Which cell phone provider to go with?

[glugglug]

Verizon has rapidly become total crap over the past 3 years.
My contract has already ended and my wife's is about to, and I'm going to get a new blackberry from work.
The choices are T-mobile or Sprint.

Which one provides better service, particularly in the NYC area? Mostly concerned with reception, dead zones, & dropped calls. I realize Sprint is faster for data and T-mobile has the option of using it overseas, but I am mostly concerned with using it as a phone and text messaging, not so much for web surfing on it.

 

[Crono]

T-Mobile and Verizon I've used, don't know about Sprint. I would recommend T-Mobile, though, as I've used it past 2 years without any service problem in NYC (Manhattan and Bronx) and Rockland and Westchester counties.

 

[mugs]

I don't know what about Verizon you're saying has become total crap... have they eliminated towers? Verizon is the best here (NJ). I don't think anyone I know uses anything other than Verizon unless they wanted a phone that Verizon doesn't offer (i.e. iPhone).

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: mugs
I don't know what about Verizon you're saying has become total crap... have they eliminated towers? Verizon is the best here (NJ). I don't think anyone I know uses anything other than Verizon unless they wanted a phone that Verizon doesn't offer (i.e. iPhone).

In terms of coverage, I think Verizon is still king in the NYC metro area.

 

[Kirby]

Never used T-Mobile or Sprint, and never been to NYC.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I have Tmobile outside NYC and like them.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: mugs
I don't know what about Verizon you're saying has become total crap... have they eliminated towers? Verizon is the best here (NJ). I don't think anyone I know uses anything other than Verizon unless they wanted a phone that Verizon doesn't offer (i.e. iPhone).

In terms of coverage, I think Verizon is still king in the NYC metro area.

Yeah, no one beats Verizon in NYC. If the OP is having problems there, it may be related to his phone.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

I vote Sprint for absolutely no rational reasoning, except for the fact that I dislike T-Mobile for no real reason.

 

[Tiamat]

T-Mobile has really been improving their coverage over the past 5 years. I have had T-Mobile for the past 6 years and I while the coverage isn't as good as verizon, I have had good experience with their customer support (Very courteous, Spam text messages were resolved by giving me 30 free txts, etc.). Verizon, not so much in wireless, wired, and internet (rude customer support who doesn't care about customer problems). I've had bad experience with AT&T customer support during the change over between cingular and AT&T (very rude, take it or leave it, we don't care attitude).

 

[oddyager]

T-Mobile has spotty coverage around NYC. Can't speak for Sprint/Nextel but have heard its the same. Verizon and AT&T are basically one two here in the city.

 

[Gothgar]

they both suck, though I am with ATT and they suck too...

 

[Fingolfin269]

Whichever service the majority of people you call are on. I'm not a sprint fan but have it bc everyone I call regularly has it. This allows me to use a cheaper (less anytime mins) plan due to free mobile to mobile calling.

 

[glugglug]

Verizon's customer support has become laughable over the years. In fact they are outright antagonistic. More than once after my wife has brought her phone in for service we have been billed for the backup application the service reps downloaded onto it through Get-It-Now. They liked adding extra services to our home phone and charging extra to have those services removed as well before we switched to TWC for the land-line.

In addition, they drop calls all the time. We've had this problem with 6 different phones, 5 different models, and are getting more and more dead zones because the towers are not maintained. We've complained multiple times about half of our apartment being a dead zone and they usually say its impossible because there is a cell tower practically right outside the window. One of the techs in the local verizon store confirmed they do have problems with that tower, so why hasn't it been fixed in 2 years?

 

[AMDMaddness]

Where is the at&t option?

 

[SandEagle]

been with TMobile since they were Voicestream. Love their customer service/support. Haven't had much issues with coverage and rarely ever get dropped calls.

 

[fstime]

Verizon has the best coverage in general period. CDMA is simply a better technology than GSM.

If you don't mind the lack of GSM phones on Verizon, they are the way to go.

 

[ed21x]

Originally posted by: Gothgar
they both suck, though I am with ATT and they suck too...

 

[Parasitic]

I would wait on T-mobile if I were you. I think NYC is one of their 3G markets and since they have funny frequencies on 3G and you want a BB, I'd sit this out a month or two until there's a 3G BB that supports T-mo's funny frequency before jumping in.

Sprint billing was a nightmare. Would never go with them again in my life.