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I hate having to get a new cell phone.

0patience0patience Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,767
My cell phone started having problems. It just started turning off when ever it felt like it.
Which is really inconvenient.
When I bought this phone, I had to "upgrade" to a data package. I didn't want a data package, I just wanted the phone. So I finally upgraded to the data package.
So a few years later, it's dying. I go to see what new phones I can get on my plan and finally found one I liked. Guess what? I have to upgrade the data package!

So I call up and want to know why I have to get a bigger data package and they tell me because the new smart phones require a bigger data package.

So I ask which phones are available for the data package I have.............NONE!
Are you F***** kidding me?? It's a scam. They know they have you over a barrel. If you want a new phone, you have 2 choices. Get a phone that is a basic phone or upgrade.

Trust me, I'd love to have a plain old basic cell phone, but with family, friends, getting lost and stuff like that, it's really hard not have things like texting and internet. It's do-able, but really inconvenient. LOL!

I just don't like how they keep forcing you to spend more money when you get a new phone.

Ok, that's my rant.

Comments

  • taythegibstaythegibs Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,024
    I know what you mean, i used to have a droid 2 as my phone... i couldnt afford the $30 a month extra so i downgraded severely to one of the free phones... it sucks, and takes for ever to receive texts. I did keep the droid for wifi/music/pandora/games/etc.
  • james40james40 Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,450
    I'm in IT and I've been lucky that I always use work phones. In fact, at 41 I've never owned my own phone. It's a racket for sure.
  • The SniperThe Sniper Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,910
    Cell phone companies are akin to used car salesmen in my mind. They use every single dirty underhanded trick they can to milk every cent out of you that they can, and youre right - its frustrating as he11. I have three pieces of advice for you, and I hope they help.

    1) If your current phone is experiencing problems, make SURE you back up everything on it that you can RIGHT NOW. As soon as you read this. Most phones default to saving stuff in the phone's memory instead of the memory card you put in them, most important of which is your contacts. So if your phone has a catastrophic failure (like mine did) and you didnt back your stuff up or cant remember the password to whatever service may or may not be in place to back it up automatically (like I did), your data and information is just POOF - gone. I am the poster boy for "dont let this happen to you".

    2) Dont be afraid to change cell providers. The ONLY providers will bend over backwards to give you what you want is when they're trying to get your business. Once they have you as a customer, they are MUCH less willing to work with you because they figure they already have you and most people wont want to be bothered with changing companies. Some are worse about this than others. You take your phone number with you, so the only thing that really changes is the company logo on top of the bill that comes every month.

    T Mobile wouldnt work with me AT ALL to get me what I wanted in a package when it came time to upgrade. Sorry we cant do that, company policy says we cant, oh we can do that but its going to cost $XX extra a month, yada yada yada. So I thanked them for their time, and walked into Verizon literally NEXT DOOR in the strip mall. Yes sir, we can absolutely do that, we will set it all up as you want it, what else can we do.

    While they were doing whatever they have to do in order to bring your phone number over to their phone, a T Mobile guy from next door sticks his head in the door and tells me "Mr Simons, you have a phone call next door." WTF??? So I step back into their office, and its T Mobile corporate on the phone, asking me what they need to do in order to not lose me as a customer. When I tell them, NOW its yes we can do all that and to show you how much we value your business we are going to throw in this that and the other thing too. "Why wasnt I offered any of this when I came into this office 20 minutes ago?" I ask.

    "Well sir, its company policy that..."

    F you! Stopped him cold in mid sentence, read him the riot act and told him I would go back to using a pager instead of a cell phone before I ever returned to his company.

    Fast forward two years to when it was time to upgrade with Verizon, and guess what? Same exact thing I went thru with T Mobile with the "Oh we cant do that"s and the "you'll have to upgrade your plan for an additional $XX per month" crap you're talking about. So I walked next door to Sprint, in the same strip mall with T Mobile right next to Verizon. Which leads me to...

    3) I dont know who you're with currently, but what you described in your original post sounds a LOT like the song and dance I got from Verizon (who my family is still with because my ex is one of those morons the providers bank on who cant be bothered to change companies) when my daughter recently trashed aaaaaaaaaaaanother phone. It was "Oh, all our phones require a monthly data plan." Oh really? Not just the smart phones, which she WONT be getting? "Yes sir. Well, we DO have two phones that dont require the plan..." and directed me to two basic flip phones that were solidly not Scottish (meaning they're CRAP!).

    But I digress. Ive been with Sprint for several years now, and they have so far been the exception to these rules. Excellent customer service, always get me what I want at the price point I want, and their reps game the system to get everything they can for me without being prompted to do so. Instead of "Oh we cant", with Sprint its always been "We'll figure out a way to get it done, and what else can we do for you?". Also, to the best of my knowledge they're also the only remaining carrier that will give you an unlimited data plan without charging HUGE $$$ to do so. Important if you're a big internet on the phone guy.

    Hope this helped! :-)

  • jlmartajlmarta Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,440
    Great post, Glen. But let me tell you my story about Sprint and why I'll not deal with them. Back in 1994, I was in the recovery room at a hospital about 50 miles from home after my bypass surgery. I had told my child bride to wait at home until I called to let her know I was awake before she made the drive. So I asked the nurse for a phone, which she provided and told me to dial 9 for an outside line. I dialed it, got a line, and then asked the operator to place a collect call to my wife. The operator said, "One moment, please," and I waited. And waited. Finally, I hung up and tried it again. Got the outside line and the same operator ( I recognized her voice) and again asked her to place my collect call. Again, she says, "One moment, please," and I waited. And waited.

