone, but motorola might hold a patent or something for their one-button voice recognition feature. That's the only reason I can think of why LG wouldn't have it.