Who's your cellular phone provider?

[adrian]

I just want to take a poll on who's your cell phone prodiver. (I'm interested in the people who lives in Hawaii, but you "mainland" can vote as well)

Choices:
Nextel
ATT
Verizon
Cingular
Tmobile
Sprint
Prepaid

[craigwatanabe]

That's nice...I'm the only one that has voted so far and it seems Verizon has this poll locked up at 100% :D

But they better get better cell service down here in Kea'au by the ocean cuz it ain't happening much with signal strength.

[Glen Miyashiro]

I use AT&T Wireless with a Nokia. Pretty vanilla stuff.

[pzarquon]

I'm with Sprint, mostly because of a discount a friend hooked me up with when he worked for them. I like the hardware, the service is good, and while some of the proprietary things they do (i.e. messaging, e-mail) are annoying, I like their flat pricing for data services... allowing me to send gobs of blurry, cameraphone photos to my heart's content.

When I considered changing providers, none of the others were particularly compelling save T-Mobile (formerly VoiceStream). But for now, I give Sprint a B- and I'm sticking with 'em.

[Linkmeister]

I'm one of the last of a dying breed; I don't have one. :o

[Miulang]

I use prepaid, but I have a Maui phone number! Really throws people off up here when they see the "808" on their number display!

I did that because I figured I needed the cell phone more when I'm in Hawaii than when I'm up here in Seattle. What's even funnier is for about 18 years, I worked in telecom and I never really wanted a cell phone just for the convenience. I could get a corporate rate through my company, but that would only encourage me to yak on the phone when I should be driving or walking (and watching where I'm walking) or quietly eating dinner at a restaurant.

Cell phones (like crying babies at a concert) are abominations. The new ones with the cameras in them are going to get lots of people in trouble when they photograph people/things they're not supposed to be photographing.

Miulang

[adrian]

I use prepaid, but I have a Maui phone number! Really throws people off up here when they see the "808" on their number display!

I did that because I figured I needed the cell phone more when I'm in Hawaii than when I'm up here in Seattle. What's even funnier is for about 18 years, I worked in telecom and I never really wanted a cell phone just for the convenience. I could get a corporate rate through my company, but that would only encourage me to yak on the phone when I should be driving or walking (and watching where I'm walking) or quietly eating dinner at a restaurant.

Cell phones (like crying babies at a concert) are abominations. The new ones with the cameras in them are going to get lots of people in trouble when they photograph people/things they're not supposed to be photographing.

Miulang
My brother used to have a Hawaii number when he was with our plan, but since tmobile's service doesn't exist in Michigan, he decided to get Sprint.

And the only reason why I think camera/video phones are a necessity, is that you can record news events if no one is. People can just shoot the video or take a couple of pictures of an unfolding news event, and send it to a news station. (I needed a camera phone when the route 43 bus was up in smoke (smoke coming from the exhaust) on the H1 freeway near the airport yesterday. Luckily, the bus was empty, but it caused everyone to slow down because of a thick white smoke was covering the rest of the lanes from the right hand lane).

[Linkmeister]

About the only cellphone number I call halfway regularly is my principal client's, and it's a Maui number. So I get long-distance calls on my MCI bill even though the guy is on Oahu. It's annoying and costly, and having to remember to dial 808 first is a pain.

[Serenity]

I use AT & T wireless.
I have used them for a long time & it's the only company I know, & that I am use to.

I bought an AT & T go phone for my best friend, & you should have seen how excited she has been, since she got it.(she gets billed on her name, only.)

Oh, Glen, FYI- I have upgraded my cell phone for free, where any one I call or any one who calls me, does not affect my minutes & it is not deducted from my minutes at all. If you want that type of deal, perhaps you should try to call AT & T wireless & discuss that deal with them. Good luck. :)

[AbsolutChaos]

I accidentally picked Verizon before reading all the choices--mine is actually prepaid thru Verizon, so I guess I'm half-right! It's an okay company with okay service, but since it's pre-paid, I don't know if I can keep my same number if I were to try switching providers, and I don't think it's worth the hassle of getting a new number if I don't use it that much to begin with. Anyway, if it weren't for my job, I'd never have a cell phone at all, but having on-call responsibilities thru work makes it a necessity. Most of the time, though, I don't carry it with me or have it on. Uh, oh, I feel a vent coming on... ;)

It bothers me when I see people chatting on their phones in what I consider to be inappropriate places--if I had a penny for every time somebody apologized to me after almost hitting me while driving on the roads, one hand still holding their cell to their ear...sigh. I still can't get used to all the really loud ring tones that break the silence at movie theaters (even after seeing the big "please silence your phones and pagers" warning on the movie screen), concerts, performances, and in nice restaurants, and it makes me laugh sometimes at how technology changes--it seems I pass more people talking loudly on their phones, not paying attention to anything around them, competing to be heard over traffic in the streets, than I do people not using them these days. I'm now unfortunately been privy to more conversations than I'd care to, all thanks to cell phones! :eek: People always forget that their loud talking on the phone is readily in "listening distance" of almost everybody around them. I really don't want to hear about Auntie Ethel's divorce or what foods someone's dad wants them to pick up from the grocery and/or the follow-up prolonged arguments over the validity of some of these grocery items, sigh part two. I haven't come up with an effective method yet for tuning such people out. Got any suggestions? If I tried to leave every situation where such events took place, I'd have to become a hermit! (Unfortunately or not, I'm too social to become a hermit, heehee.)

