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        New Message Board Archives >> 2005 General Board Posts >> Ringy dingy
        
(Message started by: cootie on Jun 17^th, 2005, 11:55pm)

Title: Ringy dingy
Post by cootie on Jun 17^th, 2005, 11:55pm

Can anyone advise me a lill bit here ? I got pissed off and bought a cell phone cuz my phone lines are DEAD from time to time.....not cool when her home alone either. Phone co says there will be a 35 bucks charge if they gotta come out and lines check out ok. Well I can't exactly call em when my line is dead now can I ? Sometimes there's alot of static but it all comes and goes. Underground cables out here that get screwy. Anyhow.................I think I got fucked on the phone deal cuz I know nothing bout em and am not a phone person ta boot. But I need somethin esp for emergencies to call out or someone call us when out....can't leave messages on Brad's cell so that is messed up if someone NEEDS to get ahold of ya. So......I went for the second cheapest phone but it has the picture deal and my digital camera is about ready to crap out so thought that IT mite be nice and handy cuz I take pics of pups in my kennel for my own records and to send people interested. The phone was 149.00 with 50 bucks rebate to send in for. They only had 3 plans so I got the cheapest for 400 minutes for 39.00 a month. Ended up payin an activation charge of 50 bucks and had to give em 200.00 to get started. Free calling on weekends and after 9:00 pm tho and I have voice mail. OK......the phone has a few books to read and cd to learn how to use it......good grief !!! Gotta go online to register it yet. I noticed on my bill I am charged 39.00 a month......plus 15.00 a month for free calling on weekends and after 9:00 pm (say WHAT ??). Also 4.99 for voice mail and 4.99 for sumthin else. Next bill will be 108.00 (huh) and then it will go down to about 55 a month after that....he told me that after I did all the paperwork stuff and he gave me my stuff. My head was spinnin with all the info I could not remember and details. I have 15 days to return it SUPPOSIDLY and after that if I try to terminate the plan I get a 175.00 penalty cuz it is a year service plan cuz it is cheaper that way. I think I FUCKED UP ??? Brad was out of the state on business and kinda let me know he thinks the guy talked me into more then I could understand or wanted. I told the guy cheap and simple cuz I don't spend much time on a phone except when I have pups ready. Am I over my head here ?? I don't have a clue yet how to use the dam thing.....got 8 phamplets yet to read too and book and cd. I don't know what others pay for cell's to compare......I was pissed when I went in and I gotta figure out what to do before the return policy expires. Forgot to ask the guy if minutes roll over or I loose em......I am cell phone illiterate Pam

Sorry to go on and on but I am REALLY upset about it and feel stupid I got into this crap......I hate that feeling......don't need a big extra bill either.....who does. Thought maybe somea you guys could help ? If not continue to ignore me as usual............ :-/

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by vig on Jun 18^th, 2005, 12:00am

something aint right there....
kill it and shop around.
$35 I get free evenings and weekends, free voice mail...

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by cootie on Jun 18^th, 2005, 12:17am

Thanks vig.....I respect all you guys advice......and I jus dunno how I got into this stupid mess. I don't understand 15 bucks a month for free calling after 9 and weekends.....thought that it was a one time charge. But now I am tryin to break down the bill and it looks MONTHLY ? The guy tried to sell me the bigger plan for 89 bucks a month and I kept telling him NO. He said it was a good as heck deal and I'd probly be sorry I got the 400 minutes even after I told him I am not even on the phone 400 minutes a year unless a special freind calls.....I jus don't do alot of calling or talking otherwise cept for kennel business when I have to. I was jus baffled how my 39 a month ended up so much and then my first bill bein over 100 bucks to come yet. I left in SHOCK I think.....now I am feeling SICK over it cuz I let it happen. Cell for brains Pam

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by cootie on Jun 18^th, 2005, 11:06am

Thanks for all the info guys.......(har-har-har)......sorry I bother'd ya'll but I know NOTHING about what I got myself into and ya shouldn't go into things blindly like contracts and plans).......I'll figure it out myself.....I still hold the record for least liked Pam ;)

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by Edna on Jun 18^th, 2005, 1:54pm

Pam,

sorry you got treated so bad. Think the guy knew he'd get you into all kinds of shit you really didn't need. He's a salesman (no offense to anyone here) but they know how to do that sometimes.

My cell bill runs $20 a month and I'm having a fit. LOL don't use it much either.

