T-Mobile Terrible?

[Jaylach]

I currently have Sprint. It's terrible in my area. It's also pretty expensive for a family plan (4 lines). My wife and I are considering moving to T-Mobile to save money since they will pay your ETFs for you (up to $350 per line). Based on my number crunching, my cell phone build could drop as much as $120 a month. I pay around $280 on Sprint right now and that could be as low as $160 on T-Mobile. That's a HUGE savings.
 
I'm worried about service. I don't want something that's worse than Sprint, but I can live if it's as bad as Sprint as we are very used the crappy Sprint service. I also work from home, so I'm on WiFi 80% of the time so data speeds aren't really my concern... far more concerned with voice. Based on coverage maps, T-Mobile claims to have "excellent" 4G coverage at my home address and on the route my wife takes to and from work. The other parts of the state we visit have really shitty coverage, based on their maps.. but we get shitty coverage with Sprint anyways.
 
Does anyone have any experience with T-Mobile? Are they as bad as everyone says they are? I'm in Connecticut, by the way.
 
I should maybe point out that part of the draw to T-Mobile is because they are "different". The reasons why the gov't doesn't want Sprint buying T-Mobile are the same reasons why I'm fascinated by them. They are maverick. They are trying to do things differently. There's something to be said for that, at least in my opinion. Weather it's best for the company in the long run, I don't know... but I feel like the customers are probably winning right now (stupidly cheap plans).

 

[Seven Costanza]

opensignal.com
 
I came mighty close a month or two ago to going to T-Mobile for the same reasons you're drawn to them.  In the end I decided to stay w/ Verizon simply because I can't recall the last time I didn't have a signal somewhere with my phone- which is something I value.
 
They won't pay your ETF, but poke around on AT&Ts website a bit- I bet you can get in under $280 and you'd have vastly superior coverage to either Sprint or T-Mobile.  My folks have AT&T in the Farmington Valley and have no complaints
 
EDIT: If you can live with Sprint level service though- T-Mobile certainly won't be any worse, and as you know, would be exponentially cheaper.

 

[AlNipper49]

I currently have Sprint. It's terrible in my area. It's also pretty expensive for a family plan (4 lines). My wife and I are considering moving to T-Mobile to save money since they will pay your ETFs for you (up to $350 per line). Based on my number crunching, my cell phone build could drop as much as $120 a month. I pay around $280 on Sprint right now and that could be as low as $160 on T-Mobile. That's a HUGE savings.
 
I'm worried about service. I don't want something that's worse than Sprint, but I can live if it's as bad as Sprint as we are very used the crappy Sprint service. I also work from home, so I'm on WiFi 80% of the time so data speeds aren't really my concern... far more concerned with voice. Based on coverage maps, T-Mobile claims to have "excellent" 4G coverage at my home address and on the route my wife takes to and from work. The other parts of the state we visit have really shitty coverage, based on their maps.. but we get shitty coverage with Sprint anyways.
 
Does anyone have any experience with T-Mobile? Are they as bad as everyone says they are? I'm in Connecticut, by the way.
 
I should maybe point out that part of the draw to T-Mobile is because they are "different". The reasons why the gov't doesn't want Sprint buying T-Mobile are the same reasons why I'm fascinated by them. They are maverick. They are trying to do things differently. There's something to be said for that, at least in my opinion. Weather it's best for the company in the long run, I don't know... but I feel like the customers are probably winning right now (stupidly cheap plans).

 
This is the best-timed post ever
 
I just sent this email to my company
 
"this $30 tmobile plan is overpriced by about $31."
 
I was paying AT&T $140/month so I bought a moto x and threw it on straight talk for $45.  I then used my old iPhone as a backup and movied to it tmobile $30 plan since you get a ton of data, and only 2 with straight talk.  I don't think that I've ever seen this piece of shit carrier come out of edge.  I live in Fairfield County for what its worth.  However Sprint sucks too so your frog is probably already boiled, as they say.

 

[Jaylach]

opensignal.com
 
I came mighty close a month or two ago to going to T-Mobile for the same reasons you're drawn to them.  In the end I decided to stay w/ Verizon simply because I can't recall the last time I didn't have a signal somewhere with my phone- which is something I value.
 
They won't pay your ETF, but poke around on AT&Ts website a bit- I bet you can get in under $280 and you'd have vastly superior coverage to either Sprint or T-Mobile.  My folks have AT&T in the Farmington Valley and have no complaints
 
EDIT: If you can live with Sprint level service though- T-Mobile certainly won't be any worse, and as you know, would be exponentially cheaper.

