Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

After 4 years I've had enough...

I have been with ATT for about 15 years. I am about to switch as the signal in my new house sucks. (Connecticut) I can't hold a call as a drive to the end of the block.

I now understand what everybody in the Northeast has been complaining about with ATT. It's much worse than other areas of the country. I don't think I'm going droid. I'm trying to hold out until the 4S/5 is released.
 
Man, I hear you on the call quality and reception with AT&T. I've considered giving up the iPhone simply because of this myself. I love the iPhone 4, but if it is crippled by the cell network then I have no problems with leaving it behind.

This of course is my experience living and working in San Francisco.
 
I have AT&T, and have for as long as I can remember. Most of the time I'm in Northwest Arkansas, and service is pretty reliable. I was in Vegas, and San Diego last summer. Service wasn't bad at all.

The only time my service is ever bad is around the first week of June when a huge music festival comes to my hometown. Wakarusa.
 
I should have been more specific about be the service issues I experience. I work conferences where tremendous amount of people attend the towers get overloaded and are crippled. This is where AT&T is failing miserably. Whether this is do to everyone and their mama having iPhone is really pointless as I can't make even simple phone calls. I would even go as far as having to turn off 3g to make a phone call.

Anyway, to answer a few questions the screen is nice. It's maybe a little warmer then my 4 is but colors look good and the text is crisp. The Charge has a nicer screen but I did not like the phones feel and buttons.

I do realize a dual core would be great but in all honesty that is what my tablet is for. I'm all about making important phone calls and using the phones internet connection tethered to my MBP.

Another turn off is AT&T'S new 4G network is just their same 3g but boosted a little. As far as data for a you can't beat Verizon's LTE network.
 
Last edited:
I know how this works you get really antsy right before something comes out so you have to buy something now!! But the droid of the week ugh.... If I was you I would have waited
 
Complain, threaten to cancel your service (avoiding termination fees because you have no signal = breach of contract by AT&T), and get a free MicroCell. That's how we got out of our service (and $750 of fees) the first time, and when we came back to AT&T and had the same issue, we got a free MicroCell.

Just gotta know how to work with 'em ;)
 
lavrishevo said:
<snip>
Click to expand...

I'm glad you shed some more light on how awful AT&T's network really is. There is a reason they have the absolute lowest marks for any mobile service and there is no improvement in sight. Enjoy your phone and I hope there are millions more like you in the future that finally get AT&T to notice and actually do something.
 
chrisdazzo said:
Complain, threaten to cancel your service (avoiding termination fees because you have no signal = breach of contract by AT&T), and get a free MicroCell. That's how we got out of our service (and $750 of fees) the first time, and when we came back to AT&T and had the same issue, we got a free MicroCell.

Just gotta know how to work with 'em ;)
Click to expand...

I would have gone this route but I work all over the country. I'm not in an office or just getting bad reception at home. It's the constant problems when I am at work in various cities. I was with Cingular for years then AT&T. Time for a change.
 
chrisdazzo said:
Complain, threaten to cancel your service (avoiding termination fees because you have no signal = breach of contract by AT&T), and get a free MicroCell. That's how we got out of our service (and $750 of fees) the first time, and when we came back to AT&T and had the same issue, we got a free MicroCell.

Just gotta know how to work with 'em ;)
Click to expand...
I have called a couple of times to troubleshoot and document the issues. I asked about a microcell and they said "sure, they cost $250". I'm trying to work with them. They claim I am in an area that should have "good reception". I don't think one bar of 3G and frequently dropping to EDGE is what I would call "good reception".

I'm not under contract but my wife is. Good point about the no service = no ETF. Not sure how that works, but it makes sense. Surely they can't stick me with an ETF for a contract I signed when I lived in a place with great service. I'll have to investigate that.

Once I know what the new iPhone is and what I'm going to do for a phone, I'll decide if I want to fight with ATT or just move on to someone else. I am quite disappointed as I have been with them for 15 years and until recently had zero problems with their service.
 
EddyP said:
I have called a couple of times to troubleshoot and document the issues. I asked about a microcell and they said "sure, they cost $250". I'm trying to work with them. They claim I am in an area that should have "good reception". I don't think one bar of 3G and frequently dropping to EDGE is what I would call "good reception".

I'm not under contract but my wife is. Good point about the no service = no ETF. Not sure how that works, but it makes sense. Surely they can't stick me with an ETF for a contract I signed when I lived in a place with great service. I'll have to investigate that.
Click to expand...

Every time you drop a call or you drop out of 3G, submit a ticket through the Mark the Spot app. This way you'll have something you can point to when you complain.
 
grantsdale said:
Every time you drop a call or you drop out of 3G, submit a ticket through the Mark the Spot app. This way you'll have something you can point to when you complain.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks. I did not know about that app. I'll check it out.
 
I switched from an iPhone of 4 years on AT&T to a Thunderbolt on Verizon beginning of May. I paid $250 just to cancel my old contract. After the first week of understanding Android, it made a lot of sense, did some way awesome things, mostly if you root. I did love the openess of Android and the ability to really do what you want. I loved the back and search button. But after a month, I couldn't get used to it, it just did not have the fluid aand polished feel an iPhone does.

I'm a huge nerd and I can understand the following behind Android but the touchscreen on the Thunderbolt has nothing on the iPhone. While the LTE speeds are jaw-dropping, the downfalls are just far too great. Also, the camera on the iPhone truly is a marvel. I went to a hookah bar in a very dimly lit room and had my thunderbolt at the time while my cousin had his iPhone. Our pictures came out vastly different in quality and look. One thing I learned is that Android is great for geeks but iOS is great for reliability. Yes things like speech to text and built-in google navi will be missed but battery life, clunkiness, and the fact that my device had Froyo while everyone else was getting Gingerbread will not.
 