Hope you can get someone to help you out of this sticky situation. I'd get back into where you found this dude in the first place and lay it on him. I'm sure there's something he could do to straighten out the mess for you if he's a sincere guy.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

AND most important, if you can't get any success with fixing the problem.......CALL ONE OF US WITH ALL THOSE FREE MINUTES!!!!!! ;)

Good luck,
hugs,
EDNA

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by jokrs2 on Jun 18^th, 2005, 3:14pm

Cootie.
There are way better deals out there, some of which you can actually see a credit on one of your bills,"we did", so check around. I agree with others...kill the agreement immediately and get a confirmation #, the name of the person you spoke with and record that with the date & time. "Google" cell phone deals, you should get quite a bit to look at and a much simpler plan. T-Mobile comes to mind...and I don't work for them or have any investments with em. Best of luck with your search. Joe

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by cootie on Jun 18^th, 2005, 3:28pm

Thanks guys......guess that guy did a number on me and stupid me got so caught up in it and LOST in it all I said ok. He told me I have 15 days to get out of the contract otherwise I will be fined 175 bucks if I cancel. So I THINK I can get free and clear....gawd I hope so. Someone told me about trac phones from Walmart where you pay 20 bucks for it and buy minutes and no other fees at all period ?? No messageing service tho which is what I need for when I am out in case someone needs to contact me watching the house and kennel or Brad's family about his mom. I jus am AMAZED how a sales person can talk you into stuff like that guy did me....I know better......it's like I was hypnotized. I didn't like 39 bucks a month so guess he waited to tell me the total when it was all said and done. Sick of cells Pam

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by yikes-another-one on Jun 18^th, 2005, 4:03pm

;;D

As soon as you find a great plan,
another type of d3eal will look better.

Always that 2 year contract thingy gets
my hubby in trouble, and he reads the
fine print. But we got onto Xingular,
jsut when Verizon went free long distance....

but we have a good plan.
We opted out of the voicemail for $4.99 tho.
Not really worth it.

;)

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by Opus on Jun 18^th, 2005, 6:14pm

Salesmen always lie, that is their job.

From what UI can see, at least here, you can pay threough the nose and get Cingular, but you phone works almost everywhere, or you can get Version, T-moble ( not sure about Nextel) and pay little for service but you phone almost never has a conection. I pay way too much for Cingular but I can use my phone in most places, while everyone else uses there's as an expensive clock.

Opus/Paul

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by Karla on Jun 18^th, 2005, 9:22pm

Best deal I have seen is the NO service contract, so therefore no cancelation fees. And the service is PREPAID. That way you invest say $40 in a phone card. When that is gone you are aware of what you are spending. And it is free for people to call you. Check into that deal. Your much more aware of when your money is used up and your talking to much. Beats the 1000 bill my son had a couple of months ago before we killed his contract.

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by ClusterChuck on Jun 18^th, 2005, 9:26pm

One of the reasons that I no longer own cell phone stores, and just work for them, in a maintenance capacity, is that I had a hard time pushing something, on someone, that they did not need. It is always PUSH PUSH PUSH for the signed contract!!! EUCH!!! I hated that!

Cancel out, my dear, and go the no contract route. There are some pretty good ones out there now.

Chuck

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by gMike on Jun 18^th, 2005, 9:47pm

I agree with the others, cancel and check out other vendors. I've been TMobile forever ($89/mo. 2 phones-800 min/mo. free nites and weekends, yada....). You can do much better with another vendor or even a Tracphone. If I didn't have DSL at home I'd cancel a landline entirely and work off my cell.

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by Jonny on Jun 19^th, 2005, 3:18am

I got the same deal as Mike....put the boots to them Coot's!!!!

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by Lizzie2 on Jun 19^th, 2005, 3:50am

Canceling sounds about right! My dad told me that the fee to cancel (if my service still is bad after I move) is not that bad...and worth it to save myself the stress of having the phone never work.

Funny how different phones work great different places. I have verizon and I bitch about it non-stop cuz it never works here. This whole last week when I was in Florida, it worked in every single place I was. I could walk up and down the beach and it would still work. :)

So maybe the other solution to shitty service is to move where your phone works great? [smiley=laugh.gif]

Nextel was working the best in Philly. It's the only service that will work in the ER and all of the places I generally have to go. I just don't want to blow off Verizon yet cuz I'm tied to my family on it.

Whoever said a cell phone was a good thing? LOL I stick to my landline most of the time! ;)

Lizzie :)

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by ghost62 on Jun 20^th, 2005, 9:43am

First cootie your home line add "in line plus" its a couple of bucks. with that they don't charge for any repairs to line even in house. It looks like you are in ameritec region and they are part of sbc, they should offer that feature. Now as far as cellular have to agree sort of with some of the others ... cingular is only one with roll over right now, and does cost more. but watch out for the prepaid, I had one for a long time and finially went to t-mobile even with the activation fees and and all the other costs came out cheaper than trac fone. trac fone and the others wether you use the minuites or not depending on the card you buy(time wise) you have to buy another card to keep the phone active, even if you never used any time. good part is the time stays on it that you dont use, so if reason comes up to use alot then it is there. also if roaming or long dist with prepair uses double time so for every min talking uses 2. good luck on decision. but I would deffinatly shop and check out in line plus at ameritec for your home line.