 
I did poke on AT&T. I can get a bit under what I'm paying now for 4 lines, which would be good. However, my problem is the ETFs. I'm stick of Sprint and their shit, tbh. This has as much to do with Sprint being BS as it does with me wanting to save money. Sprint has offered new services (i.e: One Up) only to do away with it a few months later. They have started charging me $30 per unlimited data line instead of the $20 when I signed up (upgraded phone, had to sign new contract, price jump, blah blah blah). 
 
My main concern would be if T-Mobile was WORSE. If it's the same, I'm okay with that. If It's better, that's just a bonus. 
 

 
This is the best-timed post ever
 
I just sent this email to my company
 
"this $30 tmobile plan is overpriced by about $31."
 
I was paying AT&T $140/month so I bought a moto x and threw it on straight talk for $45.  I then used my old iPhone as a backup and movied to it tmobile $30 plan since you get a ton of data, and only 2 with straight talk.  I don't think that I've ever seen this piece of shit carrier come out of edge.  I live in Fairfield County for what its worth.  However Sprint sucks too so your frog is probably already boiled, as they say.

 
How was the voice coverage though? I'm okay with getting EDGE so long as I can still make voice calls. As I said, I work from home and am therefore on WiFi nearly all the time. For times I'm not (which would be summer, at the lake house), I'll just have them send me one of their extender thingies (Cel-Fi I think they call it?). This is something we already deal with it with Sprint. As I said above, my concern is getting something worse than Sprint. I'm already close to the bottom with Sprint, so as long as I don't get any farther down in terms of service I'd be happy.

 

[Hendu for Kutch]

I did the same Sprint to T-Mobile switch last summer.  I live in Nashua, for reference.
 
At first I had some real problems with it.  I was getting some dropped calls and I'd have to deal with the "are you there?" discussions on a good chunk of my calls.  I also was only getting Edge for data at my house, there was no 4G, nevermind LTE.  I was kinda regretting the switch.
 
However, they made some improvements in the fall, because my LTE lit up and I stopped having call problems.  I had heard that they were aggressively expanding their coverage area, but had heard the same thing from Sprint for a long time, so I wasn't holding my breath on it.  They did it though, just like they said they would.  No complaints now, and much better than the unusable data service I was getting from Sprint.

 

[crystalline]

I think it all depends on local coverage. I have had Verizon Sprint and now TMobile in Boston over the past 4-5 years. For the places I go all three have essentially equivalent data coverage (3g-4g most everywhere depending on my device). Verizon's voice coverage is a tick above the other two but the difference is small. The only noticable difference for me is some dead spots inside my work building on TM/Sprint. In contrast TMobile has better voice coverage at home than my wife on AT&T. Given my usage TMobile is clearly at the best price- performance point.

But I think you'll just have to test it with your own usage- coverage is really specific to area.

 

[Jaylach]

You know, I've been getting text messages from Sprint for about 6 months now about how they are expanding in my area. I got one a month ago saying they have finished expansion in my area.
 
I've noticed ZERO impact on my coverage. I would like to think T-Mobile actually means it when they say it. They really can't be lying to "us" because they really need customers, lol. Didn't they post a pretty big loss last year (and/or the year before)?
 
I've also learned that T-Mobile has done away with contracts, which is pretty awesome.

 

[AlNipper49]

I can't stand behind voice because frankly the two times that I've tried it I've not had signal.
 
When I worked for a larger company maybe six years ago I got into a fight with our Sprint rep who wouldn't shut the fuck up about having the best coverage in the area.  So I tossed 4 laptops tethered to 4 mobile internet devices - AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and Tmobile - into my car.  I drove around Fairfield County for about an hour and a half (it wasn't rush hour and I wasn't on 95 so yes, I sampled more than the .5 miles that 1.5 hours would usually get you in Ffld).  At the end of my tests AT&T and Verizon absolutely blew Sprint and TMobile out of the water.  Like it wasn't even close.  
 
Moral of the story, if your area is similar to mine you probably won't notice much difference between Sprint and TMobile.  Both suck equally IMHO but like you said, I give TMobile major props for trying new things.

 

[bohous]

You know, I've been getting text messages from Sprint for about 6 months now about how they are expanding in my area. I got one a month ago saying they have finished expansion in my area.
 
I've noticed ZERO impact on my coverage. I would like to think T-Mobile actually means it when they say it. They really can't be lying to "us" because they really need customers, lol. Didn't they post a pretty big loss last year (and/or the year before)?
 
I've also learned that T-Mobile has done away with contracts, which is pretty awesome.

 
My contract is up this month so I have been shopping around myself. The thing with T-Mobile is that unless you are able to bring your phone with you (and you can't bring a Sprint phone to T-Mobile) or find an unlocked phone on Craigslist or something, the cost is about the same and everybody else. You have to pay full freight on the handset which is paid in installment over 2 years. So even though there is no contract you are still responsible for the full remaining cost of the phone if you bail before the phone is paid off, which is essentially an ETF. The T-Mobile "difference" is really semantics. 
 