Most of my friends, who like myself grew up with cell phones at a relatively early age, are used to all the things that drive me crazy, I suppose, but me, I miss the "good ol'" days when people had to excuse themselves from a social/public situation and isolate themselves in paid phone booths with some privacy that saved the rest of us from hearing all sorts of loud rings, loud ring tones, loud conversations, and most importantly, saved us from having to put up with the sometimes dangerous behavior of people distracted by their phones!

Believe it or not, I'm not as old as my diatribe makes me sound, lol...I'm in my mid-twenties. And I must also admit that cell phones are very instrumental in emergency situations, for letting people know you'll be late/conveying other SHORT important messages, and even useful for finding people in crowded places,etc (maybe everybody I see on the street chatting away so loudly on the phone is looking for their friends or family and is lost while looking for them, hence the LONG conversation? :p ).

But maybe people should think twice about their constant need to ALWAYS have their phone on them and turned on! The world won't end if they turn their phones off for the course of a meal or for a couple of hours in a movie or while they are driving somewhere--will it? At least they could excuse themselves and go to a more quiet, empty room or pull over their car if they absolutely MUST answer the phone that very moment! I know that people forget sometimes, and I think that many of them feel embarrassed when it rings at a strange time, but if it does, why not turn it off at that point and call whoever it is back later when it's more appropriate? Too many people don't seem to care about those around them, and they just answer the phone then and there, once again subjecting others to really LOUD conversations as they try to make themselves heard over everybody else--or the movie on the screen.

What does everybody think about laws that would bar people from using their cell phones while driving? I'd be relieved myself... I also wouldn't mind if teachers would take a moment to have all the kids pull out their cell phones (since you know they all got 'em anyway) and have a talk about cell phone etiquette. Then maybe we can get cell phone use under control and make cell phone behavior more discrete and classy...? Somewhere, over the rainbow... :rolleyes: I guess I'll get used to it, that soon I'll be able to tune cell phones/cell conversations out the way people who live next to tracks can tune out a train. I also suppose that the next generation won't even think twice about it, having known no other life, but if I ever have kids, I'll try to impress upon them that there's a time and place for cell phones, and it isn't EVERY time and EVERY place!

Phew, nice to get that off my chest...thanks for listening to me rant!

[adrian]

You can move your number from a prepaid to a regular phone plan. Doesn't verizon offer that service for free?

[Miulang]

What does everybody think about laws that would bar people from using their cell phones while driving?

Hui AC: Some jurisdictions up here on the Mainland already have such laws on the books. If you're caught driving through town in North Bend while yakking on a cell phone, the cops can issue a ticket for inattentive driving. I think there is a loophole though: I don't believe you get ticketed if you're using handsfree. To me that's not a whole lot different than having a cell phone glued to your ear while driving while sipping on a latte; you're still not paying 100% attention to your driving. Maybe there should be a law against eating while driving too. I think I've seen surveys that say that there are more accidents caused by people eating while driving than talking while driving (and what about the people shaving, flossing their teeth or applying mascara or lipstick while driving...eesh :eek: ). Heh, I think inattentive driving really took off when people starting buying automatic transmission cars. If you have to drive a standard shift, you have very little "idle" time to be distracted. Maybe we should make automatic transmissions illegal...that might keep some of the idjits now driving off the road because they aren't coordinated enough to use a clutch and shift gears at the same time.
I'm on call almost 24x7 all the time for my job, too. But I rely on my text pager to let me know what the problem is and if I'm in the car, the problem just has to wait until I get to someplace where it's safe for me to talk.

Miulang

[AbsolutChaos]

You can move your number from a prepaid to a regular phone plan. Doesn't verizon offer that service for free?


Thanks--you're probably right. I need to look into that...I'm just lazy!

[easTTriver]

i had t-mobile but switched to verizon. t-mobile has better plans, while verizon offers better reception.

[helen]

I used to have a cellular phone back in the early 1990's from Radio Shack and I think my provider at the time was GTE, I gave it up after about a couple of years because no one really called me and it was a pain in the butt paying for a service I never used and lugging around the phone that was the size of small brick. Not to mention the fact that the battery I was using for that phone was losing it's charge.

Up until 3 weeks ago I didn't think I need a cell phone because I could either be reached at home or at work and if I am not there, they can always leave a message.

Then this trip to Kauai (which I just came back today) made me re-think on getting a cellular phone service. I initially was thinking of Hawaiian Telcom since for me it's easier to pay one big bill verus paying a lot of smaller bills but as fate would have it (like coming in after the Hawaiian Telcom office was closed on a Friday night), I stumbled across TracFone (http://www.tracfone.com/home_page.jsp?b=i&flash=YES&p=W) at Wal-Mart.

To me the price was reasonable, around $20 for a Nokia 1100 phone, plus $20 for 60 units of air time or $30 for 120 units of air time. I initially got the phone and one 60 unit card.

