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Thinking about switching

OfTheDamned

OfTheDamned

The Friendly Undead
So we are currently on Verizon and live in Northern Colorado. Many of the people I have talked to tell me that T-Mobile is very good in our area, but I want to know from some serious users. Does anyone have experience with T-Mobile in the Northern Colorado are? Specifically Loveland, Fort Collins and Greeley?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
 
I am surprised nobody has answered this....

I don't live there and have never been there but looking at the coverage maps of those areas.. it's better than my area and I have no problems.

This might be worth trying.... get the wal-mart $30 for 5 gigs and 100 minutes plan and use that for a month.
You can't roam but you are probably more interested in their on-net coverage.
Travel around... do speed tests... talk to some people on the phone.

I know you wanted some people in your area to answer that but you have not even received a single response. :eek:

Hope this helps even a little.:D
 
I also didn't answer because I don't live near there. But...

As long as there is decent coverage (like the folks you talked to implied) it should be good. I have pretty good coverage where I live, and I am very happy with T-Mobile. It's as good as Verizon was when I was with them (I left them about a year ago after 7-8 years), but I never had a 4g phone with them to compare speeds.
 
Thanks for the responses guys.

Oddly enough, my main reason for switching was to get unlimited talk and text and save a few $. I should be getting a Samsung Vibrant from a friend to test out for a week or so. I'll see how it goes, but since Verizon just announced the new shared plans that include unlimited talk and text I may stay. It all depends on the coverage. The end price doesn't look to be that different with the same plans at this point.
 
I jumped and did not look back.

I know everyone is going to have a different experience but my love/hate relationship with Verizon ended in me paying the ETF and getting out.
They have some really bad areas here in town that they created - they used to not be there.
Aside from bad areas the call quality went into the floor and sounds robotic at times.
Lest we recall the Galaxy Nexus one way mute bug - which started to happen on my Rezound.... making that a NETWORK problem .....
I actually doubt that device had -any- problems after experiencing the same issues on several Rezounds.

The straw that broke the camels back after getting literally 11 replacement phones (many Galaxy Nexii and HTC Rezounds) and not having any issues resolved was a conversation that went like this:

Me: I can no longer make calls in areas that I was able to do so previously, now I get "no service" or dropped calls with weak or no signal.

Verizon: I am sorry you are having coverage problems. We work hard to make sure we have the most reliable network in the US.

Me: Well I can't make or get calls on my Verizon phone for most of the day because this location just happens to be where I work. Can you put in a trouble ticket or something and have your engineers look into it? This is a new problem that has only started in the last couple of months and I have been trying and pleading for someone to look into this to no avail.

Verizon: Please give me the address where you are having trouble.

Me: (gives rep address)

Verizon: According to our coverage map this location should have excellent service and you should not have any trouble making or receiving calls.

Me: I already checked the coverage map and it clearly shows me as being in a 4G area and not an extended area. I don't get voice OR data here.

Verizon: The coverage maps are approximate and may show areas as having service when they really do not. We try our best to make sure this information is as accurate as possible.

Me: I did not have this problem here just 3 months ago, that is what I am trying to tell you - there is a new problem and I think you should have it checked.

Verizon: I can try to report this issue for you, can you give me the address again?

Me: Gives address.. again...

Verizon: I cannot put in a request because the coverage map shows that this address should have excellent coverage for both 4G and voice calls.

Me: You just said that the coverage map might not be ... WAIT NEVER MIND ... DERP DE DERP....

Not saying that T-Mobile is better, but around here they are because I can make calls, get calls, get texts .....
It works... and Verizon went downhill and the reps have this "we are the best" bug stuffed up really high.

I get really tripped out when they cite their coverage map as the gospel truth then when it's found to be flawed they point to a disclaimer at the bottom that says it might be inaccurate. :eek:

When I pointed that out to T-Mobile because they also have some inaccuracies on their map the response was: I will put in a ticket and have someone check into this.

The girl may have been blowing smoke but at least they did not regurgitate some apple-esqe marketing material.

Good luck with your search - but note one thing over Verizon.....
Your call quality might be better... dont ask me why but GSM phones just sound better to me.
 
