Sprint PCS - "We are unable to complete your call..."
 

Is anyone else having problems with Sprint PCS lately? Or am I just special?

For the past two nights in a row, I have tried making cell phone calls and I get an automated message saying "We are unable to complete your call at this time. Please try again later"

It's driving me crazy!

just my own sprint pcs rant...
 

I live in KC--home of Sprint Corp headquarters--- if I am not getting the message you get--I get dropped calls--and I roam--in town, not like I am in the woods calling someone--in the middle of a populated area. This is one particular area I drive thru (the triangle for those of you familiar with kc)--I always have to end the call when I enter the area--otherwise it will get dropped. Everyone I know drops calls there too.

--wendi

Cingular is the only one who works in San Antonio when more than 3 people are in the same place. Forget concerts, Spurs games, HS football games, festivals and parades if you use anybody else. Have NEVER figured that one out.:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

BTW - I am on ATT and always am dropped in about 8 parts of town. I am the apologetic dude, "OK, I am about to go into an area that drops me, If it hangs up, I'll call you right back." :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I use Alltel and I never lose a signal even out in the boondox.

I sell cell phones so I may have a little different perspective here.

People need to remember that cell phones work off of imperfect technology. The signal can be effected by the SMALLEST things and there's not a damned thing the company can do about it. There are also tons of considerations with zoning and other such legal items involved with building cell sites.

YES you will drop calls... Accept it and go on with life. It is a phone, people understand (or should) the limitations of the technology. If you drop the call call someone back. If it's a huge problem, call customer service and they'll comp you some minutes.

NO they won't ever fix it.. Again dead spots are something that can't be fixed. If the conditions are right (or wrong depending on how you read this) you could be standing right next to a cell tower and STILL not have a signal.

You'll probably have the best luck with your traditional A & B carriers -- whoever the 2 carriers that have been in your market the longest are. For us in OKC that's AT&T (A-carrier) and Cingular (B-Carrier). There are also independant studies in different markets that indicate who's coverage is the best (although what is "best" may not be the best for you).

Final though: If you're going to have a cell phone it is completely unreasonable to expect it to work all the time. Read the back of your contract and it even says that.

I've been with Sprint PCS for five years and I have never had a problem with them.

Sprint's actually one of the best service providers here in Hawaii.

Thanks for this thread...it reminded me that my bill's past due.

My boyfriend sells cell phones now, so that's all I ever hear about from him. Here's what I've learned from him (when I'm actually paying attention to him while he's talking about cell phones :p):

Sprint is crappy because they're doing that "building from the ground up" thing, so they don't have as many towers as many of the other companies and they can't use other companies' towers. So, unless you're near a Sprint tower, you're not going to get reception. Sprint will be better in a few years when they build more towers, but until then, you should probably go with something else. All of the other large companies (AT&T, Cingular, Verizon, VoiceStream/T-Mobil) can share towers so they get better reception in most places than Sprint does.

I personally have Cingular and I've never had a problem with them. They also usually have really good plans (i.e., nationwide service w/ no roaming and now they have rollover minutes). My boyfriend is an AT&T customer and that's also who he works for, so he's brainwashed me into being pro-AT&T and anti-Verizon. ;) I know people who have both of them and they like them and dislike them for different reasons. Everyone I know that has VoiceStream really doesn't like it, but it might be different now that they changed their name.

That's my non-expert opinion...

Cell coverage in Connecticut is pathetic... too many hills in this state. I use Verizon... my calls get dropped all the time. I just call back when I get a signal again.

What is really pathetic, not to mention dangerous, is that 911 calls get dropped. I had to call 911 once and the call got dropped :mad: which is not fun when you're the one in danger!!

Seriously, I can't even use my cell phone when I go home to Connecticut. My town (Bristol) is really hilly, and I live at the top of a hill - which I thought would increase my reception, but that shows how little I know about this stuff.

Collin

Re: just my own sprint pcs rant...
 

That's reason #5619 to avoid the Grandview Triangle...lol

Anyways I live just down the street (about 5 miles away) from the Sprint World HQ campus, so I when I'm home I drive by it all the time. For a while right when it first opened it was impossible to get a decent PCS signal when you drove past the place!!! How ludicrous is that! I talking like zero bars as you drive past the entrance!!! It has since gotten a lot better, but people were definetly wondering about it, and I know HSer's who were thinking about turning down the discount they got on PCS for other carriers b/c they couldn't be reached at work...

