How can you tell the good phones from the bad?

Usually Verizon reps are going to suggest the phones that give them the least problems and returns, why sell something that's going to come back and give you more work?

Even if some phone model is discounted next to nothing most will still recommend strong performers in the RF field. This is true in the corporate retail stores. If you shop at a third party agent, they are usually going to recommend the cheapest phone "they" can buy.

So my suggestion to you is to go to a corporate store (or a business sales rep.) And tell them your needs and let them make suggestions. Then come back here and ask, you will get feedback from users who already have the phone you are interested in, and since we are all phone geeks here, you will most likely get more info than you need to make a good decision.

 

With all do respect, I don't entirely agree with Wirelessbeachbum's opinion. As an authorized indirect agent for Vzw I can say that we purchase all of our phones from Vzw. The profit I turn from selling a $100 phone is no different from that of a $350 phone give or take a few bucks. Further, I also have the motivation of not wanting to see a phone come back defective or with an unhappy customer for any reason. When there are problems, customers tend to go back to where they made thier purchase. Being in a rural area we get alot of feedback , especially when a phone is lacking in terms of reception. Our repeater sites are about 40 miles apart along a highway in the mountains, so needless to say there are alot of dead zones. If I may be so bold, I will give you my recommendations of current models that i know about.

In terms of reception only,

Stay away from the all digital handsets, i.e Audiovox 8910 & 8940, Samsung a670, a890, & N330, Lg 4500,7000, & 8000 and Kyocera Kx2.

A+ - Motorola v265 & v710, Nokia 6015i

B - Lg vx6100 , Samsung A650

C - Lg vx3200, Kyocera K404

Again, thats only with reception in mind. In terms of reliability, we had problems with only two in particular. Aud 8910 and Mot v265.

I hope that helps
Good Luck!!!

 

I agree with you eds222 or your opinion except for one change.

I have a LG VX8000 and I love the phone. I would never trade it for anything...well until my contract is up in 2007 when something better is out. So far, I haven't lost reception on it even when I was hiking through woods with my class (the closest tower that I could locate was approx. 5 miles from us).

 

Many dealers (especially Verizon because the maintain that their dealers must be exclusive to them.) are very ethical and do the best for their customers. However some of the smaller ones will by the cheapest phones available and push what's available in their stores today.

I'm sure the profits are similar on a $100 handset and a $350 handset, however what many dealers have trouble with is the cash flow. Dealers have to buy their phones and usually sell them for less than they pay for them, and then wait for Verizon to pay commissions on their sales. (This is why many dealers will add the extra ETF fees to protect their bottom line.)

I now off two Verizon Dealers in the past year that went out of business, because they couldn't cover the cash flow period.

It's a tough business, and you have to have good financing to do well in that business anymore.

 

the bad ones are silver
















j/k

 

:lol:

Not all of the time......

 

This is my take on the subject....

Bad phones: They fell cheap (sometimes) and flimsy (sometimes) and cannot hold calls.

Good phones: Usually (but not always) are more expensive and last longer (most of the time).

Again, this is not always the case, but it is usually the trend (imo).

 

There's nothing wrong with an all-digital phone unless you really want/need the analog backup. Of course, there aren't many places left where you would even use it.

 

Stay away from most of the Motorolas. I know they look cool but they have always had poor RF compared to other models. Nokia has always been one of the best (maybe that's why they are the sales leader worldwide)

 

Wow after re-reading my post I think I need to suggest a grammar check in addition to the spell check on this board..."by" / "buy"..."now"/ "know" I hate when I do that kind of stuff. I guess I should have paid attention in summer school.

 

Going by Experience, the CDMA network is still the best there is in the States. Don't get me wrong, GSM is growing as we speak so going by your remark about having good service now, then I would not make a carrier change.
Both LG and Samsung phones made for Verizon are my recommendation.


Telscape

 

A 4 year old thread back from the dead....

 

Well since this thread has been revived, for the most part "Free with 2 year agreement" = junk. you want a good phone, you gotta be willing to pay for it. Not all expensive phones are good though. Research the models you are looking at. Best advice I can give.

-Jay

 

Also, you can try out a phone within a return period, up to 30 days. If the phone is trash, you can either exchange it for another model or return the phone altogether.

I have had mixed experiences with price vs. quality. On Verizon, I generally stay away from the handsets that are less than $50, unless it is a Motorola... LG has been good for me the one time I used it. I also had a mixed bag experience with Samsung on VZW... the a930 was crap, but the Glyde (despite the horrible online reviews) has been good thus far.

On AT&T, Nokia phones worked for me...but, I would stay away from most non 3G phones, especially if you are in a 3G area; because of my experiences, I have to say no to the refurb phones...

On TMobile, I have only used Nokia and Motorola phones and they worked well enough... the V195 comes to mind.