I don’t really understand why everyone rags on AT&T. I am perfectly happy with my cell service and their customer service. Every time I have been on the phone with them it has been great. I never called to complain, just had questions about upgrading, etc. On the other hand my mom and brother have Verizon and I dread making a call to them. My brother has switched phones twice and it was a pain in the ass, whereas when I upgraded my iPhone it could not have been easier. My phone/data service is always 4/5 bars and I move around quite a bit going from home to college and other universities visiting people.

OP: Hope you like your phone and Verizon. I’m sure there are phones out there that do things better than the iPhone but IMO the iPhone has the best “overall” experience.
 
I beg to differ but AT&T is vastly superior in terms of call quality and network speed.

The question is, why did you have to wait 4 years to switch to a different network if you've been having such crummy service? :confused:
 
waterskier2007 said:
I don’t really understand why everyone rags on AT&T. I am perfectly happy with my cell service and their customer service. Every time I have been on the phone with them it has been great. I never called to complain, just had questions about upgrading, etc. On the other hand my mom and brother have Verizon and I dread making a call to them. My brother has switched phones twice and it was a pain in the ass, whereas when I upgraded my iPhone it could not have been easier. My phone/data service is always 4/5 bars and I move around quite a bit going from home to college and other universities visiting people.

OP: Hope you like your phone and Verizon. I’m sure there are phones out there that do things better than the iPhone but IMO the iPhone has the best “overall” experience.
Click to expand...
I LOVED ATT for almost 15 years. Never had issues. It worked great. I too never understood all of the ATT hate.

Then I moved to Connecticut and service at my house and in the area is terrible. I just want a phone and service I can depend on. That's all. It was ATT for a long, long time. It may not be them going forward.
 
waterskier2007 said:
I don’t really understand why everyone rags on AT&T. I am perfectly happy with my cell service and their customer service. Every time I have been on the phone with them it has been great. I never called to complain, just had questions about upgrading, etc. On the other hand my mom and brother have Verizon and I dread making a call to them. My brother has switched phones twice and it was a pain in the ass, whereas when I upgraded my iPhone it could not have been easier. My phone/data service is always 4/5 bars and I move around quite a bit going from home to college and other universities visiting people.
Click to expand...

If I hadn't experienced the frustrations first hand I'd probably write off alot of the negativity as well. Very, very friendly customer service, but when it came to solving problems they were just shy of useless. In fact I got incorrect information every time (no hyperbole or exaggeration) I spoke with someone. It was really astounding how hard it was to get a straight, accurate answer.

Eventually the decision to drop them, pay the ETF (grudgingly...), and sell our phones was the only clear solution. With VZ now and the absence of issues makes the service seem great. Of course who knows how things will look if/when we need something taken care of.
 
I actually LOL'd at the "Thanks for ruining my evening" comment...

Really, not trying to be nasty, but kind of a useless thread. I mean, okay..doesn't work for you. And 10 others will post the exact opposite. Or, you'll get a handful of people that will agree; so? Obviously, AT&T doesn't work for you. Why you continued to "renew" your service over/over is puzzling to me. If it was that bad, then why didn't you change sooner?

Get what works for you, and enjoy it. That's what's nice about having choices.
 
Service in the east is quite spotty with ATT. In my case I was locked into ATT when I moved out here, and spent two years making calls from the corner of the kitchen where I could get a bar or two. The explosion of iPhones only made the service that much worse, and I was thrilled to leave the company.

The rage against ATT usually has little to do with their customer service, which I liked, but their uneven coverage, even in major cities like NY. I have had about the same luck in Manhattan as I do in my NJ kitchen. That is outrageous (in my opinion) for a so-called phone company.

Verizon has been wonderful. I have a Droid now, and I like it well enough, but if Apple every comes out with a decent (free) GPS for car navigation, then I'll switch to the iPhone (for Verizon). I am afraid ATT has lost me for good, though.
 
The one thing I sorely miss from Android is their keyboard. It seems slightly more responsive and the fact that is has custom auto corrections and custom dictionary really add to the typing experience.

Maybe this (along with notifications) will change with iOS 5?
 
onthecouchagain said:
The one thing I sorely miss from Android is their keyboard. It seems slightly more responsive and the fact that is has custom auto corrections and custom dictionary really add to the typing experience.

Maybe this (along with notifications) will change with iOS 5?
Click to expand...

Man I hope so. I miss the keyboard as well. Swiftkey was a huge time saver.

Also miss Google Nav. Such a good system. There is no substitute for it that I've found in the App Store.
 
If I had bad phone service and dropped calls, I would change carriers too. However, I get better phone coverage with AT&T in my location. Verizon's phone coverage is pretty bad in my area, and the employees in our local stores say the same thing. Verizon's customer service is great. They knew the issues in our area, and they let us out of our contract with no penalties after a year into our contract... after we moved to this location into our new house. I'm still a customer of Verizon (Novatel 4G LTE mifi), and I like it a lot... but LTE is not that great just yet. It is spotty... and I don't get an LTE signal everywhere I go. If I don't get a 4G LTE signal, it goes to Verizon's 3G. When it goes to 3G it is slower than AT&T's 3G, and at times unusable. Anyhow, I think people should go with the carrier that serves you best for your location.
 
I'm crossing my fingers for a LTE iPhone release SOON. My girlfriend needs a new phone and has an upgrade, so I was going to give her my iPhone 4 and purchase the iphone 5...but I might rethink that with no LTE.

Problem is the area I'm in doesn't even have LTE yet...but I would like to be able to use it when it comes. Frustrated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back