Sprint or Verizon?

So I posted about getting a Blackberry or Android type of phone and I think I have made up my mind.

Now I am currently with Verizon and have been for over 12 years. The argument I have is that I can get a Cadilac plan on Sprint for the Data, Texting, GPS, Unlimited Mobile to Mobile and tons of other bells and wistles for basicaly the same price I am paying Verizon for just phone service. Company discount in both services.

I don’t think Verizon can touch that deal and I am thinking about jumping ship. I am a little hesitant since I have always had good luck and great coverage with Verizon.

Does anyone have any feedback that has been on both networks for comparison or comments about Sprint?

Thanks

sprint is great as long as you are close to a main highway. One thing you might want to check with the phone that you are buying is if it can be tethered to a laptop or pc for internet access. My Sprint Treo when connected to my laptop works great for internet access. It’s very fast if I’m in a 3G area. Cannot wait until Sprint gets their 4G rolling.

I travel all over the lower 48 for work and have Verizon. Awesome coverage!

In rural areas, Sprint can be painful. However, with the roaming agreements most carriers have, it shouldn’t too much of an issue. How often do you leave the major beaten path?

I’ve had ATT, Sprint and now I’m a VZW customer. For the areas I travel, norhern MN, South Dakota and Nebraska, Verizon is my best option. The other carriers have always let me down in those areas.

Before you jump ship find out if sprint will work where you will use the phone the most. My sister in-law has sprint and her phone will not work at my house, not saying sprint is bad you just need to figure out which one will work best for you, both companies have areas with no coverage. I am an old Midwest wireless customer, sold out to Altel, sold out to Verizon. I am still on the old Tri State Plan and plan to keep it as long as I can because no one can touch the deal I have right now. If you do decide to switch I would wait for 4G to come out from what I hear the differance will be like night and day and there should be some good deals when 4G does come out.

Why go from a Otter to a Clam or a Strikemaster to a Jiffy?

STAY AWAY from sprint. I currently have nothing but problems. On monday for the 2nd time in three months I’ve made a payment witch they lost. Both time had conformation numbers so I was able to prove payment was made. Back in november my 11 year old daughters number vanished from our account and was placed on someone elses. I odd thing with that was it happened to turn up on some friends of ours who has nothing to do with our billing. I december we went for 2 days with no blackberry service due to a system failure system wide. we were double billed a total of 3 time in 2009 and twice in 2008. my wife worked for the company for a while and the number of very large accounts jumping ship is mind blowing. sprint right now is hurting for customers there customer service is the worse i have ever delt with. i would strongly urge you to not go with sprint. If you check with the BBB you will find they have a very poor rating with them. as for the prices there are added fees that dont show in there packages if you get a blackberry. Look into it befor you decide to go with them for service. they will let you take a store phone home for 24hrs to try out service where you live and travel in all you have to do is ask for it. good luck

If I had a choice I’d go back to VZ. But as long as work is paying ill use T-mobil for free. When I do have to get another personal it WILL be vz. Best coverage of all, my buddies were always using my cell on trips.

I switched from Sprint to Version this fall. I happened to bring my phone with me in my deer stand one day. I looked at the bars and I had full service. Never had that with sprint. Not a big deal but with Version my phone works everywhere I need to go!

I have had sprint for 12 years and never had service issue. Now I do not head to far north that often. I was ay red lake a couple years back and I was the only one that could get service. I have had really good luck and I am very happy with them. If you do go to sprint get the palm pre you will love it. Only complaint is battery life. Also think twice about BB’s if you do much web serfing. Go to sprint and they will let you try them for 30 days return phone and terminate contract if you are not happy no questions asked. Any questions let me know (no I do not work for them

fyi post comment on from my pre on the sprint network in plum city WI. Which is a small rural town

i travel all over MN and NoDak chasing those little demons that migrate through every fall. I have a verizon personal phone – GzOne, and have had verizon for about 6 years now. My work uses sprint, so i have a Sprint Blackberry Curve with me at all times too.

my experience has been that around the metro, they are a horse a piece, both will have their trouble zones.

rural MN, including north, west and south, they both get service about anywhere for the most part, but my verizon phone seems to get stronger signals, and areas where my sprint phone does not work, i usually have a bar or two with my verizon phone.

