Question about handsets

[714tmobile]

Hello,

My fiance and I are both looking at Verizon and I'd like some handset suggestions from people who already have the service.

I'm looking at free and near-free phones (no smart phones or $50+ handsets), preferably $20 and under that includes the following..

- Good Reception / Battery Life
- Bluetooth (for headsets)
- Camera (VGA is fine)

I saw the LG 5400 and it looks promising, but thought I'd ask here before making any moves.

Thanks!

[Quint101]

LG Phones are solid for the most part. I got my mom and aunt a Motorola W385 each and they both are pleased. They wanted a flip phone with no frills... Mom hated the fact that the phone has a camera LOL. The phone is solid, and fits your requirements. I got them Motorolas because they are good with reception. It has Bluetooth, I only tried it once to transfer a picture and that went well. So pairing should be simple enough. They haven't complained about the battery, so I'm assuming that it suits their needs. To top it off, it is free.

The most most advanced phone in this price range is the W755... It's not free probably because of the music player and 1.3 MP camera... Something you probably could care less about, right? But $20 isn't too bad, though.

[714tmobile]

Hey thanks for the info...

I had a RAZR phone w/ T-Mobile and it got really horrible reception, and the build quality wasn't all that great. Will there be a difference w/ Motorolas on Verizon?

[Quint101]

Originally Posted by 714tmobile

Hey thanks for the info...

I had a RAZR phone w/ T-Mobile and it got really horrible reception, and the build quality wasn't all that great. Will there be a difference w/ Motorolas on Verizon?

I never used a RAZR on any of the carriers, so I can't really say. I used a Q and bought my mom a V325... Reception was great on both devices. Mom lost the extendable antenna on the V325 and that phone still picked up signal better than any phone I've used. IN my & my family usage, Motorola has only been great with reception. As far as build and aesthetics, you won't get too much in that area in the sub $50 price range. But the phone isn't going to necessarily die if you drop it. The W385 has some kind of grip or something along the sides and bottom of the phone... It feels cheap but it looks like its built for the long haul of normal wear and tear.

[714tmobile]

Ok, one last question if you don't mind...

The contract is 2yrs, and the phone has a warranty for 1yr. What happens if I have problems w/ the handset during the first year, and what happens during the 2nd year?

Do I take the handset into a Verizon store, or have to send it to the manufacturer?

Thx again!

[Quint101]

If a problem arises due to a manufacturer's defect during the first year, you can simply exchange it like for like at a corporate store or by mail. After that one year, a $50 fee is required since the phone isn't in a warranty anymore.

[714tmobile]

$50 doesn't seem bad at all. I like that you can take it to the store if you have a problem.

Thank you for all your help man. It's much appreciated.

[ta206]

Originally Posted by Quint101

If a problem arises due to a manufacturer's defect during the first year, you can simply exchange it like for like at a corporate store or by mail. After that one year, a $50 fee is required since the phone isn't in a warranty anymore.

With Verizon do you have to purchase the monthly insurance for the $50.00 deductable on a bad phone past warranty?

[Quint101]

Originally Posted by ta206

With Verizon do you have to purchase the monthly insurance for the $50.00 deductable on a bad phone past warranty?

Insurance isn't required for the warranty issues. If I recall correctly, the extended warranty by itself is $2/month and a deductible isn't required, either.

Insurance, by itself, covers if the phone is lost or stolen, or for damage not covered by warranty. The $50 deductible would apply in this instance.

If your phone dies out of warranty and you have no insurance, $50 gets you a refurbished phone like for like.

[Jodi]

My husband has the Moto w385 and while he hates cell phones in general, he hasn't had any complaints about the w385...it's a good, basic, solid phone.

[714tmobile]

Thx Jodi. Great info.

We were 'this' far from going w/ VZW until my fiance saw the iPhone, and you can pretty much guess what happened there.

Hopefully AT&T will work out for us (coverage is 50% better than T-Mobile where I live), but if not we'll end up w/ VZW.

You guys rock, thanks again for all your input

[macsesso]

Originally Posted by 714tmobile

Thx Jodi. Great info.

We were 'this' far from going w/ VZW until my fiance saw the iPhone, and you can pretty much guess what happened there.

Hopefully AT&T will work out for us (coverage is 50% better than T-Mobile where I live), but if not we'll end up w/ VZW.
You guys rock, thanks again for all your input

Did you get the iphone free or "near free?"

[Jodi]

Originally Posted by 714tmobile

Thx Jodi. Great info.

We were 'this' far from going w/ VZW until my fiance saw the iPhone, and you can pretty much guess what happened there.

Hopefully AT&T will work out for us (coverage is 50% better than T-Mobile where I live), but if not we'll end up w/ VZW.

You guys rock, thanks again for all your input

You're welcome! Good luck with ATT....personally, if I didn't have so many "IN" people and the reception with ATT was better in my area, I would jump all over the iPhone, but alas, ATT's signal is nowhere near as good as VZWs in my area, so I stay with VZW.

[714tmobile]

Originally Posted by macsesso

Did you get the iphone free or "near free?"

LOL, no I didn't. I was going to buy a Tom Tom for my car, but now that the iPhone has a GPS it was sort of a no brainer for me. I've never spent more than $50 for a phone, so this is a new concept for me.

[714tmobile]

Originally Posted by Jodi

You're welcome! Good luck with ATT....personally, if I didn't have so many "IN" people and the reception with ATT was better in my area, I would jump all over the iPhone, but alas, ATT's signal is nowhere near as good as VZWs in my area, so I stay with VZW.

Thx Jodi Yeah my fiance's parents' are on VZW and most of her (big Mexican) family. On the other hand, most everyone I know is split between all four carriers so it didn't make much of a difference to me. The GPS is the only thing that really 'sold me' on this thing.

[Quint101]

Originally Posted by 714tmobile

Thx Jodi Yeah my fiance's parents' are on VZW and most of her (big Mexican) family. On the other hand, most everyone I know is split between all four carriers so it didn't make much of a difference to me. The GPS is the only thing that really 'sold me' on this thing.

As long as you're happy LOL I have no IN friends, as most folks I know are on AllTel, Sprint, and MetroPCS. I'm only with Verizon because it just works and sounds better than the carriers that I've tried... Unhappy with the bill but loving the service.