The way the usage goes if you use your phone (either making or getting calls) within your area (based on your zip code) the rate is 1 minute of usage takes 1 unit of air time. If you use your phone outside of your area the rate is 1 minute of usage takes 2 units of air time. If you send a text message that takes up .3 units of air time. Getting a text message is free. Checking on the TracFone web site they had defined my area as the entire island of Oahu which I thought was okay. However my TracFone phone's area code was not in the 808 area, it's in the 360 area code, so people calling me via cell phones is not a problem but people calling me via land lines would be making long distance calls to reach me (I don't think is an issue for me, but others might).

A week after I brought my phone and card I figured I should pick up another 60 unit card for the Kauai trip but I ended up using almost over 60 units due to calls relating to the planning of the trip. This past Friday night I picked a 120 unit card (mainly because they ran out of the 60 unit cards) for the trip itself.

When I arrived on Kauai Saturday afternoon I come to find out that I am still in my home area (at 1 minute for 1 unit of air time) so that was a good surprise.

What also impressed about the Nokia 1100 phone was that the battery lasted a long time. I forgot to pack the recharger and it was left on for about 95% of the time I was there and I think the battery level never went past 75% but then again I didn't make that many calls, no more than 25 minutes of talk time totally during the trip.

So far I am happy with the service and whatever time I have left is going to expire in July at which time I can add at least 60 units to keep it going.

[Da Rolling Eye]

Now I'm at a loss. How can be Verizon? We opened with a Verizon account and are now paying Cingular. If there's still a Verizon, how come we're not with them any longer? What's the scoop. Das wai hawd dis kine. Start with one account and it get sold to someone else. Just about as bad as charge cards and mortgage notes. :mad:

Btw, reception was bad when it was Verizon and is still bad with Cingular. How you figah sometimes get 4 bars and sometimes get 1 all in the same place? (scratching my ass and head at the same time). :confused:

[alohatim]

Verizon. (I think--that's who I signed up with)

On Kauai, seems to have much better coverage than my friends who have other services. The only two places that I seem to lose signal is Kalihiwai Valley and out in Haena.

Tim

[helen]

I was able to make a call on Sunday from Mana. I can't remember my dad's cell service but I sort of remember when he and I went to Kokee this past December he couldn't use his phone service.

[Da Rolling Eye]

What does everybody think about laws that would bar people from using their cell phones while driving?
Absolutely! I'm seeing way too many people who can't talk on the phone and drive safely at the same time. Fast/slow on the freeway, weaving in and out and not going anywhere, near misses at crosswalks, no go on green, no stop on red or at stop signs, flipping the bird when other drivers honk their horns at them for driving like a doodoo head. Bad enough got plenty knuckleheads doing this without the aid of a cell phone. "One of these days, POW!...right to the moon." ;)

What's so hard about telling the caller, "Eh, I driving. I'll call you when I get to work." or wait till you get to the darned market to call home and get that shopping list that you forgot....gunfunnit. We did that before cell phones, we can do it again.

As for phones in primary and secondary schools, fuggetaboudit. Besides, what the heck is a school buddy doing calling a pal while in class? Where's that buddy calling from? Same with text messaging. Should be listening to the teacher or reading the class text book only. Get a call or text message in class?......confiscate the phone and a D- for the day.

[helen]

Right now using cell phones while driving on military bases (which includes to my knowledge Pearl Harbor, Hickam and Schofield Barracks) is a no-no and if you are caught doing it you can't re-enter the base for 30 days.

[Linkmeister]

We're now looking into prepaid cellphones. We saw an ad for TracFone, so I looked them up on the web. It looks like a good deal, but when you check them out at Amazon (for the telephones) you see an awful lot of negative feedback about their customer service and their unit charges, particularly if you travel through a lot of different zip codes during your day. helen, I'm wondering if you've had any trouble like that?

T-Mobile has one big advantage for me: they've got a store in the same shopping center I go to daily, so if I needed new minutes I could get them easily.

Our thought process goes like this: We only need one instrument, so none of the "buy one, get a second one free" deals is required. We just don't see a need for a monthly plan for an emergency-only phone. And we don't need all the latest bells and whistles; just a telephone, thank you very much.

Anybody got any ideas/suggestions about prepaid plans? Of the big guys, I think T-Mobile, Verizon, and Cingular all offer them here; the smaller brokers (they buy up huge lots of minutes and allocate them to their customers) like TracFone and Virgin and Let'sTalk are also here, but I wonder if there are strings in the small print.

[Miulang]

I use TracFone because I only use the phone for outbound emergency calls. It costs about $20 every 3 months to get a half hour of air time, which I never use up. I have the phone "homed" to a Hawai'i number because that's where I use it most (our house up in Kula doesn't have a phone because no one lives there full time). Roughly $7/mo is a small price to pay to have access to a phone in an emergency. The minutes you don't use "roll over" every month, as long as you keep your account up to date. You can buy more airtime and add to your phone on their website or via phone (it's easier to do it on their website, because the code you have to punch in is cumbersome).

Miulang

[lurkah]

I use TracFone
How's the signal quality when you need it?