Years ago my wife went from T-Mobile prepay plan to Virgin Mobile on Sprint network. She lasted only about 2-3 months on Virgin due to the crummy coverage. 
 
 
edited for clarity

 

[jayhoz]

Here's a new app that will monitor your location and usage for three days and suggest the best carrier for you.  It was not available in my area so I am not sure how widespread the coverage is.
 
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/19/a-new-android-app-called-glove-will-tell-you-what-carrier-is-best-for-you/

 

[teddykgb]

I switched to T-Mobile and had to go back to Verizon. I am in Chelmsford, work in Fram. and spent a fair amount of time in the rt3/128 area as well. The service just wasn't there for me, including getting no service in my home when I was just 2 miles from a tower. They sent me a cell, which was great, but it only barely improved my scenario. Just found myself looking down at my phone too often to see if I even had coverage. Had an extremely frustrating experience where I couldn't connect with my wife in the Burlington mall because I couldn't get any service indoors. This is the type of stuff that just doesn't happen on VZ, so I went back. The savings are real, wifi calling was really neat, and I love what they're doing in the industry, but I just couldn't live with the service issues.

 

[Blacken]

I was paying AT&T $140/month so I bought a moto x and threw it on straight talk for $45.  I then used my old iPhone as a backup and movied to it tmobile $30 plan since you get a ton of data, and only 2 with straight talk.  I don't think that I've ever seen this piece of shit carrier come out of edge.  I live in Fairfield County for what its worth.  However Sprint sucks too so your frog is probably already boiled, as they say.

Right on. Straight Talk really just throttles you after 2GB, though.
 
If you're using Sprint, you're either in the sticks and should move or you're getting fucked over. (If you're on Verizon, add "you have a family plan" to the list. Have you considered adoption?)
 

I've also learned that T-Mobile has done away with contracts, which is pretty awesome.

They've had prepaid plans for years, as does Straight Talk. There has been no good reason to have a postpaid plan on a GSM network at least since the release of the iPhone 3GS.

 

[AlNipper49]

Right on. Straight Talk really just throttles you after 2GB, though.
 
If you're using Sprint, you're either in the sticks and should move or you're getting fucked over. (If you're on Verizon, add "you have a family plan" to the list.)

They've had prepaid plans for years, as does Straight Talk. There has been no good reason to have a postpaid plan at least since the release of the iPhone 3GS.

Are you a ST guy? I haven't been throttled yet but hear wildly varying stories on how throttled you get.

My first month was up last week and I considered running it up to seewjat happened but like most of my ideas I got distracted and moved on.

 

[glennhoffmania]

I've been toying with switching from Sprint to TM for a couple of months but I think I'm sticking.  If you're paying $280 per month with Sprint you must be on the wrong plan so I'd look into that.  My issue with Sprint is that the signal sucks every once in a while.  They claim they're still upgrading and I think it actually has gotten better lately.

 

[Jaylach]

 
My contract is up this month so I have been shopping around myself. The thing with T-Mobile is that unless you are able to bring your phone with you (and you can't bring a Sprint phone to T-Mobile) or find an unlocked phone on Craigslist or something, the cost is about the same and everybody else. You have to pay full freight on the handset which is paid in installment over 2 years. So even though there is no contract you are still responsible for the full remaining cost of the phone if you bail before the phone is paid off, which is essentially an ETF. The T-Mobile "difference" is really semantics. 
 
Years ago my wife went from T-Mobile prepay plan to Virgin Mobile on Sprint network. She lasted only about 2-3 months on Virgin due to the crummy coverage. 
 
 
edited for clarity

 
I understand that, but there's still no contract.. even if the difference is semantics. 
 
FWITW, if I do switch I plan on bringing my own GSM phone over to T-Mobile (verified they'd let me do that while still paying off my ETF, just have to turn in my sprint phone). I have a couple GSM phones from work that I can activate (2 Google Nexus 5s, both unlocked). I suppose I can try it, and if I find their service too shitty I can just move on to AT&T or something.
 

I've been toying with switching from Sprint to TM for a couple of months but I think I'm sticking.  If you're paying $280 per month with Sprint you must be on the wrong plan so I'd look into that.  My issue with Sprint is that the signal sucks every once in a while.  They claim they're still upgrading and I think it actually has gotten better lately.

 
I was forced into their "Unlimited, My Way" plan when my wife upgraded her phone with the (short lived) Sprint One Up a couple months ago. Here's how this breaks down.
 
5 Lines -
 
Base cost of $160 a month.
 
