AT&T releasing me from contract?

[greganpace]

I recently moved to an area in the mountains, and the service is spotty in our apartment. If I put my 3GS in the window sill, I get 1 or 2 bars, everywhere else there is none. After speaking to AT&T, they said they will release us from our contract early. (Right now it is set to go up in October). I know Verizon does get service at our house as all of our Verizon friends have no problem.
Question 1: The 4 and 4s have updated antennas, I believe, but is that related to cellular reception? Would there be a chance that I would get better service with a 4s?
Question 2: Our phones are still technically under contract. If we opt-out, we still keep the phones and I would be able to sell it, right?
Question 3: I do have an upgrade on one of our lines. If I upgraded now to the 4s, (which I am assuming would renew the 2-yr contract) would they still offer the opt-out?
I am not trying to be dishonest, but the thought did occur to me that if I upgraded and they did let us out of the contract after, I would be able to sell the new 4s. I am just sick of not having service and it is causing problems with my work. But I have been happy with AT&T up to this point and would prefer to keep them with the 4s because of the faster data speeds.

 

[swordfish5736]

Is att service spotty in your house or all around where you live now? It its just your house ask for a free microcell to see if that changes anything.

 

[greganpace]

It is mostly just inside our house. If I walk outside, I get 2 bars or so. It is not super great service where I live, any farther you go into the mountains and there is absolutely none. They offered the microcell, but not for free... They said I would have to purchase it for like 100 dollars, I think.

 

[hizzaah]

It is mostly just inside our house. If I walk outside, I get 2 bars or so. It is not super great service where I live, any farther you go into the mountains and there is absolutely none. They offered the microcell, but not for free... They said I would have to purchase it for like 100 dollars, I think.

Call the customer retention department.. If you talk to them right I bet you could get a free microcell as well as a credit on your bill the retention department has more authority to give credits and free stuff than regular service reps

 

[greganpace]

Call the customer retention department.. If you talk to them right I bet you could get a free microcell as well as a credit on your bill the retention department has more authority to give credits and free stuff than regular service reps

So do I just call the AT&T and say I want to cancel our service and they will transfer me to them or do I ask for someone in the retention department? Do they automatically speak to all who are going to cancel? That worries me... What if I don't really want to cancel my service just yet... Can I just say we are thinking about canceling it and want to know if there is anything they can do to fix our problem?

 

[scaredpoet]

Question 1: The 4 and 4s have updated antennas, I believe, but is that related to cellular reception? Would there be a chance that I would get better service with a 4s?

It's possible, but no guarantees. The updated antenna was mainly designed to help eliminate signal fade when someone holds their phone in their hand. If you're putting yours on a window sill, then it shouldn't be affected by this, and you probably won't see much improvement.

Question 2: Our phones are still technically under contract. If we opt-out, we still keep the phones and I would be able to sell it, right?

Yup.

Question 3: I do have an upgrade on one of our lines. If I upgraded now to the 4s, (which I am assuming would renew the 2-yr contract) would they still offer the opt-out?

Probably not, since you would be signing a new contract and that would mean you're committing to them again despite the issues.


Also, about the microcell: before you decide to get one, check out AT&Ts support forums on the microcell. People have been having issues with it, with outages occurring here and there. while others never have problems. in any case you'll be sacrificing some of your own broadband internet bandwidth to fix AT&T's coverage problem in your area. So consider these things before going with a microcell.

 

[greganpace]

Also, about the microcell: before you decide to get one, check out AT&Ts support forums on the microcell. People have been having issues with it, with outages occurring here and there. while others never have problems. in any case you'll be sacrificing some of your own broadband internet bandwidth to fix AT&T's coverage problem in your area. So consider these things before going with a microcell.

Thanks, I wouldn't have even thought about that... At our location, the fastest internet speed offered is 5mbps, and it already seems to have trouble coping with 2 phones, 2 laptops and a ps3. That probably would not be the best option. Maybe if it's free though...

 

[jekyoo]

opportunity to leave AT&T for free? GO FOR IT!

 

[Carlanga]

The 4S does have better reception in spotty areas, but it's not more than an extra bar if any.

The best thing is for you to take advantage of them releasing you for free and going to a company with better coverage in your area and keep or sell your 4.

 

[hizzaah]

The 4S does have better reception in spotty areas, but it's not more than an extra bar if any.

The best thing is for you to take advantage of them releasing you for free and going to a company with better coverage in your area and keep or sell your 4.

I agree with this. If the fastest internet they can get you is 5mbps, you've gotta on the edge of their coverage for everything. Call, get a credit to your bill for the weeks/months of no service, then get out an switch carriers. you'll get to keep your phones so I'd sell them on craigslist or ebay, then use that to re-coupe what you'll be spending on new phones from a new carrier.

If Verizon has good coverage in your area see if you can get out of your spotty internet contract with AT&T, and see if you can get internet w/ your tv provider. It will likely be faster and possibly cheaper. AT&T will probably try to up your cost if you're no longer bundling it with your wireless.

I know in my area it's cheaper to bundle my tv and internet than it is to just have internet. Shop around and see what your options are..