If T-Mobile has good coverage in your area go with them and kick VZW to the curb. You will NOT be sorry and you'll save money.
 
Verizon is supposed to be pretty good in this respect so I can't really speak for you, but coming from virgin mobile (sprint 3g) the difference has been insane!!!! My data speeds went from averaging 100-200 kbs to averaging 6000-8000 kbs. Sprint doesn't have 3g in my area (OKC) so the iPhone and other android devices have just baked the network here. Now, Boost and VM were supposed to get it too?!?! No thank you sir. In a few months I'm betting their speeds will be consistently at 50 kbs.
 
OfTheDamned said:
So we are currently on Verizon and live in Northern Colorado. Many of the people I have talked to tell me that T-Mobile is very good in our area, but I want to know from some serious users. Does anyone have experience with T-Mobile in the Northern Colorado are? Specifically Loveland, Fort Collins and Greeley?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

This may be a little delayed, but obviously just came across the post. I'm not as far north as you (Erie), and T-mobile has been incredible up until about a few weeks ago.

I rarely dropped a call (maybe 3-4 a year), and I talk ~4,000 minutes a month. Great call quality too, however I suppose I should get to my point. For whatever reason, the coverage just tanked in my area. I've switched sim cards to newer versions, but no resolve. I've got 3 different smartphones with the same problems now...no bars and the I often pick up my phone to have it display "waiting for coverage."

As an example, I picked up the GNEX from Google Play two months ago and the data on it was screaming. Full bars pretty much all of the time. Then one day my wife asked why she couldn't even make a call. Bars gone, and no data.

I'm not sure if this has something to do with the roaming agreements with AT&T, but it's like someone just flipped the switch off. Tech support was nice, but the only solution was to use wi-fi calling at my location. For me, the phone has to work as a phone.

I'm looking to switch, and realize I'll pay more, but I need to be able to make and receive calls. It's just the nature of my business that service be reliable. Been with T-mobile for well over a decade. It's hard to jump ship, but it's a must.

Hope your experience is better.
 
According to their map they have 5 new cell sites going up.
Your area is being actively upgraded.

Wish mine was.... still have a BTS dead center of town that is EDGE only. :eek:
 
After a test drive about a week ago, the reception doesn't appear to be what everyone was claiming. We have pretty solid coverage in many areas, but there are some pretty hefty dead spots too.
 
Coverage with any carrier is EXTREMELY location-dependent. Coverage maps can only give approximate coverage areas. Signal strength within a coverage area can come and go from mile to mile, block to block or even room to room.

People are constantly asking about coverage but trying to give meaningful advice about expected coverage is just worthless. It is. The only thing that really works is first, check a map to get a rough idea what to expect. Pick a provider that shows good coverage in the area then actually try their service in places you expect to use it. Walk around the house, work, etc and see if it drops calls or loses data connection.

It's the only way to be fairly sure you'll be happy with any provider's signal quality.
 
OfTheDamned said:
So we are currently on Verizon and live in Northern Colorado. Many of the people I have talked to tell me that T-Mobile is very good in our area, but I want to know from some serious users. Does anyone have experience with T-Mobile in the Northern Colorado are? Specifically Loveland, Fort Collins and Greeley?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...


I'm on VZW and every where I go I get LTE. Was in Detroit yesterday and got five bars of 4G. I'm now in Times Square and just hit 37 down and 20 up. If you don't do much streaming or don't watch a lot of video then T Mobile is probably good for you.

After my contract is up with Verizon I'm probably switching to T Mobile. I have great T Mobile coverage in my area and am really excited about LTE Advanced and their cheap prepaid plans.

If you have unlimited data with Verizon then I would stay and check out voIP. Check out the voIP thread at XDA in the GNex forums. It's really good.

EDIT:

Here's the link. Skip the GSM Nexus and all that other stuff.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=25925709

Hope I helped.

-GalaxyNexus
 
I have to reconfirm that something has happened with T-Mobile's coverage as of late. I honestly had no issues with it before. I talk, and I mean I talk everywhere I go so I've really "tested" all areas within a 50+ mile radius of Boulder. I've had coverage in the mountains too. Very few dropped calls and I've even been on the phone for over an hour at a time driving around without any issues.


