I need to switch my cell phone carrier....

[AWD]

....Verizon Wireless has so many hidden charges and dirty tricks, screw 'em.

Which company should I switch my phone number to? Any thoughts???

on edit - my capaign can't afford these massive cell phone bills right now...240 bucks this month and I DID NOT go over my minutes!

[terrya]

1. Working Assets, my friend.

Go to www.workingassets.com.

Working Assets is a long distance phone company that contributes part of your payment to liberal and progressive organizations.

WA just started a wireless service. I have their long distance service, and when I joined their wireless service, I got 1000 anytime minutes.

I'm very much impressed with Working Assets. And I think you will be, also.

[annagull]

7. I've got Working Assets Wireless-- it rocks!

39 bucks a month, free weekends, free after 9pm weeknights, 300 free minutes a month. We were recently in Rochester, Minnesota for almost a month, and I was terrified of the roaming charges I was going to rack up--low and behold, there were NO roaming charges. Meanwhile, my Mother-in law was with us (she has Cingulair) and racked up 200 bucks in roaming. Working A's will give you a phone, and on the phone you can set it to warn you about roaming. We travel quite a bit, and our phone works everywhere. I switched after 2 yrs with ATT, I got socked with a huge roaming bill while I was in NYC in Feb. Switched when I got back, and I highly recommend it, AWD.

[terrya]

8. AND Working Assets has the best customer service. Plus, Ben & Jerry's :-)

If you're a member for the first time, Working Assets will send you a coupon each month (for a year) for a free pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream. :-)

[htuttle]

2. I don't know where you are located...

...but in the Midwest, US Cellular is pretty good. We have two phones (and phone numbers), do a fair amount of long distance on them, and our bill isn't even half of what you paid.

I think they get good marks from Consumer Reports as well.

[Systematic Chaos]

3. Don't go with Sprint either

Their customer service is horrible.

My wife and I have AT&T phones right now. Everything about them is good from my experience so far. My only regret is that when I signed up I didn't have the money for better phones than what I picked. I went with a pair of Siemens C-56 phones, but they're not very well made.

[Hawkeye-X]

4. Try Working Assets or something similar

they're progressive...

I have them for LD, and I know they offer wireless.

Hawkeye-X

[papau]

5. I just switched to ATT Wireless for 2 yrs with Nokia 3650 on 4 phones

3 extra different area code phones were only $ 10 per extra phone "line"/number per month

The 3650 is a $300 dollar phone for $25 after rebates - and now we have four Nokia for $100. $149/month gives 3 buckets - 2500 shared prime time among the 4 phones in calls to anywhere, a 1000 in some other set-up that I forgot - and unlimited on the weekend - or something like that! - only the 2500 was really of interest to me ($0.30 per minute over 2500)

So now we have email/instant messaging (a $10 per phone extra per month!) so that the video camera movie (11 seconds VGA quality on 16 megs of memory) and the pictures (again VGA quality for a few hundred) can be email around -

and we have instant video conferencing to see grandkids at anytime in our regular calls! Total cost is 149 plus 30 plus 40, or 219 per month.

Of course if other party does not have video phone (a picture phone doesn't cut it) we are back to simple cell phone calls.

But it is 3rd generation - and I like it!

[eyesroll]

6. 240 bucks? Eeek!

The "personal" cell phones are Verizon. We'll probably be switching them. (We're on the "el-cheapo" Verizon plan, and we try not to use them in roaming areas, so we come out OK.)

The campaign cell is Cingular. For $47 a month (plus tax/fees), it gets 600 anytime minutes that can roll over from month to month, either a truly obscene amount or unlimited night/weekend minutes, AND a 7 p.m. night start time (rather than 9 or 10 -- that's what the extra $7 is for). So far, that phone has never exceeded contracted amount. This is a "regional" plan -- it doesn't roam in most of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana or Ohio.

(We wanted a dedicated campaign cell for both record-keeping and "don't bug us here" purposes.)

I don't know whether that plan is available for you. I'd imagine the region would be different.

[papau]

9. "National Family" plan ends roaming charges - and 4 households have

phone for 219 - or 55/month

and a couple of those households only use "emergency" cell phone - but have got hit by roaming when the "emergency" occurred (one "emergency" was to find movie times in Miami using cell phone out of Toronto - $40 for 3 minutes!)

a pool of minutes makes sense for us.

This replaces Verison and Cingular - both of whome have "fee'd" us to death!

[Catshrink]

10. I'm thinking of getting a prepaid

I have Qwest right now and I'm tired of the crappy connections and dropped calls. I don't use it all that much anyway and want one just for emergencies.

Frankly, I hate the freaking telephone.

Anyone else have experiene with prepaids?

[ProudGerman]

11. I'm on the Suncom unplan

I think its only available in the souteast though. But I have unlimited minutes, unlimited long distance, and very rarely do I go out of the "free" zone. I have 300 minutes to use outside of the "free" zone. I get great reception too.

While I was still with my ex-fiance, I once spent an entire month away from her. 3 to 4 hours a night on the phone with her every night of the month, 52 dollar phone bill. I have since added a second phone to the package, and now the monthly phone bill is only 73 dollars a month.