Line 1 - 1GB Data, $20/mo (Father)
Line 2 - Unlimited Data, $30/mo (Wife)
Line 3 - Unlimited Data + Protection, $41/mo (Cousin)
Line 4 - 1GB Data + Protection, $31/mo (Me)
Line 5 - No Data, No Contract, used Sprint One Up
 
160 + 20 + 30 + 41 + 31  = $283
 
Now, that's not accurate because Line 5 has the Sprint One Up on it so that's a $25 every month. I wasn't counting this in my bill as it's not really part of my plan, but an extra "luxury" item Sprint afforded us.
 
With that, my actual bill is $308 before taxes.
 
Edit to compare this to T-Mobile -
 
Let's assume I move all 5 lines to T-Mobile. In actuality, I'm only moving 3 as my cousin is not going to T-Mobile (no service at his house). I also can't move the Sprint One Up line without paying the full retail price of the phone. My cousin will be, should we move, taking over the plan and I'll be paying him the $25 for the One Up phone.
 
5 Lines with 2 on Unlimited Data, Base $80 a month.
 
Line 1 - 500MB unthrottled, 0/mo (Bringing own device, no device cost, my line)
Line 2 -Unlimited data, $20/mo (Bringing own device, no device cost, wife's line)
Line 3 - 500MB unthrottled + line fee + phone, $27/mo (Cheap phone, dad's line)
Line 4 - Unlimited Data + Line Fee + Phone, $56/mo (Cousin's line)
Line 5 - 500MB unthrottled + line fee + phone, $13/mo (Cheap feature phone to "replicate" empty line with phone payment on Sprint)
 
80 + 0 + 20 + 17 + 56 + 13 = $186 
 
AND T-Mobile includes phones, which my Sprint does not as I didn't account for the cost I paid for each phone (subsidized, of course).

 

[TomRicardo]

I can't stand behind voice because frankly the two times that I've tried it I've not had signal.
 
When I worked for a larger company maybe six years ago I got into a fight with our Sprint rep who wouldn't shut the fuck up about having the best coverage in the area.  So I tossed 4 laptops tethered to 4 mobile internet devices - AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and Tmobile - into my car.  I drove around Fairfield County for about an hour and a half (it wasn't rush hour and I wasn't on 95 so yes, I sampled more than the .5 miles that 1.5 hours would usually get you in Ffld).  At the end of my tests AT&T and Verizon absolutely blew Sprint and TMobile out of the water.  Like it wasn't even close.  
 
Moral of the story, if your area is similar to mine you probably won't notice much difference between Sprint and TMobile.  Both suck equally IMHO but like you said, I give TMobile major props for trying new things.

 
T-Mobile is vastly better than Sprint in NYC.  Actually I usually get better reception on my T-Mobile Phone then my Verizon.  But once you leave a metropolitan area T-Mobile is on Sprint levels.  Does Sprint work anywhere?

 

[AlNipper49]

 
T-Mobile is vastly better than Sprint in NYC.  Actually I usually get better reception on my T-Mobile Phone then my Verizon.  But once you leave a metropolitan area T-Mobile is on Sprint levels.  Does Sprint work anywhere?

 
The best part about when Sprint used to visit us saying how awesome their coverage was, their self-produced coverage maps would of course include the area that we were in.  Pulling out a Sprint phone and placing it on top of the aforementioned chart didn't even sway these folks.  They were machines.

 

[glennhoffmania]

 
I understand that, but there's still no contract.. even if the difference is semantics. 
 
FWITW, if I do switch I plan on bringing my own GSM phone over to T-Mobile (verified they'd let me do that while still paying off my ETF, just have to turn in my sprint phone). I have a couple GSM phones from work that I can activate (2 Google Nexus 5s, both unlocked). I suppose I can try it, and if I find their service too shitty I can just move on to AT&T or something.
 
 
I was forced into their "Unlimited, My Way" plan when my wife upgraded her phone with the (short lived) Sprint One Up a couple months ago. Here's how this breaks down.
 
5 Lines -
 
Base cost of $160 a month.
 
Line 1 - 1GB Data, $20/mo (Father)
Line 2 - Unlimited Data, $30/mo (Wife)
Line 3 - Unlimited Data + Protection, $41/mo (Cousin)
Line 4 - 1GB Data + Protection, $31/mo (Me)
Line 5 - No Data, No Contract, used Sprint One Up
 
160 + 20 + 30 + 41 + 31  = $283
 
Now, that's not accurate because Line 5 has the Sprint One Up on it so that's a $25 every month. I wasn't counting this in my bill as it's not really part of my plan, but an extra "luxury" item Sprint afforded us.
 
With that, my actual bill is $308 before taxes.

