Appalachian Wireless vs. Competition

**BCF4L** · 11-13-2009, 10:49 AM

My question to you guys is this, if you are currently carrying a phone other than Appalachian Wirless (AT&T, Verizon, etc.), what would it take to get you to switch to Appalachian Wireless, or what is it that keeps you from switching? Is it rate plan prices, phone selection, the unlimited everything plans the national carriers have, etc.? Please, no bashing in this thread. Just trying to get a general idea of what each generation sees in a good wireless provider. Please post your age, if you feel comfortable, and what makes you choose the wireless provider you have chosen, and what it would take from the competition to get you to switch. I'm just trying to do a little study here. Will take as much insight as possible. Thanks guys!

AandB · 11-13-2009, 11:05 AM

I don't know about everyone else, but I have Appalachian wireless and I will never switch. I do not get service with any other carrier at my home.

bigjim4packers · 11-13-2009, 11:56 AM

We have AW. It's perfect for us. Had at&t and lost signal 3 miles from home. My brother has At&t and I can never get him or when i do there is always dead spots. If I could change one thing it would have to be the minutes. I pay $100 for 450 min for three phones would be nice to have more minutes and rollover.

**cougarpride08** · 11-13-2009, 12:28 PM

The one thing I would love to see in the future is one year contracts rather than two years. I have about 6 months left on my contract, but three months ago I saw a phone I love, but couldn't afford to cancel my contract. I do like the contract deal, but I think it should be one year.

**BCF4L** · 11-13-2009, 02:34 PM

cougarpride08 Wrote:The one thing I would love to see in the future is one year contracts rather than two years. I have about 6 months left on my contract, but three months ago I saw a phone I love, but couldn't afford to cancel my contract. I do like the contract deal, but I think it should be one year.

You actually can get 1 year contracts. You just have to pay more for the phone you choose. A contract is the only way for a company to be able to make their money back on giving away the phone at such a cheap price. For instance, the Samsung Finesse is over a 400.00 phone yet we give it to folk for 29.99 on a 2 year contract. If not for the contract, we would severely lose money on the phone. Cricket Wireless does not require contracts for cellular service, however they make their customers pay the full price of the phone to get them. There is honestly no way around it.

For a 1 year contract on the Finesse, it would run you around $350.00 as opposed to $29.99 with a 2 year contract.

I do however like your avatar. Nothing wrong with sporting an Appalachian Wireless logo in it. Nice shameless plug. Big Grin

***Wildcatk23*** · 11-13-2009, 02:59 PM

BCF4L Wrote:You actually can get 1 year contracts. You just have to pay more for the phone you choose. A contract is the only way for a company to be able to make their money back on giving away the phone at such a cheap price. For instance, the Samsung Finesse is over a 400.00 phone yet we give it to folk for 29.99 on a 2 year contract. If not for the contract, we would severely lose money on the phone. Cricket Wireless does not require contracts for cellular service, however they make their customers pay the full price of the phone to get them. There is honestly no way around it.

For a 1 year contract on the Finesse, it would run you around $350.00 as opposed to $29.99 with a 2 year contract.

I do however like your avatar. Nothing wrong with sporting an Appalachian Wireless logo in it. Nice shameless plug.

I recently just started an contract with Appalachian Wireless and was wondering why they double the first bill?

**BCF4L** · 11-13-2009, 03:17 PM

Wildcatk23 Wrote:I recently just started an contract with Appalachian Wireless and was wondering why they double the first bill?

Everything you get anymore has a double bill as your first bill. What happens is you are billed a month in advance for everything. So if you get your cell phone on October 20th, we bill you for what you use from October 20th to November 15th (the 15th is the last day of our billing cycle) and bill you the month in advance which would be from November 16th to December 15th. So in reality, you got your phone on October 20th, but your first bill isn't actually do until December the 3rd, so there is an extended period of time there that you don't get a bill.

Say you get your bill on November 15th, you're actually paying for your services for what you would use from November 16th thru December 15th. Which is where the month in advance comes from.

Now, say your 2 year contract is up October 20th and you decide to disconnect. You will see basically a month of credits because of the month in advance payment.

Hope this helps. :Thumbs:

***Wildcatk23*** · 11-13-2009, 03:34 PM

BCF4L Wrote:Everything you get anymore has a double bill as your first bill. What happens is you are billed a month in advance for everything. So if you get your cell phone on October 20th, we bill you for what you use from October 20th to November 15th (the 15th is the last day of our billing cycle) and bill you the month in advance which would be from November 16th to December 15th. So in reality, you got your phone on October 20th, but your first bill isn't actually do until December the 3rd, so there is an extended period of time there that you don't get a bill.