[Miulang]

How's the signal quality when you need it?
It does very well up here on the Mainland; even around Boeing Field where there is a notorious hole in coverage because of the other RFs around Boeing Field. I had only one connection fade out on me travelling I-5 going through downtown Seattle, which is pretty good, considering all the tall buildings down there. I've used it down in Oregon too, in the Willamette Valley when we went on a vineyard tour one weekend and didn't have problems with coverage there, either. Next time we go up to Mt. Rainier, I'll try calling somebody from up there.

In Hawai'i, I've used it to call from Kula to Wailuku, Kihei and Kahului, and from Honolulu International Airport to Maui with no probs. I've also used it to call from Seattle to Maui with no probs, San Francisco to Maui with no probs, North Carolina to Maui with no probs, Kissimee to Maui and Palm Springs to Maui with no probs (oh yeah, and from Las Vegas, too!)

Miulang

[helen]

Like I said eariler I stumbled across TracFone at Wal-Mart. They had a couple of other brands as well but it was the price of the phone itself that lead me to get TracFone (at $20 for the phone). I didn't need much bells and whistles with the phone service, but I like the text messaging features and rates.

[Linkmeister]

See, here's one of the reviews I saw for TracFone which gave me pause:WATCH OUT FOR THE TERMS OF SERVICE. This phone is only for use IN YOUR HOME ZIPCODE. Notice I did not say "area code" but ZIPCODE. I was driving around the metropolitan area where I lived, and I noticed the minutes were being eaten up at a roaming rate with just about every call I made. When I asked why this was going on, I was shuffled around the ESL Customer service agents for OVER AN HOUR, and offered an additional phone number, then they finally told me that the calls will be charged at roaming rate whenever I am out of my home zipcode. My zipcode, since its in a major metropolitan area is _SMALL_. I found this to be rather insane. ALSO, this zipcode detail is NO WHERE in the literature that comes with the phone, it is no where on their website, and it is NOT in their terms of service.
Enjoy the service if you don't travel much, but if you do much driving around at all, find something else.

That's from a Nov 2005 customer review at Amazon.

I don't know if I want something to use up my minutes just for calling outside the zip code I designate when I bought the thing.

But Miulang and Helen, your experience seems to indicate that doesn't happen, right?

To quote Frank DeLima, "I am so confused!"

[helen]

There have been two or three times that my phone says "Roaming" even when I am on Oahu, but it is temporary thing.

At this point in time I spent $90 for my TracFone service which breaks down as follows

$20 for the phone
$20 for a 60 unit card (the same time I brought the phone)
$20 for a 60 unit card (picked up a week later)
$30 for a 120 unit card (picked up a week after the 2nd 60 unit card)

So far I got 120 units left on my phone between now and the end of July.

I really don't know what TracFone service was like 4 to 5 months ago. The only weird thing for me is that my phone is in the 360 area code but I get the impression that Miulang's TracFone service is in the 808 area code?

[i-hungry]

Anyone has Cingular? How is the reception and cost? I might switch subscribers.

[Dale]

I get Sprint, and I wish it was better, but I no can leave. Aya! Humbug dat!!!

[Altivec]

Right now using cell phones while driving on military bases (which includes to my knowledge Pearl Harbor, Hickam and Schofield Barracks) is a no-no and if you are caught doing it you can't re-enter the base for 30 days.
Navy, Airforce, Marines, and Coast Guard will allow you to use cell phones, but you need a hands free set.

Army installations (Schofield, Tripler, Fort Shafter) do not allow any cell phone usage while driving.

[helen]

The only weird thing for me is that my phone is in the 360 area code but I get the impression that Miulang's TracFone service is in the 808 area code?
It dawned on me when I first got the phone, I used TracFone's web site to activate the phone. During that process it ask's for your zip code and by mistake I switched the 2nd and 3rd digits, so instead of 968xx, I entered 986xx which puts me in the Washington area and hence the 360 area code. Even through I was able to correct the zip code and kept me in range (or non-roaming) in the 808 area code, my phone still had the 360 area code.

[shaveice]

Anyone has Cingular? How is the reception and cost? I might switch subscribers.
. . . . . . . . . . . .

i switched from t-mobile (which was pretty bad) to cingular, which is better but still not very impressive imho. i'd suggest you look around till you find something that's rock solid and impresses the subscriber you're talking to (cuz you'll probably be locked into a 2 -3 yr. agreement).

also, be sure to check their websites; they'll show you a map of areas in hawaii that has good coverage.

[tvguy]

It should be noted that AT&T and Cingular are the same, and while Cingular is the "official" name right now, apparetnly there are plans to switch the name back to AT&T from what I've been told.

[liberty]

Anyone has Cingular? How is the reception and cost? I might switch subscribers.

I do. I live in Wai'anae, and the reception is decent. (My dad, on the other hand, has Verizon through his employer, and he hates how there is virtually no reception where we live.) The cheapest plan you can sign up for is the $39.99 one, I believe. That's the one I have. My mom also has Cingular, but she has a prepaid account. She uses my old Nokia, and had it converted to a prepaid from the standard monthly billing. I actually wished I got a prepaid account. I've learned that I'm not much of a yakker on the phone, and I could have saved a lot of money. But I'm on a two-year plan - the minimum for Cingular, I believe - so I have to wait another year for it to end.