 
That's nuts.  I don't know the name of our plan but we pay $160 per month including taxes, fees, insurance, everything for 2 lines.  Additional lines I think are $20 per month for smart phones.

 

[OttoC]

If you have an unlocked GSM phone, yo can get a SIM card from T-Mobile for next to nothing and get a one-month unlimited data (first 5GB each month at 4g), unlimited text, but limited calling (100 minutes) for $30 and try it out.
 
I make about three phone calls per month, so that restriction does not bother me but I do like the data plan. I run into places in NH where I don't get a signal--in the more northern parts of the state and some areas along the coast--but I can live with it.

 

[AlNipper49]

If you have an unlocked GSM phone, yo can get a SIM card from T-Mobile for next to nothing and get a one-month unlimited data (first 5GB each month at 4g), unlimited text, but limited calling (100 minutes) for $30 and try it out.
 
I make about three phone calls per month, so that restriction does not bother me but I do like the data plan. I run into places in NH where I don't get a signal--in the more northern parts of the state and some areas along the coast--but I can live with it.

 
Of note to people that this is an internet-only deal.  Not a big deal but just don't walk into a store (outside of walmart.... I think) and expect to get it.  You may need to buy your own tmobile sim first.

 

[Seven Costanza]

You can get 4 smartphone lines on Verizon splitting 8GB a month for $250, or 10GB for $260. 
 
If it were me, I'd bite the bullet on the ETF and run far away.  

 

[Max Power]

AT&T is running a new deal where you can split 10GB of data for $100/mo. plus $15 per device with unlimited talk and text. You'll have to bring your own phones or buy an unsubsidized one through AT&T Next, but that's what you're looking at on T-Mobile anyway. 

 

[Jaylach]

 
That's nuts.  I don't know the name of our plan but we pay $160 per month including taxes, fees, insurance, everything for 2 lines.  Additional lines I think are $20 per month for smart phones.

 
They've done away with their "Family Share" plans and have "streamlined" everything into their "Unlimited, My Way" plans for families. I was paying a good $80 a month less before I was forced into their new plan.
 

You can get 4 smartphone lines on Verizon splitting 8GB a month for $250, or 10GB for $260. 
 
If it were me, I'd bite the bullet on the ETF and run far away.  

 
That sounds good if you're not broke
 
Here's how my ETFs break down (based on Sprint's chart).
 
Line 1, 11 Months - $220
Line 2, 15 Months - $300
Line 3, 18 Months - $350
 
That's an ETF of $870, which is an awful lot of money for me to pull out of my ass.
 
Thinking out loud. Let's assume my average savings with T-Mobile will be $100 a month (it will probably be more, though). Please correct me if I'm wrong as my math skills are like negative zero (that's a thing, right?)
 
If I stick with Sprint until those 3 lines are out of contract, then I'm looking at spending $1,800 more on Sprint than if I had switched to T-Mobile. If I eat the ETF, I'll "break even" a little before the 9 month mark on T-Mobile and then save $1,300 over the next 15 months (to bring to the 2 year mark). 
 
(This is where my math is iffy. I'm dumb.)
 
If I leave Sprint now, and let T-Mobile pay my ETFs, I'll save $2,400 over the course of the next 24 months. Not only that, I'll also "save" $870 in early termination fees, which pushes my savings up over $3,000. I'm not sure if this is right. It feels like I'm double counting a savings somewhere as that's A LOT of money to be saving over 2 years.

 

[saintnick912]

Oddly enough the only place Sprint worked well for me was inside the AT&T Wireless HQ (old iteration) in Redmond, WA.  You could tell the contractors because they all had Sprint phones and were able to use them, AT&T coverage didn't work inside the building.  Of course this was in 2001 so the entities in question are long gone (AT&T is what was Cingular then).

 

[Blacken]

Are you a ST guy? I haven't been throttled yet but hear wildly varying stories on how throttled you get.

My first month was up last week and I considered running it up to seewjat happened but like most of my ideas I got distracted and moved on.

I've used them for about six months, and the T-Mobile cheap plan before that. I have never noticed the throttling, though I'm not a huge data user (Pandora maybe 80 hours a week, but other than that, not much). And the coverage is vastly superior in Boston, I used to drop out by going inside just about any building or the subway.

 

[Infield Infidel]

If you have an unlocked GSM phone, yo can get a SIM card from T-Mobile for next to nothing and get a one-month unlimited data (first 5GB each month at 4g), unlimited text, but limited calling (100 minutes) for $30 and try it out.
 
I make about three phone calls per month, so that restriction does not bother me but I do like the data plan. I run into places in NH where I don't get a signal--in the more northern parts of the state and some areas along the coast--but I can live with it.