    On the third try, after getting the same damned operator again, I told her, "Look, I've just had major heart surgery and I'm trying to reach my wife. Are you going to put this call through or not?". She said, "No", AND HUNG UP ON ME!!! Can you believe that sh1t?? Now ask me if I'll ever deal with Sprint again.....

    EDIT: I had asked the nurse who their provider was and she told me it was Sprint.
  • letsgowithbobletsgowithbob Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 676
    We have sprint, after just about every other cell phone company in existence. I like them a lot. I HIGHLY recommend going into a sprint store wearing a red polo shirt, and mentioning that you work at target, target gets a 27% discount.....We always buy our phones from bestbuy, and get the device protection insurance from them, because they cover water damage, and pretty much every other damage besides loss. If you buy the insurance it's 15 bucks a month, if you buy device protection it's like 160 for 2 years...same insurance vastly different prices...I like to get the most for my money
  • The SniperThe Sniper Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,910
    jlmarta:
    Great post, Glen. But let me tell you my story about Sprint and why I'll not deal with them. Back in 1994, I was in the recovery room at a hospital about 50 miles from home after my bypass surgery. I had told my child bride to wait at home until I called to let her know I was awake before she made the drive. So I asked the nurse for a phone, which she provided and told me to dial 9 for an outside line. I dialed it, got a line, and then asked the operator to place a collect call to my wife. The operator said, "One moment, please," and I waited. And waited. Finally, I hung up and tried it again. Got the outside line and the same operator ( I recognized her voice) and again asked her to place my collect call. Again, she says, "One moment, please," and I waited. And waited.

    On the third try, after getting the same damned operator again, I told her, "Look, I've just had major heart surgery and I'm trying to reach my wife. Are you going to put this call through or not?". She said, "No", AND HUNG UP ON ME!!! Can you believe that sh1t?? Now ask me if I'll ever deal with Sprint again.....

    EDIT: I had asked the nurse who their provider was and she told me it was Sprint.
    Wow, I dont even know what to say to this Marty. I hope karma came down like a landslide on this beeotch, cause she certainly deserves it!

  • 0patience0patience Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 3,767
    Yeah, we have Verizon. The problem is, there are no other carriers that have decent coverage and they know it. And since I am usually in the mountain passes or on the coast highway, I need the coverage.
    It just makes me angry that they play these games with people.
  • phobicsquirrelphobicsquirrel Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 7,349
    I don't like having to deal with the BS on cell phones either. I have sprint and though they have been less than horrible to deal with they still managed to piss me off due to an error on my plan that I was told was fixed then a year later found out they never fixed it and I am *** out of luck. Still for the price and the unlimited data they can't be beat. I do hate how much it is for my wife and I but we both use our phones for work so they are needed. However they do have us by the balls.

    It is a racket IMO because we (consumers) are basically given three choices and it depends on how good of coverage of them three are good in one's area. I say three because around me it's really the only choice, though really it's two, Verizon or Sprint. I wish I could get on a different month to month carrier but they all suck and don't have the phones we want. I wish these companies would be broke up or at least many other companies could come on line and give us all more choices like in Europe. And the costs to us would be less.
  • jsnakejsnake Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 5,037
    When they started these $10 add on data packages when you upgraded to a new phone I called Sprint customer service. I asked why there was such a charge seeing as I already paid to have unlimited everything including data. The customer service person couldn't explain why so she got a supervisor on the phone. This guy tells me that it is to pay for the bigger and better screen on my phone and the technology that went into making it. I asked him if he had lost his mind. Sprint doesn't make Blackberry or iPhones or any phone. I bought the phone which included getting a nice new screen and everything in the phone. I told him his explanation made no sense.

    Short story is they have no idea why the new extra charge. Just another way to gouge the consumer. Eventually you couldn't upgrade unless you agreed to the charge and with all my phones it ran my bill up another $60 a month. Only option is to not have a phone. They all do it now.
  • firetruckguyfiretruckguy Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 2,484
    0patience:
    Yeah, we have Verizon. The problem is, there are no other carriers that have decent coverage and they know it. And since I am usually in the mountain passes or on the coast highway, I need the coverage.
    It just makes me angry that they play these games with people.
    I did the cell phone hat dance last night changing from T mobile to Verizon. The nice lady told me that the new verizon pricing for all services will be out by the end of the month and I will save money if I come back in and talk with her. Its worth a shot in my book.

    I love the new Droid Maxx by the way.....
  • phobicsquirrelphobicsquirrel Everyone, Registered Users Posts: 7,349
    jsnake:
    When they started these $10 add on data packages when you upgraded to a new phone I called Sprint customer service. I asked why there was such a charge seeing as I already paid to have unlimited everything including data. The customer service person couldn't explain why so she got a supervisor on the phone. This guy tells me that it is to pay for the bigger and better screen on my phone and the technology that went into making it. I asked him if he had lost his mind. Sprint doesn't make Blackberry or iPhones or any phone. I bought the phone which included getting a nice new screen and everything in the phone. I told him his explanation made no sense.

    Short story is they have no idea why the new extra charge. Just another way to gouge the consumer. Eventually you couldn't upgrade unless you agreed to the charge and with all my phones it ran my bill up another $60 a month. Only option is to not have a phone. They all do it now.
    How bout that. Yeah it's BS.
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