[Tiger Beer]

There have been two or three times that my phone says "Roaming" even when I am on Oahu, but it is temporary thing.

At this point in time I spent $90 for my TracFone service which breaks down as follows

$20 for the phone
$20 for a 60 unit card (the same time I brought the phone)
$20 for a 60 unit card (picked up a week later)
$30 for a 120 unit card (picked up a week after the 2nd 60 unit card)

So far I got 120 units left on my phone between now and the end of July.

I really don't know what TracFone service was like 4 to 5 months ago. The only weird thing for me is that my phone is in the 360 area code but I get the impression that Miulang's TracFone service is in the 808 area code?

Any recommended phone shops to pick one up in?

[helen]

I got my TracFone from Wal-Mart. They sell both the phone and the cards.

[Tiger Beer]

I got my TracFone from Wal-Mart. They sell both the phone and the cards.
Thank you.

That plan looks great - I prefer the month-to-month and/or prepaid.

Just curious.. how much is a 'unit' of time?

Also, if someone calls you.. does that also eat up the time allotted to you? Or is that free?

[helen]

You can either click here (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showpost.php?p=64917&postcount=15) or go to response #15 of this thread that has the rates. If you want more information about TracFone itself the website is at:

http://www.tracfone.com

As an update to my experiences with the service. When you first sign up your service last 60 days, if you add a card that has the 60, 120, 250 or 400 units you get an additional 60 days. The catch is the most you can extend is 120 days but you can add as many units as you want.

They also offer 1 year plans which I haven't tried yet.

When using TracFone your cell phone will display the number of units you have left and when it will expire. If you past the expiration date, I think you lose the units you have left and also the phone number you have been assigned when you first sign up for it. At this point if you reactivate your phone service a new phone number will be assigned.

On the other hand if your units go down to zero and the expiration date isn't reached yet your service with them is sort of active. Your phone will ring but you can't pick up calls until you add units to the service.

I picked another phone last week, I went with the Motorola V170 which is more expensive (around $50) but since the phone folds in itself, it can't accidentally make calls if it's jingling in one's pocket like the Nokia 1100 (which happen to me twice already).

As far as the price per unit, from the web site. A 60 unit card is $19.99, a 120 unit card is $29.99, 250 unit card is $49.99 and a 400 unit card is $79.99. While they don't say it on the web site Wal-Mart been selling 90 unit cards for about $23-26.

[Linkmeister]

Any recommended phone shops to pick one up in?

Safeway Waimalu just started stocking a Nokia for Tracfone (can't remember the model number, sorry) for $19.95. I'm sorely tempted.

Hmm. If making calls on its own is a problem, maybe that flip phone that Helen mentions above is a better idea.

[helen]

That would be the Nokia 1100. Not a bad phone if you can find a belt clip for it.

[Linkmeister]

That would be the Nokia 1100. Not a bad phone if you can find a belt clip for it.

Are you saying it's hard to find one? ;) I wonder if Nokia sells clips from its website.

It's reassuring to know that it's a good phone, though.

[Linkmeister]

Huh. The case/clip is available through Nokia's website (http://www.nokiausa.com/nokia_accessories/1100/1,2224,60,00.html) , but it costs as much as the phone does.

[helen]

The hints for the Nokia 1100 would be:

1) Make sure that it's the only thing in your pocket.
2) If you are sitting in a chair with armrest take the phone out of the pocket.
3) You may want to hold it in your hand if it is free.
4) If you are not expecting calls turn it off (TracFone has a Voice Mail system with the service).

[Glen Miyashiro]

Speaking of cell phones, I recently started snooping around some phone hacking sites and quickly got very confused. What's this business about locked and unlocked phones, anyway? How do you tell whether your phone is locked or not?

[Palolo Joe]

That refers to the SIM card... which is in CDMA (I think) phones, like T-Mobile and Cingular.

Verizon, Sprint and Mobi all use different kinds of phones, but the thing in common with them is they don't use SIM cards.

If a phone is "unlocked," you can buy one and simply place your SIM card (which stores your account info and contacts) inside and it'll work.

A "locked" phone has to be activated by the carrier, and usually involves signing a new contract and/or paying a connection fee.

I bought a couple of cheap phones off eBay when my old one died. Made it so I could wait until the end of my contract to upgrade without penalty.

[Linkmeister]

The hints for the Nokia 1100 would be:

1) Make sure that it's the only thing in your pocket.
2) If you are sitting in a chair with armrest take the phone out of the pocket.
3) You may want to hold it in your hand if it is free.
4) If you are not expecting calls turn it off (TracFone has a Voice Mail system with the service).

Those will be useful. My cordless phone cable from computer to wall quit overnight, unbeknownst to me, and Mom went nearly crazy this morning trying to call me (I put the phone on the bedside table at night). I've replaced the cable, but I decided to go ahead and buy the Nokia 1100 today.

Now it's charging, which they tell me takes up to three hours. Then I can go through the rigmarole of activating. I assume that's when Tracfone assigns a phone number?

Update: Gah! I can't get the word "code" in the upper left corner after entering the IMEI number and the SIM number, so I can't enter the code they give me. Pushing various buttons, I get "SIM registration failed."

