T-Mobile or Cingular? Who to choose?

Even if TM merges, you shouldn't lose your coverage. In fact, you'd probably gain more if anything. Call up the customer service of each and ask them to check the areas where you want to use your phone. Also check the areas in between. For example, last time I checked, TM didn't have much coverage south of Sarasota. This is also a good way to judge the customer service in general. Also ask about their service policy: what happens if the phone dies, how long would it take to get a replacement, can you get it at a TM or Cingular store or do you have to wait for it to come in the mail? TM offers expedited service, but it costs extra. The last time I had a problem with my Cingular phone, I just took it to the store and it was fixed.

Getting back to mergers, there's a major consolidation going on in the industry. There used to be a lot of smaller companies, but they're slowly being taken over by larger ones. TM is #6, so it's a more likely target than Cingular, which is much larger......

Oh yeah, this is important. If the rep makes claims that are not supported by their literature, have him put it in writing on your contract!

 

Just to set the record straight; T-Mobile replaces your handset absolutely free of charge if it is defective, or if you just say it is defective. They send it to you in the mail, and you get it in 2-3 days, usually 3, but one time I got mine in 2.

 

This is true, but Cingular did it for me at their store without having to wait to receive it in the mail....

 

That's nice.

 

Which would you prefer, to wait up to 5 days, even longer if it's not in stock, or pay extra to get it sooner, from TM, or just go down to the Cingular store and get it the same day?

You seem to take any criticism of TM very personally. I think I said before, if it works for you, that's fine. If someone chooses to use another service, how does that affect you?

 

What is this pay extra to get it sooner that you speak of. I have done handset exchanges with T-Mobile, and it only takes 3 days max to get the phone, and I have never had to pay anything.

 

It's called "expedited service". For $15 you can get overnight delievery of a replacement handset. They are said to be working on a plan to start offering new handsets instead of refurbished ones, but implementation has been slow. This was a direct result of too many people cancelling their service after the end of the agreement because of having to do without their phones while waiting for a replacement. Some even paid the early termination fee just to get a new handset from a different carrier with better service policies.

There's also the issue of handsets being out of stock, requiring a customer to wait up to a couple of weeks. And once a customer chooses a particular model, s/he's locked into it for the duration. Reps can sometimes pull some strings and send a different one, but usually only after the current model has been replaced several times. This was the case with Nokia 8290's and Moto T193's, which have thankfully been discontinued. These two models in particular caused major problems....

 

You say so many different things that I have never heard of. I have not heard of there being a noticeable amount of people cancelling their contracts and things, just because it took a couple of days to get a replacement phone.
If a phone is out of stock, they'll send you a phone of equal or greater value. A phone being out-of-stock happens to every company. It happened to Nextel with their i95cls'. They didn't even have any to sell.

 

That was me in the above post; I forgot to type in my log in information.

 

I didn't say that. I'm saying there are a lot of people, on a nationwide basis, who have cancelled because they have had to go 3, 4, even 5 days without a phone when they've needed a replacement immediately. They've also had to deal with multiple defective phones, due to TM's policy of sending refurbished handsets. It was only in the past month or so that even "expedited service" was available. Customer service rep (CSR) have been known to call up managers of local TM/VS stores in attempts to round up some sort of loaner phone, only to be told time and time again that none are available. It's very frustrating for all parties.

Not so. Frequently, the phone becomes out of stock unbeknownst to the CSR's, and I can assure you no effort is made to send a newer model, except when it is a discontinued model. The customer only finds out that his/her wait is going to be longer the hard way. No effort is made, in fact, no mechanism was even in place, to inform them that a phone was out of stock. The burden is placed on the customer him/herself to call in and find out.

The firm to which these services was outsourced is supposed to have been replaced, but the last I heard the start date had been pushed back. I hope, for the sake of the customers, and ONLY their sake, that the situation is improved in their favor. I know what I'm talking about here. I can't help it if you haven't witnessed this yourself....

 

Whenever I do a handset exchange, after they read me the verbal agreement, and I agree, they always check to see if the phone is in-stock, and so far it has always been.
It's when I get readt to do a handset upgrade when the phone is sometimes out-of-stock.

