Cingular vs. Verizon in Boston?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon,alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

My wife and I were just about to switch from Verizon to Cingular for our
family plan. We tend to not use a lot of minutes, but ocassionally do
(on vacation, extended business travel...), and we get killed by the
Verizon bill roughly once a year; thus the Cingular rollover minutes
feature seems very useful.

HOWEVER, the recent Consumer Reports rated Verizon service as much
better in our home town (Boston), so we're having second thoughts - I'm
remembering the bad old days of being unable to keep a connection for
more than a minute or two while driving (with my headset, of course).

To help push us one way or the other, I'd appreciate any
experiences/insights into the relative quality of service between
Verizon and Cingular in the Boston area.

Thanks in advance,

Al Cohen

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon, alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

I've been a customer for both companies and was happy. Note I did and
do use a phone with AMPS fallback and a plan to cover any roaming
charges. I would try Cingular before I moved your numbers, get a loaner
phone from Cingular or a prepaid or try a new number but return before
the trial period note you pay for use and activation.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon, alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

If you have a problem With Cingular (or any phone company), write a
hand-addressed letter to the President of Cingular, and make sure that
you clearly c.c. the NY Attorney General, the US Attorney General, and
the Federal Trade Commission. If necessary, say that you were "slammed"
or lied to about your service. You will get a call back from the
president's admin within two days apologising profusely and dropping
all money charges.
\
Cingular are the worst, and have just paid out millions in a class
action suit in California. We also had a nightmare with them two years
ago, until in desperation Helen resorted to the above strategy. Just
recently, we had a similar problem with AT&T, who had offered to lower
our long distance then charged us 3.00/minute to call UK, when we had
been paying 0.10/minute!!!.

PAcBell was going to cut us off for non-payment of an erroneous $427
bill for one month's worth of international calls. AT&T service reps
refused to listen, kept denying all or any previous conversations until
Helen did the above again and immediately got the same reaction-
grovelling profuse apologies from Corporate HQ, plus all money charges
dropped. The phone companies really do NOT want any more flack--the
heat is on them big time from various Fed consumer agencies.

Barry

 

[user]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon, alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

Alan,

Inside 128, there's not much difference. While you will find the rare
weak or even dead spot with any carrier, both carriers pretty much
blanket the area.

What I have found is that Cingular GSM still suffers a bit, even
between the 128 and 495 when you get off the main routes (2, 3, 24, I93
and the Pike) when compared to Verizon coverage. This seems to be more
of a problem than when I was using Cingular/Cell One TDMA/Analog.

This doesn't make much sense, since Cingular still uses the same
frequencies and towers as with TDMA, but it is my experience, even
though I seldom dump into analog service. Perhaps there will be some
degradation until TDMA is phased out in the area. It also may simply be
my choice of phones!

Check for Cingular or partner coverage where you vacation before you
dump Verizon's analog capability. This is becoming less of an issue
every day, but still is in some areas.

Yes, Verizon has superior customer service, but I also enjoy the
(generally) much quicker connect time on GSM, especially on incoming
calls.

Good luck with your choice!

John

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon,alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

I live in Philly & Verizon is much better then Cingular, in my opinion. I
had Cingular & I had no service in my house.



"Alan Cohen" <amc79@cornell.nojunkplease.edu> wrote in message
news:C_-dnZC06YzdFUjcRVn-vA@speakeasy.net...
> My wife and I were just about to switch from Verizon to Cingular for our
> family plan. We tend to not use a lot of minutes, but ocassionally do (on
> vacation, extended business travel...), and we get killed by the Verizon
> bill roughly once a year; thus the Cingular rollover minutes feature seems
> very useful.
>
> HOWEVER, the recent Consumer Reports rated Verizon service as much better
> in our home town (Boston), so we're having second thoughts - I'm
> remembering the bad old days of being unable to keep a connection for more
> than a minute or two while driving (with my headset, of course).
>
> To help push us one way or the other, I'd appreciate any
> experiences/insights into the relative quality of service between Verizon
> and Cingular in the Boston area.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Al Cohen

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon,alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

Alan,

get a phone, and try it for a couple of days during the trial period.

If you can borrow a friends phone and take it on a test spin.
If not, Purchase a phone and take the phone a test run around the places
where
you go. Before you do this, find out the grace period. If it works,
then you are golden. If not, then take it back

I have cingular here in NC and have been very satisfied.

its the only way



Chip

Alan Cohen wrote:
> My wife and I were just about to switch from Verizon to Cingular for our
> family plan. We tend to not use a lot of minutes, but ocassionally do
> (on vacation, extended business travel...), and we get killed by the
> Verizon bill roughly once a year; thus the Cingular rollover minutes
> feature seems very useful.
>
> HOWEVER, the recent Consumer Reports rated Verizon service as much
> better in our home town (Boston), so we're having second thoughts - I'm
> remembering the bad old days of being unable to keep a connection for
> more than a minute or two while driving (with my headset, of course).
>
> To help push us one way or the other, I'd appreciate any
> experiences/insights into the relative quality of service between
> Verizon and Cingular in the Boston area.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Al Cohen

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon,alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <C_-dnZC06YzdFUjcRVn-vA@speakeasy.net> on Fri, 31 Dec 2004 12:11:30 -0500,
Alan Cohen <amc79@cornell.nojunkplease.edu> wrote:

>My wife and I were just about to switch from Verizon to Cingular for our
> family plan. We tend to not use a lot of minutes, but ocassionally do
>(on vacation, extended business travel...), and we get killed by the
>Verizon bill roughly once a year; thus the Cingular rollover minutes
>feature seems very useful.

