So is Virgin Mobile really that bad?

**Bren S.** · 04-29-2011, 10:55 PM

So I am thinking of switching to Virgin Mobile and picking up the Optimus V...but I was wondering if VM's service is as bad as lots of people seem to be saying it is??

**Liquidplacidity** · 04-29-2011, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by Bren S.

So I am thinking of switching to Virgin Mobile and picking up the Optimus V...but I was wondering if VM's service is as bad as lots of people seem to be saying it is??

NO! Not at all. Mine's been amazing everywhere I go.

**munkyvirus** · 04-29-2011, 11:12 PM

Ditto. My service sucks but that's because I don't have Sprint towers by me. Still get enough for a solid 3G connection and it's fast as hell.

**bornagainpenguin** · 04-29-2011, 11:20 PM

Originally Posted by Bren S.

So I am thinking of switching to Virgin Mobile and picking up the Optimus V...but I was wondering if VM's service is as bad as lots of people seem to be saying it is??

Not in my experience. So far I've only had 3G not want to work for me once in the month that I've had this phone. (And even then going to Airplane mode and back fixed the issue for me.)

What I think we're seeing is a bunch of people who did not and simply jumped on Virgin Mobile due to the plan's rates and are upset that coverage isn't as good as they'd hoped. Check and see if the areas you expect to be in will have a good connection and make your decision based on the lowest connection not the highest. If you still think the coverage is good enough then go ahead and join the rest of us on Virgin Mobile!

--bornagainpenguin

**gater** · 04-29-2011, 11:30 PM

It's not bad at all. I've had it for a month now and haven't had a dropped call or a loss of data. So far, so good.

**GeekOutDog** · 04-29-2011, 11:31 PM

Recently dumped AT&T w/ an iPhone 3GS and unlimited data to switch to VM...
I live in Allentown, PA and took a roadtrip up to the finger lakes in upstate new york... a roughly 4 hour drive... I had service the entire trip up (took major roadways) and when I got to the small town I was visiting, I used VOIP over freely available WiFi to make phone calls.

If the coverage meets your needs, the phones themselves are reliable enough (And the Optimus V is satisfying enough for a power user - if you're like me switching from an iPhone, just make sure Android has apps that are comparable to ones you were using with iOS), and the price of service can't be beat.

**zoidberg_md** · 04-29-2011, 11:43 PM

So I guess it depends on what area you are in. LA here, and have no issues. The optimus has far exceeded my expectations coming from 3GS. Root and overclock, I would say it exceeds 3GS. I don't have any data to back this, just feels faster/snappier.

**LeslieAnn** · 04-30-2011, 12:05 AM

Customer service stinks, but they all do pretty much.
Otherwise, it's just Sprint, but cheaper.

Virgin used to have awesome support, so many got fed up with that, and then they had growth issues, which annoyed a bunch more, but really, it's a good company overall. Been with them for about 5 years now.

**Kiernon** · 04-30-2011, 12:44 AM

This is my second month with VM, heading into my third, and overall for the price, it's been really a positive experience for me.

The first month I had issues with 3G being properly enabled. I would guess the biggest issue with VM has been data capacity with the massive influx of new users hopping on the Optimus train (I being one of them).

Otherwise, like others have mentioned, if you're in a good area for Sprint, you should be golden. Services other than the early 3g hiccup for me has been pretty top notch and considering what we're paying, it's an amazing value in mobile phones.

I've had service from T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint, and I'd say it's easily comparable as any other in terms of services provided.

LeslieAnn is right, however. Customer service is... well... meh. But I've never received spectacular customer service from any of them really.

-K

**one80oneday** · 04-30-2011, 07:25 AM

VM is a great value. I've been with them 6 months now and love the $25 BT plan. Sure data has gone down a few times but I've also driven up and down East Coast and Midwest without any dead zones.

**moto_android_mick** · 04-30-2011, 07:55 AM

Yeah I live in a smaller city in South Dakota and I have my days (not very often) where data was not wanting to work. Its been awhile since that happened however. Overall its a great service for a great price. Worth checking out!

**Eollie** · 04-30-2011, 09:31 AM

As many have echoed, Vm customer support is less than stellar. But then again Most of the time you are dealing with call center jockeys that get paid for how many calls they handle. So hurrying you off the phone is best solution. If they have to transfer you they dont get credit for a completed call.

I lost everything but regular cellular service this month when my plan restarted. Couple calls and three days later everything was back up. I have to call back on Monday to talk about compensation for down time. But so far its not been as bad as some others have reported.

The best thing to keep in mind is this phone is the first real smartphone Vm has had and my god people expected service like ATT and Verizon with a company that was still a virgin (hehe) to the 3G android scene. They are learning and every bit of feedback gets taken in and sent around. I have noticed when calling customer support now they have a tech line they can transfer you to, even tho every time they did I swear they carried the phone across the room, and most of the time they solve your issue.

I seen another post saying you got the phone enjoy and please read and understand before blindly rooting and flashing roms. This phone is a bit more difficult to recover from a medium brick status. And being as its one of many carrier specific phones it has proprietary software.

**thexxoffspring** · 04-30-2011, 09:40 AM

the service is bad in my area but when i get 2 bars the 3G is SO Fast. faster than verizon i believe.

**angelpenny48** · 04-30-2011, 10:26 AM

i live in suburb of chicago and my optimus v has been great.

