Virgin mobile users...are you happy?

[kijip]

I am wondering if my terrible Virgin mobile experience is typical.

I need data for work now, I have put it off as long as I can but it has become required.

I decided to do the Virgin Mobile plan and ordered the Triumph. It is a nice' spiffy little phone...except there is literally no accessing the network for web. Calls and texts are fine. Wireless is of course fine. But I don't need a wireless capable cell phone, I need access to the web where there is no wireless otherwise I would skip the monthly plan and use an iPod. We tried all the fixes and a different handset. No dice. It is going back. Virgin mobile reviews here are usually pretty good. Am I the only BBB user with this issue? The web is full of bad reviews, I should have been more cautious.

I ended up activating an old phone (an android, the MyTouch Slide) from my brother for the $50 unlimited talk/text/web monthly no contract plan from Tmobile. Came to $55 with taxes. Tmobile has always given us good coverage in our area and that is holding true with this new setup. I figure $50 is more than $35 from Virgin but still about $20 less before taxes than I would pay for the cheapest iPhone plan I could find, which did not include texting.

Please, someone explain to me why tweeting and facebooking from events is now a required job function? I have no one but myself to blame...I set up the tracking mechanism that demonstrated that our social media active/real time presence was increasing donations. Then my iPhone toting intern's year was up and I was left needing to keep it up.

[niccig]

I think it depends where you live for coverage. Only T-mobile works in my house despite ATT online map saying I will get excellent service in my house - NOT.

I've been looking into plans as well. I think t-mobiles $50 monthly plan is the best. I'm waiting for my contract to be up in 2 weeks, then I'm swapping to the $15 month for talk and text - I don't use my phone much. I'm hoping the plans don't change if ATT buy them out.

If you have to use it for work, any chance work will help pay for it?

DH has just started to need his iPhone for work, and I wish they would cover some of the cost. If you want to email someone after hours and expect a quick reply, they need a smart phone, and I feel you need to pony up the cost..it won't fly with DH's work though, everyone already has their own smartphone.

[kijip]

Originally Posted by niccig

If you have to use it for work, any chance work will help pay for it?

Non-profit benefits are not the most generous. But they are paying for part of it, in the marketing budget. We considered just getting a peel+iTouch as company property but I am glad we did not since the virgin network sucks in our area.

While it is needed for work, accessing my google apps calendar (which has my work schedule, my household schedule, my husband's schedule and our homeschool schedule on one calendar!) is super helpful for me, so I don't mind paying for some of it. And obviously, the phone part of it is mine because no one else gets their phone paid for. The texting helps me with work because I have coworkers who inexplicably prefer to text each other than just walk by each others' desks. I have no clue why this is?!

Still, I refuse to check my work email after 6pm or on the weekends and will be holding firm on this.

[kijip]

Originally Posted by niccig

I'm hoping the plans don't change if ATT buy them out.

It is looking less and less likely that the deal will be approved by regulators. In hope it does not.

[niccig]

As t-mobile is a pay by month plan, you can try it out and see if it works for you w/o too much cost, as you already have a phone.

I agree about having all the schedules together. I have an iPod touch and my phone. I don't need a data plan as either at home, at college or at starbuck with study group, and can use wifi in those places.

Maybe I should add it to the unpopular opinions. Majority of people with smart phones do not NEED to be that connected to Internet all the time. I also checked DH's usage and he never uses all his data...doesn't come close. I bet he's not the only one either. We would swap him to lower data plan but he's grandfathered in on an old plan and pays less as it is.

[lfp2n]

I think Virgin sucks, I ordered one of the mobile modems, a thing like a memory stick so your laptop can get on the web anywhere like a mobile phone- its the same data plan as the phone. I bought it as I needed to get web access on a trip to SC, I checked the Sprint network which carries Virgin and it had top level coverage there. Lo and behold my Sprint crappy cell phone worked but mysteriously I had barely any internet coverage from Virgin. Once in a while I could establish a connection long enough to check email, it was so annoying.