Phone Bills--UGH

[FarmerChick]

nothing like being held hostage by a monopoly! stinks for ya! OW

 

[Beekissed]

Yep, monopoly here also....only Verizon! And I can't even get DSL. Everyone I know is long distance from me, so I have the Freedom Calling plan and pay one set price each month....$69. With that I get all the bells and whistles, but its actually cheaper than when I had basic service and a calling card. My mom and I must talk at least every other day and usually for an hour or more!

So...the phone is one of those necessaries for me and I don't mind paying the price of it for this reason. I like the fact that its the same price each time.

And, no, we can't get cell service here! I wouldn't use it if we did....I really, really hate cell phones! Tiny! Can't hear anyone who talks on them...they keep breaking up but they don't know it, so THEY get frustrated with YOU if you can't hear them!

 

[FarmerChick]

And beekissed, who can dial them. I can't see the numbers and forget doing it by memory, my brain is fading..LOL-LOL

I hate cell phones. Glad Tony has his so I can pester him, but never for me.

I did see a Jitterbug on tv. It has monster numbers to read for old folks like me..HA HA HA...but nah, I lived without one for 48 years I will continue to do so..LOL

 

[enjoy the ride]

Having a cell phone when driving narrow roads with no shoulders, snow and 200 foot drop offs on either side is comforting to me- so even with no cell phone contract, I will keep one in the car. Also I can remember standing in the middle of a road, bent in half, talking to the vet about a sick animal. too.
It is a convenience when you need to touch bases with someone but for the life of me, I can not see what some people who drive with a phone glued to their ear constantly. I don't find most people interesting enough to want to talk for an hour in a week- their converstions must be so dumb.....What cha doin? Nothing- you? Nothing- going to the mall soon. Yah, me too. ....................

More than once I have waited at a crosswalk until the person in their car on the phone turned without looking at where I would have been crossing- gee I bet you'd be reallllllly sorry to have killed me..............

 

[TanksHill]

I have called my phone co every month for the last 4. Trying to figure out my bill. I have a land line and dsl package. Every time I talk to them they reduce charges, I cut back on serveces and then the following month some how it's up again. I do know that a basic land line with local calls and the ability to keep my dsl open would cost me 32 bucks. I do have a cell already use it for calling LD. Got lucky and scored a un used phone from husbands company. They have a huge phone plan and tons of extra min so I got to share. I have considered using one of thoose fancy cell phones with internet aceess, that way I could blow off the house bill all together. Not sure how it would work.

I feel robbed, manipulated and backed into a corner...

 

[mrs.puff]

Here's a tip for anybody who might be financially strapped: Our phone company offers a discount to anyone who receives "public assistance" (food stamps, welfare, etc). It's an $8 discount a month.

 

[FarmerChick]

I feel robbed, manipulated and backed into a corner...

tankshill

that is how I feel, just like there are truly no options out there to help reduce those charges and they can do anything with me they want. hate that feeling!

 

[user251]

Im so mad right now i could spit fire. I just found out that we are spending $150.00 a month on communication and internet and I DON'T EVEN GET USE THE PHONE!!!! somethings gotta give and i hope its not me. I might need a room to sleep in when i start this battle.

 

[FarmerChick]

you have me cracking up!

 

[VT-Chicklit]

I live on an island in Lake Champlain and have no choice either in the phone (land line) company that I have. Because we are the last in the chain of islands, the phone line does not go thru us to get to any where else. Much of the equipment that has been used in the substation for the island is used and reclaimed items from other areas in the network. As they get new, we get their used (found this out from the phoneman that came to find out why I could not connect to the internet). On top of that up until this August we had to pay for even our local calls by the minute (1/2 cent off peak and 2 1/2 cent peak). My mother lives 75 feet from my house and it would cost me to call her to ask her for sugar! We would schedual our internet use for after 9 at night so that it would be on the 1/2 cent a minute rate. We are nickled and dimed. The phone company made an error several months in a row and double billed us for our long distance calls. Since we are not provided with an itemized list of all calls unless we pay extra, I would not have noticed it if it wern't such a large increase. They did refund the money but I now am paying extra to get the itemized list. We also now use calling cards for all our long distance calls. This saves alot. We do have cell phones (trac phones) and we get a yearly calling package for $100. Living where we do, having car troubles on a snowy night can be deadly if you are not prepared. I keep the land line mainly because of the internet. Switching to satelite internet connection is cost prohibitive. My current land line bill averages around $50 a month. I dont use the long distance and the regular service sucks!