I can understand not being able to get a signal in some places. When i went to Missouri this summer, the only place I could get a cell phone signal was in Springfield at the airport. Other than that, I lived without my cell phone for about a week :)

For the last 3 years, I used Sprint PCS in Minneapolis and assorted places in Wisconsin. When I started using them in 1999 in Minneapolis their antenna density was still a bit low, but they've improved and I rarely got dropped calls.

I've recently moved to Denver. When I first came here, I got dropped calls all the time. When I called to complain, they told me to check that my phone's "Preferred Roam List" or "PRL" was up to date. Apparently the phone has some internal method of keeping track of certain things about towers. I had to take the phone to a Sprint Store to have it updated, but since I did that, I no longer get dropped calls in the Denver-Boulder area.

Of the big players out here, I think Verizon is the most recent arrival, so I hear they have the worst reputation for dropped calls. If they're investing as much money in antenna development as they are in advertising, that'll probably change before long.

Sprint has gotten a lot better. Around this time last year, they put a tower up on UCF campus so I was finally able to get single when I'm at school. I live only 2 and half miles from campus and I get very poor single at my apartment. My calls are dropped all the time. I was thinking of switching but my friends with Verizon, Cingular, AT&T, and VoiceStream all have the same problems. I think it's just the cell phone industry in general. They spend all their money improving cell phones and making them smaller but forget that they also need to improve their connections.

Making them smaller/lighter is part of the problem. You take away the big antenna and somehow your reception drops off:eek: . If you are having difficulty with your phone I'd recommend you try a larger model. For Sprint I've heard the Sanyo 4900 priced between $149 and $179 depending on location is superb.

that's really cool ktsnake.

i like sprint b/c they were the only ones that offered included nation-wide long distance when I got my cell phone

Now it's even more helpful, because the 'rents can call me from their regular telephone line and it's not long distance for them, and so can my friends from "back home".

I understand that sometimes problems occur and calls get dropped... but I feel bad for my friends who have issues all the time with there carriers. It's a little ridiculous to pay like $50 to $80 a month and not be able to use your phone when you need it.

I like T-Mobile/Voicestream... they have really improved their plans and services.

When purchasing a cellular phone pay attention to 2 things (besides price):

#1. Coverage maps -- are the areas where you will be using the phone covered?

#2. Return policy -- make sure to test the phone in the areas you want to use it during the period where it's okay to get a refund or switch companies. I'd recommend RadioShack who usually gives you a 30 day return policy with most carrierrs (14 days with Sprint PCS)

those are great tips ktsnake :)

one of my friends was paying almost $150/month on cell phone service :eek: She must have gone WAY over her monthly minutes?!?!

I only pay $34/month :cool:

I have VoiceStream/T-Mobile and it works pretty well for me. I haven't traveled very far with it, though, so I'm not too sure how much coverage they have.

The only time I really have any trouble with dropped calls is in my apartment :( where I have very little signal... that's what I get for living in the ground floor of a cement block building though. However, I'm moving into a house in a few weeks, and there, I get great signal!

i dont know if its just local to my like state, but i havent heard anyone yet mention Centennial...they've never done me wrong!! loyal customer for years now.

Never heard of 'em... Must be like the 2 small carriers we have here in Oklahoma.... US Cellular and Pioneer.

Sometimes the small guys like that have pretty good stuff if you're away from cities.

:eek: :confused: :(

I would just like to say that I hate all cell phone retailers WITH A PASSION. I want a phone that works in northern WI, southwest WI, and southeast WI. I also want said phone to work in DC and Chicago. THESE ARE THE ONLY PLACES IT NEEDS TO WORK and there is no such company that can do this. A big WTF to you, cell phone places.

My sister just got a bill for over $400 for her cell phone. I have no idea what company she uses. I just think that bill is ridiculous. :eek:

after changing plans about 2 years ago, i got a bill for $900. i almost had a heart attack!!! i switched to a plan that included more minutes, but had no effect on the fact that i already had free long distance. well, apparently, they made a boo boo and charged me a long distance fee for the length of each call. after calling like a raving lunatic, they were able to fix it, but the guy i spoke to had to get his supervisor to sign off on it because it was over a certain amount.

i got a new phone in august and i keep losing calls all the time. apparently, my phone uses new technology and they don't have as many towers yet. unfortunately, no one told me this when i bought the phone. and you can't buy a phone with the old technology because they are obsolete. my question is, why are they obsolete if the new phones don't have the same range and reliabilty of service?