I am thinking of purchasing a cell from 7-11 as I have had bad experiences with Citywest. Can anyone advise me on their phones, problems they may have had? Any recommendations? I am steering towards them as I like the no-contract aspect.Any input would be appreciated, thanx.
We’ve used speakout for just over one year - no issues, but we are light cell phone users. We haven’t even used $100 of air time yet. I think you might have missed the buy $100 of airtime get the phone for half price deal. They usually have deals…check their website.
I’m not using a 7-11 phone, it sounds like a good option.
I’m on a three year contract with evil Rogers. So far I like the service I’m getting with Rogers. My inexpensive Samsung phone works properly for the most part. The only trouble I get into is when I’m not in a line of sight with the tower on Mt. Hayes in the Pineridge area. This part of town sometimes has spotty coverage with Rogers (for me anyway). Other parts of town I’ve got full bars in signal strength. For the same cost that CityWest charged me I get the same amount of minutes with Rogers, plus 1500 free text messages per month. I didn’t have texting with CityWest.
I have used 7-11 Speakout for over a year now after having a cell contract with Citywest. I very much prefer Speakout because I am only charged for the minutes I use. With Citywest I paid for 100 ‘free’ minutes per month that I never used up. The other reason I like it is that all calls within the 250 area code are considered local and I am not charged long distance when calling home while in Terrace etc.
Speakout uses the Rogers network, so the service reliability and quality are the same.
Thanx for the advice everyone. What kind of price range am I looking at and is the Speakout cell the one where you buy the cards at the store with the amount of dollar value minutes you prefer? I would be classed as a light cell phone user so probably worth my purchasing? No contract right? You just have to activate the code or something. I asked one of the cashiers in there one day but he didn’t know that much about it. Appreciate more input if you don’t mind. Thanx!
I worked there in the summer. I still don’t really know too much about them, although a lot of people seemed to have them. The phones themselves are pretty basic. All I really know is the more minutes you buy at one time, the better the rate you are getting. Minutes come in $15, $25, $50, and $100. The phones themselves range from (if I remember correctly) $59 to the most basic, $89 for a flip, and $139 for a spiffy coloured one. 
No contract, and yes, you just call a number after you buy it, and it will give you a phone number and everything.
My brother has a speak-out phone and he only calls for rides home. He’s had the phone for almost 10 months and still hasn’t used up his $100. He’s even bought some games for his phone.
If you buy $100 airtime I think they charge you at a rate of $0.20/min and the other denominations are $0.25/min.
So yeah, I’d recommend thinking out how much you actually use your phone; pay attention in the next few days of the calls you receive or make then work out the math and decide if speak-out is right for you.
Speak-out doesn’t offer unlimited incoming calls.
Edit: Texts are $0.05 incoming and outgoing, assuming rates haven’t changed.
Doubt Edit: Actually, incoming is now free. 
I just got a text from Speakout, two days ago, saying that texts are now 10 cents per outgoing and free for incoming.
You just missed the promo they had until the end of September, buy $100 airtime and get any phone for half price.
Thank you everyone for all your advice and thank you for the link to the site. Sounds GREAT as I hate to be tied down to those darn contracts and it is nice that I can pick one without all the bells and whistles…Off I go! Hope they have them in stock !!!
I never liked the look of those phones. But they were really popular when I worked there.
The phones just looked cheap to me. But I’m used to expensive things I guess. For someone who takes care of their phone, they’ll be awesome. But if you’re the type of person who is really wreckless and drops it and all that, I would’nt suggest it.
Well, I can’t say I am used to expensive things, I appreciate them when I can afford them but am on a strict budget as we are saving to move from Rupert and that doesn’t come cheap :evil: so I’ll be happy with the cheap phone and pray not to drop it. 
lol.
I would think that you treat your things nicely, you should be fine.
Im using speakout, i went for the flip phone they had, so far so good, real easy to put your own ringtones on it with the bluetooth
on another note if none of the phones there appeal to you, just get the cheapest one they have and then get a nice phone on ebay and swap the sim card
I have an iPhone with a speakout SIM. Well, futuregirl does. Since Christmas, she has used about $60.00. Average of about $6.00/month.
Don’t like the Speakout phones? Take the SIM out and put it in any other GSM phone.
I’m really happy with citywest. Except for the slow web browsing, is that just my phone or what? My dad has the same one as me and his is the same…
Weird.
Now that we have Rogers we just need its branch, Fido
No system access fees, mmmm…
I pay $55/month for 400 anytime minutes, unlimited nights/weekends, and unlimited texting. Yea…
Fido is nice.
I’m paying $25/mo
-100 min/mo
- unlimited weekends/evenings (they start at 7pm)
- unlimited text messaging
and $7/mo for caller ID
Unfortunately, my Fido phone is locked.
Koodo also has $25/mo with the same thing but they also have unlimited picture messaging.
And omg, it’s the Engineering E thingie at UBC!