AT&T Cell Phone Service

[Figmo Bohica]

How good is it in TV? Contract up with Verizon and Radio Shack has a Samsung Captivate for FREE (right, only a 2 year contract, that's not free) for $15 a month + data feature.

Thinking about switching if service is as good as Verizon.

What say you all.

[tpop1]

I have ATT Cell service on an IPhone and get very good coverage throughout The Villages and in my travels up and down I-95 to and from Connecticut.

Hope this helps!

[aln]

Good service outside building anywhere but inside the bowling alleys and rec centers it is virtually not available. Probably because of the metal building materials.

[Mudder]

My AT&T works fine everywhere even in the Rec centers and other buildings.

[dfn8tly]

I recently saw on television that a survey was conducted by a national firm that ranks the top 4 carriers regarding customer service. AT&T was last and Verizon was first. Use should consider this before making a final decision.

[angiefox10]

I recently saw on television that a survey was conducted by a national firm that ranks the top 4 carriers regarding customer service. AT&T was last and Verizon was first. Use should consider this before making a final decision.

I do agree with this survey. But doesn't it depend on where you live as well? Where the towers are?

In our area my AT&T phone is a paperweight, but in a neighboring town, Verizon doesn't get signal.

[graciegirl]

We switched in July from AT@T to Verizon. Service for us in Hadley and where we are renting in Harmeswood was bad.

My friend Swimdawg....has been "dogging" AT@T. about when the new towers are going in near here to have better service. I think they told her in August.

She is off campus right now, but will be returning soon and will give you an update.

[CTgolfer]

Location within the Villages does matter when it comes to cell service. We live in a concrete block home in Sunset Pointe and have AT&T with minimal problems. However friends who recently purchased a CYV in Buttonwood have Verizon and have terrible cell service... calls keep dropping. My husband was at their CYV this past week and we tried repeatedly to make calls to and from his cell phone without much luck. Friends in Pennecamp also have said their cell service is really bad.

[njbchbum]

have at&t on the historic side and get great service inside the house and outside. great reception up and down the east coast as well. also have t-mobile - cheaper that at&t and service just as good. dept of justice currently thumbs down on the merger w/at&t - so am hoping the company will still be around with their less expensive service! and the htc sensation is to die for! wish i could justify the purchase!

a friend had verizon cell service as a new customer - had been assured service would be fine where she lived - was NOT! she went back to the store that signed her up and everything was cancelled with no cost to her. perhaps you can inquire about such an agreement with the store/service?

[Golf-Tinker]

I have found that AT&T 3G service is quite inconsistent throughout The Villages for the IPad. For cell phones, Verizon has been much better.

[Avista]

I recently switched http://www.consumercellular.com The plan I have is about $15 a month with no contract. It uses ATT towers.

[mrbillmidlo]

Have AT&T. Service in Pennecamp ir very poor. Maybe 1 bar on a good day. Usualy no bars around Colony Plaza. Heard the talk of more towers in August. Still poor service.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Our AT&T service is always weak in Duval. I got the same story from AT&T customer service earlier this year - new cell towers are in the works in the 466A corridor. Trying to be patient.........it's only a matter of time given all the new homes going in to the south.

Bill :)

[vj1213]

I have At&T (I phone 3G) live in Buttonwood, service is not too good, 2 bars at the most here at home. Even around the town square at LSL service is poor it might work in one place take 2 steps and lose signal. Half time my phone won't even ring, then it will beep that I have a voicemail. I've had At&T forever and never had problems before moving to TV, so now I am just trying to decide whether to switch.

[gmcneill]

My ATT reception/connection in St James is horrible. Dropped calls, garbled voice, long time to connect, you name it. work requirements preclude me from switching out carriers.

I am hoping that problems cease once new towers are constructed. Sales rep at AT&T store on 441 told me last week that 3 are planned along the 441 corridor, the first one being near Cherry Lake Rd w/in 3-6 months.

[hedoman]

AT&T 5 bars in Polo Ridge 0 bars in Bravo Pizza. It depends on where we are and how many others are using the available bandwidth. Mostly OK and 3G works in both squares

[springfield]

We have had ATT for years and were always happy with the service until recently. We can't use our cells in the house and our neighbors are having the same problem. We all went to the ATT store to complain. ATT admitted that they have had many complaints and said that TV is growing so fast and they need to build another tower. However, they will sell us a $199 device to plug into our computer which will increase our service.....I don't think so. I think we will have to cough up the cancellation fee and look for another provider. Since our daughter has Sprint, how is that service here in TV?

[Freeda]

We have had ATT for years and were always happy with the service until recently. We can't use our cells in the house and our neighbors are having the same problem. We all went to the ATT store to complain. ATT admitted that they have had many complaints and said that TV is growing so fast and they need to build another tower. However, they will sell us a $199 device to plug into our computer which will increase our service.....I don't think so. I think we will have to cough up the cancellation fee and look for another provider. Since our daughter has Sprint, how is that service here in TV?


The $199 device is a microcell. There was a previous thread where someone had mentioned being offered this free by AT&T because of the poor signal strength in TV. After learning of this I asked for and got a free one,too, and it gives me five bars in and outside my home. You can probably convince them to waive the charge, also; I would imagine that others in TV have been given these. If enough people insist on this, maybe they'll get the tower improvements done sooner. AT&T is trying to merge with Tmobile, which will probably solve the problem if/when that occurs, so that may be a reason they are dragging their feet on getting new towers of their own up; but since.the merger is, predictably, in regulatory debate now over whether to approve it, it is indefinite as to when that might solve the problem in TV.

