[CollegeGirl33]

I am thinking about getting a cell phone (motorolla razr) with Telus to use as my everyday/only phone. I would be using it in my apartment for the most part. I live in downtown Toronto, however I'm worried about reception. I talk on the phone 1/2 hr to 1 hr every day to my parents back home, and don't want to have to deal with crackling noises, dropped calls, etc. Does anyone know how Telus is in downtown Toronto? Are there any websites showing tower locations? Is it a bad idea to get a cell phone as my primary phone? Thanks

 

[Chuck]

Based on my own personal experience and that of other people I know, the only provider with service reliable to allow your cell phone to be your primary phone is Rogers. Telus is second, and Bell is a very, very distant third.

But don't forget that network reliability is one of many factors to consider. What if you lose your phone charger? If you talk a lot, your batteries may run out more often than you think. Also, the cost can be significant if you use a cell phone for all calls.

 

[BuildTO]

I have Telus and it is my only phone. I'm happy with the service. I have never had a dropped call. It is also my first cell phone, though, so I have nothing to compare it to.

I would be more concerned about the RAZR, though. I've read and heard mixed reviews. My nephew has not had problems with his, but a friend told me the design is more focused on style; he found it flimsy, couldn't wait to get rid of it, and even recommended avoiding the flip-phone design due to his bad experience. (My LG flip-phone has been very good.)

 

[unimaginative2]

These comments are very interesting. I guess it all depends on personal needs. A friend who has a Rogers phone got very frustrated since it wouldn't work at all inside her home in the Dundas West area (my Rogers phone had the same problem in her house), and it also experienced a dead zone near her new home in the Roncesvalles area. She finally gave up and switched to Bell and has never had a problem. When she travelled to Newfoundland, her new phone worked perfectly while her friend's Rogers phone was useless.

 

[ganjavih]

My Bell cell has been my only phone for over a year and I haven't had a single problem.

 

[wonderboy416]

I've experienced Telus, Fido (pre-Rogers) and Rogers.

In my opinion since Rogers has the 850 spectrum its able to offer a level of coverage superior to the other networks. In a nutshell 850 is a lower frequency which is able to penetrate deeper into buildings etc. Think of it like bass in a car, a car with a high pitch outside your house may go unnoticed, yet a car with low bass cranked high you will most certainly feel. The downside is 850 requires more towers, the flip side is the network will flip you to the 1900mhz spectrum when 850 isn't working. This equals a superior level of coverage.

That said, Telus certainly did the job and I had no problems downtown. Their customer service was also much better than Rogers and that has to count for something.

 

[ShonTron]

My Fido phone (I've stuck with them mostly because I've been locked into a plan that hasn't been offered for a while now), which uses the Rogers network, has very good reception - I was able to get full bars in the middle of Lake Huron on the Chi-Cheemaun ferry. But reception isn't the greatest in the interior of my office building, but I can live with that, and I'm happy with it as my primary phone as well as cell.

The best part of Fido is that there's a 10-11 number for cheap long distance anywhere in US or Canada that's comparable to land line rates, if you call in Toronto or Montreal calling areas. I don't think this is available elsewhere.

Rogers keeps spending money to promote their stupid Home Phone service, which go straight to my trash. Why would I go to them? I hear that service is terrible, plus more Rogers aggravations. But they really push it. Must be profitable.

 

[b13]

Well I have been with bell, rogers, and telus! I can tell you that Telus is 100% better than the rest no doubt! Bell is really bad and their service is just horrible, rogers they are the company that just wants your money!!! Don't go with them and their signal is horrible. Telus is the BEST! their service is amazing, i love Telus but i must say do not get the razr!!! If you want a really good phone then get the LG 8600 (chocolate flip) Trust me you cannot go wrong!

 

[urbandreamer]

^Do you work@telus? Your words read like an advertisement.

College Girl, if I were you (assuming you are in college) I'd just get a land line--basic service no call display, messaging etc from Bell for $32/month. Then buy a calling card--the best card (found in Chinatown) gives you 20 hours for $10. Or, if your parents have a computer, just use yahoo video/chat. Then get a pay as you go cell phone for local calls if you won't be using it much during the day.

