[] 03/21/2002: Response to a post regarding Sprint Service in SF

"Steven Sherman" <smsherman@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message 
news:KLem8.3367$Jc5.279989@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...

> I am thinking of switching to Sprint because of good deal and no roaming
> charges.  Am wondering if anyone in S.F. or the Bay Area can comment on
> their experiences with coverage, quality, customer service, etc.

Well, unless you enjoy impossible customer service and dropped calls, I 
think Verizon (GTE Mobilnet) is your best bet in SF Bay.

W/O getting into the usual rant about Sprint's outrageously poor, petty, 
authoritarian customer service and their levying of fees if you choose to 
(or can't avoid) not utilizing "Claire" (a computer which supposedly 
understands human voice), if you are serious about the getting good 
service with the least number of drops (of fewer drops) around the 
generally challenging communities *surrounding* SF City/County (hills, 
bridges, islands, isolated valleys, and a few tunnels), then Sprint will 
not do it for you.

I've tried them all out around SF Bay, and the only one which has had 
consistently better coverage (and has had for years) is Verizon (ex-GTE 
Mobilenet).

If you just need something to walk around SF proper with, I'm sure if you 
can put up with Sprint's idiocy you won't mind Sprint that much, but as 
there is relative price parity between most of the nationwide carriers, 
if you will be traveling around the Bay (like driving to Santa Cruz and 
want to minimize drops over CA-17, or good coverage up on I-280 down to 
SJ,eg, ranges of that nature) then IMO Verizon is your best bet by far.

Additionally, the "no roaming charges" is somewhat of a misnomer -- (and 
I'm sure this has been mentioned ad infinitum) -- AS LONG AS YOU STAY ON 
SPRINT'S NETWORK there are no "roaming" charges. But there will be PLENTY 
of areas outside of the SF Bay area where Sprint has no coverage, and if 
you need to use the phone will you need to roam, which Sprint generally 
charges between $.39 to $.69 per minute for. (Unless this has radically 
changed since I looked at a Sprint ad in the Bay Area??)

Overall, I think every carrier has problems in the Bay Area -- I mean, 
it's not Dallas and the topography is somewhat challenging. However, my 
experiences since I got my first cellphone about 10 years ago in college 
indicate to me that GTE/Verizon has always been out in front ahead of the 
rest of the carriers coverage-wise, and now with the aforementioned 
(relative) price parity between  plans/carriers, I think Verizon is your 
best bet. 

(This post and SID list are also available at
http://www.wirelessnotes.org)

Regards,

Doug


Interpage(TM) Network Services Inc. / http://www.interpage.net

d1@interpage.net
+1 (510) 315-2750