Stupid gadgets.

[Linkmeister]

Growl. The Tracfone people quit work early on weekends, too.

[Linkmeister]

I finally got mad and "activated" via phone, rather than on the web. That means I don't get the additional 10 "units" of time (minutes, really) you earn by going through the web, but what the heck.

Now I gather that since it's a weekend, and evening at that, it may not really be activated till Monday.

And how do I get informed what the cellphone number is?

[helen]

There are two ways to do it. Both methods assume you are starting at the TracFone display, where it says TracFone and displayes the ending service date and the number of units left.

Method #1:


Press the Menu key
Scroll till you get to Prepaid and then press the Select key
Scroll till you get to Phone Number and then press the Select key


Method #2:


Press the Menu key
Scroll till you get to Contacts and then press the Select key
Scroll till you get to Own Number and then press the Select key

[Linkmeister]

Thanks, Helen. I was hoping you'd notice that question. ;)

It's still not activated as of this morning at 0745.

[helen]

Did you turn phone off and on?

[Linkmeister]

Did you turn phone off and on?
I've had it off/on periodically. I'm on the phone with them right now. Am I supposed to leave it on to let the activation signal through?

Update: Ok, after a 6-minute wait on hold, I managed to talk to someone, and she gave me about 5 20-digit codes to enter into the phone, after which it updated the date and units. I'm supposed to wait about 15 minutes before the phone number appears on screen.

[Serenity]

My two cents...

I use to be with AT & T, as Cingular use to be a single company in itself, later Cingular combined with AT & T, & just became Cingular.

No offense to those who are Cingular fans, but, since they became Cingular, I just didn't like them any more :mad: .

So, I switched to T-MOBILE!!, plus my hubby is on T-mobile for the longest tme, so I figured I would join in with him, & help him to save on his minutes. With the family plan, texting, & calling between him & I doesn't get deducted off of his minutes & buckets etc..

Over all, I really like being in T-Mobile. Plus, I use an x495 ;). http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Detail.aspx?device=4fa446d3-91f4-429f-be56-c4bc0f593aeb

If you ask me, I have seen alot of people have ordered this phone, & I see alot of people using them in the bus & towards downtown :eek: :cool: .

I have not regreted switching over to t-mobile. =)

No offense, but....

WOO HOO!!. :p

Aloha. =)

P.S. it seems like to me any way, that T-Mobile has have/had the higher ratings on this pole. *thumbs up smiley*

One thing for sure, what bugs me the most is any type of cell phone, including this one, that the company itself doesn't have any way of providing you an information on how to BLOCK a phone number from calling you at all!. :mad:

Aloha.

[Linkmeister]

I got a phone number. However, when I went out and bought a prepaid card and entered the PIN to redeem it I got a message telling me to call customer service. Naturally, they're closed (5:50pmEDT on Sundays).

So I tried to enter the same PIN online under the "redeem airtime" section of the website, and I got an error saying there's a problem with the phone.

This is becoming annoying.

[Linkmeister]

If Tracfone is to be believed, they were upgrading their systems over the weekend, which is why I had trouble adding my newly-purchased minutes. Anyway, after a ten-minute hold I managed to get them added. Man, the 24-number codes you have to enter into the phone pad present all manner of potential for errors.

[helen]

I tend to use the web site to activate and add air time. Figured it was easier to do.

[Linkmeister]

I tend to use the web site to activate and add air time. Figured it was easier to do.

Well, using the phone isn't hard as long as the system is working. About three keypad strokes to get to the PIN entry, punch it in, then hit OK.

However...if it ain't working, then nothing is gonna save you, or so it appears. :eek:

[Serenity]

One thing for sure, what bugs me the most is any type of cell phone, including this one, that the company itself doesn't have any way of providing you an information on how to BLOCK a phone number from calling you at all!. :mad:

Aloha.


Does anyone here know how to Block a number from a cell phone??? I have that x495 from samsung.

Hope to hear from someone soon.

I hope that it is possible, cuz, I am getting desperate, & I don't want to really change my phone number at all.

Aloha.

[adrian]

Does anyone here know how to Block a number from a cell phone??? I have that x495 from samsung.

Hope to hear from someone soon.

I hope that it is possible, cuz, I am getting desperate, & I don't want to really change my phone number at all.

Aloha.
hmmm... either call tmobile and explain the situation, or mark that number with a silent ringtone or name and don't answer it. If its a spammer, then not answering will get them off your back (atleast it worked for a few spammers calling me).

EDIT: I need to get away from the computer. :eek:

EDIT2: I searched on a mobile forum, and many people suggesested what I posted, so that's the only thing you can do, unless you want to change your number.

[Serenity]

hmmm... either call tmobile and explain the situation, or mark that number with a silent ringtone or name and don't answer it. If its a spammer, then not answering will get them off your back (atleast it worked for a few spammers calling me).

EDIT: I need to get away from the computer. :eek:

EDIT2: I searched on a mobile forum, and many people suggesested what I posted, so that's the only thing you can do, unless you want to change your number.

Thanks for trying, & replying back. :)

Aloha. :)

P.S. I'm really tempted to change my phone number, but I have had that number for a looong time, & I just don't want to notify everyone else due to a number changes, you know?.

