How to find a good cell phone carrier

I have a POP -- plain old phone. I don't text with it; for some reason it's nearly impossible. It's supposed to have a good camera, but I don't use it. It's not good at telling me I missed a call; sometimes I get it a day later. I don't have a smart phone, because I'm not smart enough.

All I want is for it to put through a call when I want to call someone. It does. I'm on the Verizon network, which around here is better than AT&T. I was driving down Main Street in our little town a few years ago and lost the signal three times on AT&T.

I remember sitting at the computer in my house a few years ago and being unable to get a signal. But if I leaned to the left just a bit I could get one.

So I switched, based on word of mouth. SmartMoney has an article describing some other ways to make the decision. The one I like best: throw a party and have everyone bring their cell phones. Check them out.

Here are some others:

There are applications such as CNET’s cell coverage maps and BillShrink’s plan comparison tool out there to estimate signal strength down to the zip code. Those applications and carrier call quality ratings aren’t foolproof, says Kirk Parsons, the senior director of wireless services at J.D. Power & Associates, because reception can vary by block. This, of course, is all subjective. People on a network with wide reports of problems are more likely to notice those misconnections, he says, “And some carriers do a better job of managing customers’ perceptions than others.”

Carriers will let you out of a new contract penalty-free within the first 14 to 30 days. You’ll most likely want to port your number over, but be aware of the timing: if your existing contract isn’t up yet, that will trigger an early termination fee. Use the trial period to test your phone at home, in the office and other places you frequent – it may sound obvious, but a surprising number of people buy a new phone before going on vacation or some other shift in their usual schedule. Not enough bars? You’ll owe only for plan charges during that trial period, whatever plan you sign up for… Of course, then you’ll have to go through the process of porting your number and trying again with another carrier.