Going To Switch Carriers (From Verizon)

[comptech520]

Am going to switch from Verizon to Sprint or TMobile. Not sure what the best of those two are.

I am going to go with a fully unlimited plan either way.

Reliability (available network) is the most important factor to me.

 

[Almeuit]

re:

Reliability (available network) is the most important factor to me.

I wouldn't really leave Verizon then. T-Mobile is great in cities but outside of them it can struggle. Sprint does have decent coverage -- but for me it was basically useless due to the speeds being so slow.

 

[pkcable]

re:

I have family that have used and NOT liked Sprint, but I don't have personal experience. I have and like T-Mobile, they have a strong LTE signal in most place I go. I WILL warn you though they are NOT in as many places as Verizon, especially as you get more suburban. I have Verizon AND T-Mobile, and there are times like when I'm out camping for example when I got nothing for T-Mobile, BUT Verizon while not a strong signal it's enough to make calls and text.

 

[LeoRex]

re:

I switched from Verizon to T-Mobile about two years ago... glad I did and never look back. But that all depends on T-Mobile's network in your area. When I first switched, there were a few dead spots in my area and other areas where I was hampered by weak signals.

Since then, T-Mobile has made some huge network upgrades in my area and those dead spots are now decent LTE signals.

You could always go snag a pre-paid burner type phone on one of the MVNOs that use T-Mobile's network (http://bestmvno.com/t-mobile-mvnos/) ... check out coverage and then decide then.

 

[dpham00]

re:

Keep in mind that only Verizon offers unlimited unthrottled un optimized 4GLTE. All the others who offer unlimited data can network optimize once you hit 20-25gb in high load situations.

As for network, Verizon is the best overall but... You can try other carriers to see if they get signal where you need. And in some places another carrier might actually get better speeds.

 

[pkcable]

re:

Keep in mind that only Verizon offers unlimited unthrottled un optimized 4GLTE. All the others who offer unlimited data can network optimize once you hit 20-25gb in high load situations.

As for network, Verizon is the best overall but... You can try other carriers to see if they get signal where you need. And in some places another carrier might actually get better speeds.

In those limited Verizon XLTE areas that are not over congested, you get amazing speeds, I was getting 90M down, BUT in most situations in most places T-Mobile is faster, except of course the places where you get no signal with T-Mobile, often in those places you DO get a signal with Verizon (this is NOT to say Verizon does not have dead spots, because they do, BUT they really do have the best over all coverage)

 

[cbreze]

re:

There's a reason Sprint consistently comes in dead last. Avoid them like the plague. T-mobile is an excellent choice if you don't need any coverage off the main highways of life. Verizon for the win tho. A phone is only as good as the coverage provided when you need to use it. When I go hiking or otherwise am alone in the wilderness I usually always have coverage. Nice to have. Your needs may be different.

 

[dpham00]

re:

In those limited Verizon XLTE areas that are not over congested, you get amazing speeds, I was getting 90M down, BUT in most situations in most places T-Mobile is faster, except of course the places where you get no signal with T-Mobile, often in those places you DO get a signal with Verizon (this is NOT to say Verizon does not have dead spots, because they do, BUT they really do have the best over all coverage)

Luckily at home and at my desk at work, I get xlte. At home I have seen speeds well in excess of 100 mbps. I use Verizon wireless for my home Internet too via a jetpack with ethernet dock. In densely populated areas, band 13 does get pretty loaded. It depends on your specific needs . when I tested tmobile for a week, the only spot that got better speeds on tmobile was in the tmobile store when I was returning the test drive package. Of course it depends on your area. I happen to be in a very strong 4GLTE signal area most of the time.

 

[johnriii]

re:

Depending on your area, t-mobile and sprint will kill you. At my primary job, I talk to truck drivers all over the country every day. Verizon is who most of them rely on, with sprint being the last choice. If you know for sure that you have a strong signal with t-mobile where you live, that would be my choice, between sprint and t-mobile. I'll never leave Verizon, I don't have time for iffy phone coverage.

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[ShaggyKids]

re:

I have often times thought of switching. We did once a number of years ago to sprint and like everyone else has mentioned here the coverage was not good enough for my husband who is an over the road truck driver. It was fine for me but I'm in the city and I don't go out often. Everyone is right Verizon does have the best coverage so if that is important to you stay put.

 

[sulla1965]

re:

I have left Verizon a few times, but I always come back.

 

[anon(749368)]

re:

Verizon is too expensive for the pan I had and t-mobile does a good enough job to keep me content. In cities it works fine, it's the rural areas that lack coverage and that's when I need navigation to work. But overall, t-mobile wins because of price $260/month. Versus $300+/month with Verizon

The panda has spoken

 

[LeoRex]

re:

Verizon is too expensive for the pan I had and t-mobile does a good enough job to keep me content.

That's really been the heart of the Verizon vs T-Mobile story. If you are in an area where both give you a good, reliable signal, all the extra stuff that T-Mobile offers make it a vastly superior carrier. I switched when the ETF and JUMP stuff was announced and T-Mobile allowed me to break free from a VZW contract. I was on a SIII an my wife was still on one of those acursed 'feature' phones. I moved over to T-Mobile and for what amounted to a couple of dollars more a month, we both got Nexus 5's and no more crazy small data caps.

I jumped my wife to a G3 one day, and when talking to the rep, he said that they had a special where we could get both our lines to unlimited for $100... At the time, I had UL and my wife was on the base plan and going to this new one, she got UL and I saved $10 a month. Something like that NEVER happened with Verizon... this was a carrier that was still preying upon unaware customers and charging them a $20 'data transfer fee' when switching phones. My expirience with T-Mobile customer serivce is so far beyond that of what I had with Verizon, that, in and of itself, makes Verizon a non-starter for me when it comes to a carrier choice.

Then it comes down to network. When I switched, I had decent service around my home, great service at my office, and spotty coverage during my commute (which, admittedly, takes me through a wildlife refuge where EVERYONE was a dead zone). In the almost two years since I switched to T-Mobile, I went from somewhat spotty coverage to pretty much having an LTE signal 100% of the time. The band 12 roll out pushed their signal to all the random little backroads of rural Massachusetts.... In my area, T-Mobile now effectively matches Verizon in coverage. It isn't until I get up in the more remote areas of New Hampshire and central Mass... places I rarely go.

So as I sit here right now... there is absolutely zero reason why I would even consider switching back to Verizon... Price, customer service, coverage...you name it, T-Mobile is as good or better in every category. But that isn't the case for everyone. The trick is to do a little research and get all those wireless ducks in a row prior to making a choice.