at&t and iphone

[Leleluvsdis]

For anyone here is has the iphone and at&t what do you think about the company and about the phone?

We are currently on verizon/alltel. We were on alltel and then verizon bought them out, and since we haven't upgraded we are still on an alltel plan that is owened by verizon (confused yet) anywhoo... I can get a 24% discount with att b/c of where I work and with my discount Dh and I could both get iphones with 1400minutes for us to slipt and it would be the same price as what we will pay if we go to a standard verizon plan with only 750 minutes for us to split. So to us it's kind of a no brainer to go with att, but our only concern is the service availability. They say we should have excelent service where we live, but we do travel so that is our concern. Our main places of travel are myrtle beach, any and all lakes in va, obviously wdw, richmond/williamsburg area va, charlotte/raliegh/greensboro nc, bristol/kingsport tn, and gatlinburg tn. for anyone who has visited these areas or has att what have you thought about the service in these areas. If we aren't going to have service where we need it it's obviously a waste to save the money, but if we do have service I'm thinking it would defiently be worth it.

Also for those iphone users are you pleased with it or would you chose a different smartphone?

Sorry this is so long, but thanks for the help!!!

 

[dfchelbay]

We've never had a coverage problem with ATT. We've been all over the country with them and have never had a lack of phone service/reception. I know you're getting the 1400 minutes for the same prices as Verizon's 750, but are you also including that each Iphone must have a data plan, which is $30 per month per phone. I love my Iphone and I'm sure you will too. The only other phone that I'm hearing great things about is the new Android. Compare that with the Iphone to see which is best for you.

 

[Justsyd2]

I've had an iPhone with AT&T for two years. I've never had any service issues with it. I use it for everything, and have traveled a lot with it. I absolutely love it, but, it does cost an extra $30 per month per iPhone on top of the service plan.

 

[BCV2003]

For me, I would only consider an iPhone after Verizon gets it which rumor has it will be this summer and then I can only get it as long as where I work supports and works out any security issues with it. We can only use blackberries right now as they are more secure than the iphone and can be wiped remotely if you lose your phone or if it is stolen.

My BF has an iPhone with AT&T and I can't say that the service is that great and he can be sitting on his couch on the phone, not moving and the call drops.

 

[sunshine74]

I love my iphone, I've had it for about a year and now don't think I could live without it! I have good reception for the most part. There is one spot that is near my house in a valley that usually drops my calls. Frustrating that it is so close to home (and in a major metro area) but other than that I've always had very good coverage, including when traveling. We just drove from MO to FL in March, used it as our GPS with a downloaded app and had constant coverage the entire way.

 

[auralia]

I had some dead zones in walt disney world on my iphone, it worked great in myrtle beach it even works at my dads house way up in northern minnesota about 2 hours south of canada, no 3g up there but i do get edge!

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

i love my iPhone. Cant believe i went so long with out it!

 

[robin09]

I've had ATT since before it was ATT, LOl, I used to have celluar one, and then it was bought out about 2 years ago by ATT.

I live in the Catskill mountains, and where I live is fine, but 20 miles away the signal gets blocked by the mountains. We've driven down to Myrtle beach, the carolinas, virginia and of course Disney, without any problems. I think the only problem areas will be around mountains.

I've been contemplating switching to the Iphone, I have the blackberry now, but always love change... and yes you do have to pay more for these phones because they demand you to have the data plan. Hope that helps

 

[robinb]

I love my iPhone, but the service is crappy in big crowds. For instance, I cannot get a call in or out when I am at Wrigley Field in Chicago for a Cubs game with 40,000 of my closest friends. I cannot get a call in or out when I am at Camp Randall in Madison for a Badgers football game with 60,000 of my closest friends. I had A LOT of trouble making and getting calls at WDW over Christmas and New Years. I started trying to send texts and they were delivered HOURS later. My DD's pay-as-you-go phone is on the Verizon network and worked like a champ but my iPhone and my DH's AT&T Blackberry sucked. While I can overlook the Cubs games, the Badgers games are annoying because I want to be able to be contacted at the game if there is a problem with my DD at home. The WDW was REALLY annoying because I purchased a phone for my DD specifically so we could get in contact with each other in case we were separated. A lot of good THAT was when neither one of her parents' phones had service .

 

[Magix]

FWIW, I had the same problems at Wrigley Field with my Verizon Samsung FlipShot. I think it's the location, not the individual service company.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

I have AT&T service since 1998. I have never had a problem with reception except when I was on a cruise ship to Nassau (go figure no cell towers out in the ocean). Husband travels extensively with his job and always has service..I can't give you any input on the I-phone though but I am considering as soon as I can upgrade....

 

[heatherwillmom]

I have had an Iphone for 2 years & am now on my second one after an update. I actually live in East Tennessee near some of the places that you visit. I was at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge this weekend & still had service. I have had a brief episodes of less than perfect service, but overall, I have not had a problem. I love all th available apps.

 

[SOnotLayuh]

Long post warning!

First - I can definitely tell you that I have had nothing less than stellar service in Charlotte (where I live), Greensboro, Raleigh, and Myrtle Beach - all of which I visit frequently. I've also had no trouble what so ever at WDW... even in large crowds... even in July/August.

