Jenny in Florida Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 In my continuing quest to cut our monthly expenses, I stumbled across a mention somewhere of Metro PCS. It does look, on the surface, like switching three of our four phones from AT&T to Metro and putting the remaining AT&T person on a basic prepaid plan might save us as much as $50 per month. It would require buying new phones, but if the savings are as expected, we'd recoup those costs in three months. And one of the three might need a new phone, anyway. My husband is nervous about jumping to a company with which we have no experience and just generally tends to be suspicious of anything significantly less expensive. (Deep down, he really believes you get what you pay for. If something costs less, it must not be as good.) We're toying with the idea of getting just one Metro phone as an experiment for a month or so, passing it around to check coverage and service, before deciding whether to make the switch. But if I can gather enough feedback to convince him without that step, I'd just as soon start paying lower bills sooner. So, thoughts? Opinions? Experiences -- good or bad -- with Metro? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stayseeliz Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 My sister is in Florida and had Metro PCS for a long time. She liked it when she was home. When she traveled she often had NO service. We were on a long stretch of road in Georgia alone and she had no cell service. She didn't like that. But she did like it when she was home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted March 4, 2013 Share Posted March 4, 2013 In my continuing quest to cut our monthly expenses, I stumbled across a mention somewhere of Metro PCS. It does look, on the surface, like switching three of our four phones from AT&T to Metro and putting the remaining AT&T person on a basic prepaid plan might save us as much as $50 per month. It would require buying new phones, but if the savings are as expected, we'd recoup those costs in three months. And one of the three might need a new phone, anyway. My husband is nervous about jumping to a company with which we have no experience and just generally tends to be suspicious of anything significantly less expensive. (Deep down, he really believes you get what you pay for. If something costs less, it must not be as good.) We're toying with the idea of getting just one Metro phone as an experiment for a month or so, passing it around to check coverage and service, before deciding whether to make the switch. But if I can gather enough feedback to convince him without that step, I'd just as soon start paying lower bills sooner. So, thoughts? Opinions? Experiences -- good or bad -- with Metro? Thanks! I am on Metro's $25/month plan (it is a plan offered only at stores and I am unsure if it is offered in all areas of the country.) I get unlimited minutes and unlimited text messages, but no data whatsoever (internet, email, or picture messages). I have been with them since November and have nothing but good things to say about them. I have not had any issues with service or my phone (Huawei Pinnacle 2) and would recommend them to everybody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 My sister is in Florida and had Metro PCS for a long time. She liked it when she was home. When she traveled she often had NO service. We were on a long stretch of road in Georgia alone and she had no cell service. She didn't like that. But she did like it when she was home. Thanks for sharing this. Can you tell me, approximately, when she had the service? Was it recently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 I am on Metro's $25/month plan (it is a plan offered only at stores and I am unsure if it is offered in all areas of the country.) I get unlimited minutes and unlimited text messages, but no data whatsoever (internet, email, or picture messages). I have been with them since November and have nothing but good things to say about them. I have not had any issues with service or my phone (Huawei Pinnacle 2) and would recommend them to everybody. Thank you! I'll admit I'm hoping to hear this kind of review. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Not sure where in FL you are, but I am west of Sarasota, and when I had it, the service was spotty. It is called Metro for a reason, because it only works best in metro areas like Tampa, Lakeland, etc. One thing to know about them is that if you go out of your "home" area and you use your phone a lot (like on vacation), they can blacklist your phone and cut off your service. No questions asked. Ask me how I know....grrr. Also, their customer service is horrid.You say you have AT&T....do they take SIMs? If they do, you can get SIM cards from Straight Talk (through Walmart) and activate them with ST. $30 a month for 1000 minutes/1000 texts and 30 mb of net. $45 a month for unlimited. Dh has used it for years and has went all over the US with it. As of some time in January, Straight Talk no longer offers SIM cards for the phones we now have. And, even if they did, $45 times three phones doesn't save us enough to make it worth switching. If we have to buy new phones, it would wipe out our savings for several months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TraceyS/FL Posted March 5, 2013 Share Posted March 5, 2013 A friend up here in NW Lake County switched from Verizon to MetroPCS last summer. He has a cheap phone, not 4G. His coverage is fine if he doesn't venture far off the main road - but crap out where he spends a couple of hours a day working. He isn't overly happy with it - he is saving money. Last time he asked about the crap service they told him he needed to upgrade to a 4G phone (and they do VOIP on their 4G i gather). They are trying to merge with T-Mobile, which is a completely incompatible network, but in the long run it will be good for both of them I think. Down in Orlando you would probably be fine with it - up here "off the map", well, it just depends! ETA: he pays $40/mo for his plan (actually i think it is $43 with some "extras" they put on there) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 Ah...well you didn't specify what price range you were in, and I know Metro is comparable in price, so I was just throwing it out there. I know I didn't buy either of ours new....I bought them off local swap boards. I apologize. I realized after I hit "Add Reply" that I sounded a little brusque. I was in a hurry to post and get something off the stove. The Metro plan I was considering starts off $5 less per month than Straight Talk, and we would get $5 each additional line. With three lines, that would make Metro $25 per month less than ST. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted March 5, 2013 Author Share Posted March 5, 2013 A friend up here in NW Lake County switched from Verizon to MetroPCS last summer. He has a cheap phone, not 4G. His coverage is fine if he doesn't venture far off the main road - but crap out where he spends a couple of hours a day working. He isn't overly happy with it - he is saving money. Last time he asked about the crap service they told him he needed to upgrade to a 4G phone (and they do VOIP on their 4G i gather). They are trying to merge with T-Mobile, which is a completely incompatible network, but in the long run it will be good for both of them I think. Down in Orlando you would probably be fine with it - up here "off the map", well, it just depends! ETA: he pays $40/mo for his plan (actually i think it is $43 with some "extras" they put on there) Thanks. The phones we are considering would be 4G compatible. And, yes, the $40 per month plan is the one we're considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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