Oversubscribed Service
Written: Aug 14 '00 (Updated Aug 14 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Local Coverage: |
 |
|
| Plan Flexibility: |
 |
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
|
Pros: Clear when signal strength is at max, helpful customer service
Cons: Dropped calls, people can't hear you, coverage area spotty
|
|
|
| healdkw's Full Review: AT&T Mobile Phone Service in Washington/Baltimore |
For the past two years I have been using Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) for my digital cellular service. The call quality has been good for the most part and I have been happy. However this summer my two-year contract was almost up and my phone was getting old so I decided to look for a new phone. I also wanted to stop supporting Bell Atlantic in any way I could because I do NOT like their business practices. So I starting surfing around and I decided to go for AT&T’s local digital service because it is cheaper through my company.
No only that, most of my friends seem to be happy with AT&T, and most of the reviews here at Epinions seem to say the same thing. So I called my company’s representative and went for it.
The Beginning: The Glory Days
AT&T’s service and support from the beginning was very easy and the AT&T sales rep I spoke with was great. However when I got the phone I was assigned a 571 number. A 571 number? I live in Maryland and had no idea that the area code even existed. Well apparently it does, but it was long distance for many of my Maryland friends. So I called customer service and they changed my number for no charge. As I said earlier they were very nice and I was not on hold for very long.
So I had me a new phone with much better battery power and a plethora of features that I was itching to test out. I emailed out my new phone number to my friends and everything. I was very excited until my first commute home.
The Denouement: Reality Hits Home
Before I launch into my semi-tirade you must realize that I commute 45 minutes each way every day. This tends to wear on a man, and having a phone is my savior. I can pass the time by doing something while I am driving, and this something is typically returning phone calls (thus saving me this time when I actually get home) and talking on the phone. So I count on my phone service on this commute.
Well my first commute home was a monster of a commute. There was an accident on both 495 and GW parkway so I knew I was in for a doozy. But heck, why should I care, I have a brand new phone that I can talk on! So I made my first call to a friend who was still at work. Everything was good…for the first 30 seconds. Then he couldn’t hear me, at all. It wasn’t like it was fuzzy and I was fading in and out, he couldn’t hear me at all (although I could hear him fine). I looked at my phone and I had plenty of signal strength. So I hung up and tried again. This time I couldn’t even dial out because I was getting a quick busy signal (which means the cell I was currently in was too busy). So I waited ten minutes and tried again. This time I made it a minute and a half before the same problem occurred! This never happened with Bell Atlantic!
This kept on occurring for the next week and a half. My girlfriend told me several times that my old phone (Bell Atlantic) was much better than my new one. How frustrated was I? VERY! I was finally put over the top when at a party I was throwing everyone had service (Bell Atlantic, Sprint, and Cell One) except for me. Sometimes I could get out but I would have to scream into the phone for anyone to hear me.
The Resolution: Thank God for Liberal Return Policies
The best thing about AT&T’s service was that they have a 30 day return policy in place. So I promptly called customer service and asked for my money back. I returned the phone and went back to my old phone until I chose another cellular service provider.
What have I learned from all of this? Don’t believe the hype. AT&T was hyped well in all markets, but unfortunately in my market it seems to be oversubscribed. After doing some additional research it appears that TDMA (what AT&T uses) does not handle call volume quite as well as CDMA (what Sprint and Bell Atlantic use). Since AT&T is so popular in my area dropped calls increase quicker than with other providers. What is my next step? I have actually already taken it. I ordered a Sprint phone and I have been extremely happy with it so far. However that is for another review. Overall I would suggest avoiding AT&T, especially in D.C. and New York.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 49.99
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
healdkw
|
|
Member: Kevin Heald
Location: Arlington, VA
Reviews written: 107
Trusted by: 143 members
About Me:
I currently work as a systems engineer in the Northern Virginia area.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.