;)

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by BobG on Jun 20^th, 2005, 11:10am

It sounds like you got your phone at one of those koisks (sp?) at the mall or another "authorized", aka bait-and-switch, dealer like Radio Shack. Never, ever do that. They are there only to make money, period. They will sell you the package that brings them the most kick-back. They have no interest in selling what you need or want.
Always go to the main office of a cell phone service provider. They aren't working on commision.

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by Tiannia on Jun 20^th, 2005, 1:28pm

Hun Cancel. Hubby and I have been on Cingular forever cause the only reason that I am on my personal cell is an emergency withthe kids or to him. So we have free calls to eachothere and 400 mins a month other wise. Only time that we ever went over to 400 mins was when he was looking for work and the cell is what is on the resume. We pay $55 a month with free night and weekends as well.

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by Drk^Angel on Jun 21^st, 2005, 8:51pm

I've got Virgin Mobile... I only pay $15 every 3 months... Of course, it's 25 cents per minute for the first 10 minutes a day, then 10 cents per minute for the rest of the day, so the per minute charges are higher than the contract deals... But it's a prepaid plan, so you can cancel anytime, and it's the lowest per month requirement I've seen... Now for the really bad news... It only works within the Sprint Digital Wireless network, and there's no roaming network, so it can be a pain when traveling, but if your house is within the Sprint area, it might be good to check out. Test messaging is 10 cents per message outbound, free inbound. Free voice mail, but it'll cost per minute charges on the phone if you check it from the phone. They even have a camera phone now (gotta pick up one of those when I can afford it). They even have a plan now where you can get 10 cents per minute all day, but it costs 35 cents per day. http://www.virginmobileusa.com/ (Damn... I should become a salesperson for them. LOL)

PFDAN.................................. Drk^Angel

P.S. Now all I have to do is find someone to call so I can use some of the balance I've been collecting... LOL

DA

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by Gator on Jun 21^st, 2005, 9:07pm

Hey, Cootie. I got Tracfon and I can do test messaging. It does cost ya half a minute to send or receive a text message, though. Nothing is free with Tracfon. On the other hand, there are no surprises either.

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by cootie on Jun 21^st, 2005, 10:21pm

Dam......I posted on here how it all turned out but 'where'd it go ' ?? Or did it somehow end up on the wrong thread.....if so sorry. Been havein trouble stayin online so maybe I thought it posted and got off here. ANYHOW.......I took the phone back. Was told to stand in the service center line when I walked in. Stood in line bout a half hour......then two people ahead of me wanted to change passwords or upgrade or get a new phone cuz there's wasn't workin rite......whatever. So they had to call there bosses to VERIFY it and stood there holding up the line CHATTING for 15 minutes !!!! I was so dam pissed I coulda choked the one guy that jus kept.....chatting away. They took everything back with no problems.....shew......so am relieved I am out from under that extra monthly bill I did not need and dunno HOW I ended up talked into what I did anyhow. Guess the rate I had wasn't 'that far off' from the norm.....but.....I didn't want a complicated phone in the first place or a big montly rate cuz I am not a phone person in the first place. I jus wanted sumthin where people can leave a message if we are out and they NEED to get ahold of us!!!! Esp anyone I mite have drive by the house to make sure things are ok or walk around to check on stuff. Rite now I am cell phoneless like before. Will check into some of the ideas here......and thanks for the info.......muc appreciated !!! Scam'd Pam

Title: Re: Ringy dingy
Post by Kevin_M on Jun 22^nd, 2005, 12:01am

on 06/21/05 at 22:21:35, cootie wrote:

ANYHOW.......I took the phone back.

Cool Pams. Salemen, pamphlets, manuels, CD's, high expense, just to learn how to talk with someone out of yellin' range. Whatever happen to carrier pigeons. Hey! that's an idea for a new breeding idea, if there's any left.

Quote:

and stood there holding up the line CHATTING for 15 minutes !!!! I was so dam pissed I coulda choked the one guy that jus kept.....chatting away.

Good thing their cell phones had problems, or you couldn't have helped to overhear their conversations to everyone they wanted to call to tell them ALL about their experience at the counter too. But they might be able to tell them about it all while driving back home.

Quote:

Will check into some of the ideas here......and thanks for the info.......muc appreciated !!! Scam'd Pam

Some good sharin' for the cause. ;)

Kevin M