 

 
Of note to people that this is an internet-only deal.  Not a big deal but just don't walk into a store (outside of walmart.... I think) and expect to get it.  You may need to buy your own tmobile sim first.

 
I have this plan, I got it at Walmart. Walmart will not sell you a sim-card alone for this plan, you have to buy a phone to get a sim card. I bought some crappy phone for $23 and gave it too my middle-school aged cousin. This was in October of 2012 so they might have changed things. 
 
Either way, I make maybe one phonecall a week so it's fine. Reception is good but if you bring an international unlocked phone to the plan (like I did) you might top out at H+ on data. I get 3G on occasion but whatever, it's $30/mo.

 

[Seven Costanza]

Jaylach- I was a history major, so I'm no help to you on the math.
 
Bear in mind that T-Mo paying your ETF isn't instantaneous- you have to pony up and pay it yourself and submit your receipts to T-Mo and they'll reimburse you in 6-8 weeks.

 

[Jaylach]

Jaylach- I was a history major, so I'm no help to you on the math.
 
Bear in mind that T-Mo paying your ETF isn't instantaneous- you have to pony up and pay it yourself and submit your receipts to T-Mo and they'll reimburse you in 6-8 weeks.

 
Is this true? I was told from a sales you have to submit your final BILL, not your receipts. Who says I have to pay it before I get the money from them? They give me a debit card to use.

 

[Seven Costanza]

No, you're right. I just never considered that as an option as I wouldn't want to carry a balance with a carrier for over a billing cycle, but that's just me.  I just wanted to make sure you knew T-mobile wouldn't give you your money right away and used the wrong term.

 

[Jaylach]

No, you're right. I just never considered that as an option as I wouldn't want to carry a balance with a carrier for over a billing cycle, but that's just me.  I just wanted to make sure you knew T-mobile wouldn't give you your money right away and used the wrong term.

 
I have no problem carrying a bill for 2 months with Sprint if that means it'll get paid for me, without me touching my money. If I were worried about them reporting to my credit then I would probably just pay it and wait for my money.. but I'm not really worried about that. I've fallen behind on bills with Sprint before (not on purpose, just plain forgot) for a month or two and they've never reported me.
 
The sales rep I spoke to says it takes between 6-8 weeks to get the debit card from them. However he has seen the debit cards go out as quickly as a week. Chances are it takes 8 weeks, though.

 

[mt8thsw9th]

I'm not a huge data user (Pandora maybe 80 hours a week, but other than that, not much)

 
That's over 2 gigs of data a week. That seems like quite a bit of data use.

 

[OttoC]

 
Of note to people that this is an internet-only deal.  Not a big deal but just don't walk into a store (outside of walmart.... I think) and expect to get it.  You may need to buy your own tmobile sim first.

 
There was supposed to have been mention of Walmart in my message. You can get the sim on-line or through Walmart; although, when I got it through Walmart, it included one month service in its price (~$36).
 
Oh, let me add that I bought an unlocked Nexus 4 on-line for my wife, then got the T-Mobile sim package from Walmart afterwards. The whole reason for T-Mobile offering the sim package is to allow people to bring their own phones.

 

[Blacken]

That's over 2 gigs of data a week. That seems like quite a bit of data use.

80 hours a month, not 80 hours a week, sorry. I had like 1.6GB data usage last month.

 

[mt8thsw9th]

Oh, okay, that makes a lot more sense. 

 

[Jaylach]

Here's my T-Mobile story.
 
My wife decided she wanted to switch so we could save a ton of money. She was willing to deal with shitty service on her drive to work and all, and that's less important for me since I work from home. Cool. I call T-Mobile sales line to ask them some questions. For shits and giggles, I ask them to run my credit to verify I qualify for their "no money down" plan. They run it and my credit comes back nearly perfect. Sweet. They give me a reference number and tell me where the nearest store is (as if I couldn't look it up myself).
 
So I get to T-Mobile and wait an hour for someone to help me. Finally I get this little, probably high school aged, girl to help me. I tell her what's going on and that I already talked to their sales department so she doesn't need to run my credit again. I give her the reference number the sales people gave me. She has no idea what I'm talking about. She doesn't know what this reference is or "how it's used" (her words). She asks me to enter my SSN in the little pad thing so she can see if she can find it in her system. 
 
So I wait looking at phones. After maybe 10 minutes she calls me over and says that she has their sales department on the line and she wants me to verify some information. Okay, I give that lady my SSN again and my reference number. I then walk away and poke at phones some more. About 20 minutes later, she calls me back over and says she has one of their credit specialists on the line who wants to ask me some questions. I'm fairly annoyed now but I comply. I give her my SSN and Street Address and, again, walk away.
 
