C00LAS1CE
10-11-2009, 04:10 AM
I have T-Mobile right now and am happy with the service but I HATE having to constantly check whether I have gone over my minutes and texts. I have a 15% off discount so I am only paying ~$42/mo for 600 anytime + 400 text. I know I'd be paying a little more (~$47 after taxes in CA) with the $40 Metro plan but I think it would be worth it not having to worry about going over my minutes/texts and have to pay those ridiculous charges.
From what I could tell, Metro has the cheapest plan for what I'm looking for (unlimited talk+text), with the only non-contract company that had a phone I was interested in, the Samsung Finesse. I checked Virgin, Boost, and Page Plus, as those are the only non-contract providers I'm aware of, aside from the major networks' non-contract services which from what I gather are significantly more expensive. My concerns about Metro are:
1) How is the service? I remember when Metro first launched I heard HORRIBLE things about the service quality, the feds listen in on it, etc. How is it now that its established and the company has grown significantly?
2) Looking at the coverage map, it looks like they charge 19 cents/min if you are outside a Metro area - why is this? Is it because it's using towers from other networks? And if you do travel outside their network, does it let you know?
3) This relates specifically to the Samsung Finesse - If I want to get GPS and not want to pay monthly for it, can I install Garmin Mobile XT, or any other 3rd party app for that matter? Or do they lock their phones?
From what I could tell, Metro has the cheapest plan for what I'm looking for (unlimited talk+text), with the only non-contract company that had a phone I was interested in, the Samsung Finesse. I checked Virgin, Boost, and Page Plus, as those are the only non-contract providers I'm aware of, aside from the major networks' non-contract services which from what I gather are significantly more expensive. My concerns about Metro are:
1) How is the service? I remember when Metro first launched I heard HORRIBLE things about the service quality, the feds listen in on it, etc. How is it now that its established and the company has grown significantly?
2) Looking at the coverage map, it looks like they charge 19 cents/min if you are outside a Metro area - why is this? Is it because it's using towers from other networks? And if you do travel outside their network, does it let you know?
3) This relates specifically to the Samsung Finesse - If I want to get GPS and not want to pay monthly for it, can I install Garmin Mobile XT, or any other 3rd party app for that matter? Or do they lock their phones?