T-Mobile Terrible?

Murderer's Crow

Dragon Wangler 216
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I see. Thanks. The numbers don't quite work out that way for me since $65 actually is only costing me $53 after taxes. AT&T retention gave me $20 per month for 3 months and $10 off per month forever after complaining a couple times. That plus the corporate discount...

I'll be pushing others to those plans though.
 

saintnick912

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Do you need to be off-contract to get those terms?  I was going to switch to Straight Talk when my contract runs out (early June) but I might stick if I could get that deal.  Don't know if I have a credible threat to leave if I'm still rocking an ETF, guess I could say I was going to T-Mo.
 

Murderer's Crow

Dragon Wangler 216
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No. I called, threatened cancellation because of a few service issues I've been having, asked to speak to retention, and they gave it to me. Believe it or not, I did this for 3 other people in my family and it worked all 3 times. My girlfriend has only been with Att for 5 months and they wouldn't offer her anything.
 

Murderer's Crow

Dragon Wangler 216
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Jul 15, 2005
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Also, because I spoke to retention so much, it seems like they only have a handful of things to offer outside of bill credits. They will give you $20 off per month for up to 6 months, $10 off per month for 1 year (if you fight it, they'll do it forever), and they can give you additional minutes...etc.

It's really about how you deliver your message. Don't be a whiney asshole but be direct enough that they believe you and they'll work with you.

Here's a bill history for me. You can see what a simple negotiation accomplished.
 

Trlicek's Whip

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My Verizon plan expires in July and I'm leaning towards T-Mobile based on the intel in this thread.  
 
I'm an ultra basic smartphone user - no streaming video, games, or music; basic browsing, FB/Twitter/Sosh/sports scores. I never use my phone for actual ring-ring calls anymore and only send "point A to B" type texts, so 2GB plan levels seem fine for me. 
 
I'm in the NYC-area with family near Nashua that I see a couple of times a year so losing coverage in New England is never a major issue, and it sounds like NYC coverage is robust. 
 
I do have two questions:
 
1) I've had my S3 Galaxy for almost two years and can make a damage claim for $100 (my deductible) to get a new replacement S3. Does it make sense for me to do that leading up to my T-Mo switch so I already have a new phone in place? [I don't need the latest S4 or other sexy iterations based on my use/familiarity so that's immaterial].
 
2) Pursuant to #1 above, can I go Straight Talk with my own phone or do I have to buy one of theirs?
 
Jul 10, 2002
4,279
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You seem like the same exact Smartphone user as I am.  Ultra-basic.  I don't even come close to 2GB.
 
If you were on Verizon, I don't believe your phone would work on T-Mobile.  You would have to get an S3 for the T-Mobile network.  For example, as someone who uses Wal-Mart Family Mobile (which is basically T-Mobile), I can only use AT&T and T-Mobile phones (though, certain "world phones" may work across all networks - I'm still foggy on this).
 
Therefore, I do think you could use that Verizon S3 on Straight Talk.  I'm a little less sure here, try this link and report back: http://www.straighttalkbyop.com/
 
Btw, S3's go for $299 or less, brand new, these days.  Hence, the insurance seems like a waste of money (especially when you consider your $100 deductible and monthly charges).
 
EDIT: Check out this link too.  Lots of good info and it's similar to your situation (he's switching from Verizon to T-Mobile, and he's based in new york).  You may be able to get value for your phone straight from T-Mobile: http://www.businessinsider.com/t-mobile-switch-2014-1
 

Trlicek's Whip

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HillysLastWalk said:
You seem like the same exact Smartphone user as I am.  Ultra-basic.  I don't even come close to 2GB.
 
If you were on Verizon, I don't believe your phone would work on T-Mobile.  You would have to get an S3 for the T-Mobile network.  For example, as someone who uses Wal-Mart Family Mobile (which is basically T-Mobile), I can only use AT&T and T-Mobile phones (though, certain "world phones" may work across all networks - I'm still foggy on this).
 
Therefore, I do think you could use that Verizon S3 on Straight Talk.  I'm a little less sure here, try this link and report back: http://www.straighttalkbyop.com/
 
Btw, S3's go for $299 or less, brand new, these days.  Hence, the insurance seems like a waste of money (especially when you consider your $100 deductible and monthly charges).
 
EDIT: Check out this link too.  Lots of good info and it's similar to your situation (he's switching from Verizon to T-Mobile, and he's based in new york).  You may be able to get value for your phone straight from T-Mobile: http://www.businessinsider.com/t-mobile-switch-2014-1
 
Thanks so much for this. I've been a Verizon Wireless customer since 1999 (i.e. really out of the loop) so appreciate the specifics. 
 
