Two cell phones, one small budget
August 17, 2005 8:56 PM Subscribe
UNCLE!!! I'm finally giving up and getting a cell phone. One for me, one for the man-boy who's 14.
Man-boy isn't really long-winded on the phone.
Me, on the other hand? I will have this new number on my new startup businesses' website/stationery/blog/business card. At this point, there's no predicting how many minutes I'll be using.
I intend to use it only for incoming calls from clients and only on an as-needed basis otherwise. In other words, I have no freaking idea how many minutes is enough.
The man-boy wants speaker - camera phone, I couldn't care less and just want functionality. We live in St. Louis. Any suggestions? Left up to me, I'd string up some tin cans and call it a job well done.
Man-boy isn't really long-winded on the phone.
Me, on the other hand? I will have this new number on my new startup businesses' website/stationery/blog/business card. At this point, there's no predicting how many minutes I'll be using.
I intend to use it only for incoming calls from clients and only on an as-needed basis otherwise. In other words, I have no freaking idea how many minutes is enough.
The man-boy wants speaker - camera phone, I couldn't care less and just want functionality. We live in St. Louis. Any suggestions? Left up to me, I'd string up some tin cans and call it a job well done.
Don't get Cingular. I (and my family) have had nothing but problems with them. We're locked in for another year, the phones we got suck ass (to the point where they discontinued them after we got 'em), the coverage sucks, they drop calls like crazy, their customer service views customers as antagonists... The list goes on. Further, if you do get a Cingular phone (against my advice), get it from a store. If you get it through the online program, the folks in the store won't lift a finger to help you're not "their" customer. And the folks on the phone will lie to you because what the fuck, are you gonna be able to track down the woman with the Indian accent that told you her name was "Betty"?
They're so bad that my mild-mannered mother was moved (after they argued with her about the date of her previous complaint) to put a sign in the back of her car reading "Cingular Sucks. Don't buy their products."
T-Mobile was more expensive, but they were always helpful and their phones worked. I know some people have had trouble with them, but I'd switch in a second if I didn't have to pay to get out of the damn contract with those Cingular assholes.
posted by klangklangston at 11:13 PM on August 17, 2005
They're so bad that my mild-mannered mother was moved (after they argued with her about the date of her previous complaint) to put a sign in the back of her car reading "Cingular Sucks. Don't buy their products."
T-Mobile was more expensive, but they were always helpful and their phones worked. I know some people have had trouble with them, but I'd switch in a second if I didn't have to pay to get out of the damn contract with those Cingular assholes.
posted by klangklangston at 11:13 PM on August 17, 2005
T-Mobile has really awesome customer service. Sprint has pretty good coverage. Verizon, supposedly, has the best.
I've found that I don't worry about minutes anymore, as 1000 a month is nearly double what I use. If you are splitting this between you and your son, you may edge over your minutes.
you do not want to edge over your minutes.
however, on the upside I've found you can usually ALWAYS upgrade your plan to include more minutes. if you downgrade they usually want to start your contract over. You WILL have a contract, because that's how you get a break on phones. Buy your phones (for T-mobile and Sprint at least) from Amazon, as they have pretty massive rebates, and offer really cheap phones in the first place (when you buy with service). I would avoid any contract that is longer than one year. You will want a new phone in one year (if you're clumsy like me, and if not you, your son will).
The big downside of Amazon is that you will not see how the phone performs, service-wise, in your home or workplace. This is the big deal-breaker. Your phone can be as badass as you want, but if it won't allow you to make calls, it's pretty worthless. My mom's house is in a total deadzone for t-mobile, which is really annoying, and making me consider move to sprint (which apparently works fine there) next time my contract is up (although I love t-mobile's customer service, bottom line comes down to whether I can use my freakin' phone).
i'm not up on whether the kids text as much as my peers do, but my guess would be yes, given its prevalence on mtv and boost mobile commercials. It might be worth it to buy some sort of text message plan if this gets expensive.
Stay away from Metro PCS, if they have it in your area. Also, if it's up between a motorola and another phone, I'd pass on the motorola. They have the STUPIDEST charging connector I've ever seen (some dumbass three prong little breakable plastic thing instead of a normal male insertable plug like everyone else.) In fact, that's WHY I'm up at three in the morning. My phone started beeping because it was dying and I had to plug it in and then baby sit it to make sure it is charging properly. way lame.
posted by fishfucker at 3:52 AM on August 18, 2005
I've found that I don't worry about minutes anymore, as 1000 a month is nearly double what I use. If you are splitting this between you and your son, you may edge over your minutes.
you do not want to edge over your minutes.
however, on the upside I've found you can usually ALWAYS upgrade your plan to include more minutes. if you downgrade they usually want to start your contract over. You WILL have a contract, because that's how you get a break on phones. Buy your phones (for T-mobile and Sprint at least) from Amazon, as they have pretty massive rebates, and offer really cheap phones in the first place (when you buy with service). I would avoid any contract that is longer than one year. You will want a new phone in one year (if you're clumsy like me, and if not you, your son will).