**trebores** · 04-30-2011, 10:54 AM

So far customer service seems fine.

As for the cell service, I live in San Mateo, CA - basically between SF and San Jose. Sprint coverage is great here. I have found the data speeds on VM to be rather slow. I get anywhere from 20kbps to 340kbps on their 3g. Supposedly there are people out there getting 2x - 3x that speed.. I'm going to test it as I wander around today and see what kind of speeds I get. I can't help but feel that VM traffic is getting low priority on the Sprint network.

Call and text coverage seem fine so far. No dropped calls and texts come and go quickly. I'm just non-plussed about the 3g speed. If it continues to be slow, I'm going to switch out. Not worth the savings imo if it's frustrating to use.

**yoramsk** · 04-30-2011, 11:30 AM

One thing worth considering. This phone was an impulse purchase and I just assumed there would be free calls after nine or the weekend; also there is also no mobile-mobile. I have topped up and restarted my month so much that I would have been better off staying with my old carrier. I'm hoping someone figures out a good voip solution but the quality of the existing ones is subpar and ends up annoying whoever you are calling. I'm switching to the 1600 minute plan. So just a heads up that the $25 plan may not be sufficient.

**trebores** · 04-30-2011, 06:08 PM

I just drove around and the speeds do vary greatly from location to location. This may be useful for folks in the SF bay area - Near the 101 in Palo Alto, I hit around 1.4mbps down.. most of the area from San Mateo to Palo Alto I was able to consistently hit 600+kbps, so things are looking pretty good on the Peninsula. Not great at my house, but that doesn't matter since I have wi-fi

**Eollie** · 04-30-2011, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by yoramsk

One thing worth considering. This phone was an impulse purchase and I just assumed there would be free calls after nine or the weekend; also there is also no mobile-mobile. I have topped up and restarted my month so much that I would have been better off staying with my old carrier. I'm hoping someone figures out a good voip solution but the quality of the existing ones is subpar and ends up annoying whoever you are calling. I'm switching to the 1600 minute plan. So just a heads up that the $25 plan may not be sufficient.

I kinda wonder about this post.

You say it was impulse purchase, and then complain that 300 minutes wasn't enough. And then that you would have been better off sticking with your old carrier. Curious who was your old carrier and how much was your monthly? I mean even the full out unlimited everything is still cheaper than everybody but the sprint plans.

Dont get me wrong Im not trying to poke you with a stick just adding some reality to the situation. I mean I researched the phone for a week or so before I bought it. The plans were still kinda vague. I did however look into the restrictions and limitations after I got home and started using minutes. Sometimes its better to read read read and save a couple bucks then to just blindly drive around.

**MidtownHD** · 04-30-2011, 07:58 PM

I've been using VM since January, and I use in in NYC and Long Island. Reception and speed is pretty good.

**Bren S.** · 04-30-2011, 08:15 PM

So far I am enjoying the Optimus, and the 3g seems quite quick here.
As to plans I went with the unlimited everything which to me is still a great deal at $60/mo, however, I'll see how many voice mins I use and if warranted will adjust my plan accordingly.
Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

**Bren S.** · 04-30-2011, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by yoramsk

One thing worth considering. This phone was an impulse purchase and I just assumed there would be free calls after nine or the weekend; also there is also no mobile-mobile. I have topped up and restarted my month so much that I would have been better off staying with my old carrier. I'm hoping someone figures out a good voip solution but the quality of the existing ones is subpar and ends up annoying whoever you are calling. I'm switching to the 1600 minute plan. So just a heads up that the $25 plan may not be sufficient.

Hmmm I didn't see a 1600 min plan on VM?

I saw 300 , 1200, and unlimited...did I miss something?

**Bren S.** · 04-30-2011, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by Eollie

As many have echoed, Vm customer support is less than stellar. But then again Most of the time you are dealing with call center jockeys that get paid for how many calls they handle. So hurrying you off the phone is best solution. If they have to transfer you they dont get credit for a completed call.

I lost everything but regular cellular service this month when my plan restarted. Couple calls and three days later everything was back up. I have to call back on Monday to talk about compensation for down time. But so far its not been as bad as some others have reported.

The best thing to keep in mind is this phone is the first real smartphone Vm has had and my god people expected service like ATT and Verizon with a company that was still a virgin (hehe) to the 3G android scene. They are learning and every bit of feedback gets taken in and sent around. I have noticed when calling customer support now they have a tech line they can transfer you to, even tho every time they did I swear they carried the phone across the room, and most of the time they solve your issue.

I seen another post saying you got the phone enjoy and please read and understand before blindly rooting and flashing roms. This phone is a bit more difficult to recover from a medium brick status. And being as its one of many carrier specific phones it has proprietary software.

I honestly am more than a bit leery of rooting, for several reasons...the biggest being I just don't think I'm tech savvy enough to do it. So I think I'll stick with stock.

**vee** · 04-30-2011, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by Bren S.

Hmmm I didn't see a 1600 min plan on VM?

I saw 300 , 1200, and unlimited...did I miss something?

There is a 1600 plan but it's not on the android's plan. /shrug

**GeekOutDog** · 04-30-2011, 11:32 PM

It's simple to root this phone... first phone I've rooted other than my iPhone and the learning curve was minor - the biggest difficulty is all the choices available!