Originally Posted by Lord Raiden

Ok, I live in Marshall, MI, zip code 49068. And yes, that's farm country, so don't laugh. And yes, we do still have technology here. I think the first light bulb arrived in town last week. lol. J/K.

Anywho, right now I have Nextel, which got bought by Sprint. I have the old i305, which is one of the rugged phones, or "ducks" as we call them. (the first phones were yellow and black and resembled the old rubber duck bath toys, hence the nickname) I've been eying the new i365, and would like that one possibly, but I'm gonna move off Nextel and to someone else. So here's what I need when I move.

Required:

A good rugged phone that can take a lot of abuse (No flips. I have a bad habit of destroying phones)
Good coverage in my area.
A good, trustworthy, quality company.
A reasonable price for a 450minute package.
Ease of transferring phone number.

Optional, but would really like:
Tethering.
Mobile internet. (both for my nit)

Everything else beyond that is completely optional. Any suggestions? And I'm not just looking for a new phone, but a new provider as well. So suggestions in both areas is welcome.

How to get the best price on a Nextel phone....

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Ok, here's a breakdown for those that don't understand this concept, and those that might be too new to the forums and the world of Nextel to understand it. If you want a good deal on a Nextel phone, and aren't finding it online at a website, in the Buy/Sell/Trade section here, or on eBay or wherever, you're only choice is to actually call Nextel and find out what they'll give you. Asking here what kind of a deal you can get is simply a moot point. Everyone can tell you what kind of a deal they got, but that has nothing at all to do with what you will get, nothing at all! Your ONLY way to find out what you can get from Nextel is to call them yourself.

If you're currently in contract, don't expect a whole lot of freebies/discounts/etc unless you have PROOF that your service is not what it should be and you are in fact in an area that is covered by Nextel according to them (this proof is in the form of calls to submit network tickets with problems you've had--dropped calls, No Service, etc, etc, etc).

If you are out of contract, then this is the time to get the best deal on a new phone or a new rate plan or a few features added to your account for less than the advertised price--this is when people have the most luck with the retentions department.

Now, the key to remember in all this is that it is solely based on who you talk to in the retentions department as to what you can get. If they've had a bad day, if the last customer was extremely rude to them, if they had a flat tire on the way in to work in the rain, then your chances of getting discounts and freebies are lower. If they've had a good day and every caller has been nice to them, and they were just given a raise--your chances are better. Retention reps and customer service reps with Nextel are just like every one of us--human, they want and hope that you can respect them as much as you'd like them to respect you. The person you talk to is someone that you want to help you, so treat them with respect.

Another thing, when you call retentions, if you threaten to cancel service or are going to use that as your reason for why you are wanting a better deal--be prepared to follow through with that. The retentions department is NOT the "I want a deal" department. If you act like a ***** and are rude to the rep, you can bet that your sevice will be cancelled for you the first time you mention it--the retentions department is not REQUIRED to give everyone, or anyone, a deal.

Retentions phone numbers (posted throughout the forums in many other threads by many other people):
800-683-1602 (Corporate/Government Individual Accounts)
866-235-1185 (Small Business/Individual Consumer Accounts)