The big downside of Amazon is that you will not see how the phone performs, service-wise, in your home or workplace. This is the big deal-breaker. Your phone can be as badass as you want, but if it won't allow you to make calls, it's pretty worthless. My mom's house is in a total deadzone for t-mobile, which is really annoying, and making me consider move to sprint (which apparently works fine there) next time my contract is up (although I love t-mobile's customer service, bottom line comes down to whether I can use my freakin' phone).
i'm not up on whether the kids text as much as my peers do, but my guess would be yes, given its prevalence on mtv and boost mobile commercials. It might be worth it to buy some sort of text message plan if this gets expensive.
Stay away from Metro PCS, if they have it in your area. Also, if it's up between a motorola and another phone, I'd pass on the motorola. They have the STUPIDEST charging connector I've ever seen (some dumbass three prong little breakable plastic thing instead of a normal male insertable plug like everyone else.) In fact, that's WHY I'm up at three in the morning. My phone started beeping because it was dying and I had to plug it in and then baby sit it to make sure it is charging properly. way lame.
posted by fishfucker at 3:52 AM on August 18, 2005
verizon, supposedly, has the best coverage. Never dealt with their tech support. If someone has, maybe they could speak to it. I'd consider switching to verizon too.
posted by fishfucker at 3:54 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by fishfucker at 3:54 AM on August 18, 2005
How about looking at some kind of bundle plan offered by your main landline provider? I pay $6 per year which includes $20 per month of call credit and that's it. You might get lucky and find that there's something similar on offer or a variant of this plan near you (e.g. something that's accommodating for both your needs).
posted by sjvilla79 at 3:55 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by sjvilla79 at 3:55 AM on August 18, 2005
oh, also, you will not just use your phone for incoming calls. Once you get a cellphone, you will find it indispensible to your normal everyday life, and wonder how you ever got along without it. You will become one of those assholes that whips it out to answer calls while you're walking down the street with a coworker, or you will talk in the grocery line, or in your automobile.
it is inevitable. sorry.
seriously, though, plan on using it about twice as often as you think you will, then add another couple hours.
posted by fishfucker at 3:56 AM on August 18, 2005
it is inevitable. sorry.
seriously, though, plan on using it about twice as often as you think you will, then add another couple hours.
posted by fishfucker at 3:56 AM on August 18, 2005
Best answer: We have T-Mobile service with two separate (T-Mobile branded) Samsung phones (one vanilla and one with the works). For my phone -- which I use sparingly --, we just buy minutes on an as-needed basis from the local convenience store (I think it's called T-Mobile-2-Go). Maybe you could do that, figure out how many minutes you'll be using the phone for, and see if its cheaper to go with a calling plan?
posted by aiko at 4:12 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by aiko at 4:12 AM on August 18, 2005
Best answer: My personal list of things that are important:
1) an easy mechanism for syncing addressbook data. On a mac this is extraordinarily easy with any iSync-compatible bluetooth phone, I don't know what the easy way is on Windows. You're going to need to call clients from the road sometimes, and maintaining multiple address books sucks.
2) size. Make sure it fits comfortably and securely wherever you plan to store it, and that it fits in your hand comfortably to talk on it.
3) an earpiece that doesn't completely suck. I prefer a bluetooth earpiece because I can put it on and answer a call with very little fuss.
4) an easy way to mute it. There are a lot of situations where you'd rather mute the phone and only answer emergencies (meetings, dinners out, etc)... it sucks if you need to go through a bunch of menus to do this.
5) If you'll be travelling often, check to see about getting your laptop on the internet via your phone. The service is usually decent (faster than dialup, slower than broadband), and is reasonably priced. Very handy if you want to take care of email while at an airport that has $10/day WiFi (or if your hotel broadband is flaky, as seems to be the case at least 5% of the time)
As far as the service goes:
1) if you'll be travelling internationally get a GSM phone that works on American and international frequencies.
