Corporate Cell Plans
I did. It was setup like a huge family plan though. 50+ cell phones all pulling from the same pool. So it would be hard to say how much they lowered their prices. Was significanyly cheaper than having multiple standard plans that would add up to the same number of minutes though. The cell phones you buy for everyone affect the price as well, obviously.
We had used Sprint and Cingular (two different times). Cingular was cool because they would send you monthly statements of your usage and offer options to increase/decrease the pool of minutes on the fly. So, if you were using 60% of your minutes, you could drop to a lower/cheaper plan. If you saw use increasing, you could bump it up. However, it became tedious to do this and we didn't do it very long. Just left it on a higher minute plan. Sprint on the other hand were the only people with smart phones at the time, so that's why we went with them. The coverage in our building was really shitty which was a constant pain in the ass. No one could get a signal in the building. Almost switched back to Cingular, but no one wanted to give up their cool new phones.
Just like with a personal plan, you get all kinds of free phones (the same phones you get free on the personal plans) with the option to spend money on better phones.
As far as actual prices, I don't remember. Plus, it was 3+ years ago, so things would be different now anyway. But it was cheaper for us to build one pool and share it than have 50+ individual plans. We based the pool size on past bills. Looked to see what people were using on average, added them all up, added 10%. Then monitor it. As people figure out they can use the phone anytime they want without having to deal with overages, etc, they use it more and more. We had to make calls to people to tell them to chill out when we saw their use double in a three month span.
Edited By Cakedaddy on 1184171567
We had used Sprint and Cingular (two different times). Cingular was cool because they would send you monthly statements of your usage and offer options to increase/decrease the pool of minutes on the fly. So, if you were using 60% of your minutes, you could drop to a lower/cheaper plan. If you saw use increasing, you could bump it up. However, it became tedious to do this and we didn't do it very long. Just left it on a higher minute plan. Sprint on the other hand were the only people with smart phones at the time, so that's why we went with them. The coverage in our building was really shitty which was a constant pain in the ass. No one could get a signal in the building. Almost switched back to Cingular, but no one wanted to give up their cool new phones.
Just like with a personal plan, you get all kinds of free phones (the same phones you get free on the personal plans) with the option to spend money on better phones.
As far as actual prices, I don't remember. Plus, it was 3+ years ago, so things would be different now anyway. But it was cheaper for us to build one pool and share it than have 50+ individual plans. We based the pool size on past bills. Looked to see what people were using on average, added them all up, added 10%. Then monitor it. As people figure out they can use the phone anytime they want without having to deal with overages, etc, they use it more and more. We had to make calls to people to tell them to chill out when we saw their use double in a three month span.
Edited By Cakedaddy on 1184171567
Cingular is the first provider we're talking to. We have about 25 people, and they showed us the big family-like plans and then said we could also get individual plans for everyone, but that pricing seemed like shit.
Cingular has some smart phones, so we're looking at a some of those with data thrown on. Apparently you can use em with your laptop, but they'll cut you off if you do it too much.
The guy just mentioned that they could be "competitive" with anyone else we were looking at, but didn't get a sense of how competitive. Guess we'll find out.
Cingular has some smart phones, so we're looking at a some of those with data thrown on. Apparently you can use em with your laptop, but they'll cut you off if you do it too much.
The guy just mentioned that they could be "competitive" with anyone else we were looking at, but didn't get a sense of how competitive. Guess we'll find out.
It's not me, it's someone else.
I deal with cell phone shit constantly. We have over 50 cells, over 25 handheld devices, and over 25 data cards. We're described as a big client by Verizon and AT&T (formerly Cingular) so I'm not sure I can give you good advice concerning prices.
First of all, I'd recommend focusing on Verizon and AT&T.
I highly, highly recommend that with EVERY vendor you tell them up front that you expect a higher level of support and service. You do not want to be a customer that they make the sale to and then forget. Also, let them know that you aren't going to bullshit them at all. If you're talking to their competitors, let them know. This will let the salesperson know that they have to be more hands on with your account (better service) and be more aggressive in their pricing.
In this case, I'd ask Verizon and AT&T to come and give you a quick presentation or have a meeting for them to pitch you on using them as your vendor. AT&T is actually doing this for us next month as they want to take the bulk of our business from Verizon who currently has it and has been fucking up big time in the service department.