Say you get your bill on November 15th, you're actually paying for your services for what you would use from November 16th thru December 15th. Which is where the month in advance comes from.

Now, say your 2 year contract is up October 20th and you decide to disconnect. You will see basically a month of credits because of the month in advance payment.

Hope this helps. :Thumbs:

Clears some things up.

hawg laig · 11-13-2009, 04:11 PM

I'm in the Mountains and have AT&T. It rarely has signal. I keep it because I have to travel quite a bit and I get free roaming. I get a great signal when I am sixty miles west or sixty miles east for that matter. I also have quite a few friends who live in Lexington, Louisville and Owensboro. I can call their phone direct and do not get charged for minutes.
If Appy had free roam, and allowed calls to other networks for no minute cost then I would switch today.

**BCF4L** · 11-13-2009, 05:01 PM

hawg laig Wrote:I'm in the Mountains and have AT&T. It rarely has signal. I keep it because I have to travel quite a bit and I get free roaming. I get a great signal when I am sixty miles west or sixty miles east for that matter. I also have quite a few friends who live in Lexington, Louisville and Owensboro. I can call their phone direct and do not get charged for minutes.
If Appy had free roam, and allowed calls to other networks for no minute cost then I would switch today.

We do have free roam. It's included in our nationwide plans. That's the one thing that is misinterpreted when talking about regional carriers like App Wireless. Many think we just allow you to talk in our area and charge you if you roam. That is incorrect. A regional carrier tends to have better service nationwide than a national carrier such as AT&T. What folks don't understand is when you leave App Wireless' calling area, you start to hit our roaming partners. We have many, many roaming partners such as Verizon, Sprint, Cricket, etc. as well as all of the other regional carriers like us. All of this is included in the price of a nationwide plan which starts at $39.99 per month for 450 daytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, and free mobile to mobile to any other App Wireless customer.

What if I were to tell you that we could offer you the "calling circle" plan that allows you to choose up to 10 numbers that you could call for free, regardless of the carrier? Would something like that convince you to become an App Wireless customer?

***Wildcatk23*** · 11-13-2009, 05:03 PM

BCF4L Wrote:We do have free roam. It's included in our nationwide plans. That's the one thing that is misinterpreted when talking about regional carriers like App Wireless. Many think we just allow you to talk in our area and charge you if you roam. That is incorrect. A regional carrier tends to have better service nationwide than a national carrier such as AT&T. What folks don't understand is when you leave App Wireless' calling area, you start to hit our roaming partners. We have many, many roaming partners such as Verizon, Sprint, Cricket, etc. as well as all of the other regional carriers like us. All of this is included in the price of a nationwide plan which starts at $39.99 per month for 450 daytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, and free mobile to mobile to any other App Wireless customer.

What if I were to tell you that we could offer you the "calling circle" plan that allows you to choose up to 10 numbers that you could call for free, regardless of the carrier? Would something like that convince you to become an App Wireless customer?

This would be amazing

**PC_You_Know** · 11-13-2009, 05:15 PM

I guess it would take rollover minutes, cheaper phones(like I said I got my Impression for $.99), and reductions on prices of upgrades when your plan is up.

Mama Bear · 11-13-2009, 05:15 PM

I have AW and love it!!! I have reception every where we go except 119 between Harlan and Pineville. I love the support that they give back to our community. Wouldn't have anyone else!

**cougarpride08** · 11-13-2009, 06:04 PM

What kind of deal do they have on a phone that has blue tooth, mini sd slot, plug in for headphones, and keypad for texting?

EAGLES08 · 11-14-2009, 12:24 AM

I am a customer of App. Wireless but, the only complaint I really have is the phone selection. Very cheap like phones, the most high end is the spyder II and thats just focusing on common teenagers. I would like a more serious phone, such as The Droid that Verizon has. Which CAN be supported by App. Wireless since it is CDMA and runs on EVDO. Only complaint.

