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Re: Re: Re: never say never (Reply to this comment)
by kelleyja
I am an average consumer in that I use my phone a couple hours a month, with no special services, no special contract stipulations, nothing. I purchased the 'middle of the road' plan 6 months ago and use it as any average user would. My understanding of GSM and VoiceStream service is not average.
Now on to your problem.
I'm not going to argue any definitions or discrepancies between 'no charge' and 'free'. The fact is, Roaming costs NOTHING in the home coverage area. The home coverage area covers every major city in the US!. Casper, Wyoming is NOT in the home service area so it would be possible to be charged roaming if there were another GSM1900 carrier in the area (there is not). Cingular and ATT are the only other carriers in the country that serve GSM customers and they do so on a VERY, VERY limited basis. The vast majority of their service is C/TDMA not GSM. So in theory, if you were in Casper, Wyoming and there was a cell tower running a GSM frequency, the tower owner has the right to charge you (and VoiceStream) for the service. Furthermore, if aliens put up a cell tower on the moon running GSM, any VoiceStream phone in the vicinity would try to connect, and if the aliens choose to accept this connection they have the right to charge ANYTHING they want. These are all very big IF's. Once again, I'm sure its possible to find an pocket where VoiceStream service overlaps with another carrier but this is BY FAR the exception to the rule. Generally speaking (NOT ALWAYS), these phones don't roam. If its in service, 9 times out of 10 its with Voicestream, only because there is no other exclusive GSM carrier. Otherwise there is just no service.
I travel extensively (not to Casper, Wyoming), and have used my phone in no less than 10 different cities. Once again I have NEVER been charged for roaming and have NEVER had a billing mistake.
Unfortunately, satisfied customers aren't the ones who write reviews. Users who feel they've been wronged are always the first to sign-on and write a long-winded rant. I write objective and factual reviews
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Apr 18 '02
11:22 pm PDT
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Re: Re: never say never (Reply to this comment)
by ratherbathb0ne
You clearly know a lot about the history of this company. Far more than the average consumer that you claim to be. How do you know the billing details of old accounts carried over from Omnipoint? Where is that information available to the average person?
You ask me if Voicestream is making false claims? Well lets see.
The fact of the matter, Voicestream does *not* advertise "No Roaming Charges" as you say. They claim to have "Free Nationwide Roaming" which means, as their customer service has told me, you have the "ability to roam". Their customer service freely admits that they "changed the definition of "'Free Nationwide Roaming'" recently. Those who do not change their plans still are charged hefty fees for both roaming and long distance.
I grant you that Voicestream in Columbus might be a special case, with its own pricing plans and advertising promises. Perhaps Voicestram offers different plans in different areas. I would suggest you not travel too far out of town with your Voicestream phone. Their "free nationwide" claims don't hold up.
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Apr 15 '02
9:38 pm PDT
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Re: never say never (Reply to this comment)
by kelleyja
This review is for VoiceStream service in the COLUMBUS, OHIO market. While VoiceStream does offer a regional plan, covering OH IN MI KY etc., the remaining five plans ALL offer free long distance AND roaming. I'm not not sure which reviews you are referring to (since mine is the only one for Columbus) but YOU ARE MISINFORMED! In case you are unaware, free roaming and long distance is not an extraordinary service today, ALL the major carriers offer it on most (if not all) of their plans. I assure you I have researched this carrier to the point of exhaustion, and I am aware of some service/billing/roaming/LD disputes. These disputes arise for several reasons, most are Powertel/Omnipoint accounts that were merged during the VoiceStream buyout. VoiceStream provides mixed Analog/Digital service to some of these accounts and in very limited markets in the US, and yes analog roaming was charged but This is the rare exception NOT THE RULE. In addition NONE of these services were/are/or will EVER be available in Columbus. I do concede, I'm sure VoiceStream makes billing mistakes just like ANY other company and I'm sure if you really tried to find some way for VoiceStream to charge you roaming or long distance, you probably could. You, however, WILL NOT have is problem in Columbus.
Unfortunately, satisfied customers aren't the ones who write reviews. Users who feel they've been wronged are always the first to sign-on and write a long-winded rant. I write objective and factual reviews, I suggest you do your own research - you can start at VoiceStream's website, I'm sure you won't be able to overlook the NO ROAMING or LONG DISTANCE on the first page. Are they lying??!?...perhaps, but once again I have NEVER EVER had a problem (billing, roaming, otherwise).
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Apr 09 '02
10:12 pm PDT
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never say never (Reply to this comment)
by ratherbathb0ne
Your comment that Voicestream users never pay Long Distance or Roaming is clearly false. I have read a lot of reviews of this company and many complain about errors in their bills precisely to do with long distance and roaming.
Perhaps your particular plan hasn't shown such charges yet but I very much doubt those many other folks would complain about something that Voicestream "never" bills for.
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Mar 29 '02
10:56 am PST
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