Nodak – verizon has the better coverage.

the anomaly – Western Wisconsin. when traveling on Hwy F from prescott to hudson, through all of the valleys, my verizon phone is very spotty, but sprint has full service all of the way through. this is the only area that my sprint phone has trumped my verizon one. so far anyways…

i look at it this way, if you are going to get that good of a deal with sprint, i would not hesitate to go with them, they both get roughly the same service.

as far as customer service, i have nothing but great things to say about verizon. Sprint – i have no idea, i don’t pay the bill for that phone, but i have heard from others that they can be a nightmare to deal with.

hopefully my rambling helps out a bit.

btw – i hope you decided on a droid. for work purposes, you cannot beat a blackberry, they are too smooth and proven for work tasks. if you want any of the “multimedia” features, get a full feature phone, and that droid OS kicks

Thanks Perch that is what I was wondering. 96% of my time is spent between here and the lake so I am not concerned about coverage on either. I am cocerned about when we go outside of that area.
A number of my boddies have Sprint and have very few complaints as well.
It’s just that I have no complaints about Verizon. They have been great for me but sometimes money talks and when you are looking for ways to trim corners that is one of the best ways.
I think I am going to go with the Blackberry! I have a touch screen now and it is OK but I am thinking of going away from it.

the touch screen on that HTC hero with the Droid OS, is very very good. I myself have not liked touch screens, but the wife just got that phone two weeks ago, and i’ve spent plenty of time playing around with it. just browsing the web alone is 10 times better.

Hasn’t VZ been dropping their prices. I’ve never had an issue with them while I have heard about coverage issues with other carriers. You think maybe you could try negotiating a contract with them if Sprint has a better offer?

I am Sprint now, and have been for a few years. I dropped Verizon for numerous dropped calls, and terrible service inside of my house. (Hastings) I travel all over the Midwest and use over 3500 min/mo with no issues. The $99/Everything plan is hard to beat!!!

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use over 3500 min/mo with no issues

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Holy crap Tuck!

If I go over 100 min/mo talk time, that’s a lot!

Back on topic, I had Sprint and currently have Verizon. For me Verizon has proven superior coverage.

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use over 3500 min/mo with no issues

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Holy crap Tuck!

Can you say “Conference calls???”
It is also my home phone. Some months are more, some less.

If I go over 100 min/mo talk time, that’s a lot!

Back on topic, I had Sprint and currently have Verizon. For me Verizon has proven superior coverage.

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I need to pull the invoice, but I think I pay $108.00/month for everything Verizon offers. We have pooled minutes, so that isn’t an issue for me. I only use about 1200 per month.

In some areas, sprint is fine. Large cities and interstate corridors you won’t have issues. Off the beaten path, you most likely will. They’ve made improvements, but between Verizon and Sprint, Verizon is far and away superior in network and customer service.

Of course, that is just my opinion. I’ve worked in the cellular industry for 20 years, but never for either one of those carriers.

Verizon has lowered their pricing, you should be able to lower your bill. I have only voice service, unlimited minutes, went from $100 down to $70. Call Verizon, mention you are probably going to Sprint and they will lower their fees to keep your business.

I am with Verizon but on the old Midwest Wireless Tri State Plan, I have 4 phones, 1200 shared minutes, free moble to moble, texting on two phones, unlimited nights and weekends on my phone & free minutes after 7pm on weekdays on my phone all for around $135 a month.

My next bill shoud be cheaper, dropped texting on my daughters phone untill she can get her grades back up. I have a felling that will not last long though, it is amazing how motivated a teenager can get when you take there texting away.

I had Sprint before Verizon and there is NO COMPARISON in coverage !! Sprint suks…BIG TIME. I travel South Dakota, Iowa, all over Minnesota and Western Wisconsin…and Verizon is king. I have great reception literally almost everywhere. I’m sure there are dead spots here and there but SPring was dead almost everywhere in central Mn, South Dakota and Iowa… I’d keep Verizon if you can manage the financial side of it. I had dead spots all over Pool 4 with Sprint, Verizon is full bars all over.

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Verizon has lowered their pricing, you should be able to lower your bill. I have only voice service, unlimited minutes, went from $100 down to $70. Call Verizon, mention you are probably going to Sprint and they will lower their fees to keep your business.

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If I tried they would probably laugh at me since I just re-upped with them in November to get the good price on a Droid. I can hear it now, “OK, go to Sprint, but it will be a wash since you’ll have to pay us $150 to break the contract”. I know they upped that to $300+, but I asked before signing and they said that it was not in effect yet. I think just about every carrier is going to beat VZ in price, but I think VZ is worth it for the coverage and the fact I have had no issues with them.