I’m very much considering getting a cell phone. What I need to know is this:
Is using a cell phone as your primary communication feasible? What sort of phone should I be looking at? Is there really a difference?
Not only is it feasible, it is being done quite a bit. If I didn’t have to plug in my satellite to a phone line I would not have phone service. Of course, I have a very very low call volume, so it is cheaper for me.
I did it for over a year when I was in living limbo land. At the time I wasn’t sure if I’d be moving or staying. Since bouncing around from place to place was the norm, I got a cell phone to keep my phone number stable and consistent.
If it wasn’t for the computer connection I need now, I doubt I’d have a land line connection at all- telemarketers and the like can’t call people on cell phones. To me, a landline is nothing but an expensive pain in the ass.
A couple things to keep in mind-
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You’ll need a plan loaded with minutes. When I first switched to all cell use, I didn’t add any extra minutes to my plan. Big mistake. I got the bill and it was something like four hundred and some dollars. They really kill you when you go over your minutes. Overbuying minutes is far better than under.
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Get a provider that is reliable and consistent. Nothing is worse than relying on the cell phone and having it drop out on you or not ring when people try to get you.
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Make sure your provider is flexible and easy to work with. In the above billing incident, I had already made the switch to Nextel. Thank God I did. They reduced my bill and were very flexible in buying and dropping minutes on a monthly basis. It was pure luck, but had I still been with Sprint, the fucks, I doubt they’d have been as helpful.
As with anything, check with friends in your area and listen to their recommendations on what to get and avoid. Nextel may be great for me here, but suck where you live.
One more thing I should add.
When looking for the phone itself, I find the majority of the bells and whistles worthless, with the exception of two.
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Size. Size is everything here too. Go with the smallest and lightest. But keep in mind that the keypad gets more unmanageable and tricky to use the smaller you go.
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Seriously consider a flip type model. A few of my friends commented on how their keypad would activate and sometimes mysteriously call people as it jostled around in their pocket/purse. They also talked about how dirty the keypad got over time being exposed to the elements.
I went with the a motorola model that has a little window in the flip so I can see who was calling on the display without opening/answering the phone.
I don’t think people have been entirely happy with Nextel around here. And Michiana Dopers out there with cell phones?
Sprint is JUST opening up shop here, so I won’t be able to know what kind of service they have. I think that I’m capable of raising enough hell if I’m not being serviced to in the event of a billing screw up. I guess we’ll see.
How many minutes did you use a month?
I have Sprint Motorola “talkabout” model – a flip-type phone very similar to the StarTac. I’ve canceled my home service, because, although the service is not “perfect” (not the fault of Sprint, I just think its an immature technology), Ameritech is run by huuuge f*ckers and I refuse to do business with them.
I live in Ann Arbor and have a “free & clear” plan which I love because having my phone when I visit my fam in NYC & SF , friends in VA, etc etc. is the greatest. Plus, I get long distance minutes for about the same cost that &#@! Ameritech charged me for basic home service. I know that service around chicago is very strong, and, as a rule, anywhere near a highway or moderately sized city you will be fine. Check the most recent maps for info on service areas. My phone also picks up analog signal which covers everything else in case of emegency (but costs)
I have 500 minutes; sometimes I use them all, other times, not.
Me, my SO, my older brother and several other people I know have all cancelled their land lines.
Great advice, rmariamp. I’m planning right now to get a flip-up, but the buttons do seem a bit small. Luckily, I don’t have overly large hands. But its the phone that feels closest to an actual phone - when you flip it out, it stays in rougly the same shape/curve as a normal phone. I like that a LOT. If its going to be my regular phone, it BETTER be comfortable. The small ones are just too…small!
Thanks for the info. Anything anyone else has is GREATLY appreciated.
Conner-
My minutes jumped to around 2000-2500 a month after I went all-cell. Before they had been around 500 minutes a month.
You may have misunderstood what I said earlier- I screwed up by not adding minutes to my plan, they were well within their right to charge the full amount. They didn’t. I explained my side of the story and they comp’d about half the minutes. Pretty cool in my opinion.
Another point I didn’t make clear enough in my original posts- When I was dealing with Sprint’s (F*ckers)customer service, they could and did leave me on hold for Hellish amounts of time. When your all-cell, the time it takes for them to get to your call or question becomes a big deal, air time is still charged.
That brings up another point. Sprint charged to the minute. That is, if I called someone and it took a couple of rings to get their machine, Sprint would charge me a full minute of air time, when the call itself was only fifteen seconds.
Nextel charges to the second. You’d be surprised at how much rounding up each and every call can add to the overall bill.
I’m not pushing Nextel. I’m simply relaying what’s happened to me in hopes that you don’t make the same mistakes that I did.
>>When I first switched to all cell use, I didn’t add any extra minutes to my plan. Big mistake. I got the bill and it was something like four hundred and some dollars. They really kill you when you go over your minutes. Overbuying minutes is far better than under. <<
I’m just going to second that statement. Same exact thing happened to me, but USWorst did not comp a single minute. Get lots of minutes, you’ll use them, and if you don’t it can cost you an arm & a leg!
One other point: most cell plans don’t charge for long distance. I have a land line, but use my cell for all my LD calls which has saved me alot. I also call people out of state more often because of this, ("Hi! its me, I’m sitting in traffic on I25 & thought I’d call…"so I often use most of my 1200 monthly minutes!
Oh…please please don’t flame me for using my cell phone in the car. That’s a whole 'nother thread & I bet it’s been done to death already, anyhow.
If you’ve decided to get a phone, I suggest you look at point.com or decide.com. They list the different rate plans and other considerations for ALL carriers in your area, and you can do a side-by-side comparison.
Don’t just go for the least expensive plan, though. Pay attention to things like coverage area and long distance charges. When I worked for Sprint, we had great service in the areas we covered, but that area was very small compared to other carriers. AT&T currently has the largest coverage area, while Verizon has the largest subscriber base.
Also don’t fall for the “free phone” giveaways. It’s not free if you get a phone for one cent and end up paying a hundred dollars more on the rate plan with a two year contract.
I use my phone for EVERYTHING, from voice to data services, including a CDPD modem for my computer. I also have two-way text messaging, which means I can send emails to anyone with just my phone. If I could get sattelite TV channels on the thing, I’d sign up right now.