Also, if you do decide to cancel service because of the signal problem, I should add that when I first complained to AT&T about poor reception a few months ago, they told me that if I wanted to cancel my account, they would waive the contractual cancellation fee, because of the poor service available. Then, when I asked for the microcell instead of cancelling, they agreed to waive the cost of it.

Also, if you ask them to, they will credit you some rollover minutes to try to make up for the dropped calls, slow connection, etc. (They credited us 5000 recently -and I was only explaining our problem and asking about the new tower, not seeking more minutes - plus several hundred a few months ago).

We have been with AT&T since it took over from Cingular (and, before that, Cingular was originally Bell South Mobility, at least in Louisville), so in all have I been a customer of theirs since the late 1980s (I think it was?) when cell phones first came out; and over all, over the years, they have been abundantly reasonable to work with; so we decided to stick it out for a few months and see if they resolve the signal problem in TV, since our phones works great anywhere else we travel to. And with our two phones, plus 3 children's phones still tied into our family plan for business reasons, and including 4 I-phones out of the 5, unlimited data and texting, and insurance, etc, our bill is still only $210 per month, actually less than it was a few years ago with fewer 'extras'; so out of loyalty we are trying to wait and see if they solve the problem in the near future.

[gingin410]

We were given a micro-cell tower for free in the Atlanta area and brought it down to TV (Hadley) as I had little or no reception at the house. ( I am sure anyone who asks for one will probably get one for free.) It worked well and then quit. Husband returned it for a new one at the AT&T store up off 441 which works fine now. Salesman at store mentioned that AT&T is very aware of problem and realizes need for new towers. But, that old "NYMBY" attitude has been making it difficult for them to get approval for towers where they need them.

[swimdawg]

We were given a micro-cell tower for free in the Atlanta area and brought it down to TV (Hadley) as I had little or no reception at the house. ( I am sure anyone who asks for one will probably get one for free.) It worked well and then quit. Husband returned it for a new one at the AT&T store up off 441 which works fine now. Salesman at store mentioned that AT&T is very aware of problem and realizes need for new towers. But, that old "NYMBY" attitude has been making it difficult for them to get approval for towers where they need them.

Okay........I give!..........I know I'm outta the loop ....and I'm trying to stay "with the program"......
.....but what is "NYMBY"? Never You Mind Bimbo You?????

I am practically on a first name basis with many of the AT&T personnel. We will be talking a LOT next week if I'm having AT&T cell problems after I arrive in TV on Sunday.

[angiefox10]

The $199 device is a microcell. There was a previous thread where someone had mentioned being offered this free by AT&T because of the poor signal strength in TV. After learning of this I asked for and got a free one,too, and it gives me five bars in and outside my home. You can probably convince them to waive the charge, also; I would imagine that others in TV have been given these. If enough people insist on this, maybe they'll get the tower improvements done sooner. AT&T is trying to merge with Tmobile, which will probably solve the problem if/when that occurs, so that may be a reason they are dragging their feet on getting new towers of their own up; but since.the merger is, predictably, in regulatory debate now over whether to approve it, it is indefinite as to when that might solve the problem in TV.

Also, if you do decide to cancel service because of the signal problem, I should add that when I first complained to AT&T about poor reception a few months ago, they told me that if I wanted to cancel my account, they would waive the contractual cancellation fee, because of the poor service available. Then, when I asked for the microcell instead of cancelling, they agreed to waive the cost of it.

Also, if you ask them to, they will credit you some rollover minutes to try to make up for the dropped calls, slow connection, etc. (They credited us 5000 recently -and I was only explaining our problem and asking about the new tower, not seeking more minutes - plus several hundred a few months ago).

We have been with AT&T since it took over from Cingular (and, before that, Cingular was originally Bell South Mobility, at least in Louisville), so in all have I been a customer of theirs since the late 1980s (I think it was?) when cell phones first came out; and over all, over the years, they have been abundantly reasonable to work with; so we decided to stick it out for a few months and see if they resolve the signal problem in TV, since our phones works great anywhere else we travel to. And with our two phones, plus 3 children's phones still tied into our family plan for business reasons, and including 4 I-phones out of the 5, unlimited data and texting, and insurance, etc, our bill is still only $210 per month, actually less than it was a few years ago with fewer 'extras'; so out of loyalty we are trying to wait and see if they solve the problem in the near future.


Thanks!!! I called AT&T today and they are sending me my microcell O/N. We don't live in TV yet, but have horrible serivce. I didn't even know this was an option! Can't wait till I can use my phone at home! :laugh:

[BobandSandy]

Okay........I give!..........I know I'm outta the loop ....and I'm trying to stay "with the program"......
.....but what is "NYMBY"? Never You Mind Bimbo You?????

I am practically on a first name basis with many of the AT&T personnel. We will be talking a LOT next week if I'm having AT&T cell problems after I arrive in TV on Sunday.

I think the "MYMBY" is a typo for "NIMBY" Not In My BackYard

[swimdawg]

I think the "MYMBY" is a typo for "NIMBY" Not In My BackYard

Aha! Perhaps if I didn't have a terrible attack of the self-diagnosed problem, DBD (Dumb Blond Disease), I could have figured that out myself! Thank you!

[swimdawg]

I see in The Villages website that AT&T is opening up a store in LSL. That's a step in the right direction. After they open, we can bombard them with our complaints, if service is not up to par. Hopefully those new AT&T cell towers will be activiated soon. I've been on their case for awhile. I will arrive on Sunday. I've got fingers crossed that cell phone service will be better than it has been.

