Getting a Cellphone

Rainfall

So, I don't have a cellphone. Recent events have conspired to make me realize that yes I really DO need one.

Right now, being the technophile that I am, I'm looking at a Blackberry through Virgin Mobile, apparently if I sign on for a three-year contract, I can get the phone for free, which is sweet. Three years is a long time, but I will probably use a cellphone throughout this time, and apparently I can switch up my contract for no fee provided that I, y'know, continue to have a contract with them.

So basically what I'm asking is:
What's the deal with getting a cellphone? Does negotiation ever enter into this? If I just go by the prices listed(assuming that I make use of the features that are provided) am I getting ripped off? Is Virgin Mobile good? I have heard good things but other opinions are sweet.

Apparently the mall I wanted to get it at closes early, so I'll have to wait until Monday. Consider this a general 'things to look out for when buying a cellphone' thread because I could really use that.

Grimm

Well one thing that was a big factor in me deciding to go with the provider i use, ( verizon ) was that most of my friends use them so its free to talk to them. I don't know if virgin mobile has something like this but it might be worth looking into.

MushroomStick

Talk to your friends and see what providers they have and ask them if they drop a lot of calls or not. You can make the nicest phone in the world suck if your provider has weak towers.

RUNN1NGMAN

I don't think there's any negotiation involved. The guy in the store certainly isn't empowered to cut you a deal, and it's not like the provider really cares whether they have one customer more or less. You might be able to get a slightly lower rate if your employer has a special rate plan or something.

Grimm

MushroomStick wrote: »

Talk to your friends and see what providers they have and ask them if they drop a lot of calls or not. You can make the nicest phone in the world suck if your provider has weak towers.

Very good point. I have a map of the country that shows what areas are covered by my provider. I would see if virgin mobile has one as well.

Crashtard

Also remember that (usually) when they tell you the phone is free they are really telling you "you're not paying for it up front you're paying for it over the life of your contract". If you have 100 bucks you can spend, buy a phone and get the lesser contract length IMO.

Rainfall

Crashtard wrote: »

Also remember that (usually) when they tell you the phone is free they are really telling you "you're not paying for it up front you're paying for it over the life of your contract". If you have 100 bucks you can spend, buy a phone and get the lesser contract length IMO.

Why? As I said in my OP, it seems incredibly unlikely that I'll stop needing a phone(ever) and if I do end up being forced to break the contract it's a measly cancellation fee, which is less than the blackberry costs on a shorter contract. Also, as I understand it from their website, I can change up the type of contract I have with them for no fee, so if my cellphone needs end up changing I'm not locked into their setup. So I'm not entirely sure how this is a bad thing.

My friends all use different cellphone providers, so I can't just sign on with the one that they're all up with, but I can get one of those free-to-talk/text to 5 people contracts that will honestly cover 90% of my phone use(I think.)

Nite-Man

That measly cancellation fee is usually around $200 or so.

dispatch.o

After talking with quite a few people in my area, I determined that for where I am (SF Bay Area) Verizon had the best coverage. From everyone I've ever talked to, Sprint and Virgin are fucking awful. Verizon may have the "best" coverage where I am, but in some areas it doesn't matter because they're covered by everyone (big cities, downtown areas)

What I would suggest:

Go to amazon.com (yeah, they sell phones and services with discounts) and check out what providers have a phone/plan you care about. Ask around and find out what people think about those phones/providers... then keep in mind that in national surveys over 80% of people hate their cell service provider no matter who it is.

My Service: Verizon

I like Verizon and have had no problems whatsoever with it. I bought the bare-bones package because you can ALWAYS upgrade and I don't find myself using enough data/text for it to be cost effective. I purchased my two phones (one for me, one for girlfriend) though Amazon.com and they arrived in the mail 5 days later ready to go. I had previously used AT&T and fuck those guys, seriously... customer support was the worst shit ever and signal coverage sucked. I currently pay 78$/mo for 2 lines with shared minutes and unlimited nights/weekends, 18cents per text and a reasonably low rate for data (2cents per KB or some shit). The primary function of these phones is as an address book and to call parents long distance without paying for it (night/weekend calls) so talking for an hour or so each a week on the phone to parents makes it worthwhile.

My Phone: LG Envy (old one)
It's fine, it was cheap and has an address book and full-keypad, I hear the new ones are even thinner... but I'm sort of odd in that when I text I use entire words so I refuse to type using a numberpad. It has a good alarmclock and the browser is okay for looking up phone numbers and stuff. Has bluetooth and I don't use it, mp3 player function switch for facekeys and fits my large hands well.

Edit: The phones cost me 50$ total after a 80$ rebate instant, discount with contract and 100$ mail in. Keep in mind there's always an activation fee though so your first bill will be high.

What I would change/try:
I'm actually really interested in the "Google Phone" thing just because it's odd and new. I probably wont until they drop T-Mobile as the only provider.

Szechuanosaurus

RUNN1NGMAN wrote: »

I don't think there's any negotiation involved. The guy in the store certainly isn't empowered to cut you a deal, and it's not like the provider really cares whether they have one customer more or less. You might be able to get a slightly lower rate if your employer has a special rate plan or something.

That's all pretty much wrong. Cellphones is a market at maximum saturation. It enjoyed a period of extreme growth but then that growth became unsustainable once practically everyone owned a cellphone. Now it's a pretty cutthroat market where competitors survive primarily by stealing customers away from their competitors.

Add to this the fact that the guys in the shop are most likely on commision-based income and it's a buyers market. They aren't necessrily going to roll over easily but if you are willing to go contract rather than pay-as-you-go then there are opportunities for negotiation. At the very least, most companies will readily match any package being offered by a competitor (which is handy as it means you can pick a prefered package and your favoured supplier) and then there is always room to negotiate custom packages (more fee minutes, fewer free texts etc.) and even hard-balling free handset upgrades.

It's very much a case of if you don't ask, you don't get. Of course, even if you do ask you still might not get but it's certainly worth trying.