I wish you lived in my area, I could sure use the commission.
I do sell cell phones and I try to get people the right plan, not the one I'm lowest in commssions on. If you're thinking of getting rid of the land line, you might want to look for a plan that has something like unlimited local minutes with some roaming features available. Where I live and the cell phone company I work for, offers an unlimited local calling plan with unlimited long distance and a couple hundred roaming minutes. When you're out of the area here, you're roaming on Verizon towers.
I would suggest maybe first looking at a pre-paid plan with Verizon or a good local carrier, or even a Trac-Phone, if they get good reception in your area. It would give you an introduction to cell phones without committing yourself to a one or two year contract. Get used to the basic features, put minutes on it as you need, and when you feel comfortable moving to the next level, look at maybe a one year plan. If you get a pre-paid phone from one of the nationwide carriers, chances are you can use the same phone for a contract that you do on pre-paid.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me or ask me here. Good luck!
i think when used inproperly those damn things are the rudest things divised by man> and i am retired from verizon and could have one for free but they can keep the pesky little buggers
I use Verizon and have quite happy with it. My only complaint is that free night-time minutes do not start until 9pm. This works fine for when I make calls to the west, but not so well for calls to the east. I call at 9 my time, it is 11pm on the east coast.
My word of caution is to make as good a guess as you can as to how many minutes you spend on the phone, multiply by at least
1 1/2 and start there with your plan. Over-allowance charges are high, (.40 or .50 per minute). You can always cut back your plan to fewer minutes if you see you are not using them, but getting a more-minutes plan is much cheaper than paying for lots of extra minutes each month. I was very surprised how much I used when I first started, in spite of being very cautious of how much I used it.
Also, be aware that the advertised monthly charges do not include all the taxes, surcharges etc. that are added to your bill. This applies to any carrier, so make sure you are comparing total monthly bill to total monthly bill when comparing landline to cellline.
Free long distance is important to you I think, because of your calls to Indiana, but those calls do count against your minutes if made before 9pm on Verizon. (unless your calls are made to another Verizon wireless phone). Since my sibs have verizon also, and so do my kids, I make many calls that are not counted against my plan.
A word on text messaging- I use it quite frequently. NOT for carrying on conversations and chatting, but for communication. I often use it to communicate with a deaf worker. I also use it to give or receive important information to someone at times when I really would rather not get caught up in chitchat, (like when I am working). I find that quite handy about 50 times a month. I look at it this way, even though it costs 10 cents, it saves me 5 minutes of time, minimum, and usually more. Once I get someone on the phone, it seems easy to talk about something else for 10 minutes, weather, evening plan, traffic or SOMEthing. (As proof, I was just going to say "Verizon- happy with it" when I first started writing this. Now it is 10 minutes later from when I started) I wish you had text messaging, I would have been done at that point!
David I have Verizon also Hap pretty well sumed it up but I have been happy as well if you can do your long distance on nights and weekends you can feel free to talk away.but he is right those over minutes are expensive. I mostly call west so it works well for me I use the live messenger/cam on computer for the rest. One more thing You get a new phone evey two years or credit for 100.00 on a higher priced one.
I'd ask folks who live in your area (that have cell phones) how they like their service... they'll usually have an opinion. Different providers work differently in different areas. I have TMobile in DFW and it works fine. I had been through about 3 others prior to this but found that I had fewer dropped calls and their plans were very competitive. Also, whenever I want to upgrade to a different phone they give me the same (or better) deals that they give to their new customers with no hassle. Of course, you have to recommit for another two years, but I'm happy with them. I recently had a friend who has Verizon whose phone got damaged. At first Verizon wouldn't allow them the discount to replace the phone even though they only had 3 months left on their contract. Finally, after a couple of more calls and haggling, they did... but I've never had to go through that with TMobile.
I'll PM you some pages from ConsumerReports.org, if you wish, that give you ideas on how to decide which plans and cell phones might work best for you... as well as who the top rated suppliers are in your area.... just PM me if you're interested.
Thanks for all the comments! (Keep em coming -- please!) :)
I'm not worried about the long distance minutes so much, and when they start.
I don't call long distance very much -- except to check in on my folks,
to see how things are with them.