A few minutes later she calls me back over to say that I am NOT approved for their no money down plan. Instead, it's going to cost me $75 per line up front, plus a minimum of $200 per phone as a deposit. She says, at minimum, it's going to cost me around $825 today to walk out with T-Mobile service. WTF? So I tell her that's stupid, the gentleman on the phone earlier told me I had near perfect credit. She then proceeds to tell me that the sales people on the phone will lie to me and tell me anything I want to hear just to get me into the store. That way, the sales reps look like the bad guys and not corporate. I say to her "Okay, sure.. but even if true you shouldn't be telling me this". I then tell her that it would be stupid for me to pay $825 today when I could pay $874 to get out of my ETFs with Sprint and go to a carrier who actually has great coverage around the state. I tell her I was willing to live with lesser coverage, given my job situation (working from home), for a lesser bill. This was not a lesser bill. Instead I was basically paying them to cover my ETF for me. 
 
So I leave and come back home. I call up T-Mobile again to find out what's going on. Why did they tell me something different than the lady in the store? I finally got through to a very nice manager. She looked into the whole situation and could see, most certainly, that an order had been started for me with a credit rating of "A". This apparently means I have close to perfect (or perfect) credit. This would qualify for me for up to 10 phones all with no money down, plus an additional $100 billing to the account for various things (Google Play, Apple Store, accessories, etc).
 
The problem is, when this sales clerk from the store kept asking for my SSN, what she was actually doing was running my credit.. WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. The last time she ran it was the third time she had ran it in a short time span (less than hour). It was also the 4th time that day. When T-Mobile sees this they assume I am trying to get new credit cards left and right and am therefore a high risk. 
 
I'm not sure how true this is, though, as I don't think a run credit report will show up on another credit report a few minutes later (I could be wrong). Either way, this sales rep cost them a customer. The manager was actually super super helpful and tried to do everything in her power to help me out and get me to switch to T-Mobile. She also filed a complaint against the employee for her actions. She also tried to get HER boss to let me do the ETF thing over the phone so that she could just use the original order that was already started for me. Apparently her system is not setup to handle the ETF program. Also, her system is different from the store's system and so they wouldn't be able to access the original order with my "A" rating credit. Instead they'd have to run it again, only to find it not "A" rated. And that sucks because I have to do the ETF program in store.
 
Long story short, I feel like I got fucked somewhere along the way and I'm not certain I enjoyed it.

 

[saintnick912]

Yeah, I smelled the "multiple credit pulls" about halfway through your story.  That will definitely hurt, though I think the pain from that will age out pretty fast.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

I have a different user experience. 
 
I've had AT&T (iPhone), Verizone (iPhone and Android), both in NYC. Then T-mobile in NYC & Austin. 
 
It's like picking between a hangnail and a hangover, but T-mobile has by far been most trouble free. 

 

[Jaylach]

Follow up -
 
I ended up getting all this squared away. It turns out it was a bug in their system, but the consumer credit department was unwilling to correct it. I eventually climbed the ladder in the consumer credit department until I couldn't climb any higher without calling corporate directly. She was able to verify that I did, indeed, have a credit class of A originally. She was extremely annoyed that none of her employees were able to admit the mistake and correct it, but she corrected it for me.
 
The store manager, who ended up helping me through all this, and who got in touch with the department head, took incredible care of me. He gave me $75 credit per device, waived the $10 SIM card fee, and gave me 25% off the cases and screen protectors we purchased. 

 

[Seven Costanza]

Keep us posted on your service Jaylach- I'd be interested to hear how T-Mo is in CT.

 

[Orange Julia]

I have Tmobile and there's a big dead spot from the Connecticut River at Old Lyme, up to almost Middletown, across to Norwich and down through Salem, but is ok in Waterford and points NE (so basically 156 to Rt 82 to the old Route 9,).  I get some service on the other side of the river, however, from Saybrook on up Rt 9.  WiFi calling helps though but it is useless when on the road.

 

[HillysLastWalk]

I'm surprised that AlNipper49 had issues with T-Mobilie in CT.  Especially near/along 95.  I'd think there would be great service there.  Then again, even though I'm technical, I give no thought to EDGE, and this, and that (I had to google Edge to ensure it meant what I thought it meant).  I use my damn phone as a phone!  I text message, I make calls, I use the maps (quite a bit - for navigation), and have to browse the internet every now and then.  I've downloaded one app.  Zynga poker.  I've got computers at home and work - I really don't use my phone for nothing more than a phone and GPS.
 
I'm all up and down 84 and 91, all the time.  No issues.  Yes, before I get into work, there's a dead spot on this 1/4 mile stretch before I get on the highway.  Otherwise, I could stay connected the whole commute (pretty much, there might be a momentary blip near Southington, where I've had calls drop - so make that two known spots).  It's awesome at home and work.  No issues.
 
