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Should I switch to AT&T for an iPhone

L

liquidlink

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 17, 2008
63
0
Chicago, Illinois
I am new to posting in this forum but have been reading it for a few months now. I am currently with Verizon for my personal phone, I am out of contract and thinking of getting an iPhone. I carry a Blackberry for work so the iPhone would just be for personal use. I am wondering if AT&T service is as good as Verizon. I have been with Verizon for around 8 years and love the service. I will be honest, I hate there phone selection. AT&T is appealing to me cause I can change my phone anytime.

In everyone's opinion, is AT&T as good as Verizon and if you have switched from Verizon to AT&T I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading my post.
 
It really depends on your area as to which provider is better. I can tell you that I switched from T-Mobile to get an iPhone and have not regretted it at all. You might consider checking the coverage maps on AT&T and Verizon's websites to have an idea, and also ask your AT&T using friends how they like the service.
 
I use Sprint for my work cell phone, and recently switched to AT&T for an iPhone, for personal use. I love it. I like the service, I really have no issues with it at all. I usually have 5 full bars of service. I'm in the midwest and spend a good deal of time in small towns, and iIve yet to really find anywhere that doesn't have any service.

I was a little worried about AT&T's service, but can happily say that I have no issues with it at all, and don't regret getting an iPhone (or the AT&T service that comes with it) at all.

PS...I wouldn't put too much stake in AT&T's coverage map. In my experience, it shows a lot LESS service than actually exists in any given location. I usually (98% of the time) have excellent service.
 
I switched yesterday fro Verizon to AT&T for the iPhone. My old phone(s) were the enV, LG Chocolate, and the KRZR. Obviously, nothing compares to the iPhone and I love it. I too had very good service with Verizon and there were some places where I didn't, but with AT&T I have service everywhere!

The iPhone is worth it for me :D
 
Thank you all for the responses. I know the coverage is good in Chicago with AT&T and I am going to check with some friends on AT&T and then I will probably get my new iPhone. I assume I will buy the refurbished one till the 3g model is released and then upgrade to that. Thanks again.
 
liquidlink said:
I am new to posting in this forum but have been reading it for a few months now. I am currently with Verizon for my personal phone, I am out of contract and thinking of getting an iPhone. I carry a Blackberry for work so the iPhone would just be for personal use. I am wondering if AT&T service is as good as Verizon. I have been with Verizon for around 8 years and love the service. I will be honest, I hate there phone selection. AT&T is appealing to me cause I can change my phone anytime.

In everyone's opinion, is AT&T as good as Verizon and if you have switched from Verizon to AT&T I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading my post.
Click to expand...

From my personal experience, the services have been quite comparable. Where one gets marginal service, the other is fairly similiar. Living in the Northeast mainly in the CT/NY area, they both get great service. My friend just recently switched from Verizon to AT&T and hasn't regretted the move. I am in the same boat, debating the switch or not...
 
I'm in Chicago as well and have had AT&T/Cingular for the past 8 years. Lately, the service is excellent -- way better than i've ever experienced. I have service everywhere -- in skyscrapers, basements, at home, even in places where my friends don't get service. So you'll be fine!
 
The best thing for you to do is to try ATT out. There is a 30 day trial period where you can cancel without the ETF. If you try the iphone out you have 14 days but you will be charged a restockinhg fee. I strongly recomend you take advantage of the trial period that way you see if you get reception in the places you frequently visit.
 
mets1125 said:
The best thing for you to do is to try ATT out. There is a 30 day trial period where you can cancel without the ETF. If you try the iphone out you have 14 days but you will be charged a restockinhg fee. I strongly recomend you take advantage of the trial period that way you see if you get reception in the places you frequently visit.
Click to expand...

Should I just goto AT&T and get a regular phone with any number to try them out and them port my number once I know for sure. What do you think the best approach is?
 
I live in NYC---recently switched from Verizon to ATT in order to get an iphone.

No regrets!
 
Making the switch next week. The only thing I'll miss is the "in network" stuff since a lot of friends and family are still on Verizon. But with a 3hr time zone difference we manage to work out a lot of free night and early morning calls.
 
liquidlink said:
Should I just goto AT&T and get a regular phone with any number to try them out and them port my number once I know for sure. What do you think the best approach is?
Click to expand...


You could do that but the only thing is with the gophone you will not be able to roam onto any other network, which means coverage might not be as good. Your best bet is to just take advantage of the trial, you do not need to buy the iphone (so you wont pay the restocking fee if you do not happy with the service) just get a reg phone from ATT. If you are satisfied then keep the phone and buy an iphone then sell the phone you bought on ebay for a profit.
 