When I had Verizon I never had service ANYWHERE. I also had horrible customer service experiences. Multiple horrible ones. I'll save those unless you really want to know

As for the amazingness that is AT&T, let me tell you this story - which is the reason I will never go to another phone company.

In February I was eating brunch with my Mom, and I had been wearing pants with cargo pockets. Stupid me didn't check my pocket to make sure that I had my iPhone before we walked out, and I ended up losing what felt like a limb. I was completely stricken! I was hoping that it had just been lost around my house somewhere, but just in case I texted "cash reward if this phone is found! Please call ##########" (DH's number), and received a phone call which was a hang up. I called the number over and over until they finally turned my phone off.

I didn't have MobileMe set up, which I definitely will always have now, but MobileMe can wipe a phone of it's data, and can also track a phone if it's been lost or stolen. Since I didn't have this at the time, AT&T couldn't help me. They sympathized with me, though, and since it's not like they could just give me a new phone, they credited my account until I could get a new one (which was great - most companies won't offer that for people under contract... I would know. Verizon sold me a phone with a known glitch and refused to take responsibility when it messed up... and I still paid for the last 18 months on that contract).
---> Also, on the note of privacy, if an incorrect password is input 10 times the phone automatically wipes itself. Wish I had this set up when I lost it! Not that I had anything private, per se, but the fact that people were looking at pictures of myself, DH, and my cats just made me feel violated.

My friend had an old 2G and sent it to me as a place holder until I could afford a new phone. AT&T credited my account so that I didn't have to pay for a new sim card and upgraded me to free shipping.

Finally I had saved enough to get a new iPhone 3GS - which is even better than the 3G by far - and AT&T was once again very easy to work with. iTunes also restored my phone completely so that none of my pictures, phone numbers, or settings, or ANYTHING from the old phone. I loved that so much more than I can even say. Once my 3GS was here, it was like my phone had just upgraded itself and nothing had changed! AT&T gave me so many account credits, too - it really helped me save for the new phone.

AT&T's 3G is also faster than Verizon's. I can't stand how slow playing with my mom's droid is. It's also SUPER heavy... the iphone is surprisingly light!

 

[mombare]

We have had ATT forever also - and have really considered changing to Verizon. Of all our family and friends, we are the only ones without Verizon service. The differences...the SIM card option (we have washed several phones, and just replace the SIM card without losing our contacts), coverage and customer service. We live in a valley, and it is the only place we have run into with no service...to be expected, though. Verizon customers can get service if they stand in the middle of the road in front of our house, but it is not worth switching. We are often the only ones who have cell phone service when traveling!

I just got my first iphone last Thursday, and got my second one yesterday! Apparently I am quite lucky...it is "very rare" but my touch screen wasn't responding to touch. Completely annoying, but just stopped by the store to get a new one. At ATT, you can walk in and return your phone with no questions asked for 30 days. I also bought the extended warranty on my phone, but was told not to register it until the 30 days were up (it's more hoops to jump through if you have problems in the first month). We will see how this second phone goes! Loving it so far!

 

[brooklynbrenden]

I have had an iphone since September and the only problem I have had is service in NYC. Disney was fine for me. We were there in October.

 

[monkeybug]

I love my Iphone!
I do have problems with reception in the Mountains where my parents live (Northern Ca.) and they have Verizon for that reason. Other than that though, I don't have any issues with coverage or AT&T.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

DH got himself an Iphone thru At&T.

He likes it but I hate it. He barely gets service in our area even though it says he should. It consistently drops calls and it always sounds really tinny when I talk to him.

Never had that problem when he was on Verizon like the rest of us.

He's traveled to several places with it so far and said he has service - just not 3G service.

the kids and I are sticking with Verizon and I'm going to upgrade to the latest Droid next month. No AT&T iphone for me.

 

[JB2K]

Also for those iphone users are you pleased with it or would you chose a different smartphone?

You may find the majority of the posts here speaking in favor of the iPhone (mainly because of the apps -- particularly, there's an app out there for this very website).

I'm certain the iPhone is all that (and then some). However, AT&T has been criticized in the media for maxing-out their data capabilities (read: you might have some slow web-surfing on one of their smartphones).

That aside, if you find yourself in the position of not wanting to switch carriers, but still wanting a smartphone with apps, Verizon's BlackBerry Storm 2 might be worth a look-see...

As for me, I've been with VZW for many years, and as soon as Apple decides to roll-out a version of the iPhone compatible with Verizon's network, I'll be checking it out.

 

[Golf4food]

I've had AT&T service since they were Cingular and many years prior to that. (Full disclosure: my father was a 35 year BellSouth employee, which was the mother of Cingular, all bought by AT&T - hence why we've had the service for so long.) That said, I've never had problems with signal or service, except in our new house, but that is because of the radiant roof barrier, which degrades all cell signals, not just AT&T.

LOVE our iPhones.

 

[cinderella97]

I'm looking at upgrading too. How much are the plans for the iPhone compared with verizon? Could someone break it down for me? How much is the data plan and what does that include? All web surfing? I am not totally up on this stuff. We are looking at geting 13yo dd on the plan too. Right now I don't have texting so that is a must too for her.