i have at&t and am actually thinking of switching to verizon. i have a blackberry, and their blackberry data plans are stupidly expensive.

Really? That's good to know because I would like to get myself a blackberry. I just hate that there are all these hidden fees - I've noticed that with AT & T. You select a plan and then if you want x service, it's an additional $10 per line, or if you want y service, it's an additional $30. It's so confusing! Smart marketing people, that's for sure.

T-Mobile in my experience has a lot of no network areas. I don't live in the sticks, but I am constantly losing reception.

I've had Sprint for about 10 years. Coverage has vastly improved. I got the Palm Pre back in June and I want to marry it. I've had no problems with internet service or cell phone service.

One complaint I've heard about AT&T is that since sooooooooooooo many people have iPhones, if you're at large gatherings (like baseball games or concerts), the internet service pretty much slows to a crawl on that network.

yeah, i've not heard good things about t-mobile either.

amy, my plan (450 minutes with rollovers, free nights (starting at 9) and weekends, free in-network calling, unlimited texts, unlimited data) comes to a whopping $107/month. INSANE

*I should clarify that I've had no internet or cell phone service problems since I got the new phone.

yeah at&t has that problem too...not sure about internet, but for sure with calling/texting. when i'm at a badger game (or even tailgating in the vicinity of the stadium), only every other call/text goes though. so annoying.

HOLY MOLY! Sheesh. And I doubt it'd be much better on Verizon. I should check that out on their site.

What irks me is that when you go into these stores, in my experience, no one even cares to answer these very confusing questions. I don't think that half the time they even know the answers!

When I mentioned to Verizon last time I was in their store that I might shop around for a new service, the salesman just looked at me like "Yeah? So?". And at AT & T today, the person just handed us a pamphlet and that was that!

I hate AT&T. I have zero coverage where I live. Their customer service is awful. I just haven't had a choice in carriers because of where I live. Verizon finally came here after the merger with AllTel. I'm under contract with AT&T until next year, but then all bets are off. I'll be shopping around.

Apparently they all suck but Sprint!

It's sad because Cellular South has the best plan, rate, and computers for a netbook. The only thing that is keep me from switching to them is that their coverage outside the South isn't 100% reliable and their phones are a little antiquated.

But it's sad that customer service wise, they are 100% better than all the major carriers.

Just can't win!

I have ATT and eh, I liked my Verizon better but then again, I was in a much more metro area those days so that could be why I had better coverage.

I think all the companies suck probably. Maybe ask some local friends so at least you can be with the best of the worst in terms of actual signal?

I've had problems with everyone except T-Mobile. I actually had the most problems with Sprint! I've had only good experiences with T-Mobile, except for the fact that when I'm visiting my parents in Ohio, the Internet is a little slow because I can't always pick up the 3G network. I've had no problems making calls, sending texts, etc. there. And I can use the Internet, it just takes a little longer than I'd like. When I had Sprint, I couldn't take or make phone calls in my house. You got about half way up the driveway and reception got really sketchy.

I've thought about switching to Verizon from time to time because they're the only carrier that provides service on metro trains, but metro is starting to expand that.

I had Sprint for several years but I became frustrated as calls would drop in my home so I had to always go outside to make/receive calls.

When I got married I switched to Verizon and the service has been stellar---but then so has the bills. The nickel and dine you to death. My husband's Blackberry service is very expensive. He has the Trio(I think that's the name of it) and LOVES it....but if we switch to another he will have to give it up because only Verizon has a contract for that particular phone.

He called Verizon last week and asked if they'd meet the same criteria/pmt plan as Sprint and they essentially laughed at him....which didn't go over very well. That is pretty much how their customer service has always been.

On another note---no matter which service I have had they ALL seemed to have one issue in common: None I have dealt with has had any ability to keep their billing straight. Every time I go in and upgrade they mess everything up...every carrier I have dealt with. It would be comical if it wasn't so frustrating.

I've had T-mobile...(calls used to drop like crazy), Sprint (love-hate relationship), and AT&T (hated it) and had a blackberry for all. Personally I'd go with T-mobile because they give you the better deals in comparison to Sprint and AT&T.

Thank you so much everyone! Keep the comments coming! I'm still not swayed any which way yet!

I have ATT because I have to (work pays), and hate it. I constantly get dropped calls, but most of the time I think that's because I work in the middle of nowhere. But, my husband gets a lot of dead areas, too, and we live in a mid-sized city.

Amy I really think it depends on your area. You should check out the different coverage maps to see what works best for where you live. Parts of CO were spotty for me with Sprint.

Well, that is the funny thing, Sarah. According to the coverage maps, they all seem to market themselves as having the best coverage. The AT & T map looked pretty identical to the Verizon map, but I haven't heard about Verizon dropping calls in the area whereas I've heard numerous complaints about AT & T -- but everyone and their mom has an iPhone here, so maybe that's why?

It may have something to do with it.

Joey has AT&T and he has issues with dropped calls all the time. He may have better coverage, but my phone doesn't drop calls nearly as much as his does.

You can put me and my friend in the same room. My AT&T won't get but one bar and my friend who has Verizon will have 3 or 4.

Crazy.

Star I've found that even with one bar, my call won't get dropped. He can have full bars and his call will drop for no reason.

maybe thats his phone... hmm...

I don't think so...he has a pretty new, pretty decent smartphone.

She and I both have the same version BB Pearls. That's why I find it so crazy.

i don't really get too many dropped calls with at&t, unless, like i said before, it's a high traffic time/area. i never had problems other than that until i got my blackberry

i don't get dropped calls so much as no service at all with ATT. but then again i live in a podunk town and even when i lived outside of DC, and i had verizon, i still wouldn't get service in places.

ugh. cell phone companies suck.

They sure do. This post has just reaffirmed that.

It just sucks that you can't try them out for a week or so before making the commitment to stick with them. That way you could see which service works best for your area/lifestyle.

haha thats why you can't! cuz they know you'd run away!

Seriously. Jerks, the whole lot of them!!

Amy check this out: http://www.cellreception.com/search.php?zip=80503&page=1

Some of the reviews are old, so they might have improved with more towers and 3G updates and such.

Before AT&T merged with Cingular Wireless, you could try them out for 30 days... but you did have to pay the bill for that month.

Doesn't Verizon do something like that?

My roommate has AT&T and hates it. Dropped calls, shoddy service, sometimes no service. I have Sprint and love them. I guess having to deal with AT&T is the price people are paying so that they can have IPHONES. I on the other hand am a blackberry/palm kind of girl.

Me too Harmony. I love my Palm!

My iPhone definitely would be worth a hassle with the service provider, but I haven't had any issues aside from occasionally a call will go straight to voicemail.

I had Sprint before this, and I never had issues with them except for one dead zone on my way home from work.

The weird thing about reception is that one, it can definitely change from phone to phone. I think a lot of people have said, for example, the new iPhones drop more calls than the old ones, and I had the same thing happen a few years ago when I switched phones. One got way more bars.

Also, coverage can change overnight. In college I got barely one bar in my dorm room, and one morning I woke up and had four. New tower I guess.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about choosing a provider. They all have pros and cons.