Look at the small print in your latest Verizon bill and you will see they are changing the contract. If you don’t like it you can cancel and not be subject to the cancellation charge. As a side note there are some better deals out there. My verizon phone as not worked correctly at my last four jobs, and is patchy at my home.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
The RealTruck AMP Research Bedsteps give you easy access to your truck-bed storage.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Replies
In my new job, I am gonna have to get a cell phone. I have always been dead set against having one, until now.
I have checked out 4 companies so far, and all 4 contracts s u c k. I am seriously looking at getting a prepaid cell phone. It is a Nokia phone, and you can buy the minutes that you want. These minutes are used anytime, not just weekends and off times. The minutes are very pricy though, but if you look at the time frames that I really need them (like all week long, during the day) then they are pretty much in line with everyone else's.
Anybody else out there using a prepaid service?
James DuHamel
J & M Home Maintenance Service
Clark Howard radio show talked favorably about Virgin Mobile prepaid. It costs .25/minute, then .10/minute after 10 minutes - anytime, and free long distance. Still sounds high to me, but I guess its OK for prepaid. It's not available here, maybe it is where you are. http://www.virginmobileusa.com/application/facts/costs?namespace=factsStatic&origin=fa-xx-xx-xx_costs.jsp&event=link.fa-xx-xx-xx_costs
If it's the same prepaid I've seen, forget it. Big time hassles trying to activate sevice and track minutes. Frustration factor sky high! I forget the name but was available from Radio shack and some dept stores.
I use US Cellular and am halfway satisfied with it. Plan price OK but coverage spotty here. I think they have some sort of prepaid minutes plan too.
Once you have it, you will use it more than you imagine. Helps me be two places at once sometimes. Most plans include voice mail too.
I was considering Verizon so I'm curious what the changes were. I'm waiting to make any commitments right now because the whole telecommunications field is going through some shakeout and adjustments from World com/MCI fiasco.Excellence is its own reward!
I don't know where you are located, but I am in MS. I use Cellular South and am very happy with it. I always said that I would never have a cell, but some of my customers were complaining that I was difficult to reach, I guess someone was tying up my only home phoneline using the internet, probably checking on those forums :). I too considered the prepaid, but they seemed very expensive. With the prepaid, the way I see it, The companies are double dipping, the person placing the call pays .25 and the guy receiving pays .25 also. Most of my calls during the day are incoming(some builder wanting to know if I am on schedule with his curved cased opening), with the company I am with all incoming are free, so most business calls don't cost anything. Also evenings and weekends are free, so I try to make most of my personal calls then. In fact, I have dropped my long distance provider on my home phone completely, as about all I use the home phone for know is internet access.
Brad
we've got Nextel & Verizon...
i'm easing out of the Verizon.. I like the Nextel features..
if you go Nextel.. look for an independent agent who will service you..
the Verizon has a better hands free truck mount with more power.. but the service really depends on the tower coverage in your area.. look at the coverage maps before you do anything or make any commitments.. cells are useless without coverage..Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
Does ANYONE offer a good contract? A friend of DW got one, didn't read the contract closely, and was shocked with a $500 first month bill. This for a recently singled mom with no job. Ei yi yi.
I've had Cingular (used to be Ameritech) for quite a while now (Milwaukee area) and they have a policy that you can change plans with no penalty. A couple month ago they were offering a special that I changed to - 250 minutes/month peak time, 3500 minutes/month off peak, nationwide long distance and nationwide no roaming fees - all for $29.95. It includes voice mail, caller ID, 3-way calling and call waiting, too. I think they've changed the plan now to 1000 minutes off peak but everything else remains the same.
I keep my long distance carrier for the land line, 'cause they give me an inbound 800 number, but last month my LD for the land line was less than 50 cents.
don't sign any contracts for more than a year.. the industry is changing so much you need the flexibility to changeMike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
You know the Verizon commercial where the guy is walking around asking. "Do you hear me now?" If you get Verizon that will be you, looking for a signal. They are horrible. I have two phones, my personel cell phone is Cingular I love it. They are really friendly, and accomadating. My company phone is a Nextel another superb service. The two way on the Nextel is really handy and you can link with anyone who has it at no charge, and talk for free.
Funny it must depend on which part of the country you have cuz cingular here absolutely sucks everyone I know that had it (we had a network of freinds using the free MTM) canciled because of the poor service. One guy I know couldnt call from his liveing room he had to go out to his back yard to make a call. It seems his living room was a black out area. They wouldnt let him out of the contract. it took him to long to complain. So everyone I know here is going to verizon or sprint . Darkworksite4: When the job is to small for everyone else, Its just about right for me"
Yea I was gonna add a "It might be different where you live" statement, but decided not to. That's the way Verizon is here. I can't use it in some rooms of my house and your on roam alot. Where as Cingular covers the whole state and parts of surrounding states. They are strong here in Ky.
Pre paid phones -
Be careful with some of them.
The prepaid time expires within a certain time period, usually 60 days.
Alan
One of the drawbacks of living in a small town is poor cellular service.
But I've found that an extension antenna helps quite a bit. Got one with a magnetic base that I stick on top of my car and then run the wire in to the phone. Makes tons of difference.
Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
Before you sign a contract with anyone, try calling their customer service line a few times and see how long you have to wait on hold. I left Verizon because they screwed up my bill 3 out of every 4 months, and it took a MINIMUM of 20 minutes on hold before I could talk to a human being. Going into the local office was worse - they are so understaffed that it takes at least 30 minutes to get to talk to anybody, and don't have a place for you to sit while you wait.
Dave
I've been a cell user for a number of years now and it's saved my bacon a couple of times. Especially when I'm traveling back to home base. I make a call first to check messages at home before heading out and, go figure, somebody wants me to stop to check something or give a bid in the area I'm leaving, saving a trip at a later time.
Also, if you have call forwarding on your home phone, you can forward to your cell number and never miss calls (My business cards have both my home and cell numbers) which saves the client a lot of aggravation in trying to reach you.
And, a little tip I stumbled on..............forward your home phone to your cell phone while you're on the Internet and you only need one phone line and never miss any calls, either to your home number OR your cell number.
My wife and I are on a AT&T Shared Plan......$60 per month for a zillion minutes used by BOTH of us............and no charged minutes when we call each other on our cell phones.......no matter what time it is, I call to let her know I'm on my way home and when I arrive, she's always happy to see me.
Johnny On The Beach...........
Hey guys,,,I went with ATT like 4 years ago,,,I dont like being a slave to the phone, just a few years ago and everything went just fine without them,,but the damm way it is now in contracting,,you have to have one,,,so I have two phones, one for the guys,at a cost of $290 per mo,,ok its a lot of money to make a phone call, but,,,,,no long distance no roming nights and weekends, or anytime if I stay in my plan ,,like 2ooo min on my phone and 600 on my lead mans phone,,and I dont have to have a phone installed at the shop. and I have never been out of range even in the hills of Oklahoma,,,if they were a little more dependable,,I would drop my business line,,$125 per mo,,,and go with the cell alltogether,,John Hyatt deckmastersllc.com