2) Start with a moderate plan, and move up. If you watch your minutes, you can always bump to the next plan without issue. (Service bumps up are generally effective within a day)
3) Check your coverage on a map like this one, for all the places you plan to be routinely. It's worth asking other people who travel in the same regions about their experiences as well. Your phone will be an enormous headache if it doesn't work.
4) Customer service always sucks. I've had AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, and at one point or another I've had some sort of issue that cost me a wholly unreasonable amount of time to resolve. Everything I've read says that this is not unusual.
5) Beware roaming. Find out what your phone will do when off-network, and what it will cost you. There are huge differences in roaming costs that will add up quickly.
Be careful with this purchase. You're going to be stuck with this thing for a long time, so it's worth taking a day to try phones from different service providers (they will generally have different phones available), to find one that is relatively easy to use.
posted by mosch at 4:17 AM on August 18, 2005
1) an easy mechanism for syncing addressbook data. On a mac this is extraordinarily easy with any iSync-compatible bluetooth phone, I don't know what the easy way is on Windows. You're going to need to call clients from the road sometimes, and maintaining multiple address books sucks.
2) size. Make sure it fits comfortably and securely wherever you plan to store it, and that it fits in your hand comfortably to talk on it.
3) an earpiece that doesn't completely suck. I prefer a bluetooth earpiece because I can put it on and answer a call with very little fuss.
4) an easy way to mute it. There are a lot of situations where you'd rather mute the phone and only answer emergencies (meetings, dinners out, etc)... it sucks if you need to go through a bunch of menus to do this.
5) If you'll be travelling often, check to see about getting your laptop on the internet via your phone. The service is usually decent (faster than dialup, slower than broadband), and is reasonably priced. Very handy if you want to take care of email while at an airport that has $10/day WiFi (or if your hotel broadband is flaky, as seems to be the case at least 5% of the time)
As far as the service goes:
1) if you'll be travelling internationally get a GSM phone that works on American and international frequencies.
2) Start with a moderate plan, and move up. If you watch your minutes, you can always bump to the next plan without issue. (Service bumps up are generally effective within a day)
3) Check your coverage on a map like this one, for all the places you plan to be routinely. It's worth asking other people who travel in the same regions about their experiences as well. Your phone will be an enormous headache if it doesn't work.
4) Customer service always sucks. I've had AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, and at one point or another I've had some sort of issue that cost me a wholly unreasonable amount of time to resolve. Everything I've read says that this is not unusual.
5) Beware roaming. Find out what your phone will do when off-network, and what it will cost you. There are huge differences in roaming costs that will add up quickly.
Be careful with this purchase. You're going to be stuck with this thing for a long time, so it's worth taking a day to try phones from different service providers (they will generally have different phones available), to find one that is relatively easy to use.
posted by mosch at 4:17 AM on August 18, 2005
Be careful with this purchase. You're going to be stuck with this thing for a long time
Net10.com has been advertising itself as a true "pay as you go" plan for 10 cents a minute. I haven't located the "catch" yet, but it might be a safe way to test the waters. Phones cost a little more because they're not subsidized by your two year commitment. Also, there may be some other hidden catch I haven't found yet.
posted by mecran01 at 5:34 AM on August 18, 2005
Net10.com has been advertising itself as a true "pay as you go" plan for 10 cents a minute. I haven't located the "catch" yet, but it might be a safe way to test the waters. Phones cost a little more because they're not subsidized by your two year commitment. Also, there may be some other hidden catch I haven't found yet.
posted by mecran01 at 5:34 AM on August 18, 2005
Best answer: If yu're going to be using the new telephone number for your business, I would suggest getting a landline instead and then if you're going to be out of the office, you can have it forwarded to your cell phone or any other phone. It will be cheaper, have better call quality and business lines have more options as far forwarding, holding etc...
And then you can either give a few good clients your cell number or have it be an alterante (perhaps off-hours) emergency contact number.
Incoming calls will not cost you a dime on the landline so you can have anyone and everyone calling you there.
posted by eatcake at 5:36 AM on August 18, 2005
And then you can either give a few good clients your cell number or have it be an alterante (perhaps off-hours) emergency contact number.
Incoming calls will not cost you a dime on the landline so you can have anyone and everyone calling you there.
posted by eatcake at 5:36 AM on August 18, 2005
update on net10.com: I found the catch. You have to buy 300 minutes at a time. They don't expire, but you have to buy more minutes in 30 days or your phone deactivates and you lose your number. so disregard my bad advice above.
posted by mecran01 at 5:58 AM on August 18, 2005
posted by mecran01 at 5:58 AM on August 18, 2005
Cingular has the best coverage around the St. Louis area and throughout Missouri. No kidding. We have had nothing but excellent service in Columbia, where we live, and St. Louis, which we visit often. My wife's brother tested out phones from Cingular, Sprint, and Verizon a couple years ago and found that Cingular was best in St. Louis, especially in fringe areas.