Another option is SprintPCS Fair & Flexible.

>HOWEVER, the recent Consumer Reports rated Verizon service as much
>better in our home town (Boston), so we're having second thoughts - I'm
>remembering the bad old days of being unable to keep a connection for
>more than a minute or two while driving (with my headset, of course).

Ratings in Consumer Reports are subjective, and largely a function of customer
service, an area in which Verizon is better than other carriers. As far as
coverage is concerned, Cingular+ATTWS is now arguably better than Verizon in
general, although not necessarily better in all locations.

>To help push us one way or the other, I'd appreciate any
>experiences/insights into the relative quality of service between
>Verizon and Cingular in the Boston area.

It's hard to generalize. You need to check the specific areas you care about
the most. For example, if cell service at home or at work is important to
you, then test it in those particular locations.

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon,alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

[POSTED TO alt.cellular.cingular - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

In <7IgBd.13737$113.9755@trndny03> on Fri, 31 Dec 2004 18:16:35 GMT, "Ben
Skversky" <bskversky1@verizon.net> wrote:

>I live in Philly & Verizon is much better then Cingular, in my opinion. I
>had Cingular & I had no service in my house.

Ah, but which Cingular? TDMA? GSM? Before ATTWS merger? Or post ATTWS
merger (since Nov 15)? Now that Cingular has free roaming on ATTWS, coverage
is better than it was before.

--
Best regards, HELP FOR CINGULAR GSM & SONY ERICSSON PHONES:
John Navas <http://navasgrp.home.att.net/#Cingular>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

On Fri, 31 Dec 2004 12:11:30 -0500, Alan Cohen
<amc79@cornell.nojunkplease.edu> wrote:

>My wife and I were just about to switch from Verizon to Cingular for our
> family plan. We tend to not use a lot of minutes, but ocassionally do
>(on vacation, extended business travel...), and we get killed by the
>Verizon bill roughly once a year; thus the Cingular rollover minutes
>feature seems very useful.
>
Sounds to me like Sprint's Fair and Flexible plans are what might suit
you best. Sprint's Boston coverage is very good.

Whatever you do, please don't base your decisions in wireless on a
Consumer Reports article. Their sampling procedures are bizarre and
sometimes skewed and sometimes they just don't know what they're
talking about.

In general I'm very satisfied with Cingular. I don't care what
consumer reports says.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon,alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

Alan Cohen wrote (12/31/2004 12:11 PM):

> To help push us one way or the other, I'd appreciate any
> experiences/insights into the relative quality of service between
> Verizon and Cingular in the Boston area.


"The Boston area" being rather large, I suspect your experiences are
going to vary depending upon one's precise physical location.

I have been suffering for months from poor Verizon service in the
western burbs and in the Blackstone Valley between Worcester and
Providence, especially on the back roads off of Rte. 146. This
afternoon I picked up a Cingular plan, using a Nokia phone, to try for a
couple of weeks. It is immediately obvious that Cingular has *vastly*
superior coverage in this area! In areas where I cannot make and call
and maintain a connection with Verizon (in either digital or analog
modes), Cingular has the phone displaying maximum signal strength.

--
Richard J. Wyble

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

John,

Verizon is hardly a Johnny Come Lately. They are the descendents of the
BAM, Bell Atlantic Mobile, system. As the company expanded outside of
the East Coast, it needed a new name.

Tom

 

[Joseph]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

On 1 Jan 2005 08:11:12 -0800, "Big Daddy" <kctom9@hotmail.com> wrote:

>John,
>
>Verizon is hardly a Johnny Come Lately. They are the descendents of the
>BAM, Bell Atlantic Mobile, system. As the company expanded outside of
>the East Coast, it needed a new name.

So if they needed a new name why didn't they choose xingular instead?!
It would have made more sense with their spokes object that jacks
thingamabob.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

>To help push us one way or the other, I'd appreciate any
>experiences/insights into the relative quality of service between
>Verizon and Cingular in the Boston area.

Keep in mind that Cingular (SBMS) was one of the origunal cellular companies.
Their 800MHz cellular system is very well established in Boston. Verizon is
(more or less) a Johnny-Come-Lately.

Also, as another person pointed out, Consumer Reports is notorious for not
knowing their ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to things electronic.


--
John S.
e-mail responses to - john at kiana dot net

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.cellular.verizon,alt.cellular.cingular (More info?)

"Alan Cohen" <amc79@cornell.nojunkplease.edu> wrote in message
news:C_-dnZC06YzdFUjcRVn-vA@speakeasy.net...
> My wife and I were just about to switch from Verizon to Cingular for our
> family plan. We tend to not use a lot of minutes, but ocassionally do (on
> vacation, extended business travel...), and we get killed by the Verizon
> bill roughly once a year; thus the Cingular rollover minutes feature seems
> very useful.
>
> HOWEVER, the recent Consumer Reports rated Verizon service as much better
> in our home town (Boston), so we're having second thoughts - I'm
> remembering the bad old days of being unable to keep a connection for more
> than a minute or two while driving (with my headset, of course).
>
> To help push us one way or the other, I'd appreciate any
> experiences/insights into the relative quality of service between Verizon
> and Cingular in the Boston area.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Al Cohen

Hey, I live in the Boston area. Having used both services, I can tell you
that both are good, with Cingular having fewer "blind" spots. I had to dump
Verizon due to outrageous billing errors. I couldn't be happier. -Dave