cell phone as only phone? Opinions needed - Page 2

Jer · 09-04-03, 03:13 PM

I too, would love to ditch the land line, but my wife talks too much on the phone and would burn through our shared minutes. Oh well.

Howard2k · 09-04-03, 03:19 PM

Star,

Where is that Ductape picture?

FrstdOne · 09-04-03, 03:43 PM

Only cellular for me.

babsknupp · 09-04-03, 04:27 PM

regarding telemarketers-yes, I imagine as you start giving out the cell phone number since its's now the only number, you would probably start getting calls, but you can also of course add your cell # to the national Do Not Call list. In fact, I already did. Places that have existing relationships with you I think can still call, but then if you specifically request to them not to, I believe they must then abide by it. I guess what I'm saying is that no matter what, some unwanted calls are likely.

Clamdigger · 09-06-03, 02:29 AM

I use high speed cable and don't need a land line anymore either. use a outdoor antenna stuck to window and other piece fits right over it on the inside with antennae cord attachment works well for cell phone strenght....would save me around $88.00 a month if I could ditch Ma Bell.....but I hate not having a backup system?

AxiMonkey · 09-06-03, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Clamdigger
I use high speed cable and don't need a land line anymore either. use a outdoor antenna stuck to window and other piece fits right over it on the inside with antennae cord attachment works well for cell phone strenght....would save me around $88.00 a month if I could ditch Ma Bell.....but I hate not having a backup system?

Personally, I don't think the land limes would stand a chance against the cell phones. The cell phones have a great starting line-up this season and the land limes are just so fruity. ;) Sorry, couldn't resist.

Yeah, I'm not too keen on not having a backup as well, but then I did the math not as a monthly total, but as an annual total, and saw that, like you, land line service is costing us around a grand a year and personally, there are much better things I could do with a thousand dollars than keep a phone line open for about 10 calls a month. Personal decision obviously, but one of the things you really need to take a look at is, "how much do I really use the phone?" Also, my cell service is really reliable, so a backup doesn't really come into play. If you've got reliablity issues with yours then yeah, having a backup is a good thing I guess.

Ditto · 09-06-03, 10:11 AM

We've pretty much decided on Nextel for our new cell carrier - free incoming calls, free nationwide paging between Nextel members, lots of minutes to use if we need to call a non-Nextel person... like the dr., the dentist, the gas company. LOL!

Backup land line is going to be with Vonage. Hooks into your high-speed internet and costs $39.95 a month for unlimited nationwide and Canada calling. No taxes per call. We got hooked into the MCI Neighborhood Complete but were shocked to learn that their $49.95 a month unlimited coast to coast secretly includes a tax hit on every call. So my $49.95 a month plan is actually costing over $79.95 a month... multiplied by 2 because we have 2 lines. *sigh*

With the Nextel plan with 2 phones we'll pay only about $40 a month more than we're currently paying for just one land line. We both have a land line, so we're effectively saving $70 by getting rid of one of them. Even adding in the $40 for Vonage gives us total connectivity for 2 people with 3 phones at an overall savings of $30 a month.

:-)

09-06-03, 11:32 AM

I've been thinking of ditching my land line as well...$55 a month and I don't even use it. Seems the only thing I do lately with it is pick it up to wipe dog hair off of it. :)

drez84 · 09-12-03, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by afield689
Well, unfortunately I get telemarketer calls on my cell phone.
I was homephoneless for about 3 years just using my Sprint cell phone. I had to use the number for credit cards to contact me, so they began calling that number with marketing offers. It doesn't take long to get them to hang up if you say the right thing.
I now have a local line which is about $6.00 per month with no extras at all. It's great for local calls or 800 numbers or even to access my dial upaccount when my wireless is down. The wireless is provided free by my apartment complex. It goes down a lot, so I use my dial up to access the internet when it is down. (It's down now as a matter of fact). It's been down for 6 days . . .
It's worth $6. for me because of the circumstances.
I also have Snapdialer to login through my cell phone - Samsung N400 (phone plug to USB).
Alan

I have an N400 and have considered using snapdialer, how does that work, and is it worth the 60 dollar cost?

cbarnes · 09-13-03, 08:59 PM

I got rid of my landline about a year ago and haven`t missed it! I have Verizon and the coverage is great(never any dropped calls) and my wife has Cricket $47 a month for unlimited service.

Chris

xtoc214 · 09-14-03, 07:17 AM

I've been without a monopolizing land line for almost a yr now. 3 of 4 household members own mobile phones - best verizon rates - now share 800 mins for 3 people is enough. The landline in my area, Sprint, charged $28 without caller ID, even if we didn't use it. Thats a mobile package in itself. PC is cable-connected. We made some trade-offs for the cost effectiveness, and are better for it. Our service with verizon is very good. No access or connection issues. None of the problems or apprehensions which users list above. Positives far outweigh any negatives. If telemarketers finally get my #, no need to answer if # is unfamiliar [phone also has an off switch]. Vibrate alerts also prohibit annoying rings, if you're so inclined. Caller ID usually keeps us informed. Text messaging. More towers go up everyday. The technology has been here, why not use it. Etc, etc, etc. Go for it.