You'll want to focus on pricing, coverage (THEY ALL LIE ABOUT THIS!!!), replacement of phones, repair of phones, contract length, corporate deals vs. individual contracts on units, etc.
Here's what I've seen from both:
Verizon - Not so customer oriented. I always feel like they take our account for granted. Their sales reps seem to be "transitional" at best. Their EVO network is the second fastest, for now, and they have pretty good coverage around the country. They have a good selection of equipment and they have had an iPod killer in the works for a while now if you like that sort of thing. We have been lead to believe that Verizon does NOT have corporate plans in terms of equipment. They do for rates.
(SPRINT apparently has the fastest wireless network. Again, for now.)
AT&T - Definitely trying to go the "more professional" route. There's a natural relationship if they also do your phones and/or data connection. Their EDGE network is slow, but they're replacing it with 3G, which apparently is much faster, possibly even the fastest. 3G is already in a lot of cities. They have the same amount of equipment as Verizon. They do have corporate plans.
In terms of who charges for what, they both charge for all accessories and such.
As for repairs, I will say that I had an LG phone with Verizon where the plastic tab that held in the battery broke. It was an item that couldn't be repaired due to the phone's design and Verizon refused to replace the phone without charging us. From early conversations with my AT&T rep, they would not charge for a replacement.
I've had a LOT of problems with Verizon from being billed for equipment I never received to the broken phone they wouldn't fix or replace to bad charges showing up on bills to having a sales person removed from our account only to be promoted back above our account a few weeks later to having the wrong equipment delivered, etc, etc.
Thus, why I'm meeting with AT&T soon. I honestly think Verizon might be in trouble with AT&T now making their presence felt. If they start offering better rates to their existing phone/data customers, I don't think Verizon can offer anything AT&T can't, so why stick with Verizon or any of the other carriers?
Not plugging CIngular in that, it's just an opinion. Go with who you think will give you the best service, support, and coverage.
Edited By Leisher on 1184198134
First of all, I'd recommend focusing on Verizon and AT&T.
I highly, highly recommend that with EVERY vendor you tell them up front that you expect a higher level of support and service. You do not want to be a customer that they make the sale to and then forget. Also, let them know that you aren't going to bullshit them at all. If you're talking to their competitors, let them know. This will let the salesperson know that they have to be more hands on with your account (better service) and be more aggressive in their pricing.
In this case, I'd ask Verizon and AT&T to come and give you a quick presentation or have a meeting for them to pitch you on using them as your vendor. AT&T is actually doing this for us next month as they want to take the bulk of our business from Verizon who currently has it and has been fucking up big time in the service department.
You'll want to focus on pricing, coverage (THEY ALL LIE ABOUT THIS!!!), replacement of phones, repair of phones, contract length, corporate deals vs. individual contracts on units, etc.
Here's what I've seen from both:
Verizon - Not so customer oriented. I always feel like they take our account for granted. Their sales reps seem to be "transitional" at best. Their EVO network is the second fastest, for now, and they have pretty good coverage around the country. They have a good selection of equipment and they have had an iPod killer in the works for a while now if you like that sort of thing. We have been lead to believe that Verizon does NOT have corporate plans in terms of equipment. They do for rates.
(SPRINT apparently has the fastest wireless network. Again, for now.)
AT&T - Definitely trying to go the "more professional" route. There's a natural relationship if they also do your phones and/or data connection. Their EDGE network is slow, but they're replacing it with 3G, which apparently is much faster, possibly even the fastest. 3G is already in a lot of cities. They have the same amount of equipment as Verizon. They do have corporate plans.
In terms of who charges for what, they both charge for all accessories and such.
As for repairs, I will say that I had an LG phone with Verizon where the plastic tab that held in the battery broke. It was an item that couldn't be repaired due to the phone's design and Verizon refused to replace the phone without charging us. From early conversations with my AT&T rep, they would not charge for a replacement.
I've had a LOT of problems with Verizon from being billed for equipment I never received to the broken phone they wouldn't fix or replace to bad charges showing up on bills to having a sales person removed from our account only to be promoted back above our account a few weeks later to having the wrong equipment delivered, etc, etc.
