A Predictable Bill: Can You Ask For Anything More?
Written: Oct 04 '05
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Pros: Good service, Good reception
Cons: The insurance plans
The Bottom Line: US Cellular has been a good company for me: good service, good value, good reception.
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| agraves's Full Review: General Reviews of US Cellular Customer Service |
I was a customer of US Cellular from 1997 to 2002 at which time the area I was living in didn't have enough US Cellular towers, so I switched to Alltell for one year. It was the longest year of my life. I switched back to US Cellular two years ago and have had wonderful service ever since. (they put up a new tower 5 miles away!) I recently renewed my two year contract so I'm with them now until 2007.
My local US Cellular store has great customer service. When looking for a plan that fits your needs, they listen and provide applicable advice rather than just trying to sell you the most expensive plan available. The same goes for their phones. Even though my cell phone service now is the best I've ever had in terms of number of dropped calls, etc, I still live and travel in a very rural environment so I want the phone that gets the best reception possible rather than the cutest one or the one that will do your laundry (okay, maybe a stretch, but they do seem to be out-sourcing a lot of things to cell phones these days).
I opted for the $39/month local plan with 1000 anytime and free incoming minutes which was the "plan du jour" when I signed up. It has served me well. I have never gone over my minutes. In fact, some months if I'm feeling spunky I TRY to go over and the closest I've ever managed to get is 840 when they deduct the incoming minutes. I got a Motorola flip phone 2 years ago and another Motorola flip camera phone when renewing a few months ago. Both ended up to be about $30 after the rebates. I've never been charged any sort of activation fees. Also, I've never had to switch between plans because the one I have has served me well, but they have told me that the company allows switching between plans with no penalty.
The store employees are helpful after the purchase as well. If my charger quits working (who am I kidding, WHEN my charger quits working) they can usually figure out a way to say it was under warranty and just get me a new one. When the phone starts acting possessed they have loaner phones ready to get you through the down time without getting withdrawal symptoms.
The lone negative comment I have about US Cellular is the insurance plan. I (stupidly) paid for it for the last 2 years and had the chance to "collect" on it due to the hinge on my flip phone breaking. (I must add here, those people who say they "never" drop or do any damage to their phones must either never use their phones or be incredibly talented because mine lives a hard life) I ponied up the $35 deductible to Signal Insurance and was sent a "new" phone. It turns out that it wasn't a new phone, that it was a reconditioned phone with a working hinge to appease me, but it had other problems. I fought with Signal for months but they wouldn't stand behind it without me paying another deductible or writing to the manufacturer because they have a very short (30 days maybe) warranty on the phones themselves and after that point all complaints are directed towards Motorola. To make a short story long I just got by until I could renew my contract and get a new phone at the promotional rate. I then chucked the old one as far as I could in an attempt to relieve some stress. (Okay, actually I threw it in the trash, but it makes a better story the other way.)
So, I have learned my lesson this time and am not paying for the insurance. My local US Cellular advised me to decline the insurance because they can usually put you in a used phone (similar to the reconditioned ones from the insurance company) for the same price you'd pay for the deductible and then you'd save the $6 monthly fee, and they will stand behind them if they give you trouble.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 39
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Epinions.com ID:
agraves
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Location: Bartlett, KS, USA
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
teacher turned nursing student
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