Who does it? Pros? Cons? We're you able to use your old smartphone from your previous carrier? Can you keep the same number? Do you use the Internet? How is that? I hardly use my phone and am paying $80 just to text and talk. Ridiculous. Trying to figure out other options....thanks in advance for any info you can give me!!
Posted 2013-02-03 1:35 PM (#6625928 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 437 Location: IL
I would love to hear some opinions on those too! I have Verizon now and the monthly bill for 700 minutes, text, and internet is ridiculous! I use maybe 60 minutes a month but they won't let me go any lower than the 700! I talked to a guy at Best Buy and he told me that they prepays weren't very good & that I would have bad service. Told me it was best to just stick with Verizon. BUT, I'm a little skeptical about how truthful he was because I know a lot of people use prepays...
Posted 2013-02-03 2:00 PM (#6625947 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Addicted to Baseball
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX
hammer_time - 2013-02-03 1:11 PM Who does it? Pros? Cons? We're you able to use your old smartphone from your previous carrier? Can you keep the same number? Do you use the Internet? How is that? I hardly use my phone and am paying $80 just to text and talk. Ridiculous. Trying to figure out other options....thanks in advance for any info you can give me!!
We had one of our phones with Cricket until recently. We could not keep our same number, they said it was because our old number and the new were from different states. We could not use the previous phone either, had to get one of theirs.
When it worked it was good...and cheap...but calls to that phone didn't always go through, we'd just hear a banging noise and the call would quit, and would not go to voicemail *ever*. When we moved back to TX, there is no coverage at all in this big area of west TX so we dropped the service. The positive thing having no contract you can ditch it quickly and move on.
Their idea of Nationwide isn't really "nationwide". Check their coverage map, for us anyway it was pretty limited really.
Posted 2013-02-03 2:18 PM (#6625958 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Saint Stacey
I work for a prepaid cell company (Iwireless).
Most cell phone providers will port your old number over. But you have to purchase a phone from them in order to do it.
I know the biggest complaint with TracPhone is that their call center is out sourced to some place like India so it's very hard to get through to someone that actually understands english.
With the company I work for, we use the Sprint towers for our signal. But while Sprint itself has sub contracts with other providers for their own service, our contract is limited strictly to Sprint owned towers and we can't use any of the ones they subcontract their own service to (if that makes sense). Virgin Mobile is the same as us (they use Sprint towers only).
I know our plans have unlimited talk/text/picture messages and 2,056 MB of web for $50.
You also have to read the fine print. While a lot of companies claim to have unlimited web packages, they really don't. When it comes to web use, things like Youtube and Facebook games use up a HUGE amount of data. Also most smart phones are constantly trying to access the web even when the phone is just turned on and not in actual use. If you don't disable that data feature, all your web gets used FAST.
Another thing to ask is where their customer service is located. Ours is in the USA but like I said, most are outsourced so getting your issues fixed can be a huge hassle. Especially when the customer service people don't understand english very well.
Posted 2013-02-03 2:26 PM (#6625964 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Elvis has left the building!
Posts: 2441 Location: Kotzebue Alaska
I had Straight Talk for several years in Wyoming. I loved it and NEVER had an issue with service or anything. And I traveled back and forth to Texas and lots of trips in between. They do operate on Verizion towers. I loved the fact that my bill was $48 a month and never changed. However ST from the lower 48 does not work in Alaska - there is ST in Alaska but it won't work in the lower 48. So I had to switch. Paying 79+ again - hate it!!
Posted 2013-02-03 3:56 PM (#6626021 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Playing the Waiting Game
Posts: 1605
Both my boys have Straight talk and all the bells and whistles that go with it.. they DID keep their old phone numbers We could not use the old phones because how US Cellular does thier phones... They have no problems and they don't have a contract.... IS just keeping my younger son to buy his card BEFORE he runs out of the month... 45 a month will unlimited everything...
Posted 2013-02-03 4:11 PM (#6626044 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
I Don't Brag
Posts: 5662
We switched from Verizon to Straight Talk for all of 2 days. Most of StraightTalk's phones work on the AT&T network, with the exception of the Blackberry type phone which does work on a more limited Verizon network.
We have NO AT&T coverage here at the house and did not want the Blackberry style phone. Also, we found out that they ony lease a portion of the Verizon network and can access NONE of Verizon's extended network, i.e., where they access another company's towers for sevice.
For just busineess's sake we have to have good coverage not only here at home, but Nationwide. So we ended up going back on contrsct to Verizon. We do NOT use Smartphones or access the internet on our phones.
My take on it, is if you live in a high population area and plan to use your phone in high population areas, the Straight Talk could be a great thing and definitely save you money.
Posted 2013-02-03 5:42 PM (#6626111 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
My Heelers are Heroes
Posts: 4423
Maybe this varies from area to area because I had Straight Talk for several years and when they came out with their smart phones, my service went in the pot. The phone lady in WalMart told me when they came out with their smart phones they had to start using Sprint network because Verizon would not let them use their towers.. Too much competition. Customer Service is a waste of time. No one there speaks English and they don't understand much of it.
Posted 2013-02-03 6:06 PM (#6626134 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 655 Location: Kansas
There are three of us on Straight Talk and we love it! Where we are, they use Verizon towers and we've never had a problem. I live in KS and took my phone to IA without a problem. I hear a LOT of complaints about their customer service, but I've always been able to solve whatever problem I had with them. I think you do better if submit a trouble ticket via Straight Talk's Facebook page. Not to mention, I've been equally frustrated with Verizon's customer service at one time or another! For the amount of money we're saving, I can live with it.
Oh, and my husband and I each have an iPhone 3G and my daughter has an iPhone 4.
