Cell phone stories: Good, Bad, Ugly

[The Sicatoka]

Verizon is becoming a dirty word to me.
Twenty-plus year customer and they want to raise my monthly bill and charge me for new phones. 

20 years * 12 months per * average $75 bill over that time is ... $18,000.00  <- that's a gasp-worthy number when you see it 

 

Anyone using T-Mobile/Sprint? AT&T?
Horror stories there?
How's coverage? Thinking I-94, I-29, US 2, US 83, and US 12 in the Dakotas/Minnesota. 

[fightingsioux4life]

I have a TracFone, it works pretty good.

[BarnWinterSportsEngelstad]

I had Verizon since day 1.

I remember:

Taking some computer classes at UND, punch some cards, take them to Twamley, get a print out next day.
Getting an Apple 2e, no hard drive.
When pagers became popular get a beep, a phone # would show up on a small screen, kept my ash try full of quarters - head to pay phone.
Fax machine showed up, 2 years later - signatures were legit on the fax.
Emails, later adding attachments, and then getting scanner, better copy than a fax.
Cell phone
Cell phone texting - first ones had limited characters per message.
Cell phone with internet - turning into small computers.
&  SS.

[LuvHockey]

I have ATT, many years, but need it as it is only service option at my cabin- so 5/12ths of the year can't use others.

Excellent coverage, international too, but can't say cost is less as I carry 7 phones on my plan. But that gives me HBO+ so there is that....

[Kab]

24 minutes ago, BarnWinterSportsEngelstad said:

I had Verizon since day 1.

I remember:

Taking some computer classes at UND, punch some cards, take them to Twamley, get a print out next day.
Getting an Apple 2e, no hard drive.
When pagers became popular get a beep, a phone # would show up on a small screen, kept my ash try full of quarters - head to pay phone.
Fax machine showed up, 2 years later - signatures were legit on the fax.
Emails, later adding attachments, and then getting scanner, better copy than a fax.
Cell phone
Cell phone texting - first ones had limited characters per message.
Cell phone with internet - turning into small computers.
&  SS.

Those good old punch cards

 make one error and start all 0ver 

[Nodak78]

3 minutes ago, Kab said:

Those good old punch cards

 make one error and start all 0ver 

One error mine was error city.   Fortran.  So happy to finish that.  

[Siouxperman8]

31 minutes ago, Kab said:

Those good old punch cards

 make one error and start all 0ver 

or drop them and then try to get them all in order again. 

[Cratter]

Straight talk 10+ years.

Coverage isn't really a thing anymore.

$45 unlimited everything plus some Hotspot data.

Break your phone? Go to anyway walmart at almost every hour and get a new one. 

Easy to activate yourself online.

[SIOUXFAN97]

34 minutes ago, Cratter said:

Straight talk 10+ years.

Coverage isn't really a thing anymore.

$45 unlimited everything plus some Hotspot data.

Break your phone? Go to anyway walmart at almost every hour and get a new one. 

Easy to activate yourself online.

switched to mint mobile....15 bucks gets you 4 gigs...if you come up short at the end of the month just buy a gig for 10 bucks...works pretty well.  used straight talk for a few years and google fi for a few years but this is by far the cheapest around.

[UND1983]

1 minute ago, SIOUXFAN97 said:

switched to mint mobile....15 bucks gets you 4 gigs...if you come up short at the end of the month just buy a gig for 10 bucks...works pretty well.  used straight talk for a few years and google fi for a few years but this is by far the cheapest around.

Good reception and internet?

[SIOUXFAN97]

2 hours ago, UND1983 said:

Good reception and internet?

on par with straight talk....

[BarnWinterSportsEngelstad]

9 hours ago, Kab said:

Those good old punch cards

 make one error and start all 0ver 

If one made an error, could expect an inch thick print out the next day.