But, since it is in line with the technical needs of App Wireless, would it be possible to switch from my BlackBerry 8830 to The Droid? I am looking for a much more serious phone, with a much better browser. Not a fan of the Finesse or the Spyder II, simply not enough for what I'm looking for.

football05 · 11-14-2009, 12:07 PM

APP WIRELESS will be getting the HTC HERO aka ANDROID soon....we are also getting the Motorola Quantico which is the "marine phone" BCF4L was giving me some info on this phone and its pretty tough...It can stand to be in up to 3 foot of water for up to 30 minutes, be dropped, etc...Now dont get me wrong it can be destroyed so dont get the wrong impression

For more information on these phones go to phonescoop.com and check them out

**crazytaxidriver** · 11-14-2009, 09:15 PM

Customer service. What I say is right. So don't triple my bill and tell me I can't cancel a contract that I started. Even if there is a co- signer

Basketballer · 11-15-2009, 01:09 AM

Cheaper Phones better deals on plans and some of their customer service ppl are just flat out rude

**15thRegionSlamaBamma** · 11-15-2009, 03:43 AM

BCF4L Wrote:We do have free roam. It's included in our nationwide plans. That's the one thing that is misinterpreted when talking about regional carriers like App Wireless. Many think we just allow you to talk in our area and charge you if you roam. That is incorrect. A regional carrier tends to have better service nationwide than a national carrier such as AT&T. What folks don't understand is when you leave App Wireless' calling area, you start to hit our roaming partners. We have many, many roaming partners such as Verizon, Sprint, Cricket, etc. as well as all of the other regional carriers like us. All of this is included in the price of a nationwide plan which starts at $39.99 per month for 450 daytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, and free mobile to mobile to any other App Wireless customer.

What if I were to tell you that we could offer you the "calling circle" plan that allows you to choose up to 10 numbers that you could call for free, regardless of the carrier? Would something like that convince you to become an App Wireless customer?

Ill tell you one thing that has helped Sprint, by working for them we just recently switch to a Any mobile Any time program if you have an Everything Data plan. It increased our business by about 10 to 15 percent and affected our retention rate by about 15 %. Basically with the plan you get unlimited Data and Txt Messaging and it helps people to have a more afordable plan people that were once on a 3000 minute plan have been able to save 50 to 60 dollars a month on avg by switching to a 1500 plan. People with individual plans have saved any where from 20 dollars to 60 dollars a month. So that would be something for you all to look into, the Any mobile any time allows you to call any mobile number on any carrier at any time with out affecting any time minutes. To go along with that I have heard many people complain about their experiences with App Wireless customer care. When you look at that it is save to say that people who have a bad experience with tell 6 to 8 people about their bad experience if someone has a good experience they will tell 3 to 4, business all starts on a personal level and that is the key to a good business IMO.

throw deep · 11-15-2009, 12:37 PM

BCF4L Wrote:You actually can get 1 year contracts. You just have to pay more for the phone you choose. A contract is the only way for a company to be able to make their money back on giving away the phone at such a cheap price. For instance, the Samsung Finesse is over a 400.00 phone yet we give it to folk for 29.99 on a 2 year contract. If not for the contract, we would severely lose money on the phone. Cricket Wireless does not require contracts for cellular service, however they make their customers pay the full price of the phone to get them. There is honestly no way around it.

For a 1 year contract on the Finesse, it would run you around $350.00 as opposed to $29.99 with a 2 year contract.

I do however like your avatar. Nothing wrong with sporting an Appalachian Wireless logo in it. Nice shameless plug.

I paid $100 for the phone and 2 year contract in June!!!!

**jammin' jamey** · 11-15-2009, 01:59 PM

AW has been great to add to their coverage area over the past several years, that's one thing they will always have over AT&T.

With that said, BCF4L, I would like to see better service between Wwright and Virgie, leading across Penny Road to Shelby Valley. The signal at Valley has improved over the past year, but I would like to see signal from Virgie, across Indian Creek Route 122 and over the mountain to Melvin, Weeksbury and Wwright.

Thanks.

**BCF4L** · 11-15-2009, 02:33 PM

We do have a couple of Android phones coming for those who mentioned it. The Motorola Droid, as of right now, is one of those coming, but it won't be until sometime early next year as Verizon has locked this phone up for a few months before anyone else gets it. We have the HTC Hero coming in a couple of weeks which is similar to the Motorola Droid, minus the slide out keypad that the Motorola has. The HTC is a full touch screen model and is really an awesome phone. It is a must get imo.