Now, to be fair, my friend who lives in Plymouth, the second I pull in his driveway (so the whole trip, especially along Rt. 6 is fine), my phone turns into a fancy paperweight.  He has AT&T, and it sucks for him, but he got some antenna, or something that AT&T gave him so they could have cellular reception at his house.  I guess YMMV.  But T-Mobile can be pretty good in CT.  I've had it for years - and I sure love paying $80/month (after taxes) for two phone lines with unlimited everything (throttled after 2GB, which I never reach).

 

[PortlandSoxFan]

I switched to T-Mobile about a year ago from Verizon.  The service is much worse, but for me bearable.  Anywhere in the Hartford area, or anywhere on 91 from Windsor to Cromwell, I get strong LTE signal.  Once I get to about Marlborough on my way home to Colchester, I'm strictly Edge.  Still works fine as a phone, data is touch and go but some things work, just not very well.  Parts of Colchester/Salem/East Haddam are dreadful.  Norwich has 4g (not LTE).  I've been to Boston, NYC, NJ, Baltimore and signal is usually very good.

 

[Jaylach]

Portland, that is very good information about Colchester. My brother lives there and was thinking of switching, but was worried about phone service. Data is fine as he'll use Wifi at home. Also, T-Mobile is in the process of purchasing a bunch of 700mhz spectrum from Verizon which covers all of CT. There are some issues with the bands, mainly Channel 51 (or is it 52?) but those are expected to be sorted out in early 2015.
 
I took my new phone for a drive down Route 2 on Sunday. Drove to parents lake house in Lebanon (Red Cedar Lake, not Amston). I dropped to 2G on Route 2 once I hit around Exit 11, but was able to keep a constant call going all the way to Exit 22 and to the lake house, which is surprising as everyone gets shoddy service down there. Where I live now (Vernon) I get 4G and perfect phone reception. My wife has also said she gets much better service going to and from her work (which is in Rocky Hill). 
 
It may turn out that T-Mobile's "bad service" is more reputation from years ago than anything. Or, it may turn out that I just don't go many places to hit their dead spots.

 

[PortlandSoxFan]

I drive from Colchester to Bloomfield every day and it always switches from 2G to 4G between exit 10 and 8, but I never lose any calls.  My experience in the area is south of Lake Hayward Rd, between around West Rd to 354, all the way down to almost Waterford are pretty non-existent with T-Mobile; at least with my Nexus 4.

 

[Jaylach]

I drive from Colchester to Bloomfield every day and it always switches from 2G to 4G between exit 10 and 8, but I never lose any calls.  My experience in the area is south of Lake Hayward Rd, between around West Rd to 354, all the way down to almost Waterford are pretty non-existent with T-Mobile; at least with my Nexus 4.

 
Regardless of reception, that's a hell of a drive man. Route 2 during any sort of rush hour is an absolute nightmare. The 55 mph speed limit is incredibly dumb, to me, as anytime I go down that way I get stuck behind someone going 55.. of course, the person in the other lane is also going 55.. almost as bad as 32, but at least there's 2 lanes on Route 2.

 

[SeoulSoxFan]

T-mobile has also been pretty instrumental in changing how carriers do business, and others have followed suit. I give TM points for that.

 

[Murderer's Crow]

Didn't want to start a new thread but the war of the mobile carriers is granting us some huge benefits. With AT&T's new $65 for unlimited talk/text + 2gb data, $10 off (indefinitely) thanks to retention, and my corp discount, my bill is now $53/mo after taxes. I had to get rid of my unlimited data for that plan but I really don't give a shit.

 

[SumnerH]

Didn't want to start a new thread but the war of the mobile carriers is granting us some huge benefits. With AT&T's new $65 for unlimited talk/text + 2gb data, $10 off (indefinitely) thanks to retention, and my corp discount, my bill is now $53/mo after taxes. I had to get rid of my unlimited data for that plan but I really don't give a shit.

Straight Talk gives you the same plan (unlimited talk/Text, 2gb before throttling to slow speeds)on AT&T or Verizon's network for $45/month.

 

[Murderer's Crow]

What are the downsides to that? Google seems varied on opinion.

 

[SumnerH]

What are the downsides to that? Google seems varied on opinion.

Traditionally the only downside is that you need more money up front to buy the phone, which is deeply subsidized when you sign up for a long contract with a brand name provider. With a prepaid like Straight Talk, you pay full freight for the phone. You more than make that back over the course of the contract, but it's more money up front.

But at $65/mo you should run the numbers. That's $480 more over a 2 year contract, which makes it barely plausible that it's cheaper if they're fully subsidizing a brand new top end phone (usually they aren't).