My SMART Prepaid experience

I have been a Globe prepaid user all my life. But two weeks ago out of sheer frustration with delayed notifications of my promo subscriptions, a botched roaming registration and the constant 3G issues in key cities in the Metro, I finally decided to bite into the growing Smart hype and switched networks. 

Of course anyone that knows me have heard me say in the past that Smart is pang-probinsya as it is known to have better signal in most hard to reach provinces in the PH. This is not meant to be an insult by the way like when you say your friend's ganda is pang-probinsya lang. When I was in Caramoan in 2011, my Globe phone had almost zero signal. I say almost because I can get a bar of signal when I try to wade through almost chin high of water and wave around my phone just to receive my day old messages. While I was out... wading, my Smart user friends enjoyed cocktails by the beach while on the phone calling or texting their loved ones in Manila.

After New Year's I was so set on finally switching that I marched over to the Smart store in Shangrila and got myself a new prepaid SIM. Service was fast and efficient that I thought I had been missing out and this may really be the better network today. Then I started using it. Now, I am speaking strictly as a prepaid user. In my experience, I have no real use for a postpaid line as everything I need is conveniently provided for by a prepaid service. I have no bills to think about and an array of promos to choose from. I also find it less of a hassle to just buy my own phone rather than get a "free" unit that is tied up with an expensive plan that I do not need. So as soon as I got my SIM, I registered to a previously researched Smart promo that was to give me 24 hours of unlimited text messaging to all networks, 60 minutes of call to Smart numbers (which is useless at that point because everyone I know uses Globe) and 10MB of internet data for those quick treks to find food outside of the condo. Of course what I was really looking forward to was subscribing to a data plan when I go out of town as I usually do with Globe. My partner uses a pocket wifi that is powered by Smart and we know for a fact that it is more reliable than Globe 3G in most areas.

After I switched, my mom who calls me the most, got a Smart number as well to try it out. My problem came on that same day. In my area in Mandaluyong, my Smart signal is pretty weak that I have to stand near a window just to have signal enough to get heard on a phone call. That is pretty jurassic as I live less than 2km away from the Ortigas business center. Being on a promo, I also have to dial some numbers before a Smart phone number to use my free minutes. This is pretty stupid. The last time I recall having a phone that allows me to easily edit a number before calling was when I was using an old Nokia and I refuse to go through each one of my contacts and add *2477 before the number. It is tacky and messes up with imessaging but I think post-paid subscribers don't have to go through this tackiness. 

Oh and those delayed notifications I sometimes complain about with Globe, I don't have the same issue with Smart only because they do not send any reminder at all if your promo has ended. The dropped calls, even in areas with better signal, is pretty much of the rate. Phone support is just as bad and promo registration is way easier with Globe's *143#. So whatever you may have heard about this being the better network, I guess that is pretty debatable.

So at least for now, I am back on my Globe number and will just rely on Smart for wifi on those areas that Globe does not cover. To my contacts, please update your phone books.

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