According to that Straight Talk IMEI search link, my Verizon S3 is not compatible. 
 
I think I'll talk to someone at T-Mobile and see if they'll do a trade-in as credit towards a new phone. It might even be worth my making the insurance claim for a newer one if the value on it is more than $100.
 
EDIT: according to that article they won't take anything cracked. My phone has some small screen cracks. I may get a new S3 if it's "cheaper" to do it now with Verizon for $100, if they accept it as a trade in and if the value on them is still decent.
 

JakeRae

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Jul 21, 2005
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It's been long enough now that I can confidently say I am thrilled with my transition from Sprint to T-Mobile. I'm almost exclusively in Manhattan and have dramatically better service than I did on Sprint and comparable service to my brother, who is on Verizon. I even get sporadic service on various subway lines! Given the amount of money I am saving with the $30 a month plan, I can't imagine going back.

That said, Sprint was much better for really remote locales as they have vastly superior 2g coverage. That seems to be a CDMA v. GSM thing as ATT also had awful service if you really are in the middle of nowhere.

Edit: paying $300 for a S3 when a Nexus 5 is $50 more and twice the phone is crazy.
 

JakeRae

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Trlicek's Whip said:
My Verizon plan expires in July and I'm leaning towards T-Mobile based on the intel in this thread.  
 
I'm an ultra basic smartphone user - no streaming video, games, or music; basic browsing, FB/Twitter/Sosh/sports scores. I never use my phone for actual ring-ring calls anymore and only send "point A to B" type texts, so 2GB plan levels seem fine for me. 
 
I'm in the NYC-area with family near Nashua that I see a couple of times a year so losing coverage in New England is never a major issue, and it sounds like NYC coverage is robust. 
 
I do have two questions:
 
1) I've had my S3 Galaxy for almost two years and can make a damage claim for $100 (my deductible) to get a new replacement S3. Does it make sense for me to do that leading up to my T-Mo switch so I already have a new phone in place? [I don't need the latest S4 or other sexy iterations based on my use/familiarity so that's immaterial].
 
2) Pursuant to #1 above, can I go Straight Talk with my own phone or do I have to buy one of theirs?
If you don't make real phone calls, you should, without question, get on the T-Mobile $30 plan. You will not regret it.
 

crystalline

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The cheap T-Mobile plans are excellent for international use as well. Data and texts are included (no additional charge) when roaming internationally, and voice calls are $0.20/min. This is a huge huge upgrade over my previous plans or finding/buying/using a local SIM
T-Mobile uses GSM so the phones work in most other countries.
 

Trlicek's Whip

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Officially went with T-Mobile with two months left on my current Verizon contract.  I should have my new phone (M8) tomorrow to do the official port/handover to TM. I have 3GB of data at $60/month.
 
I get a discount via work for 15% off so my bill will be normally about $55/month, which includes taxes, fees, and insurance. Because I am financing the M8 on the same bill it's currently $70/month. My Verizon bill was closer to $85-$90 though, so my discount is paying for the phone and then some. And I can pay off the entire phone off all at once if I want at any time. [I'm not doing "jump" where you can trade in the phone every few months because I don't care about next new frequent things]. 
 
This doesn't include the $100 deposit I'll get back after a year of on-time bill payments, and the ETF reimbursement they're giving me (which is around $120, I think, based on the 22/24 months of Verizon's contract already elapsed).
 
On paper I'm doing much better than Verizon already; I hope the new phone is solid, and that TM's service isn't prohibitive. Based on my needs and the fact I'm NYC-metro, I don't expect there to be issues.
 

Jaylach

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Sep 26, 2007
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Trlicek's Whip said:
Officially went with T-Mobile with two months left on my current Verizon contract.  I should have my new phone (M8) tomorrow to do the official port/handover to TM. I have 3GB of data at $60/month.
 
I get a discount via work for 15% off so my bill will be normally about $55/month, which includes taxes, fees, and insurance. Because I am financing the M8 on the same bill it's currently $70/month. My Verizon bill was closer to $85-$90 though, so my discount is paying for the phone and then some. And I can pay off the entire phone off all at once if I want at any time. [I'm not doing "jump" where you can trade in the phone every few months because I don't care about next new frequent things]. 
 
This doesn't include the $100 deposit I'll get back after a year of on-time bill payments, and the ETF reimbursement they're giving me (which is around $120, I think, based on the 22/24 months of Verizon's contract already elapsed).
 
