I'm fully aware that what I'm about to say will label me as some kind of 'information technology' phobe or worse but... I see little reason to even HAVE text messaging on cell phones. My kids use it primarily to talk to their friends during class at school when they aren't even supposed to HAVE their cell phones!
exactly...we do not subscribe to it and do not pay the extra 5, 8, or 15 dollars per bundle. It happened after my son just bought a ring tone....fine print said something about these vendors being allowed to text meassage.
I was getting messages about horoscopes and all kinds of crap...and so far it is not illegal and text does not fall under the "do not call" laws.
and...my son had to pay for everyone given he did not read the fine print. hard lesson.
from here on out he will not have to unless he initiates another deluge. Sprint cannot stop these , neither can verizon etc....its the new junk mail...new spam...
WW, I hear ya! I have been getting a few of those, but not too many (hopefully it'll stay that way). Thanks for the heads up, though! I'd be glad to read about that if I didn't pay for the service.
I do pay for the text message option, but it seems as though there should be some way for the cell phone companies to block incoming text messages if someone doesn't subscribe to that service. But then again, what do they care - it's just more money in their pockets..... Pity.
I gotta agree with Sudo. I've had a cell phone since the mid 90's, back when it was a TOOL, and not a toy. I would not even have one now, if I didn't own a business and have to be acessable to my clients.
My phone is turned off the minute I arrive home, and stay's turned off until I leave to go somewhere. And sometimes even then, if it's in the evening and I'm going out, it stays turned off unless I need to make a call.
Funny thing is, people will call me on my land line and say "Hey, I just tried to call your cell and you didn't answer". Sometimes it's hard to to say, that's cause I'm sitting here at home right beside my land line which does NOT cost me per minute, jerk!
Now, if I started getting text messages that I did not request and it was costing me, I would DEFINETLY reach out and smack someone. :)
Thats why we dont even subscribe...point is they are starting to spam numbers randomly
I sometimes hate them, but really like being able to have a line to my kids when they are another place. My son has one friend up the street whose mother is not proficient in english and she won't always answer there phone. If the boys are in the backyard or out riding in the fields, I can still call direct...that I like.
Other than that a phone to us is supposed to only be a phone. and my spouse works for Qwest...poor guy has to much "phone"
I just cancelled my home phone and use only my cell phone. I'd rather pay for just one phone and I like having the cell in case of an emergency. I also like the convenience of text messaging, especially if someone needs/wants to tell me something that isn't urgent and/or shouldn't disrupt me at work.
I only pay $45/month for my Cingular plan and my whole family is on Cingular so those calls are all free anyway. I never use the full 200 minutes/month that I get with my plan and I do use it for all my long distance calls (which are also very few and far between). I was paying $80/month for the same stuff on both phones. This is so much easier and cheaper for my lifestyle.
Understood, WashingtonWeather. And I think it's a crying shame that they were able to make you pay for those unsolicited messages.
Rick
Belle, that's great if you can get away with it. Sometimes, I feel like it would be so great to throw my cell phone and my Pocket PC in the river, disconnect the dsl, and only answer the phone when I FEEL like it. Ah, what a fantasy! :)
Well, ya see, Rick....caller ID comes with the cell phone and I'm notorious about not answering my phone anyway (I HATE talking on the phone). That's why I can get away with paying for the cheapest package they have. LOL! I really do only answer it when I feel like it - 'cept at work where it's required.
You're also absolutely right - it's wonderful and necessary to be able to just disappear when we need/want to, isn't it?
Since I'm now working for a local cell phone company, this is very helpful info to have. I will pass it along to my associates and customers. It always amazes me the number of people who will buy their 10-year-old a top of the line, expensive phone with all the gizmos and then not put insurance on the phone. :huh:
I only have a cell phone, too. Since I have cable internet, it seemed unneccessary to have a land line when the long distance packages for cell phones are a really good deal. It does stink about the text message charges, though.
these are coded as premium messages...meaning they ar actually advertisers...horoscopes and other quicky crap people will (somewhere in the world) be willing to stop and read their phone.
To my way of thinking, it wont be long before the feds regulate this too, it is just a matter of time before it bothers the right congressman as usual.
In Europe...Italy in particular (that I Know about) just about every kid has a cell-phone....its like wearing the right clothes is here in the US. On top of the fact cell-phones are far more reliable in Europe than the land-lines are.
I bought my son one on 6th grade and promised my daughter one when she gets to 6th also. That is middle school here and I felt safer and he felt safer with it in his pocket...what with the odd news story about kids shooting up their schools etc. We have always had insurance on all our belongings...and phones are no exception. Once he dropped it and it was runover, another one was stolen at a public pool, but the boy left it in a locker room...his watch was stolen that day too. He was told to lweave his stuff out in the open....but forgot.
We do not buy and probably won't ever buy the extra fancy stuff, unless upon changing plans in the future we are "cornered" into buying them.
I really hate being able to be contacted anywhere at anytime of the day and night. We had 5 cels at one time going, mine, husbands, husbands work, daughters, and sons plus our land line and DSL line on computer and we really got sick and tired of it all.
We are down to two cels, land line, and dsl of course. I have learned to turn all off but the land line when we are at home.
Just for the peace ......... sometimes I turn the ringer off on the landline .............. I moved to the country for the peace quiet and tranqquility of the surroundings. Technology can be great but it can also be a pain in the arse.
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Sudo
WW,
I'm fully aware that what I'm about to say will label me as some kind of 'information technology' phobe or worse but... I see little reason to even HAVE text messaging on cell phones. My kids use it primarily to talk to their friends during class at school when they aren't even supposed to HAVE their cell phones!