Thank so much for the help. :)

HUGS.

[anapuni808]

Well, I was going to change to TMobile until a couple of weeks ago. I started my cell service here in 1996 with Honolulu Cellular which then got sold to AT&T which then merged with Cingular.

My Cingular contract was (finally!) up last month and after checking with them, they said I could continue with my same plan but on a month-to-month basis. I liked that because I had a REALLY good plan. But, then I started thinking - what if they change their policies and I lose my REALLY good plan?

So, I decided to see what Cingular would do for me to keep a good customer. I ended up getting to keep my bonus minutes but also getting the Cingular National 400 plan with Rollover. So, in the end - I now have a better plan than I started with and since I had just gotten a new phone, I still have a REALLY good plan! They kept offering me new phones but I stuck to my guns and insisted on keeping what I had before the merger. My argument was that it wasn't my fault that the merger happened and that we AT&T customers shouldn't be penalized. After working my way far enough up the food chain at Cingular - I finally got to someone who could make a decision.

I still would prefer to be an AT&T customer but Cingular did right by me and I'll have no problem sticking with them for at least 2 years.

by the way Serenity - tell your hubby hello from his old taxi customer on Anapuni St. :)

[Serenity]

by the way Serenity - tell your hubby hello from his old taxi customer on Anapuni St. :)

Oh....

definately will ;) ,

I was supose to have left a while ago, but he got held up, so I'm still waiting for him :) . Hopefully he comes in soon.

Take care. A big Aloha to you. :)

HUGS.

[adrian]

Okay, since I'm out of college, now is the time to port my number, as I'm getting fed up of getting no signals in certain spots (more recently, the Sheraton Hotel, Outback steakhouse, and the Sears stores).

Anyone want to lend me their phone for a day so that I can test out the reception? (my relatives only have tmobile). And according to tmobile's personal coverage check, they have coverage where it fails (either the places are blocking it, or tmobile really needs to get a frequency upgrade.)

[hinokei]

Okay, since I'm out of college, now is the time to port my number, as I'm getting fed up of getting no signals in certain spots (more recently, the Sheraton Hotel, Outback steakhouse, and the Sears stores).

Anyone want to lend me their phone for a day so that I can test out the reception? (my relatives only have tmobile). And according to tmobile's personal coverage check, they have coverage where it fails (either the places are blocking it, or tmobile really needs to get a frequency upgrade.)

Okay, first of all, I can tell you that not all providers are going to be perfect everywhere. So while you say that your T-Mobile phone doesn't work in the places above, you'll be saying the same thing about whatever provider you switch to later, of course in different places where you knew your T-Mobile phone worked.

Second, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but for me, Nextel seems to work the most consistently, if you want to borrow a nextel phone for a day, I'll PM you and we can work something out.

Third, because T-Mobile is using 1900 MHZ, it ain't gonna work in thick concrete buildings unless they have a repeater nearby, and unless they get a license for the Hawai'i market in the 850 range, which is probably unlikely, you won't see any frequency change anytime soon.

I know this change is probably brought on by you starting your computer business full speed, so I can understand where you're coming from. You might want to consider the free incoming plans offered by Sprint and Nextel, or the unlimited calling with Mobi PCS.

As for Mobi, as long as you don't leave O'ahu, the coverage is very, very good. It's an impressive network buildout so far for a company that just launched in January.

If anyone remembers VoiceStream's launch in 1995, you'll remember what a disaster that was.

But, for the record, here's the cell phone providers I currently use or pay for:

Sprint
Nextel
Verizon
T-Mobile
Mobi PCS

[adrian]

If anyone remembers VoiceStream's launch in 1995, you'll remember what a disaster that was.

That's because Hawaii was a test market for Voicestream/Tmobile.

And can anyone confirm that Verizon's towers run on backup power when there was a poweroutage? I know that Nextellers can just PTT each other off network, but I don't like their huge phones (and that PTT noise). *checks Nextel's website* But the free incoming is so tempting...

[hinokei]

That's because Hawaii was a test market for Voicestream/Tmobile.

And can anyone confirm that Verizon's towers run on backup power when there was a poweroutage? I know that Nextellers can just PTT each other off network, but I don't like their huge phones (and that PTT noise). *checks Nextel's website* But the free incoming is so tempting...

Regarding VoiceStream, it wasn't a test market, it was a initial launch market. I know this firsthand because I worked for them then.

Most cell providers have backup power at each tower colo. In certain areas the area might be run by one provider, and leased to others.

Nextel: Huge phones? The i870 and newer clamshells aren't that much bigger than your V635.

Since you're gonna be doing computer consulting, why not get a blackberry?

I have one, it's very handy.

[adrian]

Anyone got either the Nextel or Sprint free incoming plans? That's the only reason why I have those two on my "radar".

[hinokei]

Anyone got either the Nextel or Sprint free incoming plans? That's the only reason why I have those two on my "radar".

I have seperate plans on both Nextel and Sprint.