[ladydoc]

I see in The Villages website that AT&T is opening up a store in LSL. That's a step in the right direction. After they open, we can bombard them with our complaints, if service is not up to par. Hopefully those new AT&T cell towers will be activiated soon. I've been on their case for awhile. I will arrive on Sunday. I've got fingers crossed that cell phone service will be better than it has been.

We are returning our android phone today. Keeps dropping calls. What good is a $600 phone (even if we got it as a special for $50 at Radio Shack) if the calls drop? We are going back to Verizon. It is a well known problem at At&T that service in TV is intermittent, but we were not told that when we got the phone. They did not know when more towers were going to be up as of this morning. Not a clue.

[CTgolfer]

I can understand your frustration. But an earlier post I submitted mentioned that the Buttonwood area has poor cell service whether you have Verizon or AT&T. We have experienced this problem with both carriers.

[Figmo Bohica]

My verizon phone has no problems in Buttonwood. Three bars or more all the time, everywhere in the house and outside. Drove across country, no problem with verizon. Talked with my daughter this morning, they have verizon and her hubby travels all over the US for meetings, etc., has verizon and often he is the only one with service. ATT will never get anymore of my business and if anyone asks I will tell them why. $200 extra dollars to get service from their towers, think not.

[Vinny]

Terrible in Pennecamp. AT&T gave us a free mini cell which allows us to receive and make calls through my Internet connection. Without that we could not use our phones at home. Most calls were dropped.

[Oren L Miller]

My wife Angie called AT&T and voiced her concerns about our poor service in our home. AT&T sent us a micro cell at no expense to us. Today when I got home she told me to turn my cell phone off and back on again. We are now getting 5 bars at home. I'm in the basement now and still getting 5 bars. We did'n't use to get bars upstairs most of the time. We had to go out to the middle of our yard to get service. This is great. Thanks Angie. :bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:

[Schaumburger]

What does a micro cell look like? Is it something you plug into your AT&T phone?

[Freeda]

The microcell connects by a short cable into your wireless router, or modem; it sits near them, on your desk, on the floor etc; there is no direct contact between the microcell and your cell phone. It then emits a signal that your cell phone runs off of when it is within range of the microcell. It is like having your own mini cell phone tower in your home.

[angiefox10]

What does a micro cell look like? Is it something you plug into your AT&T phone?

I hope this link works. This is what mine looks like.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=microcell+tower&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS371US371&tbm=isch&tbnid=lmv3-pNdiZ96UM:&imgrefurl=http://apcmag.com/your-own-personal-mobile-tower-femtocells.htm&docid=h90fJiao4RleSM&w=625&h=833&ei=PZZoTpPBMsy3twfBtPijDQ&zoom=1&biw=1024&bih=539&iact=rc&dur=454&page=3&tbnh=113&tbnw=85&start=34&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:34&tx=46&ty=67

[cmhmom]

AT&T service in and around Buttonwood was awful last spring. Husband's Verizon worked very well. Hoping for new towers too!

[handyman]

The $199 device is a microcell. There was a previous thread where someone had mentioned being offered this free by AT&T because of the poor signal strength in TV. After learning of this I asked for and got a free one,too, and it gives me five bars in and outside my home. You can probably convince them to waive the charge, also; I would imagine that others in TV have been given these. If enough people insist on this, maybe they'll get the tower improvements done sooner. AT&T is trying to merge with Tmobile, which will probably solve the problem if/when that occurs, so that may be a reason they are dragging their feet on getting new towers of their own up; but since.the merger is, predictably, in regulatory debate now over whether to approve it, it is indefinite as to when that might solve the problem in TV.

Also, if you do decide to cancel service because of the signal problem, I should add that when I first complained to AT&T about poor reception a few months ago, they told me that if I wanted to cancel my account, they would waive the contractual cancellation fee, because of the poor service available. Then, when I asked for the microcell instead of cancelling, they agreed to waive the cost of it.

Also, if you ask them to, they will credit you some rollover minutes to try to make up for the dropped calls, slow connection, etc. (They credited us 5000 recently -and I was only explaining our problem and asking about the new tower, not seeking more minutes - plus several hundred a few months ago).

We have been with AT&T since it took over from Cingular (and, before that, Cingular was originally Bell South Mobility, at least in Louisville), so in all have I been a customer of theirs since the late 1980s (I think it was?) when cell phones first came out; and over all, over the years, they have been abundantly reasonable to work with; so we decided to stick it out for a few months and see if they resolve the signal problem in TV, since our phones works great anywhere else we travel to. And with our two phones, plus 3 children's phones still tied into our family plan for business reasons, and including 4 I-phones out of the 5, unlimited data and texting, and insurance, etc, our bill is still only $210 per month, actually less than it was a few years ago with fewer 'extras'; so out of loyalty we are trying to wait and see if they solve the problem in the near future.

What kind of internet service is required ?Broadband or will dsl work?:undecided::undecided::undecided:

[Posh 08]

I'll be happy when I retire and can do away with the cell phones and the bill and all the issues. If you don't get me at the house, forget about it.

[zcaveman]

I'll be happy when I retire and can do away with the cell phones and the bill and all the issues. If you don't get me at the house, forget about it.

Amen to that. The only reason I carry a cell phone is for emergencies. Otherwise it is turned off.

[Posh 08]

Amen to that. The only reason I carry a cell phone is for emergencies. Otherwise it is turned off.

Well hopefully if I carry for that reason "I won't fall and can't get up" in a dead zone :laugh:

[angiefox10]

Interesting...