Thank you all for your advise. I think I will make the switch in the next month. I just want to talk to some of my friends that have AT&T. I know I should not be worrried, AT&T and Verizon are the 2 largest carriers. One thing that I am not happy about AT&T is that they will not insure there PDA / Blackberry phones for an extended time like Verizon. I have never lost a phone (knock on wood) but it is a nice safety net to have with Verizon.

Thank you again for your advise.
 
I recently switched from Verizon (Treo 700w) to AT&T (iPhone). I am located in central New Jersey.

Prior to Jan 2006 I had AT&T/Cingular for a few years and was NOT happy with the service. Dropped calls, hard to hear callers, etc. Switching to Verizon was great. No drops, very clear calls, and reasonably fast data (200-800 kbps).

I was wary of AT&T but I had heard they have improved. I'm two weeks in now, and so far its not too bad. Call quality is better than I remembered, but its still not as good as Verizon. Data is noticeably slower. EDGE network can only go as high as ~236 kbps. It really depends on where you are. I work in Jersey City and the data speed is awful (50-60kpbs), but elsewhere I get a steady 200.

Overall AT&T is not too bad. the iPhone is so great that it makes it worth it.
 
Just buy the iPhone and unlock it... takes a few minutes and then you don't even need to ask this question.
 
liquidlink said:
I am new to posting in this forum but have been reading it for a few months now. I am currently with Verizon for my personal phone, I am out of contract and thinking of getting an iPhone. I carry a Blackberry for work so the iPhone would just be for personal use. I am wondering if AT&T service is as good as Verizon. I have been with Verizon for around 8 years and love the service. I will be honest, I hate there phone selection. AT&T is appealing to me cause I can change my phone anytime.

In everyone's opinion, is AT&T as good as Verizon and if you have switched from Verizon to AT&T I would love to hear from you.

Thank you for reading my post.
Click to expand...

I'm in the exact same position as you (out of contract and on Verizon), but am in the northern VA (Springfield/Fairfax) area.
 
I had Verizon up until about a month ago when I switched to AT&T to get the iPhone...First off Verizon coverage is definetely a lot better, but AT&T is not unbearable...I would NOT have made the switch if it weren't' for the fact that my company paid for my iPhone and is also now paying for my service plan.
 
Why does everyone I talk to that has had Verizon and AT&T say Verizon has the best network. I talked to some friends today that had verizon and switch to AT&T and they all said that I love the flexability to switch phones anytime on AT&T but would prefer Verizons network. Maybe I should just forget the whole iPhone idea till Verizon switches to LTE sometime before 2010. The only saving grace is the Blackberry Curve is coming to Verizon in the next couple of months.
 
After a month or so with an iPhone in NYC, I don't think the ATT network is better or worse than Verizon here.
 
i used to have sprint's pricey but rock solid network (and friendly customer service), now i have at&t's pricey but mediocre network. i often get/make calls where i hear no one and they hear me (i am using the iphone in multiple areas of los angeles).

IMO, at&t's pricing is shady (shadier than all crook networks). for instance, i signed up for 7pm nites 2 days into 2nd month, got charged fully for the service, but they still billed me extra minutes that month. Getting customer service reps on the phone is worthless and will eat up ever more minutes. They are the largest and close to monopoly which is why they feel they can treat people this way i guess. their lobbying efforts to destroy the internet also make me angry that i subscribe to them.

Again, just my opinion. Good luck.
 
bennyboi said:
i used to have sprint's pricey but rock solid network (and friendly customer service), now i have at&t's pricey but mediocre network. i often get/make calls where i hear no one and they hear me (i am using the iphone in multiple areas of los angeles).
Click to expand...

I do tech support for Sprint Treos and blackberries. We're not known for good customer service, so thanks for saying we have good customer service.
 
i live in new york city and got the iphone a few weeks after it came out last summer. after a few months, i had to go back to verizon. verizon has impeccable service, especially in new york, i never have a problem, never a dropped call, inside, outside, even in the subway i get service sometimes. with att, the phone always took about 5 minutes to catch a signal when coming out of the subway, i got CONSTANT dropped calls, and call quality was so terrible that i had to move around my apartment to find a spot where i could BARELY hear who i was talking to. by the way, i'm on the 16th floor, not underground or anything. i called ATT about the issue and they give me the excuse that cell signals don't go through buildings very well. well, my apartment is full of windows and i'm on the edge of the building. i'm not buried deep within concrete and steel with no light in the room. and so, i should only use my cell phone when outside? come on. verizon works flawlessly, inside buildings and out. and forget about elevators with ATT. with verizon yes, ATT, no.

yes, the iphone is fantastic, but, after the terrible service i experienced, it's simply not worth it. after all, it is your phone, and that is the worst part of the iphone, which im sorry to say, is a deal breaker. ATT is horrible and i will never go back.
 
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