Posted 2013-02-03 7:57 PM (#6626240 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 6304 Location: San Diego for now!
thanks for the replies! Keep them coming!! It really hit home when I paid my portion of the bill ($80) and for what? I don't use the Internet, I only text and call a handful of people. I love using my phone for pictures so I would want to keep my same phone and number. Got some researching to do. How do you know what towers they use?
Posted 2013-02-04 6:58 AM (#6626450 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Expert
Posts: 1824 Location: TEXXXAS
I use cricket I like it, it can cut out sometimes, but the Internet works well for us. My husband has a navigation phone, wev never had a problem. The I tee national rates are great too.
Posted 2013-02-04 7:24 AM (#6626466 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Veteran
Posts: 150
I have used straighttalk for a couple years and like it! I buy the $30/month plan, i only use the internet to check my email, it works for me. (Try as I might, I never run out of texts or minutes.)I kept my old number from at&t, no problem.
My first phone from straighttalk used AT&T towers, the one I am using now uses Verison. I have always had great service, no dropped calls.
I debated on switching carriers, but I wish I would have switched sooner and saved more money!
I don't have a smartphone (still researching the options) so I can't comment on that.
But for basic text and talk, I say go for it!
Posted 2013-02-05 9:51 AM (#6628066 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Get a Clue
Posts: 1148 Location: A Higher Elevation
I am in Eastern Oregon and on Straight Talk. I've been on it for a couple years now. I did not try to keep my old number or phone, because I wanted to get rid of both! lol I had like an $80 phone. I used the $30 plan (1000mins/1000texts/& ???data), because I am at work all day and don't use my phone a whole lot. My phone worked great, because it just happened to be on the Verizon network. Then, I lost my phone... :( So, I decided to upgrade myself to an Android model. The phone was $129, and the plan is unlimited $45. I have to have the unlimited plan because I have the Android... Turns out my new phone runs on the AT&T network, so it doesn't get as good coverage. I'm in a bind right now, but when I am looking better financially, I am going to downgrade back to the phone I had before. The problem is that they don't tell you which network the different phones are connected to, and I don't think they have the exact phone I had before anymore.
Overall, I am happy with Straight Talk. Oh, except for the few occasions I do need to call tech support...:/
Posted 2013-02-05 9:56 AM (#6628077 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 592
I use straight talk, $30 a month for 1000 minutes and 1000 texts. I've never run out of either! My daughter also had the same, but she would run out of texts. We switched her to Virgin Mobile at Christmas. She gets unlimited texts and data, but only 300 talk minutes for $35 amonth. If she needs to talk more than that she can use my phone! We've never had problems with either service. Both work just about everywhere we go.
Posted 2013-02-05 1:36 PM (#6628555 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 539 Location: south central usa
took an iphone to straight talk - bought the sim card etc. was able to port my old # over. i like to think im pretty good with tech junk and i took 3-4 days to get the internet to work due to apple's configuration settings as straight talk was zero help. I had to search the internet to find how to set up the phone for use (if you want to use an iphone it has to be jailbroken...). after i got it set up, the data/internet would work fine for days and then for random periods of time just stop - receive messages saying "Access Forbidden". Straight talk had no answers....
if you use their phones, you may be ok usage wise
...also was never able to get it to send MMS (picture text msg). call quality was fine, but customer service was horrific. each time i called, either got a recording saying no one available and to call back or i literally waited for over 20 minutes before speaking to someone.
something to remember is that ST is nothing more than a reseller of AT&T or whomever's services.
after a month I switched to Verizon - after being with AT&T forever beforehand - and am very pleased. and to the end ST was dragging their heels... AT&T ported one of our remaining #'s over to Verizon in about 10 minutes and Verizon said ST would do it in about 2-3 DAYS. after calling and sitting on the phone for 45 minutes with ST and going to through three different people, they finally pushed the request through.
Posted 2013-02-05 5:59 PM (#6628989 - in reply to #6625947) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Girl Power
Posts: 4443
Ive been thinking about this also. I do know that Straight Talk has better service than Cricket does. I use to have Cricket and went to another State and had No service. Straight Talk works off Verizon towers so it has better service plus I know.someone that has Straight Talk and she has service everywhere she goes, even in other states and up in the mountains.I have AT&T and pay about twice as much as I would if I had Straight Talk so I've been thinking of changing to them also.I also saw on T.V. that Straight Talk has home phone service now also. It's only $15 a month but you have to buy a thing kind of like a Router, to plug the phone into, for.$99. But, I'm pretty sure you can move the home phone from state to state and you can move it with you, when you move in state.
Posted 2013-02-05 8:31 PM (#6629190 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 655 Location: Kansas
It was my understanding that iPhones don't have to be jailbroken if they are AT&T iPhones. We bought ours refurbished at Game Stop and they are AT&T phones. We didn't have any trouble porting our numbers and getting our phones working.
Posted 2013-02-06 7:51 AM (#6629500 - in reply to #6625912) Subject: RE: Straight Talk? Cricket?
Undercover Amish Mafia Member
Posts: 2209 Location: 2 deep in a 30
I currently use Boostmobile, I pay $55 a month for unlimited everything and like 2GB's of data which I don't even come close to touching that when the new month rolls in. After taxes its $60.50. And after 6 months of on time payments, it shrinks to $50 a month and so forth all the way down to like $35 a month.
I had verizon, horrible, and us cellular, even worse...for years. I would have all these hidden charges on all my bills and was paying over $200 a month for 2 lines after it was all said and done. So I switched to prepay. I honestly don't think I will go back. I'm saving money and haven't had any problems with the service at all.
0 likes 0 dislikes
Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [20 messages per page]
Folks on-line 
Straight Talk? Cricket?