On paper I'm doing much better than Verizon already; I hope the new phone is solid, and that TM's service isn't prohibitive. Based on my needs and the fact I'm NYC-metro, I don't expect there to be issues.
 
If it helps, a few months in and I'm still super happy with T-Mobile. I get service where I didn't with Sprint, so that's been an added bonus. Granted, I don't travel all that far (working from home and all) but I've had no reason to complain.. which, in today's age, seems to be the "gold standard" of service.
 

Nick Kaufman

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If you re an extremely basic smartphone user, the question is this. Do you really need data? Because if you don't, nothing beats the 10 cent a minute TMobile prepaid plan. I pay less than $100 per year for my cell phone and while there is an occasion or two, that I would like to have data, I find there are ton of free wifi spots available to fit my needs. Plus, if you really need data, you pay $3 a day to get a daily data plan, then you switch back.
 

mt8thsw9th

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Jaylach said:
 
If it helps, a few months in and I'm still super happy with T-Mobile. I get service where I didn't with Sprint, so that's been an added bonus. Granted, I don't travel all that far (working from home and all) but I've had no reason to complain.. which, in today's age, seems to be the "gold standard" of service.
 
You had a low bar to clear being on Sprint, though. The trouble for those who are on Verizon is it's a downgrade no matter what. It's a matter of whether you view the cost savings as being worth not having the actual gold standard of cell service. Sometimes I hate how much I pay, and then I think back to the week I was on Sprint, and I feel a little less bad.
 

Jaylach

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Sep 26, 2007
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mt8thsw9th said:
 
You had a low bar to clear being on Sprint, though. The trouble for those who are on Verizon is it's a downgrade no matter what. It's a matter of whether you view the cost savings as being worth not having the actual gold standard of cell service. Sometimes I hate how much I pay, and then I think back to the week I was on Sprint, and I feel a little less bad.
 
Very good point. Moving from Sprint to T-Mobile was like doubling my pay... if I made $1 an hour. But T-Mobile is really twice as good as Sprint and, for where I go, just as good as AT&T and Verizon. There's no doubt if I were to travel outside of my limited areas I'd find the service to be worse then Verzion, luckily I rarely travel outside my limited area lol.
 

SumnerH

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mt8thsw9th said:
 
The trouble for those who are on Verizon is it's a downgrade no matter what. 
 
This is true in the abstract, but it's not true as far as actual impact on users--just because Verizon has the widest coverage doesn't mean that they're better than the alternatives everywhere, and that's ultimately what matters in terms of whether one carrier is a personal upgrade or downgrade.  Verizon works but with sketchy quality in my office building, AT&T is solid.  The reverse was true in our last building.  At my parents' house, Verizon's the only carrier that gets strong service.  My sister just moved out of a place where only Sprint got decent service into a place in Billerica that seems to be a complete dead zone for all carriers (I haven't visited or done any research on the new house yet, that's on my to-do but it's her claim).
 

bohous

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mt8thsw9th said:
 
You had a low bar to clear being on Sprint, though. The trouble for those who are on Verizon is it's a downgrade no matter what. It's a matter of whether you view the cost savings as being worth not having the actual gold standard of cell service. Sometimes I hate how much I pay, and then I think back to the week I was on Sprint, and I feel a little less bad.
 
This is where I am at. Does anybody here have T-Mobile experience in Maine, particularly mid-coast (Rockland/Camden)?
T-Mobile would save us a bit of money but I'm not sure its enough to convince me to switch. 
 
My concern is that the in-laws (grandparents) are in Auburn ME and we also spend a significant portion of our summers around mid-coast. I'm sure we would be fine on TM to/from Auburn but right now we actually get a bit of data access at our place in Owls Head, although its sometimes just edge. I suspect TM coverage we would get nothing. 
 

crystalline

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SumnerH said:
 
This is true in the abstract, but it's not true as far as actual impact on users--just because Verizon has the widest coverage doesn't mean that they're better than the alternatives everywhere, and that's ultimately what matters in terms of whether one carrier is a personal upgrade or downgrade.  Verizon works but with sketchy quality in my office building, AT&T is solid.  The reverse was true in our last building.  At my parents' house, Verizon's the only carrier that gets strong service.  My sister just moved out of a place where only Sprint got decent service into a place in Billerica that seems to be a complete dead zone for all carriers (I haven't visited or done any research on the new house yet, that's on my to-do but it's her claim).
 