The basic plan I've seen from Verizon, offers 450 minutes --- (7 1/2 hours),
which is WAY more time than I spend on the phone anyway.
I guess the thing I like about Verizon is how they cover the entire country.
From what I've seen, some of the other carriers are too expensive for my taste.
But these are some great suggestions/ observations here.
I'm taking all of them to heart.
Also, be aware that the advertised monthly charges do not include all the taxes, surcharges etc. that are added to your bill. This applies to any carrier, so make sure you are comparing total monthly bill to total monthly bill when comparing landline to cellline.
Free long distance is important to you I think, because of your calls to Indiana, but those calls do count against your minutes if made before 9pm on Verizon. (unless your calls are made to another Verizon wireless phone). Since my sibs have verizon also, and so do my kids, I make many calls that are not counted against my plan.
Hap -- thanks for that. I didn't realize there might be *extra* charges. I'll be sure to ask about that.
Verizon is good and bad - many dropped calls and lots of little added charges, but as someone has already said, apparently those charges are going to be there whatever service you use.
Many dropped calls on Verizon is all I can say; and the reception isn't the greatest on any of their phones I have used. But others in my family use more expensive models and say they don't have the poor reception that I experience.
I also can never keep my phone charged, and I don't use it much. Everyone else can talk and talk or leave it idle and it stays charged.
Customer service is pretty good; at least they're always there. Just be sure to check your minutes or the overtime minutes will KILL you. Oh that's right, you don't talk enough to worry about that!
I find it's less convenient using a cell phone as your main phone service but I wouldn't want to be without a cell out on the road, and especially at night. So if I have to choose between the two, I'll take a cell over a land line.
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batcave
D,
I wish you lived in my area, I could sure use the commission.
I do sell cell phones and I try to get people the right plan, not the one I'm lowest in commssions on. If you're thinking of getting rid of the land line, you might want to look for a plan that has something like unlimited local minutes with some roaming features available. Where I live and the cell phone company I work for, offers an unlimited local calling plan with unlimited long distance and a couple hundred roaming minutes. When you're out of the area here, you're roaming on Verizon towers.
I would suggest maybe first looking at a pre-paid plan with Verizon or a good local carrier, or even a Trac-Phone, if they get good reception in your area. It would give you an introduction to cell phones without committing yourself to a one or two year contract. Get used to the basic features, put minutes on it as you need, and when you feel comfortable moving to the next level, look at maybe a one year plan. If you get a pre-paid phone from one of the nationwide carriers, chances are you can use the same phone for a contract that you do on pre-paid.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me or ask me here. Good luck!
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coolchef
dmiller
i think when used inproperly those damn things are the rudest things divised by man> and i am retired from verizon and could have one for free but they can keep the pesky little buggers
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Danny
I do have 2 land lines. One for my company and one for the rest of the house.
I have 3 cell phones. My average monthly bill is around 450. I do look to save where I can.
Cell phones can be big trouble and a God send.
Cameras, Gps a virtual office in your hand.
Every phone number and contact info addresses birthdays the whole bit.
All the people I talk to Cinglar sucks They say the fews drop calls. The most.
I use nextel.
I think of a day without cell phones. Yea right. The more you use them
the more you want them.
If it's not a pressing need. I would do a pay as you go kind of thing.
Feel the waters.
You can always drop your long distance server in your home and use the cell for all that.
it saves a bit.
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HAPe4me
David-
You asked what we use and what we think of ours.
I use Verizon and have quite happy with it. My only complaint is that free night-time minutes do not start until 9pm. This works fine for when I make calls to the west, but not so well for calls to the east. I call at 9 my time, it is 11pm on the east coast.
My word of caution is to make as good a guess as you can as to how many minutes you spend on the phone, multiply by at least
1 1/2 and start there with your plan. Over-allowance charges are high, (.40 or .50 per minute). You can always cut back your plan to fewer minutes if you see you are not using them, but getting a more-minutes plan is much cheaper than paying for lots of extra minutes each month. I was very surprised how much I used when I first started, in spite of being very cautious of how much I used it.
Also, be aware that the advertised monthly charges do not include all the taxes, surcharges etc. that are added to your bill. This applies to any carrier, so make sure you are comparing total monthly bill to total monthly bill when comparing landline to cellline.
