Tuesday, May 17, 2011

AGGGHHHHHHHHH-Cell phone drama....


AGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so irritated. I'm irritated at myself, at Verizon, at my cheap thoughts, and at smart phones in general.


So... I finally decided I was going to upgrade my phone. This has been an on-going battle within myself for WAY too long.

Let's back up to about 5 years ago...

*I bought a blackberry on ebay and added it to my Alltel(thats what it was then) plan. The phone was a lemon so I sold it on ebay for a few bucks and went back to my old phone.

*2 years ago my husband called to cancel his Alltel(still Alltel at this point) plan in full. He had switched jobs and they provided him with a phone and it seemed silly to have a plan he didn't use. When he called they offered him this super awesome touch screen, blah blah blah, phone JUST for keeping his plan. SO... he cancels my plan instead (which could be cancelled at that point for no charge) and I took the new awesome phone. That new totally AWESOME phone was the biggest headache. I had to change phones 5 times in less than 3 months. FINALLY Verizon(they changed names now) pulled the phone off the market and gave me the equivalent. I hated THAT phone too. Then my husband changes jobs, needs the Verizon phone BACK so I gave him the one they had just given me (b/c it was super fancy) and I added a line on his plan and got a silly flip phone.

*Then I got tired of that flip phone. So I went on ebay and bought me a blackberry. I KNOW that I hate blackberry phones but I did it anyway. I kept that phone for about 3 months, dropped it in a gym one night and it never was the same. So I sold it on ebay and went back to this silly flip phone.

NOW OUR STORY IS CAUGHT UP....

Today I get online to order me a new phone. The DROID Increbile is a $529 phone, but I can get a certified pre-owned one(talked to Verizon, that means it was used less than 14 days) for only $49.99! WOOT! I was so pumped. I knew I would have to add a plan for the smart phone which meant adding $30 bucks a month which equals $360 dollars a YEAR! That just seems like so much. That's a nice weekend get away... but I decided to do it. I added the phone to my cart, added the plan to my cart and then before I checked out it showed me my monthly bills NEW TOTAL! HOLD THE PHONE... that wasn't right... So I clicked "Chat now"...

"Jacob" was very helpful, but yes, there is in fact the 9.99 add a line that I must continue to pay (which I do not understand) plus the $30 bucks.... so all of a sudden I went to $480 in a year JUST to have a phone that I can what... check my emails? I check my emails all the time from home or work.

So now I am sitting here pulling my hair out!!!!! Cell phone companies are completely ripping us off... and i'm too cheap to jump on the bandwagon. Well, boo. I'm kinda bummed. I was looking forward to a new cell phone and adding the "Friends trivia" app... but I guess that just won't happen. Oh well, you win some-you lose some.






3 comments:

Leah said...

That's a Verizon thing -

Verizon is known as being the most expensive carrier in the market. But they have good service, so you pay for what you get.

We use Sprint, and can have unlimited texting/data/and nights & weekends for less than $130 a month for 2 lines.

I do agree though that the cell phone companies are making a bajillion off of us, but we have become so reliant on it, they can. :)

Kris said...

Yeah. The add a line thing is pretty much a given. You can't have multiple phones on the plan without paying for them.

Verizon is the best network in our area though, so we pay what we have to.

Bethany said...

I finally gave in, and got a smart phone... The HTC Droid Incredible actually, and paid 29 bucks for it! For anyone upgrading or adding a line, I suggest you check out the Wal-MArt connection center (Phone area) ... Their employess aren't based on commission, so they sell their phones at a fraction of the cost compared to Verizon/AT&T/Sprint and so on. I was so very happy about paying 29$ for a $529 phone. The extra 30 bucks a month, not so much, but I have enjoyed it so far!

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