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Two carriers?

J

jkmasi

Android Enthusiast
I posted this in the Verizon section too hoping for different perspectives. I hope that's ok.

Not sure what I'm going to do yet, so I'm looking for feedback --

I'm a long-time VZW customer, 4 lines, family plan. I have a droidx and a droid 2, have had an Inc, Eris, Blackberry, TP2... I'm pretty addicted to Android and my smartphone. Always love to check out new devices, etc.

Everyone loves Verizon's coverage and I was fully on-board until I married a guy who lives in WV where there is NO VZW coverage. We spend weekends in WV, and I have tried to adjust to no cell phone while there, but it always bothers me. A year ago, Sprint came to town - in fact, I can see the Sprint tower from my deck. Still no love for Verizon.... I can use my X on wifi at home, but I can't get coverage while driving, and I can't text.

I am so tempted to pick up a new Epic or Evo Shift on Sprint, hopefully on a one year contract... but is it just crazy to have two phones?

I guess some folks have two phones - one for work, one personal, but usually in that case one bill is paid by someone else.

Any thoughts or ideas? I can't talk to my family or friends about this because they would not understand. They just have dumb phones for talking and texting and don't give them a second thought. Imagine that.
 
Sprint coverage, where available, is good. Their 4G is still being rolled out, but you should be good with 3G with either Epic or Shift.

I am not sure if Sprint does anything less than a 2yr contract. For existing customers, they let you try a phone and make one exchange in a month (for a restocking fee), so they may have a 1 month trial option to confirm it works in your areas.

The device selection is improving and hoping will get even better in the first half of this year. You should know, Samsung is terrible at updating software on their phones, Epic is still on 2.1 and no date for update is available.

If you do get to try Sprint briefly and their coverage interests you, my guess is your family will completely switch to Sprint because the plans are priced better. :)
 
(At least for me) There are 2 things I look for when choosing a carrier: Coverage in my area and Plan/Price. It is clear that Sprint wins with the price and plan, therefore you are really left with coverage. Where Sprint does provide coverage, it is great, and in my experiences is pretty wide spread, but I live out west, rarely been out east-- so I can't tell you what is like out there. I've had Sprint for 10yrs and have never really had coverage issues out west. I travel extensively (commercial pilot) and wherever my routs have taken me, I have been more than happy with the coverage; but, again, my routs have all been between the California coast and the Mississippi River. (Sorry to make a short story long)

Anyways, If Sprint has good coverage in your area, you'll probably be happy. Look at the bright side... you'll be saving some money too!

Also, check here (post 1) for discounts: http://androidforums.com/sprint/81670-do-i-qualify-discount.html Sprint has a long list of company discounts that will likely save you even more money.

PS. You'll get 1 year phone upgrades with Sprint, which is nice, AND a 30 day guarantee (they wont even charge your for the minutes/text/data you used in that perieod. Nobody else offers this. So there is really no reason to not at least give them a shot.
 
Sprint has great service, and when you're out of Sprint coverage but in a Verizon area you will roam onto Verizon for free. The hand-off is seamless and you won't even notice it. There really is no downside to Sprint these days. Great coverage, fast data speeds, and the best priced plans out there.
 
jkmasi said:
I posted this in the Verizon section too hoping for different perspectives. I hope that's ok.

Not sure what I'm going to do yet, so I'm looking for feedback --

I'm a long-time VZW customer, 4 lines, family plan. I have a droidx and a droid 2, have had an Inc, Eris, Blackberry, TP2... I'm pretty addicted to Android and my smartphone. Always love to check out new devices, etc.

Everyone loves Verizon's coverage and I was fully on-board until I married a guy who lives in WV where there is NO VZW coverage. We spend weekends in WV, and I have tried to adjust to no cell phone while there, but it always bothers me. A year ago, Sprint came to town - in fact, I can see the Sprint tower from my deck. Still no love for Verizon.... I can use my X on wifi at home, but I can't get coverage while driving, and I can't text.

I am so tempted to pick up a new Epic or Evo Shift on Sprint, hopefully on a one year contract... but is it just crazy to have two phones?

I guess some folks have two phones - one for work, one personal, but usually in that case one bill is paid by someone else.

Any thoughts or ideas? I can't talk to my family or friends about this because they would not understand. They just have dumb phones for talking and texting and don't give them a second thought. Imagine that.
Click to expand...

Like PP said, Sprint doesn't offer one year contracts. My question is why would you keep your Verizon phone? Call em up and tell them you moved to an area with no Verizon coverage and they should let you get out ETF free.

Idk if your family has data usage or not or how the coverage is but you could get Sprint for about...$140 a month for 4 phones with data, texting, etc.(EPRP) Idk what you pay with Verizon but its fairly good deal depending on what you pay there.

BenChase7 said:
PS. You'll get 1 year phone upgrades with Sprint, which is nice, AND a 30 day guarantee (they wont even charge your for the minutes/text/data you used in that perieod. Nobody else offers this. So there is really no reason to not at least give them a shot.
Click to expand...

Yearly upgrades are likely going away. I do agree with the 30 day guarantee. Imo try it out and see if its good enough for you.
 
yeah.. there is no reason to have 2 phone service....

if you live that verizon phone.. you can still play with it on wifis.
Sprint is your only option.. and you will be happy.
 
