[Vision2020] Cell Phones

Wed Aug 4 21:27:56 PDT 2004

I refuse to get a cell phone. I hate being on the phone and the thought of
one in my pocket or in my car drives me nuts. I can't imagine having to
answer a phone when you are "away"... my grown kids of course think I'm way
out there. I did just discover the internet telephone that is wonderful (as
far as phones go) because you don't pay for ANY long distance. You pay a
flat fee ($19.95) and that is all. Only problem is, if the power goes out
your phone goes out - you have to have the internet to work it. But other
than that it works just like a phone. I'm waiting for the "bad" stuff to
happen and hit me in the head, but so far (a month of so) it is good. I have
to unplug and reset it once in a while, but 'taint hard to do that.
I often just don't answer phones at home and let the machine get it. I hate
phones.

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Donovan Arnold
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 2004 6:56 PM
To: sslund at adelphia.net; Vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Cell Phones

Sandra,

I hate cell phones too. In fact the only thing I hate worse than the Cell
Phone is Verizon. That is why I deal with the Cell Phone. It only costs me
about $20 a month for a phone. True, I don't give out my number, and the
phone book doesn't list my correct number, but I control who calls me, and
who doesn't. So I only pay about $20 a month.

I use a portable, cheap cell phone, and buy my minutes in advance so I don't
get billed for minutes I don't use, and I control how much I can spend. The
reception is pretty good, and I don't need a phone line anymore, and thus,
can get rid of Verizon, whom I despise to their rotten core.

I know of two places you can get cell phones without having to register them
in your name, and have no contracts in Moscow. One is Wal-Mart, the other is
Safeway. I am sure there are other places if you look around, Radio Shack,
Hastings, etc.

The phones you buy range in cost anywhere from $50-$200, depending on the
quality and gizmos of the phone that you want. The cost of the minutes
ranges anywhere from about 10 cents to about 40 cents, depending on the
number of minutes you buy.

If I were to go back in time, I would have bought my phone from the company
"Virgin" instead of the company I have "Tracfone".

The down side is that you have to go through a few hoops to get the phone
hooked up, and it takes about 1-4 days for them to turn the phone on. My
company has lousy customer service. The last major downfall is that your
minutes expire after about 90 days. So you all those used minutes is the
time to call long distance family and friends to burn them up.

But it is much better than having to pay the phone company, cheaper, more
convenient, and you control who has your number, not to mention all the
other bonuses to not having a 2 foot cord on your communications. And your
daughter is correct, you are the last person in the United States to not
have a cell phone, even my 84 year old grandma has one :P.

Hope this helps.

Donovan J Arnold

>From: "Saundra Lund" <sslund at adelphia.net>
>To: <Vision2020 at moscow.com>
>Subject: [Vision2020] Cell Phones
>Date: Wed, 4 Aug 2004 07:48:10 -0700
>
>Visionaries:
>
>In some ways, I'm a techno-geek, but not in other ways.  Perhaps I'm the
>last
>person in America (at least, according to my daughter), but I have resisted
>the
>cell phone revolution to the core of my being.  While I could understand
>how one
>might come in handy a few times a year, and I've always seen the benefit of
>having one for emergency use, I was unwilling to pay a monthly charge for
>something I'd use so little.  Too, I've known people who had cell phones
>going
>way back to the early days when having one didn't necessarily mean being
>able to
>make a connection due to geographical challenges.
>
>However, I've been told that reception is better and now there are pre-paid
>calling cards so someone like me willing to purchase the cell phone isn't
>shelling out a good chunk of change monthly for something that will be used
>*very little*.
>
>Can anyone shed more light on this for me?
>
>
>TIA,
>Saundra Lund
>Moscow, ID
>
>The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do
>nothing.
>-Edmund Burke
>
>
>
>
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               http://www.fsr.net
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