I am cheap--at the moment I don't have a phone period (I use webchat.) However, I was leaning towards getting Telus just because of my dealing with Rogers Internet--really the most pathetic experience I've had from any company. As a BCE shareholder though shouldn't I be loyal to the Bell brand? I've had fido before--ok but how much longer will rogers keep that brand around? Rogers--my gf has rogers so far excellent coverage but the customer service side is just pathetic. Essentially, all service providers are all the same: $50+ ....down the drain each month?

As for which model I'd get--forget the razr--it breaks easily. You can guess I'd get the cheapest model out there. Since I conduct all my work from my laptop at home and I have no friends in Toronto, what's the point of getting an expensive phone here? Land line--it's old fashioned and therefore cool!

 

[CollegeGirl33]

Thank you everyone for the comments...they have been quite helpful! I think I will be going with a landline...it just makes more sense, especially considered all of the bad reviews I've heard and read about the razr! I will most likely be going with Rogers however because we didn't have a problem with them last year when we had their home phone. I will never ever go back to Bell...they have the absolute worst customer service, as I found out in my first year. Thanks again for the help!

 

[Dan416]

Stay away from the Razr. But even more than staying away from the Razr, do NOT buy LG. It's the second-rate Korean phone manufacturer. If you must buy Korean, buy Samsung. It's way better than LG. And do NOT get ANY chocolate. Worst. Phone. Ever. Everyone I know who has a Telus Chocolate hates it. Same with the others.

As for Telus, well I'm a GSM fanboy somewhat, so I would never recommend CDMA where you can't change your phone at will. That knocks out Bellus.

Fido compared to Rogers: Fido wins with by-the-second billing, evenings at 7pm versus 9pm. Phone selection: Rogers wins hands down. Rogers trumps every provider in Canada for phone selection, from Sony Ericsson sliders to Samsung flips, and everything in between.

Fido phones you could get: Nokia 6300, Motorola KRZR, Nokia 6126, Sony Ericsson Z710; if you can wait, the Sony Ericsson Z750.

Rogers phones you could get: Sony Ericsson K790, W810 or W580; Samsung A706, Nokia 5300.

In terms of plans, Rogers has a great student plan for post-secondary students, called My 5 + 5, which gives you unlimited local talk and text to 10 numbers. Valid student ID required.

Fido has a great Unlimited Incoming $30 plan with unlimited evenings, unlimited incoming and unlimited network calling (to Rogers Home Phone, Rogers Wireless, and Fido).

Either way you end up paying about $50 a month, whoever you're with, at minimum.

For further information check the carriers websites and http://www.HowardForums.com. There are forums for Bell, Fido, Rogers and Telus. Feel free to register and ask questions in all the forums. There are pros and cons to all carriers. If you really don't need to buy a fancy new overseas phone every 6 months, then Telus or Bell might be fine for you.

 

[Jayomatic]

Howardforums is the best. I was with Clearnet and then eventually telus but the thing that drove me mental is that they would only have flip phones. I always hated flip phones and it was something that drove me mental. The service was good but the phones were just crap.

So I then went to Fido which i'm still on and its been alright. Better after rogers bought it in terms of reception. The phone selection was and still is crap but I just went out and bought an unlocked gsm phone and just used my Fido sim card. Couldn't be happier. Only thing is sometimes with Rogers/Fido, you'll get people calling you and it goes straight to the answering machine even though your phone is on. Then maybe 8 hours later you'll get a message notice about the call from 8 hours earlier.

 

[ShonTron]

Yeah, I notice that too with taking a long time to get messages I should have gotten right away.

Fido works just fine with me, and I prefer the GSM for sure. The cheap long distance by the third party carrier, the per-second billing and the unlimited incoming plan I have make it an okay deal - the worst you could do is go with a crappy VoIP Rogers Home Phone.

 

[gei]

I haven't actually used a landline in years... don't see the need to.

In Ontario, Telus has the best coverage by far. Recently Rogers/Fido have caught up with the 850Mhz coverage, but Telus is still far superiod.

This is exagerrated when you travel outside urban areas in Toronto... for example up to cottage country. Telus is far superior, and falls back to Bell's digital network where there is no Telus service available.... so you get the best of both worlds.

I also live downtown and would highly recommend them.

 

[Jarrek]

Been with Telus/Clearnet since 1998 ...