Cell Phones

My cell phone contract is up next week, so I decided that it was time to do some research. I'm effectively cell phone illiterate. I never use it. But I want to keep it for emergencies. Emergencies like, "AAA, I'm stranded on the side of the road in the pouring rain with 3 starving children." Emergencies like, "Scout Master, we can't find you. Are we meeting on the north or south side of which building?" Emergencies like, "Drew, is Megan ready for T-ball? Dad will be there in 15 minutes." Consumer Reports to the rescue. They just reviewed phones and plans in January!

I came up with some points to consider.


#1: I never use my cell phone. Seriously. I average 11 minutes per month, with a peak of 26 minutes the month we went to Disney and were trying to meet up. Meaning I am totally not getting $30+ per month out of my contract.


#2: I never use the land line either. I'm sure that the 2 lines combine for under 200 minutes almost every month. But I don't want to ditch the land line because I have 4 kids, some of whom are nearing the phone growing out their ear age.


#3: I don't like my cell phone. The 9 sticks - and I have 3 of them in my home number. There is so much dust under the display that it's truly hard to read. I want a phone that closes so I don't have to hit buttons so that I don't hit buttons.


#4: Camera phones are cool but they have horrid quality. Phone are made for talking. If you want to take picture, buy a camera.


#5: My kids don't have cell phones. I'm not planning on getting them any in the near future. I don't forsee needing a family plan in the next 2 years, but never say never.


So, I've decided on a pre-paid plan. Cingular has the best deal because you pay $1 only on days when you use the phone. Most charge about a dollar every day. Really, why not go with their most basic contractual plan then? For the life of me I can't remember why I hated Cingular about a year ago. My guess is that it was over fees. Like ridiculous late fees for being a week late with no prior history. (Now I have a spreadsheet so I don't forget about things like this.) They also annoy me because they send me text messages (albeit rarely) which I equate to SPAM and they charge me for them. It's only a few cents, but irksome, nonetheless. But since I can't remember for sure why I hated them and they have the best deal that offers coverage in my area, I'll go with them. Plus, no contract. If they cross the line, I'll leave.


I found a refurbished phone that meets my criteria. It happens to have a camera. At least I can carry cute pictures of the rug rats with me. So I am happily placing my order online until I get to the part where I want to keep the same number. Can't do that unless you go to the physical store, which Jessica, who fortunately speaks English, will happily tell you after you dig up their 800 number and place a call (more minutes). If I had an existing account with anyone else, yes. But not from them. I figure at this point most people just give up and get the stupid contract that comes with a free phone that you'll hate for the next 2 years.

So, I'm on my way to the store, steeling myself against the impending pitch for why I need to upgrade. I also think that I'm cutting it close to get to swimming on time. And then it dawns on me. I don't use my phone. So what does it matter if I change my number? My kids are smart enough to forget the old one and learn the new one. And I'm going to need to update all the school forms in August anyway. So, I turned around and went back to the comfort of my computer and placed my order online. With any luck, I'll have a new functioning phone before we leave for vacation.