T-Mobile - pre paid plan?

[Slickone]

I've been on the same plan w/ T-Mobile since '99. Every time I call T-Mobile, it always takes them a few minutes to look over my plan since it's old and they're not too familiar with it, and they (nicely) point out the advantages to their new plans (free nationwide LD), trying to get me to upgrade. But I always explain that by switching, I would be loosing a lot of anytime minutes, and that I don't use the phone enough to justify the $10+ difference in the next plan up, which obviously has more anytime minutes than I currently have.

My plan is a regional plan, 150 anytime minutes, no nights/weekend minutes, free LD from the states in my region, for $20 (~$25 w/ taxes/fees). I actually purchased that plan when it was Powertel (then Voicestream bought them, then T-Mobile). Which is another reason they want me to change plans. The Voicestream plans were not quite as good, then the T-Mobile plans even 'worse'. The current $20 plan is only 60 anytime minutes. I know it has more N&W minutes, but I want more than 60 anytime.
So, considering how long I've been a customer, and how they'd like to get me out of the Powertel plan, is there any possible way to get them to give me more anytime minutes on that plan, or lower the $30 plan to say, $25? Yeah I'm being cheap, but with a house by myself, two vehicles, jetski, HSI, etc, I have plenty of other bills. And I mainly only use the cell when I need to.


Edit 1/13: Going to get a pre-paid plan. Any disadvantages to them?

 

[Kelvrick]

Why don't you just get a damned prepay then? If 10 bucks a month is that big of a deal to you...

 

[sao123]

phone companies will never lower the base cost of plans... they will just continuously add more minutes...
after all it costs nothing for them to provide you with "extra" minutes... (their equipment runs 24/7 no matter what, so their operating costs are a continuous unchanging amount unless they add new staff or upgrade equipment)


Example...
3 years ago...
Well give you 200 minutes for 29.99 a month...

Now its will give you 450 minutes per month for 29.99...

3 years from now...
Well give you 700 minutes per month....
but u will still always pay us 29.99.

 

[serialkiller]

you are with possibly the cheapest ... and crapiest cellular service there is out there..... I dont think it can get any cheaper given the fact that tmobile (no pun intended) attracts low income individuals...

 

[LuNoTiCK]

Originally posted by: serialkiller
you are with possibly the cheapest ... and crapiest cellular service there is out there..... I dont think it can get any cheaper given the fact that tmobile (no pun intended) attracts low income individuals...

I don't about that. Cingular sucks.

 

[Gibson486]

Really? The only plans that have changed is the low $20/month plan. I got that same plan when I was on Powertel(could have swore it was a different name), then when they were Voicestram, it changed to 175 minutes, now it is something like 90 minutes.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: serialkiller
you are with possibly the cheapest ... and crapiest cellular service there is out there..... I dont think it can get any cheaper given the fact that tmobile (no pun intended) attracts low income individuals...

I don't think so.....Go to Lowell, Ma or Lawrence, Ma...everyone is on the Sprint and Nextel network.....Lowell and Lawrence, Ma are no where near rich.

 

[AreaCode707]

Originally posted by: serialkiller
you are with possibly the cheapest ... and crapiest cellular service there is out there..... I dont think it can get any cheaper given the fact that tmobile (no pun intended) attracts low income individuals...

Dunno if you've ever been with Cingular but that is the WORST cell service I have ever had. Maybe they're better now that they bought AT&T, since I had a pretty decent experience with them, but I definitely rate my T-Mobile service better than Cingular.

 

[Nocturnal]

I've known T-Mobile and their $39.99 plan for quite some time. Often times they'll add a feature or to but I haven't seen them drop the price for the plan. Unless some other company comes out with a similar plan with a lower price point then I doubt we'll see a price drop with the same amount of minutes any time soon.

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal
I've known T-Mobile and their $39.99 plan for quite some time. Often times they'll add a feature or to but I haven't seen them drop the price for the plan. Unless some other company comes out with a similar plan with a lower price point then I doubt we'll see a price drop with the same amount of minutes any time soon.

Like is said... It isnt about what they give u... Its just about that continuous volume of cash flow.

 

[Slickone]

I realize they don't drop the price of plans on their own, but didn't know about on a personal basis. ie. to keep a customer that wants to cancel. Like Comcast does with HSI.

Gibson486, I'm not sure about the other plans, but the $20 one went from 150 anytime mins, to 100, and is now 60. So while they have added weekend minutes, they've been continuely decreasing the anytime minutes. And not sure about yours, but mine was definately with Powertel, which was bought by Voicestream. Voicestream bought some other companies too in different areas, so you may have not had Powertel.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Slickone
So, considering how long I've been a customer, and how they'd like to get me out of the Powertel plan, is there any possible way to get them to give me more anytime minutes on that plan, or lower the $30 plan to say, $25?

Nope. They cannot edit the plans at all. You pick and choose which plan you want out of what they offer. You say "hey I want that new fangled plan that gives me blah blah blah that you're advertising," they say okay, and select from a drop-down list, essentially. No lowering monthly prices for a long account history or making the plan include extra minutes each month.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: serialkiller
you are with possibly the cheapest ... and crapiest cellular service there is out there..... I dont think it can get any cheaper given the fact that tmobile (no pun intended) attracts low income individuals...

