Sony Ericsson W810

I've been using the s710a with Cingular for some time now and have noticed the bars like to jump up and down like crazy (and drop calls when you have full bars). My wife has one, too... so, I am pretty sure it's the phone model... not just the phones we own. After reading the reviews about how great this phone is, it worries me to see the same about the w810. I am currently in a low coverage area and am curious if any else had these problems with the w810 (or the s710a). Everything about the w810 seems great, I am just worried about bad call quality and I would rather spend $75 on it vs. paying $150 for the V3r. Any insight?