 

You're lucky you haven't found yourself in the position a lot of others have. The fact remains that for many people, waiting even one day is simply not an option. Real estate agents, truck drivers and other salespeople who are always on the road, contractors, investigators, insurance adjusters, network administrators, are just among a few of the professions where a cell phone is a necessary tool that is used on a daily basis. They can't wait for a replacement to show up in a few days. They need it ASAP! They also don't want to have to deal with a back-up device like a pager when there are companies that offer same day replacements simply by walking into their store.

What about people with relatives who have serious health conditions and have to be reachable 24/7? If they're handset fails, they could be faced with a medical emergency whose outcome could be adversely affected by the lack of their cell phone. For these people, the only real solution is to be able to drop by a store and get a replacement. TM does not offer this. Even people who've dropped their landlines and now use a cell phone are faced with up to a week of no service while the replacement comes in the mail, and this is presuming there are no problems with delivery. They don't happen often, but they do happen.

If it works for you, that's great. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for everyone.....

 

Its also important to realize that these people who *need* their cell phones are the ones that spend the most money on them. Two, three, or four thousand minutes a month is pretty easy (I'm using 2,000/month and I'm a "light user" in my group). These users are also the most likely to stay with a provider that gives the the SERVICE they need regardless of the price - changing phone numbers can be a HUGE pain, but getting stuck with a phone that doesn't work is 100x worse, and they'll pay out the nose if the stupid phone just keeps working.

So yeah, phone companies should bend over backwards to keep these guys.

 

Excellent point! Just having to get new business cards alone can be a pain. There may not be a way to reach the people who have the old ones to inform them of the new number, since cell phones companies generally don't offer an intercept the way land lines do. In fact, that's one reason I'm stuck with two different services.....

His name is Robert Paulsen....

 

The problem with T-Mobile being your only carrier, is that there will be times when you simply cannot connect. (Their phones don't allow analog roaming.) If you don't get a T-Mobile or Cingular GSM signal, you're stuck without service. I carry both a Verizon and a T-Mobile phone. My Verizon phone almost always has service anywhere throughout Florida, and in my auto trips to Massachusetts and Michigan. If I were you, I would consider Alltel too. They are strong in the western half of Florida, and have roaming agreements with Verizon, so coverage should be excellent.

 

Specious argument. Everyone I know who relies so heavily on their phone that they can't be without it for one day has a second phone. If you're on AT&T or Verizon or Sprint, you just call the customer care (or go into a direct store) and have the 'replacement' programmed. If you're on GSM, you just swap the SIM card into the new phone. I personally have three phones - and I haven't sold the Samsung in the off chance that I may need it one day.

 

That's good that the people you know have an extra phone, however, that doesn't apply to everyone. And you're also making my point that with other companies you can go to the store and get a replacement the same day. With TM you have to wait for one to be sent to you unless you want to purchase one, which is going to cost a minimum of the current price for a prepaid kit (into which you can insert your SIM chip).

If you want something else, you may be able to get an upgraded model in return for another year commitment. However you'll still have to wait for it to come in the mail, or go through a cumbersome process of purchasing a new one a full retail price, then faxing the invoice to the TM call center and having a credit placed on the bill. But with other companies, all you do is drop by the store and walk out with a working phone.

I should stress that these are real world examples, not hypotheticals....

 

So, to belabour my point here, either don't get TM, or have a spare phone.

Not to mention that the T-Mo store in our village gives loaners.

 

Precisely! We can agree on that. If your local TM store has loaners, it's the exception to the rule and has a lot to do with the fact you're in Santa Monica and that TM only recently added California. I only wish more of them did.....

 

IMO, T-Mo's "service after the sale" when it comes to phones is by far the worst of all the major carriers. No swaps (except within the initial return period), no loaners, no firmware updates, no insurance, etc. (To be frank, AT&T isn't that far behind T-Mo in this area; even SPCS is better!)

-SC

 

But you can swap via mail, and they send you the new phone first.

 

I forgot about the lack of insurance.....

 

That's the problem, you have to wait for the phone to show up. Many customers need their phones replaced the same day and can't wait....