We couldn't wait to get rid of our land lines. I rarely talk on my cell phone although on occasion I can use it for that!!! It's my golf GPS, grocery list, Garmin, I watch the stock market, my to do list, read my books on it, make my reservations on the go,I watch movies on it, listen to books, podcasts and music when I walk, it's my camera, my translator when I travel, as long as we had our phones, we NEVER got lost in TV... I think you get the picture. I use is for so much more then a phone. If I only have to carry one thing... it would be my cell phone! In fact, as soon as it has a comb app... I can do away with that too!

My land line... *shrug*

That being said.... I turn my ringer off when I don't want to be disturbed.

[billnterri]

I have AT&T cellphone coverage with the Iphone3 and live in the village of St. James.
Coverage is Poor to Very Poor. Half the time I get a msg "No Service" on my Iphone. Many calls are dropped. My wife has Verizon with her Iphone and has no problems. I will be switching to Verizon when my contract ends in Dec.

[ladydoc]

I have AT&T cellphone coverage with the Iphone3 and live in the village of St. James.
Coverage is Poor to Very Poor. Half the time I get a msg "No Service" on my Iphone. Many calls are dropped. My wife has Verizon with her Iphone and has no problems. I will be switching to Verizon when my contract ends in Dec.

WE ran back to Verizon from AT&T as fast as we could. They took us back, waived the cancellation fee we incurred when we switched and then gave us a break on the price of a better phone AND a very similar plan for $10 less then At&T!

[Freeda]

What kind of internet service is required ?Broadband or will dsl work?:undecided::undecided::undecided:

Hi, Handyman, sorry that I don't know the answer. We have broadband, and have never had dsl so I don't know how that works; but just give AT&T a call at 800-331-0500.

[Schaumburger]

Freeda and Angiefox, Thank you for posting information about microcells.

[Freeda]

Just realized the ATT ph no. was wrong in above post; has been edited.

[Figmo Bohica]

When I talked to ATT about getting the mircocell, was told that it plugged into the router, not the computer. So it should not matter if you have broadband, DSL or satillite service since your router is on all the time.

But no matter, got rid of the ATT phone and the Verizon phone arrives today. Same package for $10 less per month, just had to pay a little more for the phone, but I think that it is worth it to have a phone that gives good service.

[linandvin]

Wow! Thank you for the heads up! I just spoke with AT&T and they wanted to charge me $300. Brought it down to $50. I suggested it would be quite unfair, and probably illegal, to charge some people and not others. The ***free*** microcell is on its way. Thanks again!!!!

[angiefox10]

Wow! Thank you for the heads up! I just spoke with AT&T and they wanted to charge me $300. Brought it down to $50. I suggested it would be quite unfair, and probably illegal, to charge some people and not others. The ***free*** microcell is on its way. Thanks again!!!!

The first person I spoke to told me she had to charge me. I made my case that they sold me a phone I couldn't use in my home. I asked to speak to her manager and we either got cut off or she hung up. When I called back the second gentleman approved it without question. He cut the price to $99.00 charged my credit card for the $99.00 and then credit my account for the same amount. *shrug* I don't understand it... but we have our Microcell and have all bars through the house!

I think if you don't get someone to help.... call back.

[linandvin]

Yes, mine was$9.99 shipping and handling which is being credited back to my account. Glad it will work better! Thanks again!!!!

[angiefox10]

Yes, mine was$9.99 shipping and handling which is being credited back to my account. Glad it will work better! Thanks again!!!!


:MOJE_whot::MOJE_whot::MOJE_whot:

[English Ivy]

I just got off the phone with AT&T at the number above Freeda provided. I'm sick of only one or two bars and dropped calls and decided to inquire about the microcell.

I was told the only way they will give you one free is if you received a promotional letter or email, that you cannot just call to get one. So for everyone who has received a "free" microcell, did you have the letter/email promotion or was it just by a phone call? By the way, she didn't even offer to sell me one for $199. Just said there's a known outage in this area and they're working on it.

Before I call back and talk with someone else thought I'd get further details. Thanks!

[angiefox10]

I just got off the phone with AT&T at the number above Freeda provided. I'm sick of only one or two bars and dropped calls and decided to inquire about the microcell.

I was told the only way they will give you one free is if you received a promotional letter or email, that you cannot just call to get one. So for everyone who has received a "free" microcell, did you have the letter/email promotion or was it just by a phone call? By the way, she didn't even offer to sell me one for $199. Just said there's a known outage in this area and they're working on it.

Before I call back and talk with someone else thought I'd get further details. Thanks!


I did not receive the letter and the first person I spoke to said the same thing. I asked to speak to her supervisor and the line disconnected. Probably an accident.... but glad it did just the same. I called back and talked to a gentleman by the name of Phil and he took care of it for me. He was VERY helpful.

[English Ivy]

I did not receive the letter and the first person I spoke to said the same thing. I asked to speak to her supervisor and the line disconnected. Probably an accident.... but glad it did just the same. I called back and talked to a gentleman by the name of Phil and he took care of it for me. He was VERY helpful.

Thanks Angie, that's what I thought. Guess I'll just try calling back and hopefully get someone else. It would be great if the call would drop in the middle of the conversation. That would certainly prove the point!

[angiefox10]

Thanks Angie, that's what I thought. Guess I'll just try calling back and hopefully get someone else. It would be great if the call would drop in the middle of the conversation. That would certainly prove the point!


I had to call from my land line.... I couldn't call out from my cell... or it would have dropped. *laughing*

[Freeda]

I just got off the phone with AT&T at the number above Freeda provided. I'm sick of only one or two bars and dropped calls and decided to inquire about the microcell.