[Hellbent]

up until recently i used to sell cell phones. i currently have hawaiian telecom, and it isnt too bad.
the great thing about the service is that they didnt build new antennas, they rent from 2 other carriers - sprint and verizon. so for 1 price you get 2 carriers worth of coverage.
ive sold alot of prepaid phones, and tracphone is pretty expensive. the cost per minute is 0.33? there are other prepaids that are cheaper. might require more investment, but in the long run could net you savings.
i used to sell mobi, tmobile, and nextel. i wouldnt really recommend those at the moment as theyre going to various transition phases.
the best thing to do is ask your co-workers and family what they use and if its any good in your area.

[adrian]

the great thing about the service is that they didnt build new antennas, they rent from 2 other carriers - sprint and verizon. so for 1 price you get 2 carriers worth of coverage.

So they use CDMA? Wow, I never knew that. Mobi and Hawaiian Telcom uses CDMA...

[Bard]

Sorry for the ranting, but I've gotta vote no on T-Mobile. My wife and I used them for years and we were very happy with the quality of the reception, the price was right, etc... all things considered, technically, they were an awesome provider.

That's until the fake charges started on my account.

One day I got a message from T-Mobile on my phone saying "hey buddy, you better pay your bill soon! It's big!" Well, something like that anyway. :D I checked it and had about $80 worth of ringtones and wallpapers... which my phone couldn't even have used. Some of them multiple times for the same one! I called up their support and the lady said, yeah, this is pretty obviously a screw-up because they were charged to a type of phone I didn't even own. She said she'd put in a request and it'd get taken care of, no worries.

Few weeks later, I get another "pay now or else" message. Turns out they had denied the request, 'cause you know, it's my problem. I never did figure out what the rationale for that was, just got a lot of very snarky, bordering on rude responses from their phone support people. I guess once someone pushes the right button you become a problem customer instead of a customer with a problem.

To make a long story short, this happened for several months straight and involved me having to find an outspoken advocate at the local T-Mobile store and/or go through the BBB to get an "execute customer support" contact before I could get the charges fixed. Not completely sure which one got it really fixed, but they were incredibly obstinate about the whole thing and treated me like the bad guy throughout (minus the people in the local store, who were pretty awesome as usual for Portlanders :)).

They offered at the end to change my SIM card and my phone number to stop the charges. Yeah! They couldn't even figure out what was going on in their own system! This could be an opportunity for them to fix a big bug in their database or even find someone breaking in, but they couldn't be bothered. I went over to Cingular that day and though their technical service isn't quite as nice (reception and all that), I haven't had a bunch of fake charges on my phone since then! They'd probably do the same thing to me (seems like most cell providers are rotten like that) but it got me away from the immediate problem.

[blueyecicle]

My two cents...

I use to be with AT & T, as Cingular use to be a single company in itself, later Cingular combined with AT & T, & just became Cingular.

No offense to those who are Cingular fans, but, since they became Cingular, I just didn't like them any more :mad: .

So, I switched to T-MOBILE!!, plus my hubby is on T-mobile for the longest tme, so I figured I would join in with him, & help him to save on his minutes. With the family plan, texting, & calling between him & I doesn't get deducted off of his minutes & buckets etc..

Over all, I really like being in T-Mobile. Plus, I use an x495 ;). http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/phones/Detail.aspx?device=4fa446d3-91f4-429f-be56-c4bc0f593aeb


I have the opposite experience, I has T-Mobile for 4 years and they messed up my bill every 2 or 3 months and charged me 800.00 one time! For a 30.00 bill. Plus my phone would lose bars every 3 feet. When I went to turn my service off the customer service guy refused and hung up on me then he agreed to turn it off in 3 days but turned it off 10 minutes later then sent me another 100.00 bill..I owed nothing! It was a fight to the death!

Switched to AT&T and loved it Now I have Cingluar. They aren't bad but their customer service is clueless. I know more about their policies than they do. But their coverage rocks because when I go on vacation in your areas my phone works! Free to call home! Love it! My kids love it too :D

[Bard]

Maybe it's just T-Mobile in Oregon or something :)

I had also heard that around the same time I had those problems with the charges, someone from this area had been hacking into T-Mobile. This was the guy who was digging photos out of Paris Hilton's Sidekick.

But still. You'd think with all that going on they'd at least try to be a little more understanding about mysterious things showing up on people's bills. Instead .. "oh, are you sure your kids didn't do it or something?" Yep -- my non-existant kids, using my non-existant Samsung phone :mad:

[adrian]

Okay, for you Cingular users: how is customer service? I heard on a mobile forum that Cingular's CS basically sucks (compared to tmobile, which rocks!)

The only reason why I'm deciding to jump ship, is because of the 850mhz frequency that Cingular uses (Tmobile sometimes uses that band, but not here). Plus, I want to have the freedom to use my phones - then I would have researched more on mobi (and I get a discount) if that wasn't the case.

[achow]

I am a T-mobile customer. Been with T-mobile for almost 3 years, I like their customer service.

[AbsolutChaos]

I wanted to resurrect this old thread because I am considering a switch to another cell phone provider. So far I've had experience with Sprint and Verizon. I'm curious about Tmobile, as the company appears to have plans that seem most in line with what I want. Most of the time I don't really leave Honolulu, but I wanted some current input from Tmobile users on how they feel about coverage around the island, not just in town, as well as opinions on Tmobile's customer service.

Thanks!