Free long distance is important to you I think, because of your calls to Indiana, but those calls do count against your minutes if made before 9pm on Verizon. (unless your calls are made to another Verizon wireless phone). Since my sibs have verizon also, and so do my kids, I make many calls that are not counted against my plan.
A word on text messaging- I use it quite frequently. NOT for carrying on conversations and chatting, but for communication. I often use it to communicate with a deaf worker. I also use it to give or receive important information to someone at times when I really would rather not get caught up in chitchat, (like when I am working). I find that quite handy about 50 times a month. I look at it this way, even though it costs 10 cents, it saves me 5 minutes of time, minimum, and usually more. Once I get someone on the phone, it seems easy to talk about something else for 10 minutes, weather, evening plan, traffic or SOMEthing. (As proof, I was just going to say "Verizon- happy with it" when I first started writing this. Now it is 10 minutes later from when I started) I wish you had text messaging, I would have been done at that point!
~HAP
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WhiteDove
David I have Verizon also Hap pretty well sumed it up but I have been happy as well if you can do your long distance on nights and weekends you can feel free to talk away.but he is right those over minutes are expensive. I mostly call west so it works well for me I use the live messenger/cam on computer for the rest. One more thing You get a new phone evey two years or credit for 100.00 on a higher priced one.
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Tom Strange
I'd ask folks who live in your area (that have cell phones) how they like their service... they'll usually have an opinion. Different providers work differently in different areas. I have TMobile in DFW and it works fine. I had been through about 3 others prior to this but found that I had fewer dropped calls and their plans were very competitive. Also, whenever I want to upgrade to a different phone they give me the same (or better) deals that they give to their new customers with no hassle. Of course, you have to recommit for another two years, but I'm happy with them. I recently had a friend who has Verizon whose phone got damaged. At first Verizon wouldn't allow them the discount to replace the phone even though they only had 3 months left on their contract. Finally, after a couple of more calls and haggling, they did... but I've never had to go through that with TMobile.
I'll PM you some pages from ConsumerReports.org, if you wish, that give you ideas on how to decide which plans and cell phones might work best for you... as well as who the top rated suppliers are in your area.... just PM me if you're interested.
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dmiller
Thanks for all the comments! (Keep em coming -- please!) :)
I'm not worried about the long distance minutes so much, and when they start.
I don't call long distance very much -- except to check in on my folks,
to see how things are with them.
The basic plan I've seen from Verizon, offers 450 minutes --- (7 1/2 hours),
which is WAY more time than I spend on the phone anyway.
I guess the thing I like about Verizon is how they cover the entire country.
From what I've seen, some of the other carriers are too expensive for my taste.
But these are some great suggestions/ observations here.
I'm taking all of them to heart.
Hap -- thanks for that. I didn't realize there might be *extra* charges. I'll be sure to ask about that.
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Siouxzahn
Verizon is good and bad - many dropped calls and lots of little added charges, but as someone has already said, apparently those charges are going to be there whatever service you use.
Many dropped calls on Verizon is all I can say; and the reception isn't the greatest on any of their phones I have used. But others in my family use more expensive models and say they don't have the poor reception that I experience.
I also can never keep my phone charged, and I don't use it much. Everyone else can talk and talk or leave it idle and it stays charged.
Customer service is pretty good; at least they're always there. Just be sure to check your minutes or the overtime minutes will KILL you. Oh that's right, you don't talk enough to worry about that!
I find it's less convenient using a cell phone as your main phone service but I wouldn't want to be without a cell out on the road, and especially at night. So if I have to choose between the two, I'll take a cell over a land line.
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dmiller
Sioux -- thanks. :) I got a phone the other night, after work.
Here's a close-up pic of the back of one of my fiddles I took with it ---
Here's the front of it:
Her's the backside overall:
(That's my 1968 Martin D-35 guitar in the background).
I went for a pic phone (a Verizon LG), that costs 60 or 70 bucks, after the mail in rebate.
I like the *heft* of it --- I have big hands, and something like a Razor is too small.
Will be going to the phone company I already use (as per a suggestion from Cool Waters),
concerning the absolute lowest cost on this coming monday.
As of yet -- I'm undecided about the land line.
Will be making a desicion this next week.
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