I was told the only way they will give you one free is if you received a promotional letter or email, that you cannot just call to get one. So for everyone who has received a "free" microcell, did you have the letter/email promotion or was it just by a phone call? By the way, she didn't even offer to sell me one for $199. Just said there's a known outage in this area and they're working on it.

Before I call back and talk with someone else thought I'd get further details. Thanks!

Hi English Ivy, I, too, did not get a promotional letter or email offering me the Microcell; I just called AT&T because I had learned here on TOTV that someone else in TV had received the promo letter offering the free Microcell; so I asked for one, too, and got it. Also, at the local ATT store in Summerfield, where I went around the same time, I mentioned that I was being sent a Microcell and they indicated awareness that there was a serious reception problem in at least parts of TV.

If you're still having a problem getting the charge for it waived maybe just try following up with a manager or someone higher up than the regular rep who answers your call; and point out to them that there are others in TV who are getting these free. I would go so far as to offer to let AT&T send a rep to my home to observe the weak signal, if you have to. I hope this info helps you.

[springfield]

att would not give us the micro cell, if they gave us half off, they were going to charge us $5 a month. The deal changes depending on who you talk to. We switched yesterday to Verizon, lots of bars, yippee. We also got a landline from Century Link. We didn't realize we were already paying for a phone line to get the internet, I am so duh! For about $10 more, they upped our internet speed, and have unlimited long distance, local, and even international.

[swimdawg]

AT&T service has been a bone of contention for me since I initially visited in January. I'm practically on a first-name basis with them! The bottom line is that they say that the new tower will be activated on the 25th of this month....and two more towers are coming shortly. The new towers are located at Cherry Lake and E. County Hwy/466A; Buena Vista - E. County Road and El Camino/ R. 25 near 165th County Hwy. Since I don't know my right from my left these days, I have NO IDEA where these places are....but that is the latest update from my "friends"??? at AT&T.

The interesting fact is that I did receive the latest update while at the TOTV luncheon at Crispers last Friday. I announced the update to the crowd and a round of applause was heard throughout Crispers! I hope the AT&T supervisors heard it as well. If I hear any more updates, I'll keep you posted.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Thanks for posting this, swimdawg! We'll see how different our signal is when we get back down there in Dec.!

Bill :)

[BigLew]

AT&T service has been a bone of contention for me since I initially visited in January. I'm practically on a first-name basis with them! The bottom line is that they say that the new tower will be activated on the 25th of this month....and two more towers are coming shortly. The new towers are located at Cherry Lake and E. County Hwy/466A; Buena Vista - E. County Road and El Camino/ R. 25 near 165th County Hwy. Since I don't know my right from my left these days, I have NO IDEA where these places are....but that is the latest update from my "friends"??? at AT&T.

The interesting fact is that I did receive the latest update while at the TOTV luncheon at Crispers last Friday. I announced the update to the crowd and a round of applause was heard throughout Crispers! I hope the AT&T supervisors heard it as well. If I hear any more updates, I'll keep you posted.

as those tower dates have been given to me as the first tower may be in operation by November and the others within 6 to 8 months of that???

I got my microcell free after going to the store and asking them for a refund as I was sold a phone that they claimed would work in the Villages where all of their coverage maps show good to excellent coverage. After much 'discussion' they (AT&T) finally gave in (the store personnel cannot make this decision) and I got a free microcell, it still doesn't help when I sit in Toojays and see the 'no service' msg on my phone :cus:

[swimdawg]

as those tower dates have been given to me as the first tower may be in operation by November and the others within 6 to 8 months of that???

I got my microcell free after going to the store and asking them for a refund as I was sold a phone that they claimed would work in the Villages where all of their coverage maps show good to excellent coverage. After much 'discussion' they (AT&T) finally gave in (the store personnel cannot make this decision) and I got a free microcell, it still doesn't help when I sit in Toojays and see the 'no service' msg on my phone :cus:

I hear ya loud and clear........it is VERY frustrating dealing with these AT&T Customer Service reps. I wasted way too much of my valuable time waiting and waiting and waiting for these people to answer my questions. Hopefully, things will improve........but I'm not holding my breath........

[Posh 08]

I hear ya loud and clear........it is VERY frustrating dealing with these AT&T Customer Service reps. I wasted way too much of my valuable time waiting and waiting and waiting for these people to answer my questions. Hopefully, things will improve........but I'm not holding my breath........

I had AT&T, Cingular and another subsidiary Sun since I started my cell phone days. They were always top notch until March of 09 when signal went to the dogs. The reps all gave me the same hype, it was my equipment. Finally paid the early buy out and switched to Verizon. Been very happy with them here in rural Virginia and where ever I travel.

[Eve2278]

We live off Rainey Trail. Awful service. Calls drop all the time. Anyone who has At&T in our neighborhood has to go outside to make a call. My husband called my phone as we were standing right next to each other and my IPHONE never rang. We had the sim card change and it still didn't help. AT&T offers for 100.00 (no longer free) a product called M-CELL that is suppose to act as a mini tower. However they told us you should have Comcast internet for it to work because for some reason Centrylink doesn't work well. You plug the mini tower into the modem/wireless. It worked well for my husband's blackberry he got 5 bars and on the phone's face it says AT&T M-CELL so you know it's activated but my Iphone has a hard time picking up the signal.Customer Service told me to go into Settings,General,Network and disable 3G (oh yeah, won't work with 2G phones) then once disabled my phone goes into 2G (E) then I go switch back into 3G and at that time (sometimes) my IPHONE picks up the M-CELL signal. When it works its great. We are still going to request we get that 100.00 back. Not fair to pay for cell service and have to buy additional equipment to get it...Were thinking once AT&T moves to lake Sumter the service may get better. They just need more towers!! NOW I must tell you when I go into 2G (E) I actually get 4 bars... Crazy!! I told AT&T that and they knew it already but they said you can't use the data with 2G...