I would keep my Verizon service because I'm still under contract. If they will let me out of the ETF, based on my situation, that's another story. Also, I want to keep my number. I know I can port my number under normal circumstances, but I'm not sure what happens if I have to end my contract early.

Additionally, I love my DroidX, and I love that Verizon generally has a great selection of android phones, and great service. I'm not bashing Sprint, by any means, but I think that I will be limited to 3 phones (Evo, Evo Shift and Epic, which I'm not really seriously considering.) So basically, I will be choosing between 2 HTC phones. I had an Incredible for a while, and although I like Sense, I got sick of the poor call quality, small screen and crappy battery life. The DroidX, while not perfect, has awesome call quality and reasonable battery life.

My family has no incentive to switch, because I pay the bill! My husband is not going to be happy if this switch ends up costing us more money... he just recently started carrying a cell phone at all and would be happy with a basic flip phone, (but happier without one at all!) Every line on my plan has at least a year, if not closer to two remaining. I may end up just waiting a little longer... although not having service every weekend really stinks!

I'm going to go talk to Verizon, and Sprint and see what's possible. Thank you all so much for your input! If I try to discuss this with my friends or family, they get bored, roll eyes, etc. They think that this is just another way for me to get more gadgets.
 
and you married a man... that dont like tech... :))

opposites do attract ...

good luck with the carriers.
 
Well, Verizon is not going to let me out of my contract, but my ETF is down to $230 (from $350) so I might go ahead and jump ship. I could probably sell one of my Droids for that. Went to Sprint today and checked out phones. I really liked the Shift, except for the screen size. So maybe a new EVO for me!
 
dan330 said:
and you married a man... that dont like tech... :))
Click to expand...

Well, he's not opposed to technology - he just doesn't get my addiction to my cell phone/android device, and my constant desire for new gadgets. I also want a new Macbook, even though I have a fairly new desktop, and a netbook. I would take an IPad if someone gave it to me too :p

Not interested in the IPhone, though. At least, not yet.
 
@jkmasi: Did you inquire about the 30-day guarantee? Why break a contract and pay the ETF unless you are sure Sprint is going to work out in your areas. Sprint should be bringing/announcing new devices in the next few months. Since Sprint is rumored to be dropping the perk of upgrade every year, you will be stuck with the Sprint device for at least 22 months. If you prefer a physical keyboard or want a newer technology, you can delay the switch-over.

oops! didn't realize you are very eager to get a new device. :)
 
Yes, the sales person did say I could try the service for 30 days risk free. Only downside to overlapping is that I would not be able to port my number from Verizon right away since once I port, it my Verizon line gets canceled. That might work out just fine though.
 
well.. if you get a new sprint plan before jan 30.. you still get 1 yr upgrade for a subsidized price!

with the 30day... trial.. and the feb 7 announcement...
I say get it on jan 29.

also.. EVO gets my vote.
and HTC get the nod because you use a lot of apple products... samsung dont play nice with apple stuff (thats what Ive heard)

welcome to the EVO cult.. .. i mean club.
 
It's not crazy to have 2 phones at the same time. I know a lot of people who have multiple lines with multiple companies. Most of whom just pay it all themselves. I have 2 lines for myself with sprint. I love my android but want a blackberry also. So I have both. If it's what you want and you can afford it then why not?
 
For those of you who were hanging on to the edge of your seats wondering what I decided to do (kidding)... here's what's happened:

I picked up an Evo and a new line with Sprint. I tested it out for a couple of weeks, and then today, I ported my line over from Verizon. I will have to pay an ETF on my Verizon line, but oh well.

So, finally, I'll have service on the weekends! I hope I don't regret this decision. I really, really liked my Verizon service and phone... hated to pull my line. Their customer service people have always been so helpful and effective. Today, I was impressed and satisfied with the Sprint rep in the Denver call center who helped me with my number port. However, I was not too impressed with the rep in sales that he transferred me to. I found a "Bring your number" promotional offer on the Sprint website where you get a $125 service credit for porting your number into Sprint. The cs sales rep on the phone had no idea what I was talking about. Said he never heard of this offer. I eventually got it straightened out, I think. Time will tell.

Thanks for the advice everyone!
 
Glad to see you saw the 125 dollar credit for porting to Sprint. I was about to post that actually. Enjoy your EVO! :) And, keep us informed on your Sprint service/experience.. I bet you'll like it. :)
 
awesome.. welcome to the evolution family

when you feel up to it.. i would like to hear your thoughts on how they compare... do you like to root and use custom ROMs?
 
dan330 said:
awesome.. welcome to the evolution family

when you feel up to it.. i would like to hear your thoughts on how they compare... do you like to root and use custom ROMs?
Click to expand...

Thank you! As far as the Evo goes, it reminds me a lot of my Incredible, only bigger, which is better in my book. When i first picked up the Droid X, I really missed Sense, and the slick feel of my Incredible, but over time, I came to appreciate the X as a really dependable workhorse. The battery life was great, the calling quality was outstanding, and it basically just worked. Of course I had to ditch motoblur, and went with LPP.

Now, back to HTC and Sense. So far I have not ventured into rooting and custom roms... but I could see getting into it eventually!
 
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