Thus, why I'm meeting with AT&T soon. I honestly think Verizon might be in trouble with AT&T now making their presence felt. If they start offering better rates to their existing phone/data customers, I don't think Verizon can offer anything AT&T can't, so why stick with Verizon or any of the other carriers?
Not plugging CIngular in that, it's just an opinion. Go with who you think will give you the best service, support, and coverage.
Edited By Leisher on 1184198134
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
While googling the plans, I came across this bid for RI government with 85 users that implies some things can be added in.
It's not me, it's someone else.
Everything is negotiable. Are they 'throwing it in' or 'including' it? Of course not. Just like anything else, know what you want and get the best price. When we shopped, we asked for:
1. A support number we can call so we had a better connection than the normal 800 number. This always ended up being our sales person who would get a tech on the line.
2. Replacement insurance. AT&T would have replaced the phone, if you had signed up for their insurance. They aren't going to just hand out free phones. They are making money somehow, somewhere, obviously. I don't remember if we took this though.
3. Phones and accessories. In other words, we set it up so we got $100 to go towards a phone and/or accessories. Not sure how that was all built into the pricing, etc. But that's what we wanted up front. Then, or low end users (techs, peons, etc) were limited to that. They could get a $100 phone and buy their own car charger, or spend less on phone and get accessories, etc. The executives got whatever they wanted. This way, the bulk cost of the phones was built into the monthly fee and the execs knew how much extra they were costing us (one time up front).
So, like I said, know what you want up front and shop for the best price. With 25 lines, you should be able to get a dedicated account rep, etc. We started with 150+ phones. Then the company restructured (filed bankruptcy) and we negociated new contracts at about 25ish phones (execs and on call techs only). That number grew back up to the 75 range over the next 18 months.
We also got free phones to try for a week or so while shopping. We were able to play with the smart phones. See if they were going to do what we wanted, etc. They'd give us one low, med and high end phone. We check coverage, etc with them.
So, even at 25 lines, it's been my experience that you can negociate alot with them.
Lastly, I've been with Sprint (7 years) and AT&T (then Cingular and now AT&T again) (3+ years). I really liked Sprint and have had no big issues with AT&T/Cingular. I wouldn't hesitate to use either. Right now, for me, Cingular had the phone I wanted, so, I'm with them. I'd talk to all three and again, pick the phones/accessories, minutes, data from each one that you want, and go for the lowest price. In a corporate environment, it was Cingular and Sprint.
1. A support number we can call so we had a better connection than the normal 800 number. This always ended up being our sales person who would get a tech on the line.
2. Replacement insurance. AT&T would have replaced the phone, if you had signed up for their insurance. They aren't going to just hand out free phones. They are making money somehow, somewhere, obviously. I don't remember if we took this though.
3. Phones and accessories. In other words, we set it up so we got $100 to go towards a phone and/or accessories. Not sure how that was all built into the pricing, etc. But that's what we wanted up front. Then, or low end users (techs, peons, etc) were limited to that. They could get a $100 phone and buy their own car charger, or spend less on phone and get accessories, etc. The executives got whatever they wanted. This way, the bulk cost of the phones was built into the monthly fee and the execs knew how much extra they were costing us (one time up front).
So, like I said, know what you want up front and shop for the best price. With 25 lines, you should be able to get a dedicated account rep, etc. We started with 150+ phones. Then the company restructured (filed bankruptcy) and we negociated new contracts at about 25ish phones (execs and on call techs only). That number grew back up to the 75 range over the next 18 months.
We also got free phones to try for a week or so while shopping. We were able to play with the smart phones. See if they were going to do what we wanted, etc. They'd give us one low, med and high end phone. We check coverage, etc with them.
So, even at 25 lines, it's been my experience that you can negociate alot with them.
Lastly, I've been with Sprint (7 years) and AT&T (then Cingular and now AT&T again) (3+ years). I really liked Sprint and have had no big issues with AT&T/Cingular. I wouldn't hesitate to use either. Right now, for me, Cingular had the phone I wanted, so, I'm with them. I'd talk to all three and again, pick the phones/accessories, minutes, data from each one that you want, and go for the lowest price. In a corporate environment, it was Cingular and Sprint.