[BigLew]

We live off Rainey Trail. Awful service. Calls drop all the time. Anyone who has At&T in our neighborhood has to go outside to make a call. My husband called my phone as we were standing right next to each other and my IPHONE never rang. We had the sim card change and it still didn't help. AT&T offers for 100.00 (no longer free) a product called M-CELL that is suppose to act as a mini tower. However they told us you should have Comcast internet for it to work because for some reason Centrylink doesn't work well. You plug the mini tower into the modem/wireless. It worked well for my husband's blackberry he got 5 bars and on the phone's face it says AT&T M-CELL so you know it's activated but my Iphone has a hard time picking up the signal.Customer Service told me to go into Settings,General,Network and disable 3G (oh yeah, won't work with 2G phones) then once disabled my phone goes into 2G (E) then I go switch back into 3G and at that time (sometimes) my IPHONE picks up the M-CELL signal. When it works its great. We are still going to request we get that 100.00 back. Not fair to pay for cell service and have to buy additional equipment to get it...Were thinking once AT&T moves to lake Sumter the service may get better. They just need more towers!! NOW I must tell you when I go into 2G (E) I actually get 4 bars... Crazy!! I told AT&T that and they knew it already but they said you can't use the data with 2G...

I have century link and iphones. go into settings turn airplane mode on wait 2 seconds and turn it back off. This causes it to search for a cell tower and usually puts you right into your mcell. I use it for data with no problem but have my wifi connection anyhow when I am within the mcells range which is about 5,000 sq ft. By the way, the $100 you had to pay, I made them credit it back to me on the next bill....they can see from their side how many dropped calls you have had!! Hopefully when they put the towers into service I can turn my mcell into an anchor :sad:

[Freeda]

AT&T service has been a bone of contention for me since I initially visited in January. I'm practically on a first-name basis with them! The bottom line is that they say that the new tower will be activated on the 25th of this month....and two more towers are coming shortly. The new towers are located at Cherry Lake and E. County Hwy/466A; Buena Vista - E. County Road and El Camino/ R. 25 near 165th County Hwy. Since I don't know my right from my left these days, I have NO IDEA where these places are....but that is the latest update from my "friends"??? at AT&T.

The interesting fact is that I did receive the latest update while at the TOTV luncheon at Crispers last Friday. I announced the update to the crowd and a round of applause was heard throughout Crispers! I hope the AT&T supervisors heard it as well. If I hear any more updates, I'll keep you posted.







I've been on a trip for two weeks and get back to TV Thursday. I'm curious whether anyone has noticed any ATT reception improvement since Sep 25 as that was the date they had said one of the new towers would be active. I called on Monday and was told one would be working by end of October and the other one in March 2012. As others have mentioned above, the dates keep changing. I pointed out, again, the dangers (not just inconvenience) that this is causing, such as potential for not being able to make 911 calls etc. When I asked why the delays and why so much longer to get the second new tower working, they had no idea. When I asked why we needed the second tower I was told it was because they realized the first one by itself won't be enough. I asked how long it takes to build and activate a tower from start to finish and was told three months; then another person said six months. If we all call about this regularly it might help.





months.

[kansasr]

When we first arrived back at the end of October, service actually seemed better. We could actually make and receive calls here in Pennecamp. It seems like we were getting an additional bar of signal.

However, in the last week it has become even worse that it was this summer. Impossible to make or receive calls in the house and even going outside means dropped calls or calls that are breaking up.

I actually had to drive over to Lake Sumter and park in the parking lot one day this week to get some important phone calls made.

It certainly makes life in The Villages unpleasant, if not dangerous.

[vj1213]

We had a rep from AT&T at the LSL sales center the other day and she told us that 2 towers were scheduled to be built during the first quarter of next year...that is the same thing they have been saying for the past year.

[swimdawg]

I have to say that AT&T service in the St. James area was MUCH better when I was there the past two weeks. I had virtually no dropped calls and most of the time, I had 3 bars of signal. Before this visit, I had to go out to the lanai to make/receive calls......so there was a definite improvement. It can only get better with additional towers going up.

[mfp509]

I have not been able to use my cell phone since 11/15 - this is first time in 8 years that I have had a problem. Called twice and am told that a tower is out. This is too long without service. Anyone have another company they are really happy with for The Villages? I live up near 42 in Calumet Grove.

[gage405]

I have trac fone and have had very spotty service for the last
4 or 5 days. Before that, service was very good...and I have
a 413 area code and not a 352 are code.
I guess trac fone must use the ATT tower.
I also live near Rainey Trail.
Hope it is just because a tower is down and that it will be
fixed soon.

[sukismom]

I finally had to give up on AT&T after many years. Cencelled my service, paid the arly termination fees and went to Verizon. Verizon service has been Great. Went to the BBB to complain about AT&T charging when most of the time no service was available. Got a full refund from AT&T.

[Sail41]

I have t-mobile and mine works great the last couple years. Was a little spotty at first but now is great no matter where we're at. Wouldn't change.

[memason]

What I find amazing is that these companies do not share communications towers. There used to be a day when you "roamed", meaning you were using someone else's network (tower). You paid more to roam, but companies always had a plan where you did not pay roaming fees. Cell phone reception was much better then.

What am I missing here . . . ????