**BigBlueBobcatFan** · 11-16-2009, 12:22 AM

I am looking to get some type of cell phone service whether it be pre-paid or contract but more than likely it will have to be pre-paid because i am just now getting my credit established and that deposit dont look to good to start out with but I dont like the att pre-paid because you dont get your mone'ys worth you pay $15 and get $15 worth of minutes which at 1o cent a minute they go pretty quick im not sure about verizon pre-paid but a friend of mine pays $15 a month and gets 150 minutes his phone has bluetooth and has a great camera on it and its thru NET10 I would love to have Appalachian Wireless but i checked the coverage and Bell is not included please help me make a selection

Basketballer · 11-16-2009, 02:18 AM

BigBlueBobcatFan Wrote:I am looking to get some type of cell phone service whether it be pre-paid or contract but more than likely it will have to be pre-paid because i am just now getting my credit established and that deposit dont look to good to start out with but I dont like the att pre-paid because you dont get your mone'ys worth you pay $15 and get $15 worth of minutes which at 1o cent a minute they go pretty quick im not sure about verizon pre-paid but a friend of mine pays $15 a month and gets 150 minutes his phone has bluetooth and has a great camera on it and its thru NET10 I would love to have Appalachian Wireless but i checked the coverage and Bell is not included please help me make a selection

Att just came out with a new prepaid plan that is 60.00 a month and you get unlimited minutes and text , a great deal overal i even checked into canceling my contract and getting but they talked me in to keeping my contract

**BCF4L** · 11-16-2009, 11:03 AM

BigBlueBobcatFan Wrote:I am looking to get some type of cell phone service whether it be pre-paid or contract but more than likely it will have to be pre-paid because i am just now getting my credit established and that deposit dont look to good to start out with but I dont like the att pre-paid because you dont get your mone'ys worth you pay $15 and get $15 worth of minutes which at 1o cent a minute they go pretty quick im not sure about verizon pre-paid but a friend of mine pays $15 a month and gets 150 minutes his phone has bluetooth and has a great camera on it and its thru NET10 I would love to have Appalachian Wireless but i checked the coverage and Bell is not included please help me make a selection

We have purchased the Bell County territory and should start building it out in the near future. Not real sure when that's going to take place though.

EAGLES08 · 11-16-2009, 11:46 PM

BCF4L Wrote:We do have a couple of Android phones coming for those who mentioned it. The Motorola Droid, as of right now, is one of those coming, but it won't be until sometime early next year as Verizon has locked this phone up for a few months before anyone else gets it. We have the HTC Hero coming in a couple of weeks which is similar to the Motorola Droid, minus the slide out keypad that the Motorola has. The HTC is a full touch screen model and is really an awesome phone. It is a must get imo.

You, my friend, have made me a very very happy man. Droid timing is perfect.

pillsburythrowboy · 11-17-2009, 02:49 AM

I have app. wireless and love it when I have the right phone. I recently had a spyder. I loved the phone but hated the service it got. I got better service around the virgie areas with my gf's cingular phone. I recently switched back to a razor I bought off of a friend and its doing me wonders. I love the razor phones. I just recently phone another razor phone I had and will be switching the number off of the spyder and on to the other razor. Those spyder phones are garbage awful service!

**BCF4L** · 11-17-2009, 10:24 AM

pillsburythrowboy Wrote:I have app. wireless and love it when I have the right phone. I recently had a spyder. I loved the phone but hated the service it got. I got better service around the virgie areas with my gf's cingular phone. I recently switched back to a razor I bought off of a friend and its doing me wonders. I love the razor phones. I just recently phone another razor phone I had and will be switching the number off of the spyder and on to the other razor. Those spyder phones are garbage awful service!

The Spyder 2's are much better than the original spyder. I have to agree that it wasn't the best phone for picking up signal. The Spyder 2 and Finesse seem to do a good job. This HTC Hero does a great job with service as well. The Hero (Android phone) should be in stores in the next couple of weeks. We just got the Blackberry Tour in yesterday and should be distributed to stores today for those interested.

ryan.johnson · 11-17-2009, 02:03 PM

I am very happy that all the new phones are coming to app wireless i think that the only thing that would make it better would be the right rate plans by this i mean we should have cheaper web packs i mean i would love to have internet on my phone but cannot afford the $60 price tag that comes with it...other than that i love AW i have 6 lines with them and love their coverage...like a poster above said i would like to see more coverage in the wheelwright and melvin areas

pillsburythrowboy · 11-17-2009, 05:23 PM

BCF4L Wrote:The Spyder 2's are much better than the original spyder. I have to agree that it wasn't the best phone for picking up signal. The Spyder 2 and Finesse seem to do a good job. This HTC Hero does a great job with service as well. The Hero (Android phone) should be in stores in the next couple of weeks. We just got the Blackberry Tour in yesterday and should be distributed to stores today for those interested.

lol That would be good if I could afford a new phone! But Im stuck with the old razors and that dang spyder!