Cheapest, yes. Crappiest, hardly. Who cares if it attracts low income individuals? Why the ****** do YOU care? :|

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: HotChic

Originally posted by: serialkiller
you are with possibly the cheapest ... and crapiest cellular service there is out there..... I dont think it can get any cheaper given the fact that tmobile (no pun intended) attracts low income individuals...

Dunno if you've ever been with Cingular but that is the WORST cell service I have ever had. Maybe they're better now that they bought AT&T, since I had a pretty decent experience with them, but I definitely rate my T-Mobile service better than Cingular.

That's cuz you're bias

 

[miri]

Originally posted by: serialkiller
you are with possibly the cheapest ... and crapiest cellular service there is out there..... I dont think it can get any cheaper given the fact that tmobile (no pun intended) attracts low income individuals...

T-mobile has been great so far, and when I went to Europe over the summer I could use my T-mobile phone there and get 6 bars of reception just about everywhere, even in North Africa.

 

[mzkhadir]

I sometimes have good service with Tmobile, sometimes I dont. Depends where I am. Customer service is great with Tmobile. Never had any problems with them.

 

[mordantmonkey]

Originally posted by: Slickone
My plan is a regional plan, 150 anytime minutes, no nights/weekend minutes, free LD from the states in my region, for $20 (~$25 w/ taxes/fees).

um you can get T-mobile prepaid. If you buy $100 card (which you can get for $90 online) you get 1000 anytime minutes and free long distance. So 150min/mo would cost you $13.50/mo. And the minutes don't expire for a year.

So i have no idea why you are on that plan.

 

[Eureka]

Personally I found Cingular to be very good here... and T-Mobile's crap anywhere you go.

Norm

 

[Sentinel]

Tmob for 2 years now, not bad, have the 1500 min plus free night/weekends.

 

[Staples]

Yeah, T mobile is pretty expensive. Sure they offer good plans for minutes but their plans are expensive plus the extra $8/month most people pay for mobile to mobile.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

Originally posted by: Staples
Yeah, T mobile is pretty expensive. Sure they offer good plans for minutes but their plans are expensive plus the extra $8/month most people pay for mobile to mobile.

Expensive?! T-Mobile's one of the cheapest mobile carriers in existance, if not THE cheapest. Break down minutes per dollar and they're the cheapest -well, they were a few years ago and things really haven't changed much since then. Family plans come with mobile-to-mobile, but $8 extra isn't worth it if you don't know many people who use T-Mobile service anyway.

 

[dxkj]

Originally posted by: Slickone
I've been on the same plan w/ T-Mobile since '99. Every time I call T-Mobile, it always takes them a few minutes to look over my plan since it's old and they're not too familiar with it, and they (nicely) point out the advantages to their new plans (free nationwide LD), trying to get me to upgrade. But I always explain that by switching, I would be loosing a lot of anytime minutes, and that I don't use the phone enough to justify the $10+ difference in the next plan up, which obviously has more anytime minutes than I currently have.

My plan is a regional plan, 150 anytime minutes, no nights/weekend minutes, free LD from the states in my region, for $20 (~$25 w/ taxes/fees). I actually purchased that plan when it was Powertel (then Voicestream bought them, then T-Mobile). Which is another reason they want me to change plans. The Voicestream plans were not quite as good, then the T-Mobile plans even 'worse'. The current $20 plan is only 60 anytime minutes. I know it has more N&W minutes, but I want more than 60 anytime.
So, considering how long I've been a customer, and how they'd like to get me out of the Powertel plan, is there any possible way to get them to give me more anytime minutes on that plan, or lower the $30 plan to say, $25?

Yeah I'm being cheap, but with a house by myself, two vehicles, jetski, HSI, etc, I have plenty of other bills. And I mainly only use the cell when I need to.

Yeah I have 2 tmobile phones, 2000 anytime long distance minutes, free nights and weekends, and 1500 isntant messages, 500 pictures, etc

$9.99 + taxes so like $12.33 for each line, for both , its a total of 4000 anytime minutes 3000 messages, and 1000 pictures for $24.66 a month

 

[Staples]

I would like to see a $20 plan offering more than 5 minutes a month. Sure T mobile has nice family plans but their cheapest plan I find to be decent is the $40+8 one. That is expensive. I think that plan is 40 from anyone else and offers the same minutes and free mobile to mobile. When you move up to $70, T mobile offers more minutes that anyone at that price range.

 

[Sentinel]

if Tmobile is expensive, what is a better alternative?

 

[Slickone]

Originally posted by: mordantmonkey
um you can get T-mobile prepaid. If you buy $100 card (which you can get for $90 online) you get 1000 anytime minutes and free long distance. So 150min/mo would cost you $13.50/mo. And the minutes don't expire for a year.

So i have no idea why you are on that plan.

Yeah that probably would be the better thing for me to do. Any disadvantages to pre-paid plans? Do many people do this? Since you said card, is it a different sim card you have to buy?