[Bob45]

What I find amazing is that these companies do not share communications towers. There used to be a day when you "roamed", meaning you were using someone else's network (tower). You paid more to roam, but companies always had a plan where you did not pay roaming fees. Cell phone reception was much better then.

What am I missing here . . . ????

I think in the early days they needed each others towers for better coverage to make cell phones worth while. Now since they have so many of their own towers, I think it's a battle of who has the best reception. Right now Verizon is winning, so why should they share? It's all about $$$, not customer service.

I had to give up my iPhone because of almost non-existent coverage at my home in Hemingway.

Bob

[Virtual Geezer]

The tower situated in TV is very odd. If you look at the water towers you will see cell phone antennas located on most if not all of the towers. I will have to check to see if there are any cohabs on the water towers. I cannot remember ever seeing a stand alone cell tower within TV.

Now many of the towers are not owned by the actual companies such as AT&T or Sprint but by a local or regional communications company that leases space on the tower to the major companies. I know up north at one time the communication companies were paying $1500.00 a month to the property owner for having a tower on their property with only one carrier on the tower. I have seen as many as 5 different cell companies locate (cohab) on one tower and $7500 a month income for having a tower out on the back 40 was great income. I know that up north the state wanted to cash in on the tower royalty and place the towers in the median of the interstates. Not sure what happened to that proposal but I have only seen a few travels and that was where there was a very large separation between the lanes.

If you look close at some of the high tension power like towers will have cell phone antennas attached to their rigging. I would not like to be the one to make a service call on that antennas.

Now about AT&T getting the new so called towers installed you are at their mercy. The best thing to do is go to the AT&T store wanting to buy a new iPhone. Let the sales person go through their pitch and when they are done ask them about coverage south of 466a. After you hear the tower story just tell the sales person no thank you that you are not about to wait for coverage since Verizon already has good coverage and walk out. If enough people do that AT&T will get the message and either switch to another lie or push higher up for action.

VG

[billalexander]

I have Verizon and have had no issues anywhere I have been in The Villages, which is everywhere.

[JohnN]

I'm a retired AT&T guy, they used to have great service and equipment, now unfortunately it's all junk. I've tried to email customer service and got nowhere, I guess I'll take a trip down to the store.

It's not the towers, it's the metal house framing for me in Hemingway.
My signal is fine on the lanai but drops once indoors.

It hurts to think of changing to Verizon, but if this doesn't get fixed
on my trip to the store, I'll drop AT&T (but keep the pension)

[cwbrandt]

WE have AT& T wireless in Sunset pointe on the golf course and it is just awful. Our contractor had it and said sometime in 2010 it went bad. He called and was told it was a problem with 1 tower. I called and they said there was no problem. He finally dropped them for Verizon because he couldn't be reached and needed to be available all the time to his crews.

I have called over and over and complained and they say there is no problem but I remember 2009 we did not have this poor service. WE are moving in permanently in January and I will try to use my Ooma with the Ooma bluetooth to see if I can put my phone somewhere where I get good reception and leave it there when we are in the house. BUt when I was there in November there was one day when I couldn't get any reception even outside. I don't know if I will jump to Verizon next year when my contract is up because I hate to lose my free data.
Cindy

[Kbeck]

We live in Buttonwood and have been fighting w/ATT for 7 months. They know that we have no service but refuse to let us out of our contract. They said there would be a new tower in Aug. Then in Dec. And now not until April. Then they had the gall to put a store in Lake Sumter so that they can sell more phones to unsuspecting villagers. Phones that will not work in half of the homes.

[CarGuys]

Would Verizon give you a deal to switch? Or does your contract lock you in.

I would think for customer service they would give you a break on the price your paying now.

[bjk0908]

We live in Caroline where AT&T service is VERY poor. This is true for a number of our friends who live south of 466.

[PennBF]

As I understand it there will be a statement in the next POA Bulletin.

[Chopper]

Several months ago I received a letter AT&T. They offered to give me a 3G Micro-Cell device for free (retail price $199.00). I went to the AT&T store and picked one up from them. After installing the device my signal strength indoors went from either no signal or sometimes one bar to a full five bars. This has taken care of my signal strength problem at home; however, the service is definitely still unacceptable in a lot of areas within The Villages.

I don't know if AT&T is still providing these devices for free. You might want to call the AT&T company store over on Highway 441 to check it out. Don't bother calling the AT&T store in Lake Sumter Landing since they are only an authorized AT&T retailer and cannot be of any assistance with the 3G Micro Cell.

[er9027]

Put in a Landline(wired phone). They get GREAT reception ! :icon_wink:

[The Villager II]

When riding in the mountains and small town USA, nothing works better than Verizon for me

[Teryl1949]

My wife and I both have iPhone 4's. Hers is Verizon and mine is ATT. On our last trip down to TV I conducted a test. Holding both phones side by side I attempted to load up various sites using the browser. No surprise to me, Verizon was consistently and significantly faster.:spoken:

[Corvette]

Our house is south of 466A & we have "almost" zero AT&T reception. On occasion we get lucky and show bars that fluctuate between 1 and 2. And if you stand perfectly still can make a call, however, the slightest movement will drop the call. At first (January 2012) AT&T told us a new tower would be erected in April, then we were told August, last week they said December. We will be full time residents in September. If we knew for certain that another carrier would provide good reception we would change carriers. Can anyone south of 466A make a recommendation? Will appreciate any input.

