Verizon has topped Consumer Reports' ratings for best cellular telephone service for the third year in a row. In North Texas, Verizon ranked better than either Cingular or Sprint, and was virtually tied with T-Mobile.

"Overall satisfaction with cell phone service scored just 67 out of 100 in our survey," Guest said. "That's lower than auto insurance, cable TV, and HMOs."

One of the biggest complaints was problems with connections. "More than two-thirds of the people surveyed had experienced a dropped call in the past week," Guest said. "More than half had experienced poor sound quality—or no service at all."

• Take full advantage of the trial period to make sure you have reliable service where you need it; this is especially important, since early termination fees can cost as much as $200.

Consumer Reports says you should be aware that you get charged extra for sending photos on your cell phone and for both sending and receiving text messages.

All Consumer Reports Material Copyright 2005 Consumers Union of U.S. Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Consumer Reports is a not-for-profit organization, which accepts no advertising. It has no commercial relationship with any advertiser or sponsor on this site. Online: ConsumerReports.org .

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