Life with my Virgin Mobile cell phone service was pretty good. The phone has been very reliable and easy to set up the way I liked it. It was the least expensive prepaid plan I could find but the service area was spotty and did not include a couple of places very important to me. So, since the phone's battery wasn't holding a charge as long as it used to and replacement batteries cost as much as a new phone (if you can find them), I decided to look around.
Comparing plans and service areas I settled on Alltel: not as cheap as Virgin Mobile, but the service area promised to be excellent. I picked up the new phone, a nifty LG AX275, at our Target store and after charging the battery, activated it. All went well during activation but I soon discovered that, while Virgin Mobile treats its prepay customers well and with respect, Alltel considers us second-class "citizens" in several important ways.
After thrashing around in Alltel's very unhelpful Web site I found that, while logged into my account last night, clicking on [Help] produced an empty page –no help– and there was no information on how to contact them — they didn't want to help or talk to no-account folks like me. Likewise there was no Search capability to look for an answer to my One Big Question: How can I get my Virgin Mobile phone number assigned to my new Alltel phone? {Telephone Number Portability} After two calls, and several hand-offs between departments, it turns out Alltel won't do that for you if you don't have a Contract. Funny (not ha-ha): Virgin Mobile ported over my Verizon Wireless number –one prepaid account to another– the way they should and for less cash than Alltel will be gaining from me. Is Alltel antiquated, stupid, or stingy? I don't study these things but I thought telephone number portability was federally mandated. In any event it looks like I may be out of luck there and will have to inform everyone of my new cell phone number. Next step: a formal complaint to the FCC.
I also found that the new phone has only one wallpaper and only one ringtone –music– which I don't like. We prepay bums can't download ringtones from the Alltel Web site, only via cell phone Web access which multiplies the cost and reduces the choices dramatically. All I want is a beeping sound or a synthetic ring, not a freakin' concert!
On the "up" side, I now have very good service coverage in the area most important to me: the observatory! Now if I go there I only have to tell folks to call me at my cell phone number and don't have to provide a list of numbers, a schedule, and instructions.
Still, thanks to Alltel's policy and practice of screwing non-contract users, I'm not a happy new customer.
PhotonStopper 
I had never heard of this provider – but your ringing non-endorsement of them will ensure I never look them up (pun intended!). I am a pay-as-you-go with T-Mobile who I have been with for years & years. They allow one to buy a sim card and put it into an unlocked phone meaning that I can take the phone to Oz and swap the T-Mobile sim out with a local one thus ensuring I pay local rates rather than international roaming! I have had the same Australian sim card for a number of years also – the biggest problem I have is keeping it "safe" inbetween trips – they are small and easy to misplace!
Emjay — I'm not sure what geographical areas Alltel covers but they advertise very heavily in the Northeastern Ohio area and appear to have excellent coverage coast-to-coast. I'm shocked and angered that their business practice does not allow for phone number portability. I filed a complaint with the FCC a few minutes ago to see if that shakes anything loose for me. I suspect, however, that if it's Alltel's practice to not honor number portability for prepay customers that they have a way around the rules. {sigh} And I had such high hopes for this.
You never know – your post might attract their attention. When I "ranted" about Comcast in a blog they contacted me and offered assistance! A month or so later there was a story in the New York Times about Comcast and others trolling blogsites looking for complaints and making contact in an effort to improve customer service. Sorry I don't seem to be able to get the link to embed! http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/technology/25comcast.html?_r=1&scp=6&sq=comcast%20searches%20blogs&st=cse&oref=slogin
My Tracfone uses Alltel towers and I get excellent coverage. The phone looks nice. I also have an LG but only a basic one. Hope you can get the whole phone number thing sorted. Have fun in Cincinnati!
I thought I remembered you having a Tracfone but I guess I was dazzled by the Alltel ads we have seen so much of. Emjay and some guys from Cincinnati said they either hadn't heard of Alltel or that they were "big in Toledo." At any rate they're "merging" with Verizon and so likely will disappear before long. I'm still hoping to be able to keep my "old" number but not holding out much hope — if they do that to all of their prepay customers they must have found a way around the FCC Telephone Number Portability requirements.