Apples to Apples?

BellSouth Mobility recently introduced a rollover-service plan that allows users to keep any of their unused minutes by rolling them over into the next month's bucket of minutes. The plan replaces the "use them or lose them" perspective with a "rollover-cushion" solution that has caught other service providers off guard. The following reactions illustrate how competitors are quick to offer possible alternatives. But customers beware: Know the costs of a plan before comparing oranges and apples.

AT&T Wireless
Total Hold Time: 1 minute
Transfers/IVR Layers: 2
CSR: Thank you for calling AT&T. This is (name). How may I help you?
WR: Can you roll over unused minutes with your service?
CSR: The only one that's doing that right now is BellSouth.
WR: Oh, they are? OK. I thought there was another company that offered it, and I wanted to compare plans and pricing.
CSR: Well, when you're trying to compare, the best way is instead of looking strictly at price, do it based on a solution, like where and how you're going to use it. On the other hand, it's strictly for Jacksonville to my knowledge.
WR: Oh, really?
CSR: Yes. It's a good deal if you're in Jacksonville. Where do you plan on using the phone?
WR: At home and when I travel.
CSR: Where do you travel to?
WR: New Jersey, Chicago, ...
CSR: OK. They will not roll over in New Jersey. If you want to use rollover minutes there, be prepared to pay like 60 cents a minute.
WR: Is that because I'm using rollover minutes or because of roaming?
CSR: Rollover minutes are for around town, not for calling while you're roaming.
WR: OK. Because they had said it includes long-distance calls.
CSR: If you read the fine print, I'm sure it says it doesn't include long distance and roaming. When you're comparing apples and oranges or apples to apples, forget about the phone. The deal isn't on the phone. It's where are you going to use the phone and how much it will cost to use it there.
WR: So it might be cheaper if I went with another plan?
CSR: Absolutely. Starting June 1, we'll have regional pricing. You know how we have Digital One Rate plans? Well, say you go from Florida to New York, you'll have East Coast pricing.
WR: But that doesn't include any rollover time?
CSR: Right. I just want to make sure you get on the right plan instead of selling you a plan that you think you're going to use.

Nextel
Total Hold Time: 1 minute
Transfers/IVR Layers: 3
CSR: Customer care. This is (name). How can I help you?
WR: I was wondering if you offered rollover minutes?
CSR: We don't have pooling minutes. Well, I take that back. There is one. None of our minutes roll over to the next month though.
WR: What's pooling?
CSR: We call it a twin pack, and two phones share either 400 or 600 minutes.
WR: And if I don't use all those ...
CSR: You lose it. Use it or lose it.
WR: Will you offer rollover minutes in the future?
CSR: No. They'll never do that!

VoiceStream Wireless
Total Hold Time: 2 minutes
Transfers/IVR Layers: 3
CSR: Thank you for calling VoiceStream, where you get more. This is (name). May I have your name please?
WR: (Gives name).
CSR: How can I help you (name)?
WR: Do you offer a plan where unused minutes can be rolled over with the next month's minutes?
CSR: They don't. They just go for one full month. However, if you start out with a basic plan and find you need to move up in minutes, you can migrate between plans. Where do you live?
WR: (Gives city.)
CSR: With our Get More plan for $39.99 a month, you get 600 minutes, and right now you also get 500 local weekend minutes for as long as you have service with VoiceStream. That's 1,100 minutes for $39.99. And with that plan you're part of the Northwest Neighborhood so you can call anywhere in Washington, Oregon or Idaho without long-distance charges.
WR: But you don't carry over unused minutes with that either?
CSR: No, you don't. You can move between plans but you can't roll over into the next month.

Mystery Caller is Wireless Review's ongoing series of random calls to service providers to determine how a customer might be treated and the accuracy of distributed information.