Having had AT&T as my wireless provider for a number of years I was tired of the "counting my minutes" scenario I went through each month. The coverage was fantastic, but a annual commitment to get the extras was also bothersome.

I cannot say that I ever dropped a call with AT&T but when my recent contract ended I decided to make the jump to the growing Cricket Communications service. It met all of the basics that I was interested in, including: Unlimited Minutes, No Annual Commitment, No Sign-up Fee, and a decent range of local coverage.

First, I went out to find a new phone, but was disappointed at the selection available in this area. Basically, a Nokia 5100 series or a Motorola V. Series 120c. Of the two, I chose the Motorola, mostly because I was tired of the Nokia 5100 (and 6100) series style. The Motorola phone was $90 at a local store, but an $80 rebate was included, deliverable 3 months later if the service was still active.

I have had the phone for roughly 4 months now and have found a few benefits to the service and a few downsides. The good first:
- Unlimited minutes has honestly eased my stress over not paying overage. I have talked as often and for however long I have felt like talking. I averaged roughly 400 minutes through AT&T and can only estimate about 600 minutes now that I have Cricket.
- Decent coverage through the areas that I communicate in (Utah to Salt Lake County). There are disappointing dead spots that should have great coverage, but over-all I am fine with the coverage. I have a few friends with the service that have tested the boundaries in Park City and Northern Utah without a problem. (There is one dead spot that frustrates me - mentioned later)
- Reliable phone. Though the selection is minimal, the phones are quality and reliable.
- No Annual Commitment. I have not tested this yet, mostly because I need to use my service daily and haven't wanted to cancel. I also needed to qualify for the rebate.
Knowing that I can cancel at any time and then start again at any time without and costs involved is fantastic and a huge comfort.

The bad:
- Dead Spots. I live in American Fork and for most places in the city I have a weak signal or no signal. This is frustrating for when I am trying to make a call home or from home to work, etc. American for is in the heart of Utah County and I live right off of the I-15, so I don't understand why the signal isn't strong there.
- Billing. I pay my bill in advance, but am disappointed that I don't know how many minutes I used the previous month. This is an advantage for the company, so that people who aren't using that many minutes do not know that they can get a better deal through another carrier. It also saves them money by not printing all the minutes.
In fairness to the customer, having an online account which shows usage would be helpful to know if we are getting the best thing around or the most out of their service. For many of us, this would encourage us to stay on the service, knowing that we'd pay a lot more somewhere else.
- Extras. I received voice mail, Caller ID, and a few other services through AT&T, as a part of my plan (with the 1 year commitment). Not having those serves makes my service not as convenient. I could pay an extra $7 for voicemail, but then the costs really are not as advantageous.
- Long Distance. I can't call long distance if I wanted to, with a per minute rate. They have recently launched a long distance program for an extra $5 you get 500 long distance minutes. This is a great rate, but the bundled minutes is typically advantageous to the provider rather than the consumer. Before this offering, you often used a calling card to get a decent rate on making calls from your wireless phone.
- Roaming. You Cannot Roam! Even if you wanted to pay the $0.35/minute, you cannot. This really comes into play as a safety issue. My family travels occasionally to other states outside of the local coverage area. If there is a problem outside of that area, there is nothing that I can do with this service to connect on an emergency. I almost didn't set up service because having that available is very important to me as a consumer. I continued with the service since I also realized that we rarely travel in recent years.


Over-all, I have been pleased. In weighing the advantages and disadvantages to the service I will continue to remain on this service until I am unable to rationalize the "bad" features of it. Currently, the advantages are irreplaceable. If Cricket decided to add a few cutting edge phones, I would be happier.


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 34.95/month