The 50 million dollar question

[nofear18]

Ok I've been on this forum site, read up and down, tried to educate myself to make " the right choice". And now I come to you for advice. I am at a crossroad and trying to figure out what to do. I have been with Sprint for about 8 years now. I have 5 phones on the account, 3 of them are up for renewal in the next few months. I recently got the iphone 4s for myself. I am not happy with the service ( I guess) . My speeds are averaging under 60kbps up. Where I use my phone ( 20814 Bethesda Maryland) and (20111 Manassas Va) I have to have my phone on wifi to get anything.I will sit there and wait 3-4 minutes for Facebook to update. I tried Verizon ( iphone 4s) and it was a little better. Now, my son ( one of the upgrades) wants an iphone 4s for xmas.I don't want to get a Sprint version if its going to be on a crappy network. I've figured what my cell phone bill would average on each carrier before taxes ( Sprint 219.07, ATT 212.74 and Verizon 251.98) and they're within 35-40 of each other. Heres what I'm looking for:
1) The ability to actually use my phone on 3g/4g by itself, where I work and live, and in between. For me, I guess this means more of a STRONG signal as upposed to a fast one.
2) Decent customer service. You don't have to kiss me, just give me good phone service and I'll leave you alone.
Now, I WAS going to try the ATT iphone 4s, as they advertise it as a 4G phone, but from what the people at the ATT store say, its not.My question to them ( and you) is: Is the iphone holding itself back? I mean, right now, we have carriers advertising 4g and LTE even though we know its not true 4G. I realize that its probably best to get phones from each carrier, but thats a pain, costs alot ( even if you return you still pay for service and activation) and you really don't get a long term picture of the service provided by each carrier. Is there anyone from Maryland/Virginia that could shed some light? Would I be better off with a different phone? Thanks

 

[mwhartman]

I'm not sure what may be restricting the speed on your 4 S. I have a 4 S, on Verizon, and the load time, boot time, etc is very good. Admittedly, I've not measured, as you have, but I can say my 4 S is substantially faster that my 3G Android.

Several years ago, I left VZW to get a iPhone 3G. At that time, AT&T was the sole carrier. Well after 6 months of miserabel service, I departed AT&T and returned to VZW. Thankfully, AT&T kept tack of my complaints and agreed to end my contract and waived the $300 early termination fee.

I live in Central PA, so, for me, VZW is the best option. I would think that the coverage in your area would be better.

Another consideration -- Sprint offers unlimited data VZW and AT&T do not. Is that a consideration for your son?

Have you gone back to a Sprint store and asked for their advice or tried a different iPhone in the store?

Keep in mind that any 4G phone will have battery life issues. The speed increase comes with a price.

I'm very happy with my 4 S. I do hope that you are able to find a suitable solution for you and your family.

Mike

 

[nofear18]

Unlimited data is NOT an issue. RARELY do any of the lines go over 600000. Unlimited texting IS an issue. I have 3 teenagers. I've tried different Sprint phones ( Epic, Galaxy s2) and still have poor connection/speeds. I like the iphone, but I think it limits itself by being a 3g phone. But then again, there really are no true 3g carriers. ( As defined). As I said, I'm looking for a strong signal. I believe Verizon has that in this area. But the one time I had them ( breifly) I had the iphone 4s, so I really didn't notice a dramatic difference. ( But there was one)

 

[mwhartman]

I hear you re unlimited texting with three teens! Again, I have not measured my speeds but my 4 S is significantly faster than my Android 3G. We do not have 4 G where I live so I do not have a need to look at 4 G phones. Good luck with you decision.

Mike