If you're thinking you're going to be getting mostly incoming calls, US Cellular, who have recently introduced themselves to the St. Louis market, might be worth looking into, as they offer free incoming calls.
posted by zsazsa at 8:28 AM on August 18, 2005
If you're thinking you're going to be getting mostly incoming calls, US Cellular, who have recently introduced themselves to the St. Louis market, might be worth looking into, as they offer free incoming calls.
posted by zsazsa at 8:28 AM on August 18, 2005
Are you wondering about phone service/plans or actual cell phone models?
Because if you're talking about models, I would never even consider getting a phone that wasn't a Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia.
I'm a pretty geeky gadgety guy, but I've found that all other phones (Samsung, Motorola, etc.) are over-complicated, difficult to use crap. Nokia phones are plain and simple and they all function in basically the same way. Nokia phones are the easiest to use.
posted by redteam at 10:29 AM on August 18, 2005
Because if you're talking about models, I would never even consider getting a phone that wasn't a Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia. Nokia.
I'm a pretty geeky gadgety guy, but I've found that all other phones (Samsung, Motorola, etc.) are over-complicated, difficult to use crap. Nokia phones are plain and simple and they all function in basically the same way. Nokia phones are the easiest to use.
posted by redteam at 10:29 AM on August 18, 2005
I know klangklangston had bad experiences with Cingular, but I work in the industry and can tell you that Cingular is ranked number one for coverage.
And yeah, get a Nokia, no doubt about it.
No, I don't work for Cingular.
posted by Specklet at 10:52 AM on August 18, 2005
And yeah, get a Nokia, no doubt about it.
No, I don't work for Cingular.
posted by Specklet at 10:52 AM on August 18, 2005
I have been pretty happy with Sprint, as have my kids. I don't know if they're any different than any of the others - although I hate, hate, hate Verizon with a passion - but the two years we've been with Sprint have been good. No issues. We have Samsung phones and they've worked great too.
The one thing I can tell you about kids & phones is this: GET THE REPLACEMENT PHONE POLICY! My 13 year old son has been through 2 phones already this year. Teenagers are tough on phones. They drop them (sometimes into a cup of coffee in the car overnight) they leave them places where the dog can eat them, their friends attempt to take them apart. Sprint has a deal where for $5 a month they will replace your phone for $50, no questions asked.
posted by mygothlaundry at 11:21 AM on August 18, 2005
The one thing I can tell you about kids & phones is this: GET THE REPLACEMENT PHONE POLICY! My 13 year old son has been through 2 phones already this year. Teenagers are tough on phones. They drop them (sometimes into a cup of coffee in the car overnight) they leave them places where the dog can eat them, their friends attempt to take them apart. Sprint has a deal where for $5 a month they will replace your phone for $50, no questions asked.
posted by mygothlaundry at 11:21 AM on August 18, 2005
Once you get a cellphone, you will find it indispensible to your normal everyday life, and wonder how you ever got along without it.
Or, like me, you will find you leave it at home most days because you never use it and you will find yourself choosing cheaper and cheaper plans until you are finally switching to the $100 prepaid plan where you get 1000 minutes that last for a year and wonder if you'll even use all of them.
And yeah, get a Nokia, no doubt about it.
I always heard that the Bluetooth implementation on Nokias is a little wonky and only works right with Windows computers. So I've always avoided them. I have an Ericsson r520m (it's so old, it actually says Ericsson rather than Sony Ericsson) that works fine.
posted by kindall at 11:55 AM on August 18, 2005
Or, like me, you will find you leave it at home most days because you never use it and you will find yourself choosing cheaper and cheaper plans until you are finally switching to the $100 prepaid plan where you get 1000 minutes that last for a year and wonder if you'll even use all of them.
And yeah, get a Nokia, no doubt about it.
I always heard that the Bluetooth implementation on Nokias is a little wonky and only works right with Windows computers. So I've always avoided them. I have an Ericsson r520m (it's so old, it actually says Ericsson rather than Sony Ericsson) that works fine.
posted by kindall at 11:55 AM on August 18, 2005
Verizon customer service people are nice nice nice. But, that said, they are idiots. They turned off my phone three months in a row because they thought I owed them money that I did not owe them. Each time, I called, explained the issue, they saw their error, apologized profusely and said they'd take care of it. My dad has had similar experiences with them.
