TJHairball
17-05-2006, 19:29
OK, so after many years, I've decided to get a ... cellular telephone, the device is called, and join the 21st century, for a variety of reasons we won't go into. I've been reading over lots of fine print, but I've still got something of a dilemma.
I am frequently found in the Appalachian Mountains. I've asked around, and people tell me that Verizon gets the best reception in the area, and Cingular "OK" reception. Most of the other carriers don't really seem to cover very well, or for other reasons, I've decided their plans don't look good.
So here's my dilemma. I don't talk on cell phones much, so the "pay as you go" type of plan looks attractive.
Problem: I'm in the US, so "pay as you go" plans are distinctly second rate. I read that they're well treated in the UK, but I don't live there. So my choice essentially boils down to this:
Do I get the Cingular pay-as-you-go, or the minimal Verizon contract plan?
I've done all the math.
The Cingular plan is cheaper ($10 activation, $30+ dollar cell phone, $0.25/minute, minimum $100/year expenditure to keep active) provided I talk as much on the phone as I do now. (Since I don't have a cell phone, and I'm rarely in reach of my permanent land line, that's about once a month for five minutes.)
Unless some of my numerous friends and relatives who I never really talk to because I don't have a cell phone decide it's a good idea to call me once every other week or so now that.
The Verizon plan offers more airtime than I can imagine using (all things considered), and they throw in the phone for free or heavily discounted. (There's a Verizon "pay as you go" plan, but with a $0.99/day maintainence fee, $20 activation fee, and the requirement to buy one of their more expensive phones, it's not actually any cheaper, so it's not even worth considering.)
Con: It costs $480 per year. That's severely overcharging for my bandwidth usage in my book. I may have tax refund checks staring me in the face, but $480 per year just to talk with people? Unless I get in the habit of having an hour-long every two weeks, which I haven't done since I was a teenager, it's going to cost more. And there's time commitment strings attached there, too.
Pro: If getting a cell phone changes my talking habits, and I become more social as a result (and many of my friends are no longer available on IM as much, but do use cell phones), then it's actually cheaper, and the pricing structure doesn't discourage this. It might be nice to catch up with friends and relatives and not worry about the bill.
But there's more. I'm reading online, and hear that Verizon is unfriendly to unions, while Cingular is fully unionized. Is this just something Cingular talks about to make a point, or are they really treating their employees better? Should I be going with Cingular in spite of the fact I may have to wander around for a bit in order to get reception in order to spite the anti-unionists?
I'm also open to suggestions on what brands of hardware are reliable, but the big question is which one of those two to go with.
I am frequently found in the Appalachian Mountains. I've asked around, and people tell me that Verizon gets the best reception in the area, and Cingular "OK" reception. Most of the other carriers don't really seem to cover very well, or for other reasons, I've decided their plans don't look good.
So here's my dilemma. I don't talk on cell phones much, so the "pay as you go" type of plan looks attractive.
Problem: I'm in the US, so "pay as you go" plans are distinctly second rate. I read that they're well treated in the UK, but I don't live there. So my choice essentially boils down to this:
Do I get the Cingular pay-as-you-go, or the minimal Verizon contract plan?
I've done all the math.
The Cingular plan is cheaper ($10 activation, $30+ dollar cell phone, $0.25/minute, minimum $100/year expenditure to keep active) provided I talk as much on the phone as I do now. (Since I don't have a cell phone, and I'm rarely in reach of my permanent land line, that's about once a month for five minutes.)
Unless some of my numerous friends and relatives who I never really talk to because I don't have a cell phone decide it's a good idea to call me once every other week or so now that.
The Verizon plan offers more airtime than I can imagine using (all things considered), and they throw in the phone for free or heavily discounted. (There's a Verizon "pay as you go" plan, but with a $0.99/day maintainence fee, $20 activation fee, and the requirement to buy one of their more expensive phones, it's not actually any cheaper, so it's not even worth considering.)
Con: It costs $480 per year. That's severely overcharging for my bandwidth usage in my book. I may have tax refund checks staring me in the face, but $480 per year just to talk with people? Unless I get in the habit of having an hour-long every two weeks, which I haven't done since I was a teenager, it's going to cost more. And there's time commitment strings attached there, too.
Pro: If getting a cell phone changes my talking habits, and I become more social as a result (and many of my friends are no longer available on IM as much, but do use cell phones), then it's actually cheaper, and the pricing structure doesn't discourage this. It might be nice to catch up with friends and relatives and not worry about the bill.
But there's more. I'm reading online, and hear that Verizon is unfriendly to unions, while Cingular is fully unionized. Is this just something Cingular talks about to make a point, or are they really treating their employees better? Should I be going with Cingular in spite of the fact I may have to wander around for a bit in order to get reception in order to spite the anti-unionists?
I'm also open to suggestions on what brands of hardware are reliable, but the big question is which one of those two to go with.