cell phone carriers

pontifex

Lifer
Dec 5, 2000
43,804
46
91
i originally put this in the off topic forum but its not really getting anywhere there.
sorry if this doesn't exactly fit in this section, not sure where to put it...anyway, here it goes:

my dad recently got a new cell phone and new plan for it. the place he got it from is called www.consumercellular.com.

its cheaper than the regular carriers like Verizon, Cingular, T-Mobile, etc for a comparable rate plan.

the thing is, when you look at their coverage map, it is Cingular's coverage map.
i'm not very knowledgable about cell phone stuff so thats why i'm asking. so are these independant companies using cingular's towers and stuff or what? EDIT: i did find out that they are a service reseller of companies like verizon, etc. i don't understand how that works. is it better to go with an independant carrier or with the larger ones?

Cingular
Nation 450 w/Rollover $39.99 450 minutes-Anytime 5000-Weekend
Nation 900 w/Rollover $59.99 900 minutes-Anytime Unlimited-Weekend

Consumer Cellular
Anywhere/Anytime 400 minutes $30.00 there are no weekend minutes for any plan
Anywhere/Anytime 800 minutes $40.00 from consumercellular.com.

also i don't think consumercellular does rollover minutes. i only end up using about 100 minutes a month with my current plan anyway, so it doesn't really matter to me that i don't get free/extra weekend minutes. I currently use verizon and get no signal at my house (i live out in the sticks). my dad gets a good signal with his new phone at my house.

so for me, this sounds like a good deal, since i pay $39.99 a month now for my 500 minutes a month verizon plan. it sounds like a good deal, and i'd love to pay less for my cell phone bill since i don't use it much, but is it worth losing out on some other features the big carriers offer?

they don't offer many phone choices either though (for new phones). they do have the RAZR for $215 if you sign up with them. oh there's no contract either with this place.
although since i don't really use my cell phone a lot, its probably a waste of money to get the RAZR.

this company has a satisfactory rating with the BBB, so i'm not worried about getting ripped off.
 

TraumaRN

Diamond Member
Jun 5, 2005
6,893
63
91
Well if you have an old verizon phone you probably havent updated your roaming recently I'm guessing....go some place with a good full signal(no roaming) and dial *228 and follow the instructions.

As for the carrier....I dunno.....thats your personal choice I have verizon myself and use it much much more frequently than you....if it fits your needs and is good with the BBB then go for it.
 

OdiN

Banned
Mar 1, 2000
16,430
3
0
Well...I have Verizon and I have always had excellent service. Friends of mine who have Cingular/T-Mobile are always complaining.