Cell phone service seems to stubbornly resist improvement. Consumer Reports’ National Research Center recently found that fewer than half the respondents questioned in its Annual Survey of Cell Phone Service were completely or very satisfied. That makes cell service one of the lower-rated services that CR surveys, as it has been for the past six years.

Mandatory contract extensions were one of respondents’ top two complaints, tied with high service costs.

Verizon and Alltel scored better in CR’s ratings than other providers this year, as they have in the past. T-Mobile matched satisfaction rates for Verizon in almost all the cities surveyed. And T-Mobile plans generally offer more for the money than those of Verizon or Alltel.

Despite such developments, it’s still up to the consumer to take charge of fixing problems. Consider these steps:

¢ Problem: poor coverage.

Solution: Alltel and Verizon got high marks across the board for connectivity. T-Mobile had relatively high satisfaction scores, although customers complained of a lack of service in some cities. AT&T also had problems with gaps in service and static, and with Sprint for dropped calls. Check the signal strength down to street level in the areas in which the phone will be used most frequently.

¢ Problem: unsatisfactory customer service.

Solution: Don’t expect too much. In CR’s survey, Alltel, T-Mobile and Verizon were the better choices in a bad lot for customer service.

¢ Problem: early-termination fees.

Solution: Customers near the end of a contract should wait until it runs out before quitting the company. Customers also can consider transferring their contracts by going to www.celltradeuse .com or www.cellswapper.com. For $15 or $20, they can transfer a contract with the carrier’s approval. The person who takes over the phone and service becomes responsible for future payments.

¢ Problem: mandatory extensions.

Solution: Scrutinize contracts, monthly billing statements and “free” offers or promotions.