Anyway, I was in Denver today and my wife's GNEX couldn't even get a signal to load a webpage. I was able to grab a signal for surfing on my device, however for some reason I couldn't lock in on GPS (never happened before). I couldn't test her GPS because I couldn't even get Maps to load.

This sure is a pain.
 
T-Mobile is definitely doing something in a lot of areas and I am sure it's related to the refarm.

I noticed a slight increase in AWS signal in my neighborhood over the last week or so along with an associated decrease in PCS in some areas.

They are tweaking power levels for sure and I would bet that it has to do with LTE and the refarm effort.

I have been keeping an eye on it.
Hopefully we get to see what they are up to soon because they really are up to something.

The silence is deafening.
 
I had to remove the proxy IP address from the APN settings. Otherwise I had nothing but web browsing (no Play store, no MMS, no Sync, no YouTube, No HBO Go etc.).
 
LoyalServant said:
I jumped and did not look back.

I know everyone is going to have a different experience but my love/hate relationship with Verizon ended in me paying the ETF and getting out.
They have some really bad areas here in town that they created - they used to not be there.
Aside from bad areas the call quality went into the floor and sounds robotic at times.
Lest we recall the Galaxy Nexus one way mute bug - which started to happen on my Rezound.... making that a NETWORK problem .....
I actually doubt that device had -any- problems after experiencing the same issues on several Rezounds.

The straw that broke the camels back after getting literally 11 replacement phones (many Galaxy Nexii and HTC Rezounds) and not having any issues resolved was a conversation that went like this:

Me: I can no longer make calls in areas that I was able to do so previously, now I get "no service" or dropped calls with weak or no signal.

Verizon: I am sorry you are having coverage problems. We work hard to make sure we have the most reliable network in the US.

Me: Well I can't make or get calls on my Verizon phone for most of the day because this location just happens to be where I work. Can you put in a trouble ticket or something and have your engineers look into it? This is a new problem that has only started in the last couple of months and I have been trying and pleading for someone to look into this to no avail.

Verizon: Please give me the address where you are having trouble.

Me: (gives rep address)

Verizon: According to our coverage map this location should have excellent service and you should not have any trouble making or receiving calls.

Me: I already checked the coverage map and it clearly shows me as being in a 4G area and not an extended area. I don't get voice OR data here.

Verizon: The coverage maps are approximate and may show areas as having service when they really do not. We try our best to make sure this information is as accurate as possible.

Me: I did not have this problem here just 3 months ago, that is what I am trying to tell you - there is a new problem and I think you should have it checked.

Verizon: I can try to report this issue for you, can you give me the address again?

Me: Gives address.. again...

Verizon: I cannot put in a request because the coverage map shows that this address should have excellent coverage for both 4G and voice calls.

Me: You just said that the coverage map might not be ... WAIT NEVER MIND ... DERP DE DERP....

Not saying that T-Mobile is better, but around here they are because I can make calls, get calls, get texts .....
It works... and Verizon went downhill and the reps have this "we are the best" bug stuffed up really high.

I get really tripped out when they cite their coverage map as the gospel truth then when it's found to be flawed they point to a disclaimer at the bottom that says it might be inaccurate. :eek:

When I pointed that out to T-Mobile because they also have some inaccuracies on their map the response was: I will put in a ticket and have someone check into this.

The girl may have been blowing smoke but at least they did not regurgitate some apple-esqe marketing material.

Good luck with your search - but note one thing over Verizon.....
Your call quality might be better... dont ask me why but GSM phones just sound better to me.
Click to expand...

I've had the same issue seeing Verizon list an area as 4G on their map, when it isn't. Two weeks ago I went with a coworker to a bar in Southern Maryland. Verizon said that it's 4G, but I could barely make a call.
As for T-Mobile, I carried a second phone with them a while back. I was pleased with their coverage, and liked the WiFi Calling feature that they have. I used it when I was outside the US, and my cousin who's stationed in Japan uses it. If you travel international, I feel like you can't beat this feature!
 
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