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DoctorChaos
- Posts: 1579
- Joined: Fri Oct 08, 2004 7:58 pm
I have a Cingular (AT&T) phone with 3G. The coverage is pretty spotty. I've had a couple times when I'm in the city and I have no signal even in the extended network. Then there are those times when it won't let me call out, but I can receive calls. It might be a function of the phone or it could be the service. Everyone I know has problems with AT&T. But YMMV and I'm a personal account.
Wadda mean? Other people can read this?!
Back when I switched from Sprint to AT&T, both phones (the old one from Sprint, and the new one from Cingular) worked. It takes a few days for the number to be fully switched over. Anyway, I noticed many areas where one would work and the other wouldn't. From areas out in the open where everyone should work, to the basements of buildings where I couldn't figure out how any signal was making it. Point is, I had a good first hand view of where either service had good coverage. And what I found was that although their coverage was different, neither had more bad spots than the other. And I found that it's a pain in the ass to have to carry two phones. That's why I'd probably not have a problem with switching to or using Sprint, AT&T or Verizon. All three will have their spotty areas.
As far as dropped calls, I saw far fewer while with AT&T than I did with Sprint. Had Sprint 3+ years ago for 7 years. So, things could be different now. AT&T rarely spontaniously drops (Good signal strength, the call just drops) where Sprint did that a couple times a week. So, based on Malcom's experience, this is going to vary by location as well.
* * But really, people are probably just always hanging up on Malcom * *
Edited By Cakedaddy on 1184253288
As far as dropped calls, I saw far fewer while with AT&T than I did with Sprint. Had Sprint 3+ years ago for 7 years. So, things could be different now. AT&T rarely spontaniously drops (Good signal strength, the call just drops) where Sprint did that a couple times a week. So, based on Malcom's experience, this is going to vary by location as well.
* * But really, people are probably just always hanging up on Malcom * *
Edited By Cakedaddy on 1184253288
Its a frequent occurrence that my phone cuts out for a few seconds during conversations. But what pisses me off most is the not being able to dial numbers successfully. Took me about half a dozen tries to the SAME NUMBER before I could buy my ticket yesterday cos the fucking call just wouldn't go thru. I cannot imagine that the entire phone system of the ticket vendors is fucked up & my cell network is just fine.
Diogenes of Sinope: "It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC: "Better dead than smeg."
just plain won't dial numbers sometimes
I've seen that a lot with my Verizon phones, particularly when they start to get older.
One fix to some of the dropped calls, not dialing numbers, etc. that almost everyone I know does not do is to program your phone weekly. It's weird, but I find that they tell corporate customers this more than private ones.
Take Verizon for example: *228 dials their activation number. You're told to dial it and hit 1 when prompted to activate your phone. Most people don't know that you should call this number weekly and choose option 2. That programs your phone to any changes made to the Verizon network. In other words, better coverage. If you don't do that, most of the changes and new towers won't mean shit to you because your phone won't know they're there and thus, can't use them.
All the services have a service like this but they don't talk about it enough. Anyone who gets business 101 can understand why...you make more profit telling someone to get a new phone rather than just updating an existing phone's software.
Another issue is a bad battery. You may not realize your battery is shit, but if it's not operating properly your phone may look like it's working right, but it'll be responsible for your phone dropping calls and such.
(These things have been confirmed by my Verizon sales reps.)
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
They don't just beam out the updates to the phones?
The updates even require a reboot.
Like I said, most of these companies don't really advertise this and the reasons are pretty obvious.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
Their first proposal was a huge mistake. When we broke down the costs it turns out that they would've cost us $1000 more than Verizon over a two year period. Their proposal said we'd save like $15000.
Fuzzy math I guess.
So they're coming back with a better offer next Thursday. Verizon is doing the same next Tuesday. I'll let you know how it goes.
Still, what I've learned so far:
-Verizon has better coverage right now...but it's not a huge advantage.
-Cingular just bought some other big company (not a huge name), but it's supposed to really increase their rural coverage.
-In any city, there really is no difference outside of rates and such.
-One of the two is lying about claims made in sales pitches. Probably both. Verizon says AT&T can't claim to have fewest dropped calls or something due to some study. AT&T laughs and says that's completely fabricated...
