Bad Credit? Get More
Written: Apr 25 '04
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Pros: Good signal, good plans.
Cons: t-zones doesn't work too good.
The Bottom Line: A variety of competitive plans to choose from. Will give a contract to most people.
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| fade2dust's Full Review: T-Mobile Phone Service in New York |
I recently purchased a plan and phone through T-Mobile because I have bad credit and they are the only cellular company willing to give me a phone plan without a deposit. Plus I think they have the best plans to choose from.
I am not tech savvy about GSM or any of that so I will review my plan that I have with them, their service, and my phone the best that I can.
I have had prepaid plans in the past, including Virgin Mobile recently. I decided I wanted a new cell phone after my best friend’s mother bought her & her husband phone through T-Mobile. I was jealous. And since I became recently employed, I decided it was time to spoil myself.
I went to a T-Mobile vendor who ran a credit check and told me I would have to pay a $35 activation fee up front and buy my phone, which would’ve cost $80 & up. I felt that I should not have to buy my phone for so much when my friend’s mom who also has bad credit got a family plan for my friend for free.
I went to Walmart and bought a K-7 Rave Virgin Mobile phone. This is a nice phone and a nice prepaid plan. However, it is more expensive that a monthly plan. Minutes are .25 and .10 for text messages. If you were to use 300 minutes a month then it would cost $75. Prepaid plans for people who use their phones very minimally.
I chose Virgin Mobile because TracFone is even worse. Their minutes are very expensive and it’s quite a rip off. Their $40 Nokia phones are basically only functional for making calls and look like dinosaurs compared to the newer phones available. I mention these two plans because they are ripoffs. In hindsight is was stupid for me to go the prepaid route, so I am warning other people to be wary of it.
After I purchased the Virgin Mobile phone I decided to check out T-Mobile’s website to see if it would tell me the same thing that the guy did. I was approved for a plan that places a $150 a month spending limit on your account. Like I am going to use $150 worth of services! That’s a lot of money. I also got to take advantage of their phone deals which means I could get a free phone or buy one.
I chose their “Get More” plan for $39.99 a month and added on the t-zones for an additional $4.99 a month.
The “Get More” offers:
600 Whenever Minutes
Unlimited nights & weekends
Caller ID
Call Waiting
Call Hold
Conference Calling (3-way)
Enhanced Voicemail
Detailed Billing
Nights begin at 9:00pm and end at 6:59am. Weekends begin at midnight Fridays and end midnight Sundays. Additional minutes are .40 and text messages are .05 for each sent.
Additional features can be added like Roadside Assistance ($2.99), Unlimited Mobile to Mobile ($6.99), Text Messaging ($2.99 for 300 or $6.99 for 1000), Sidekick Unlimited (???), Internet Unlimited ($19.99), t-zones ($4.99 or $9.99), International Service, Blackberry Unlimited, and Picture/Video Messaging.
Basically for $45 a month I get my nights, weekends, unlimited mobile internet, and roughly 27 minutes of airtime a day. That’s a huge savings over Virgin Mobile!
I chose the Samsung X105 phone. T-Mobile’s cost is $19.99. It came with an earpiece. It has a 65,000 color display, phone book, calendar, To-Do list, memo, AOL instant messenger, games, wallpapers, megatones, and a mobile browser. It has plenty of other features but this isn’t a review about the phone so I will not go into too much detail. The battery life on this phone is extremely long and the colors are vibrant. It has plenty of space for phone numbers, messages, ringtones, games, images, applications, etc.
I did not want to pay with a credit card for this phone or wait for shipping so I called a local T-Mobile store and asked if they could match the price and offer me the same plan. Since they were a T-Mobile store and not a vendor they matched it without a problem! The guy also took my information over the phone so I could come into the store and just pick up my phone. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the battery was fully charged and the phone ready to go!
There are other online vendors who offer this phone for free. Plans may vary.
I live in NY state but not NYC. In my city the reception is excellent. I have no complaints. I always get a good signal. The sound on my phone is very clear. I don’t plan on doing any roaming so signals in other areas is not a concern for me. Their t-zones service is a different story. I always get “service unavailable” messages when browsing which is frustrating. T-Mobile gave me 50 free minutes for my complaint. And if it keeps up then they will be giving me more free minutes or canceling that add-on without charging me an early termination fee. However, I like being able to check my email, movies, horoscopes, weather, news, etc. all from my phone!
Their coverage area across the nation looks a little sketchy so this might be a problem for people who travel a lot.
Another complaint I have is the way they charge for things. I was told (and it states on their website) that text messages cost .05 per message. However, I sent a text message yesterday and was deducted a Whenever Minute! I have not called to ask them about this yet simply because I have not felt like it. But it’s extremely irritating. I would rather have .05 added to my bill than have a Whenever Minute deducted.
Overall, their service is excellent. I have a good plan on a decent phone and always get a good signal. It’s perfect for my needs. Their other plans range from $19.99 to $129.99. Beware of their $19.99 plan. I don’t believe they approve anyone for it. It’s a scam to lure you into paying $39.99 or more. My mother has flawless credit and was denied for the $19.99 plan but approved for the $39.99 plan. That is the reason she chose a TracFone. She didn’t want a contract or a scam.
I highly recommend T-Mobile to anyone wanting a reasonable amount of features for a low cost. If you are someone with less than decent credit, they will offer most anyone a plan without a deposit.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $45
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Epinions.com ID:
fade2dust
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Location: The Northern Hemisphere
Reviews written: 9
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
I breathe. Therefore I live.
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