But, my Verizon phone works almost everywhere, which is the most important think IMO.
I can't imagine how a pay-as-you-go phone could really be a good deal. They make it sound very sophisticated, but c'mon - they're for teenagers and people with bad credit. If it was that cost-effective, everyone would have 'em.
posted by clh at 12:16 PM on August 18, 2005
But, my Verizon phone works almost everywhere, which is the most important think IMO.
I can't imagine how a pay-as-you-go phone could really be a good deal. They make it sound very sophisticated, but c'mon - they're for teenagers and people with bad credit. If it was that cost-effective, everyone would have 'em.
posted by clh at 12:16 PM on August 18, 2005
Pay-as-you go can be a great deal for light users.
T-Mobile pay-as-you go: $100 for 1000 "anytime" minutes, good for a year -- $8.33 a month.
T-Mobile's cheapest "regular plan": $20 a month ($240 a year), includes only 60 "anytime" minutes (360 a year). You do get 500 weekend minutes a month with this plan as well, but if you're using 500 minutes a month I'd say you're not a "light user" anymore.
posted by kindall at 12:40 PM on August 18, 2005
T-Mobile pay-as-you go: $100 for 1000 "anytime" minutes, good for a year -- $8.33 a month.
T-Mobile's cheapest "regular plan": $20 a month ($240 a year), includes only 60 "anytime" minutes (360 a year). You do get 500 weekend minutes a month with this plan as well, but if you're using 500 minutes a month I'd say you're not a "light user" anymore.
posted by kindall at 12:40 PM on August 18, 2005
Best answer: Once you get a cellphone, you will find it indispensible to your normal everyday life, and wonder how you ever got along without it. You will become one of those assholes that whips it out to answer calls while you're walking down the street with a coworker, or you will talk in the grocery line, or in your automobile.
I would say the first sentence is true: everything seems to become way more convenient with a cell phone. But I know plently of people who did not become cellphone assholes upon getting one, um, including me.
A few other things to think about:
-Look into a shared plan with your son. Start fairly low, see how it goes, and what you need. Also, any calls between him and you will be free.
-Someone else mentioned teenagers and texting...as a general rule, teenagers with cell phones are TEXT CRAZY. It depends on your plan and provider, etc., but those messages add up REALLY fast. Make sure you look into what fees are involved with both sending and receiving messages and make sure you talk to your son about this or you could end up with a huge bill.
posted by jetskiaccidents at 6:14 PM on August 18, 2005
I would say the first sentence is true: everything seems to become way more convenient with a cell phone. But I know plently of people who did not become cellphone assholes upon getting one, um, including me.
A few other things to think about:
-Look into a shared plan with your son. Start fairly low, see how it goes, and what you need. Also, any calls between him and you will be free.
-Someone else mentioned teenagers and texting...as a general rule, teenagers with cell phones are TEXT CRAZY. It depends on your plan and provider, etc., but those messages add up REALLY fast. Make sure you look into what fees are involved with both sending and receiving messages and make sure you talk to your son about this or you could end up with a huge bill.
posted by jetskiaccidents at 6:14 PM on August 18, 2005
Although I aactually live pretty close to klangklangston, I have been with Cingular for about a year now, with absolutely no problems - I've never had a dropped call, and I've had no problems getting in touch with customer service and getting questions answered.
I bought my phone/plan from the Cingular area in Best Buy, which lets you get a 1-year contract rather than the 2-year that Cingular stores would require (I would highly recommend getting the shortest contract possible). Also, I think I remember reading that you can legally cancel your contract and/or switch phones at any time in the first month, if your service sucks.
posted by sluggo at 5:21 AM on August 19, 2005
I bought my phone/plan from the Cingular area in Best Buy, which lets you get a 1-year contract rather than the 2-year that Cingular stores would require (I would highly recommend getting the shortest contract possible). Also, I think I remember reading that you can legally cancel your contract and/or switch phones at any time in the first month, if your service sucks.
posted by sluggo at 5:21 AM on August 19, 2005
Response by poster: This has been incredibly helpful. Thank you everyone! Saturday, my son (a.k.a. Man-Boy, which if you've ever had a 14-year old is exactly what they are) and I will be test driving phones at the mall. He has very strong opinions about what constitutes a good phone, go figure. Me? Much less so. Thanks again, folks.
posted by wordswinker at 6:19 PM on August 23, 2005
posted by wordswinker at 6:19 PM on August 23, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by meta87 at 11:09 PM on August 17, 2005