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washingtonweather
exactly...we do not subscribe to it and do not pay the extra 5, 8, or 15 dollars per bundle. It happened after my son just bought a ring tone....fine print said something about these vendors being allowed to text meassage.
I was getting messages about horoscopes and all kinds of crap...and so far it is not illegal and text does not fall under the "do not call" laws.
and...my son had to pay for everyone given he did not read the fine print. hard lesson.
from here on out he will not have to unless he initiates another deluge. Sprint cannot stop these , neither can verizon etc....its the new junk mail...new spam...
technology the doubled edged sword
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Belle
WW, I hear ya! I have been getting a few of those, but not too many (hopefully it'll stay that way). Thanks for the heads up, though! I'd be glad to read about that if I didn't pay for the service.
I do pay for the text message option, but it seems as though there should be some way for the cell phone companies to block incoming text messages if someone doesn't subscribe to that service. But then again, what do they care - it's just more money in their pockets..... Pity.
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Bluzeman
I gotta agree with Sudo. I've had a cell phone since the mid 90's, back when it was a TOOL, and not a toy. I would not even have one now, if I didn't own a business and have to be acessable to my clients.
My phone is turned off the minute I arrive home, and stay's turned off until I leave to go somewhere. And sometimes even then, if it's in the evening and I'm going out, it stays turned off unless I need to make a call.
Funny thing is, people will call me on my land line and say "Hey, I just tried to call your cell and you didn't answer". Sometimes it's hard to to say, that's cause I'm sitting here at home right beside my land line which does NOT cost me per minute, jerk!
Now, if I started getting text messages that I did not request and it was costing me, I would DEFINETLY reach out and smack someone. :)
Rick
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washingtonweather
Rick,
Thats why we dont even subscribe...point is they are starting to spam numbers randomly
I sometimes hate them, but really like being able to have a line to my kids when they are another place. My son has one friend up the street whose mother is not proficient in english and she won't always answer there phone. If the boys are in the backyard or out riding in the fields, I can still call direct...that I like.
Other than that a phone to us is supposed to only be a phone. and my spouse works for Qwest...poor guy has to much "phone"
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Belle
I just cancelled my home phone and use only my cell phone. I'd rather pay for just one phone and I like having the cell in case of an emergency. I also like the convenience of text messaging, especially if someone needs/wants to tell me something that isn't urgent and/or shouldn't disrupt me at work.
I only pay $45/month for my Cingular plan and my whole family is on Cingular so those calls are all free anyway. I never use the full 200 minutes/month that I get with my plan and I do use it for all my long distance calls (which are also very few and far between). I was paying $80/month for the same stuff on both phones. This is so much easier and cheaper for my lifestyle.
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Bluzeman
Understood, WashingtonWeather. And I think it's a crying shame that they were able to make you pay for those unsolicited messages.
Rick
Belle, that's great if you can get away with it. Sometimes, I feel like it would be so great to throw my cell phone and my Pocket PC in the river, disconnect the dsl, and only answer the phone when I FEEL like it. Ah, what a fantasy! :)
Rick
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Belle
Well, ya see, Rick....caller ID comes with the cell phone and I'm notorious about not answering my phone anyway (I HATE talking on the phone).
That's why I can get away with paying for the cheapest package they have. LOL! I really do only answer it when I feel like it - 'cept at work where it's required.
You're also absolutely right - it's wonderful and necessary to be able to just disappear when we need/want to, isn't it?
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wwjesuslaughat
Since I'm now working for a local cell phone company, this is very helpful info to have. I will pass it along to my associates and customers. It always amazes me the number of people who will buy their 10-year-old a top of the line, expensive phone with all the gizmos and then not put insurance on the phone. :huh:
I only have a cell phone, too. Since I have cable internet, it seemed unneccessary to have a land line when the long distance packages for cell phones are a really good deal. It does stink about the text message charges, though.
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washingtonweather
wwj,
these are coded as premium messages...meaning they ar actually advertisers...horoscopes and other quicky crap people will (somewhere in the world) be willing to stop and read their phone.
To my way of thinking, it wont be long before the feds regulate this too, it is just a matter of time before it bothers the right congressman as usual.
In Europe...Italy in particular (that I Know about) just about every kid has a cell-phone....its like wearing the right clothes is here in the US. On top of the fact cell-phones are far more reliable in Europe than the land-lines are.
I bought my son one on 6th grade and promised my daughter one when she gets to 6th also. That is middle school here and I felt safer and he felt safer with it in his pocket...what with the odd news story about kids shooting up their schools etc. We have always had insurance on all our belongings...and phones are no exception. Once he dropped it and it was runover, another one was stolen at a public pool, but the boy left it in a locker room...his watch was stolen that day too. He was told to lweave his stuff out in the open....but forgot.
We do not buy and probably won't ever buy the extra fancy stuff, unless upon changing plans in the future we are "cornered" into buying them.
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
gee i am glad i don't have the cell problem
i am not important enough to have one
i hate the damn things
and i am retieried from verizon!!
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Digitalis
I really hate being able to be contacted anywhere at anytime of the day and night. We had 5 cels at one time going, mine, husbands, husbands work, daughters, and sons plus our land line and DSL line on computer and we really got sick and tired of it all.
We are down to two cels, land line, and dsl of course. I have learned to turn all off but the land line when we are at home.
Just for the peace ......... sometimes I turn the ringer off on the landline .............. I moved to the country for the peace quiet and tranqquility of the surroundings. Technology can be great but it can also be a pain in the arse.
Digi
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