[Papa]

Our house is south of 466A & we have "almost" zero AT&T reception. On occasion we get lucky and show bars that fluctuate between 1 and 2. And if you stand perfectly still can make a call, however, the slightest movement will drop the call. At first (January 2012) AT&T told us a new tower would be erected in April, then we were told August, last week they said December. We will be full time residents in September. If we knew for certain that another carrier would provide good reception we would change carriers. Can anyone south of 466A make a recommendation? Will appreciate any input.

We live south of 466A and eventually got the AT&T Microcell. Now we have 5-bars all the time on both iPhones. AT&T was offering a discount a couple months back on the MicroCell purchase for The Villages. Check the older TOTV threads for more info.

[Joaniesmom]

Figmo, I personally think there is nothing better than Consumer Cellular unless you live with your phone attached to your ear. They use AT&T equipment. No contract. You get an AARP discount. You can change your plan retroactively in the middle of your billing period. Every month if you want. Excellent customer service. I really like my phone and it was free! Now, I don't know how well it will work in TV. We're right on the border of excellent and good.

But you can try it out and return it. No problem. I'm just amazed at how many folks don't use CS. I ought to call them and ask for a perk!

Just my $0.02. I really do think you would like them.

[justjim]

As mentioned in another post, AT&T told me in February that 2 new towers south would be operational by September. I am giving them until the last of September and if reception isn't better in Sanibel-----its goodbye.

[villages07]

Article in today's Daily Sun Local/Business section announced that new AT&T wireless/cell phone sites have been installed and are operational.

My stinky Tracfone, which uses the AT&T network, now has 4 bars inside the house. That is unprecedented.

The article said 2 new cells sites were activated in TV and now provide 4G service. It goes on to say there are now 6 cell sites in TV. The 2 new sites will provide additional coverage for amelia, bonita, buttonwood, caroline, mallory, duval, hadley, hemmingway, and tamarind grove. Also should see improved coverage along 466, 466a, 301, and 441.

Just in time for the new iphone 5 :)

[blondie56]

Article in today's Daily Sun Local/Business section announced that new AT&T wireless/cell phone sites have been installed and are operational.

My stinky Tracfone, which uses the AT&T network, now has 4 bars inside the house. That is unprecedented.

The article said 2 new cells sites were activated in TV and now provide 4G service. It goes on to say there are now 6 cell sites in TV. The 2 new sites will provide additional coverage for amelia, bonita, buttonwood, caroline, mallory, duval, hadley, hemmingway, and tamarind grove. Also should see improved coverage along 466, 466a, 301, and 441.

Just in time for the new iphone 5 :)

I've actually been noticing better reception here in Buttonwoods for the past week, so I think the towers have been activated sooner than they announced! About time!! Now I don;t have go outside with only 1 bar to talk!!:a040::a040:

[Bill-n-Brillo]

The a few days ago, I heard from someone who is just north of 466A that the reception was now great in that area - 4 bars! Woo-hoo! That's great news!

:pepper2:

Bill :)

[carol805]

I was renting in Pennecamp and noticed a big difference when the new towers were activated. However, now that I have bought a villa in Sanibel, I can't get reception inside my own house! I use TracFone. I hate to revert to a plan with a contract. Any ideas?

Carol

Gettysburg, PA, and TV, FL

[Villages Kahuna]

After a lifetime of Verizon, I had to get AT&T when I wanted an iPhone. AT&T is simply awful. I experience "bad audio" on virtually every call I make while driving around The Villages. And dropped calls? Having to dial and redial calls has just become commonplace.

I'll be getting an iPhone 5 when they come out in a couple weeks. I wouldn't consider renewing with AT&T if they gave me the service for nothing. I know you won't believe that, but it's that bad.

I live in Mallory and a lot of my calls connect in e south end of The Villages.

[3puttharry]

Thinking of going with a tar phone on AT&T. Live in st James. Read this entire thread. Have the new AT&T towers actually been installed and is the service very good now? Thanks

[dotti105]

I would also like updated info. Especially south of 466A.
We were there in May 2013 for our LSL and had no reception problems during our stay. Would live to hear from some residents south of 466A!
TIA!

[SouthOfTheBorder]

We have been living in Fernandina since early May and have not experienced any dropped calls, either in our area or anywhere in or around the Villages. We are on ATT, using two 4S iPhones. We have no complaints about quality of service, just wish their rates were lower.... :thumbup:

Don

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Thinking of going with a tar phone on AT&T. Live in st James. Read this entire thread. Have the new AT&T towers actually been installed and is the service very good now? Thanks

The AT&T towers were up and running last August:

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/villages-florida-general-discussion-73/new-towers-service-t-58672/#post542092

That's the last I've heard about any AT&T towers.

Bill

[dotti105]

Thanks, that is reassuring, we really like our ATT contract. Signed on with early iphones and have unlimited data and texts. Any changes to our plan will increase our rates and we would rather not go there!

[Mimivillager]

We are in Amelia with AT&T service and since the new towers went up last Aug service has been fantastic. What a difference. Before that it was horrible. We are very pleased now. No problems.
:BigApplause:

[Bizdoc]

I'm in South Fernandina (on the edge of the construction zone). My AT&T Blackberry 9900 had very good reception here (and most places around TV). My new AT&T Galaxy S4 doesn't show as many bars, but seems to have an OK signal, at least for the places I've been in the last 2 weeks. Of course, your mileage will vary, especially if your phone isn't one of those 2 models.

[mrdarcy]

I live in Charlotte and have AT&T with an iPhone 4S. I get 3 bars of reception (out of possible 5, I think) in most places inside my block and stucco home. In one or 2 places inside the house the reception occasionally is a little sketchy, but I have not experienced any dropped calls. I also have the original unlimited data plan and will stay with AT&T when iPhone 5S or 6 comes out.