T-mobile?

Peen

My wife and I are looking to switch cell phone carriers. We have AT&T and hate them. I don't see any point in switching to Verizon, they're more expensive for the same thing. Sprint doesn't cover where we live (our next door neighbors have Sprint and have to go outside to make calls). That leaves T-mobile.

So is T-mobile great? Terrible? Somewhere in between? We live in Philadelphia, opinions of anybody in the area would be especially appreciated.

mts

I have T-mobile and have not had any issues while visiting in-laws across the river in NJ

MushroomStick

I can tell you that T-mobile is pretty terrible around Chicago. If Verizon has good coverage where you need it, perhaps its worth the extra expense.

Daenris

Tmobile coverage is pretty bad in PA outside of the southeastern part of the state and around Pittsburgh. You'll be able to roam on AT&T for much of the remainder, but there are still large chunks in central PA with no coverage and no roaming. At least in PA, Verizon tends to have better coverage throughout the rural areas in my experience. If you're really just looking for good coverage in and around your home area, Tmobile should be fine.

ahava

when i was living in the philly area i was using virgin mobile prepay. i had Tmobile up in Maine though and their coverage was great, especially where i was living in the boonies.

i never had any problems with my tmobile phone when i went back to the philly area to visit though.

this was a few years ago, like 5 or so. i can only imagine it got better?

most people i know in that area are on verizon, but i don't know if that's just because they have the most penetration in the market or not.

xThanatoSx

***Disclosure - I work for Verizon Wireless***

The only way you're really going to know is if you're able to test the service in the places you need it to work.

Most carriers have a 14 trial period where if you return the equipment and disconnect service, you end up paying a restocking fee and for the time you actually had the service for. It's worth starting a line of service and testing. If it works where you need it to, you port your existing AT&T numbers over. If it doesn't work where you need it to, you're only out the trial money.

ASimPerson

My favorite thing about T-mobile is where I got service from them for $30/month. Pre-paid, 100 minutes/month, unlimited texting, "unlimited" data (really 5GB at high-speed).

T-mobile markets HSPA+ as "4G" in the US and they're supposed to start rolling out a LTE network next year.

What I did was buy an unlocked Galaxy Nexus from Google, get the SIM card from T-mobile, and then activate the plan. If you can deal with only having 100-minutes or using Google Voice for all your calls this is the cheapest thing around.

shadowane

I've had tmobile here in Philly for a long time now. The service in Philadelphia proper is mostly decent. Sometimes it can suck inside of restaurants but that's about it. The surrounding areas are generally fine too. It's not super, but it works.

puffycow

A few years ago I was on TMobile and only had issues inside some buildings, otherwise it was fine. I have been on Verizon for the past 5 years and like it better.

ASimPerson

puffycow wrote: »

A few years ago I was on TMobile and only had issues inside some buildings, otherwise it was fine. I have been on Verizon for the past 5 years and like it better.

Yeah their frequencies are at the higher end of the spectrum than AT&T, so they can be worse inside buildings. If you have post-paid regular monthly service this might be better though since you can roam onto AT&T's lower 3G frequency, but AFAIK the pre-paid thing I have does not roam.

Oh yeah, Peen: depending on your phone, you may be able to keep it and use it with T-mobile. You will need to contact AT&T to get it unlocked, though. (Generally it depends on the frequencies your phone supports. If you have an iPhone 4, 3G, or 3GS it won't work with T-mobile 3G, for instance.)

Peen

Thanks guys! My phone's an old piece of crap, I'm getting a new one when we re-up or switch or whatever. I've got to talk to the little lady but I suspect we're going to be switching over.

LoveIsUnity

I've received good service and connectivity from T-Mobile on both coasts. I don't have a smart phone or use a data plan, so I can't comment on that, but I can't remember the last time that I dropped a call.

However, the quality of the phones I have received from T-Mobile have been problematic at best. The phone I'm using right now is my third phone of the same model. For some reason, the battery really likes detaching itself despite the fact that I'm not dropping it, throwing it around, or doing anything else stupid with it.

I also had a flip phone when I first started my plan with them, and I went through 3 or 4 of those because the buttons would wear out. Again, I wasn't dropping it, and I wasn't being rough with it.

That said, Customer Care is good about helping you out if you keep bothering them.

Ketar

MushroomStick wrote: »

I can tell you that T-mobile is pretty terrible around Chicago. If Verizon has good coverage where you need it, perhaps its worth the extra expense.

I used T-mobile in Chicago for over 10 years with no major complaints. My service in Oak Park beat the heck out of my wife's on Verizon. They also had a huge edge on other providers when traveling internationally.

Anyway, while I can't speak to network quality in other areas, I was always pleased with T-mo's customer service and pricing.

MushroomStick

Ketar wrote: »

MushroomStick wrote: »

I can tell you that T-mobile is pretty terrible around Chicago. If Verizon has good coverage where you need it, perhaps its worth the extra expense.

I used T-mobile in Chicago for over 10 years with no major complaints. My service in Oak Park beat the heck out of my wife's on Verizon. They also had a huge edge on other providers when traveling internationally.

Anyway, while I can't speak to network quality in other areas, I was always pleased with T-mo's customer service and pricing.

A large chunk of my family had T-mobile for years around the Hoffman/Schaumburg area and they all dropped calls constantly and customer service would just tell them to use the phones somewhere else. I suppose mileage can vary quite a bit.