 
AlNipper49 said:
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.
 
Update on my T-mobile experience: coverage is pretty good in Boston; it's worth the price.  Work coverage is spotty, home coverage is excellent- better than AT&T, and traveling around the city it's good enough that I can't remember a time I've noticed a coverage dead zone.
 
But a few weeks ago I just drove through CT on I-84 and Nip is 100% right: coverage was terrible.  I had voice coverage only about 20% of the trip from Danbury to Sturbridge.   As Sumner said, it's all about coverage in your area.
 

Zedia

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Just wanted to mention, after MLB At Bat had a meltdown tonight, I logged out of it on my phone. When I tried to log back in, I got a message that said "Enjoy a season on us" from T-Mobile. I didn't need it since I was able to get my old account back up, but look into it if you're a T-Mobile user.
 

PortlandSoxFan

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Well, I'm now in the 'TMobile Sucks' boat, although I freely admit it is mostly my fault.
 
I've been happy with the service in some areas, but at my home and anywhere south of us, it is unbearable.  My girlfriend has no signal when she drives to work, and since she's coming home at 12/1 AM when she works weekends, this is unacceptable.  So I tried out Net10 with AT&T sims in our Nexus phones,and it is much, much better.  So I cancelled my T-Mobile account...only to find out there is a $200 ETF fee PER LINE.  For an account where I brought my own phones.  Shame on me for not reading the fine print; I guess I assumed there would be no ETF if I didn't buy a subsidized phone.
 

Infield Infidel

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Yeah, the only way to avoid the ETF is to buy your own phone and have TMO prepaid service, instead of a contract. Which kinda sucks because unless you buy a T-Mobile phone, you probably aren't going to get 4G service.
 
I wasn't aware of the 4G issue until I started the prepaid service. It's not that hard to buy a used or refurbished T-Mobile phone, but I bought an international GS3 when I got prepaid service that was significantly cheaper than the TMO GS3, and I don't get 4G, and usually not even 3G. 
 

zenter

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PortlandSoxFan said:
So I cancelled my T-Mobile account...only to find out there is a $200 ETF fee PER LINE.  For an account where I brought my own phones.  Shame on me for not reading the fine print; I guess I assumed there would be no ETF if I didn't buy a subsidized phone.
 
Can you provide more information on this? I signed up bc they're supposed to be no-ETF on post-paid contract-free. Is this wrong? What's the fine print?
 

zenter

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PortlandSoxFan said:
I switched from the prepaid service to an account so I could have more than one line.  They didn't have  Simple Choice prepaid family plan when I signed up.  But stupidly, I assumed no buying phone, no ETF.
 
Ah, okay. So your situation is different from what II refers to. I'm contract-free on a post-paid TMo, and happier than I've ever been, cost-benefit-wise.
 

zenter

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Oct 11, 2005
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PortlandSoxFan said:
I mean, I can't imagine what would lead me to believe there would be no ETF.  I'm pretty sure that it is because of when I signed up (4/2013).  They may not have them any more, I'm not positive.
 
 
Hm, yes. You may want to get on their case about these ETFs. Unclear, but there's some indication that old plans were transitioned to new plans. 
 

loshjott

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Bumping this old thread to see if anyone has tried T-Mobile's "free" data plan for an iPad.  Is it truly free if you don't have T-Mobile as your cell phone carrier?  I'm Googling conflicting reports and finding it hard to nail down solid info.
 

passle

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Jul 15, 2005
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For me it's been free.  I got a free SIM for an old iPad I gave to my Dad, and as long as you stay within the data limit there's been no charge.
 

Omar's Wacky Neighbor

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Leaving in a bit to the studio :)
Sorry to bump a 10 month old thread, but:

we ported our two sons from VZW to TMo this past July. We were assured by at least two CSRs that my wife's corporate discount (~18%-20%) would apply to our plan (2 lines of Unltd for $100). We did all the paperwork for the discount at least twice, but still the discount never automatically applied. Since a description of the discount was noted on their end, they applied it manually several times when we called about it, with the assurance that "sometimes these things take time to show up automatically".

Still not showing up today, so I called TMo again: seems that any Simple Choice plan, which is usually the featured plan de jour on their commercials and their homepage, does NOT qualify. CSR, while admitting that our plan was featured for over six months , said it was considered a discounted plan, so that's why our discount cant be applied (I countered that six+ months made it their regular price/offer, and not a sale or discounted offer). So I did some googling, and sure enough employer/corporate discounts were removed from Simple Choice plans back on April 1, 2014.