Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post. I wanted to write an honest review of a service that I tried on my own in an attempt to lower my phone bill.
Several months back I switched to Straight Talk from T-Mobile because I was tired of a high monthly payment. I pay $45 a month now for unlimited nationwide text, talk, data and 411. That’s a big difference from the $130-$140 a month I paid T-Mobile. As a divorced mother of two, I needed to find a way to cut costs and switching to Straight Talk allowed me to do that.
When I switched over to Straight Talk, I was using a brand new MyTouch my mother had given me. Unfortunately for me, I dropped the phone while wrestling with my son at the end of the driveway and cracked the screen within a couple weeks of getting it. I couldn’t afford to have it repaired so I kept using it even though the cracks got worse every week. I cut my fingers on the screen a couple of times. Not fun!
For Christmas, my wonderful boyfriend Chris went out and bought me a new Straight Talk phone. He called and asked me prior to purchasing the phone if the Sprint Network phones would work in my area. I said yes because my brother is a Sprint customer and hasn’t really complained, so I figured if it worked for him, it would work for me. WRONG!
When I got the phone two Saturdays ago, I attempted to transfer my number from my MyTouch to the Samsung Galaxy Precedent and it took over 24 hours for the number to transfer. When it did, text messages went to the new phone but phone calls went to the old phone. Strange, right? (And no, it wasn’t a user error.)
From there, I began having issues receiving text messages. Half wouldn’t come through until much later and then all at once. Reception was very spotty, as well. Also, my phone couldn’t handle any additional apps on it other than Facebook. Not the best thing for someone who loves Pinterest and playing games on her phone.
I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, though, so I decided to keep the phone and deal with the problems because my boyfriend did something sweet for me because he knew I couldn’t afford to buy a new phone or repair the old. He knew I was having issues with the new phone, though, because I had told him some of what it was doing, so he decided to take me to Walmart, whether I liked it or not, to find a new phone that would work where I live.
While at Walmart, we spoke with the woman who works in the electronics area about the phone he’d bought me. She was very point blank about the Sprint Network and how it sucks, and she assured us the best phones to purchase are ones that operate on the Verizon network, so we looked at the phones available and I chose a Huawei Ascend Y.
Late yesterday afternoon I transferred my number to my new phone. It took about 15 minutes for the transfer to go through opposed to the 24+ hours on the Samsung. That, in and of itself, was a big deal since I knew Chris and his two children were heading home this morning, and he had to take the old phone with him so he could return it.
What was really great was that my contact info transferred from one phone to the other without me having to do a darn thing. My lazy arse loved that.
Texts went right through, as well. There are more apps available for download on this phone. Over 600,000 to choose from opposed to 250,000 or so on the Samsung.
Also, on the other phone, Subway Surfers was not available which bugged me and my daughter. We love that game. It is, however, available on my new phone. Score!
The Huawei Ascend Y actually reminds me of my old MyTouch…without the cracked screen. It’s easy to use. It’s not very heavy. It wasn’t expensive. It takes decent photos. Overall, it was a worthwhile purchase, and I couldn’t be happier with it. Although, Chris still says his iPhone is better.
In conclusion, if you’re a Maine resident looking to switch to Straight Talk, DO NOT go with a Sprint Network phone. Choose one that works with the Verizon Network. Otherwise, you’re going to crap for reception and end up bitching just like I did.
How was the reception with T-Mobile in Maine? I will be moving to Portland shortly, and will be traveling around the state. Should I switch carriers?
I actually had really reception with TMobile…unless I was in my house. I had dead spots in it, but outside, it usually worked fine. There were a few sketchy spots on certain roads near where I lived that were inbetween towers, but for the most part, I didn’t have complaints in that area. My complaint was the bill.