-Verizon's whole thing is their CDMA technology. Depending on where you look people either claim it's awesome and new or limited and old. I've literally seen dates of 1957 and 1985 as the dates of it's origin. Obviously from different sources. I do know that 200 million+ people use CDMA phones. I also know the largest cell phone maker, Nokia, just announced they would no longer be making CDMA phones. Claims their broadband new will push speeds around 2.5 - 3 MB.
-AT&T runs on GSM. 2 billion+ users worldwide. More phone options because more users, more market, more everything. AT&T also claims their new broadband network will push out speeds up to 7.1 MB.
-Verizon's huge price advantage is in giving us $100 "credit" towards the purchase of a new phone when each phone's (or any device) contract is up. Over two years for us, that amounted to $14000 or so. That's what fucked up AT&T's bid.
-For us, Verizon had SLIGHTLY better voice rates over a two year period.
-Also for us, AT&T blew Verizon's doors off when it came to data plans. Each device was $20-30 less per MONTH.
Fuzzy math I guess.
So they're coming back with a better offer next Thursday. Verizon is doing the same next Tuesday. I'll let you know how it goes.
Still, what I've learned so far:
-Verizon has better coverage right now...but it's not a huge advantage.
-Cingular just bought some other big company (not a huge name), but it's supposed to really increase their rural coverage.
-In any city, there really is no difference outside of rates and such.
-One of the two is lying about claims made in sales pitches. Probably both. Verizon says AT&T can't claim to have fewest dropped calls or something due to some study. AT&T laughs and says that's completely fabricated...
-Verizon's whole thing is their CDMA technology. Depending on where you look people either claim it's awesome and new or limited and old. I've literally seen dates of 1957 and 1985 as the dates of it's origin. Obviously from different sources. I do know that 200 million+ people use CDMA phones. I also know the largest cell phone maker, Nokia, just announced they would no longer be making CDMA phones. Claims their broadband new will push speeds around 2.5 - 3 MB.
-AT&T runs on GSM. 2 billion+ users worldwide. More phone options because more users, more market, more everything. AT&T also claims their new broadband network will push out speeds up to 7.1 MB.
-Verizon's huge price advantage is in giving us $100 "credit" towards the purchase of a new phone when each phone's (or any device) contract is up. Over two years for us, that amounted to $14000 or so. That's what fucked up AT&T's bid.
-For us, Verizon had SLIGHTLY better voice rates over a two year period.
-Also for us, AT&T blew Verizon's doors off when it came to data plans. Each device was $20-30 less per MONTH.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
So they're quoting us:
$20 - low-end data plan (email on a device with no keyboard)
$40 - medium data - phone with keyboard
$60 - phone tether to laptop plan
$80 - laptop wireless card plan
Then 7% off of those rates.
The plan is about $42/month/user (pooled, but that's on a per user cost basis) which averages about 500 minutes/user.
Seemed high to me.
$20 - low-end data plan (email on a device with no keyboard)
$40 - medium data - phone with keyboard
$60 - phone tether to laptop plan
$80 - laptop wireless card plan
Then 7% off of those rates.
The plan is about $42/month/user (pooled, but that's on a per user cost basis) which averages about 500 minutes/user.
Seemed high to me.
It's not me, it's someone else.
Yeah, that seems high to me.
I'm not following the whole with or without keyboard thing either.
For AT&T UNLIMITED Data service we're being quoted $37.00. (includes air cards).
Verizon's is $49.99 to $59.99, but we have unlimited on all the plans, so I'm not sure why some are cheaper than others. (I leave that stuff to the accountants.) This does include air cards though...much cheaper than what you're being quoted.
I'm not following the whole with or without keyboard thing either.
For AT&T UNLIMITED Data service we're being quoted $37.00. (includes air cards).
Verizon's is $49.99 to $59.99, but we have unlimited on all the plans, so I'm not sure why some are cheaper than others. (I leave that stuff to the accountants.) This does include air cards though...much cheaper than what you're being quoted.
"Happy slaves are the worst enemies of freedom." - Marie Von Ebner
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell
"It was always the women, and above all the young ones, who were the most bigoted adherents of the Party, the swallowers of slogans, the amateur spies..." - Orwell