Cell Phones???

[DianeB]

I have a go phone. I don't use it unless I need to - usually turned off in my purse.

I will keep a charged cell phone for emergencies now always. You don't even need a plan or minutes on it to dial 911. Did you know that?

I tested the theory last summer.

Cimarron National Grasslands Kansas - 108,175 acres of short grass and sand sage prairie - us alone in the middle of that only two campers in three days of camping in the campsite - absolutely NO idea where we are since NO roads are marked - truck stuck belly deep in a sandbar on the Cimarron River - no cell phone service since TOPEKA!

Dial 911 and here comes the sheriff to save the day within the hour.

Yep. I am keeping a cell phone.

Also, if you call 911 the call has to tap into all available coverage areas no matter your plan. That's why you could call out in the middle of nowhere. Of course, I use my cell to call home not just 911. Plan on keeping it, too.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Never had a cell phone and not really planning on it.
. . .
And whenever someone called when my dad is driving he swerves all over the road trying to get it out of his pocket, and then continues to swerve all over while on the phone.

So I have no desire to own one.

My friend has a real fancy one, with all the gadgets. Once when I was asking him why he never asked me to the movies or any of those things he did with people every week, he said that he would if I had a cell phone to text. Helloooooo. Cell phones work more ways than one now days. Guess he can't be bothered. Great friend. LOL.

Of course, when you need a cell phone and in your in dire need, like someone is trying to kill you, they never have service anyway. I've watched enough horror movies to know that.

Your Dad should let the call go to voice mail and check the message later. Very few calls are that important.
Are your old friends lips broken? If not he can still Say a few words on the phone.
I have used a cell phone to get help in an emergency so in real life, they can be handy.

 

[reinbeau]

I've got a cell plan through AT&T for three lines, the bill is $92 a month for all three. We are careful with the minutes, hubby, son barely use any, it's my line that uses the most, but I use it for business. I've got a land line, same number I've had since I moved here, it's got everything including unlimited long distance all over the country and Canada for $29.99 through Comcast (it's a bundled plan). I could live without the cell, but it wouldn't be very convenient, especially for dealing with clients.

 

[Farmfresh]

Of course, when you need a cell phone and in your in dire need, like someone is trying to kill you, they never have service anyway. I've watched enough horror movies to know that.

Well thank GOD it worked in the middle of 100,000 acres of grass and from the bottom of a river ditch!

 

[xpc]

I do have the Magic Jack and it works great for all my calls with little inconvenience and good call quality. It can be bought at Wal-Mart for about $35 which includes one year of service then $20 a year thereafter. I plug my cordless phones in it and works like a land line, it has regular voice mail which also sends a copy to your email so you can listen to them on the computer.

I had Skype for years and had many dropped call and delays plus it costs $50 more per year to get an incoming phone number. Both skype and magic jack requires the computer to be on to make or receive calls, but if you just need it for long distance then that should be no big deal. Magic Jack will not work with dial-up where Skype says it will.

I got rid of my land line and "real" cell phone years ago and never looked back. I did however get a Virgin mobile pay as you go and only put the required $20 on it every 3 months to keep the number, that only gives you 100 minutes but is more than enough, the $7 a month is worth the piece of mind for emergencies and traveling.

 

[FarmerChick]

XPC
I had virgin mobile for a while. price was wonderful. I barely used it also but for me, the dropped calls, the no service areas etc.--it became useless to me. got rid of it.

 

[ksalvagno]

We actually got rid of our landline and only have cell phones. I'm out in the barn more than I'm in the house and I needed to be able to call the vet from wherever I am in the pasture or barn if an alpaca or goat birth goes awry. People got used to calling me on the cell phone since it was so hard to get hold of me with the house phone. The cell phone is working out for me.

 

[TanksHill]

Ok, I guess I really don't need a cell phone. I am a stay at home mom in the middle of a city. If I yell really loud one of my neighbors is bound to hear me. For travel my dh is usually with us. He has a work phone still and we don't pay for it. I am home most of the time especially in today's economy. The more I stay in the less I spend. I guess it's just the long distance that is an issue. Most of my family live over an hour away, in California terms thats long distance. I could use my dh cell for long distance. But I usually make most of my calls in the mornings. Afternoons are way to busy with kids, homework and diner.

I think I am going to pick up a magic jack. I had skype years ago when it cost pretty much nothing. I am sure it is better now but then it had a lot of delays and Internet issues.

Thanks for all of your help and advice.

gina


oh an after thought. my dh came home last night after talking with his dad. FIL said I could have my cell on his bill for about 10 bucks a month. If you know my history with the in laws you will understand. I told him when hell freezes over. I would rather not have a cell. Thanks anyways.

 

[xpc]

XPC
I had virgin mobile for a while. price was wonderful. I barely used it also but for me, the dropped calls, the no service areas etc.--it became useless to me. got rid of it.

For the price and the reviews on prepaid cells, Virgin worked the best for me. I sometimes get a dropped call unless I go outside but the same thing happened with my US Cellular service at this location, to be fair I am so far out that I don't get cable, DSL, and only one TV station (PBS) even with a 30 foot antenna.

I have to imagine some of it has to do with the carrier and how much you want to pay for the phone (more expensive phones can get better signals). I believe Virgin uses the Sprint network and have never had a problem while on the major highway systems where most of the towers are located. My internet connection is through Verizon's 3G network and works great most of the time (storms can slow it down) but also have that on a separate 30 foot truckers antenna.

When you live in nowhere land you have to get the cell service with an agreement that if doesn't work in your location you can cancel and return it within 30 days. I first tried AT&T and it worked miserably in this area so returned it and got the Verizon service.

At less than $2 a month Magic Jack works good.

 

[sylvie]

The 90 day cell phones like Tracfone are more of a deal than most know. There are bonus codes online so when you load your minutes you can get double the minutes for the same price. Some codes extend the minute due dates tremendously which is good for those of us that keep the phones for emergencies or short calls, and now don't worry about reloading every 90 days.

I just bought a phone through the site for $14.99 with a free 60 minute card and double minutes for life, When I activated the card I also used a bonus code for 60 more minutes and ended up with quadruple minutes. There are so many money saving deals if you are willing to spend the time looking.

I have never had a dropped call through Tracfone.