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IceEnclosure · Sep 13, 2005, 04:47 PM

just under 2 Billion data minutes (I dunno what the hell a data minute is, but w/e). The investigator for my service provider said it was the highest she's ever seen.

I used to have Sprint, and there was a 'spending limit' of $125. Sure could have used that on my current plan!

Basically, I thought I had an unlimited data plan on my phone (ordered through crappy telesales). I had no such plan apparently.

So, if you want to know how much it would cost to use your cellphone as a modem for two weeks..around $5000

I got the issue resolved, and I'm on the proper plan right now.. but gosh.. I thought I was gonna be a slave to the orange guy for the restofmynaturallife.

Salty · Sep 13, 2005, 04:54 PM

HOLY FRICK! I think I woulda just cried!

Demonhood · Sep 13, 2005, 04:55 PM

same thing happened to a friend of mine under the verizon data plan (with his treo).
so either cell phone companies are incompetent, or they are hoping that some people will just blindly pay their bills without seeing that the number has a lot more zeros than usual.

Salty · Sep 13, 2005, 04:59 PM

I'm going with Cell phone companies being evil and stupid... hence why when I finally bite the bullet and get one... it'll probably have no plans aside from voice.

ghporter · Sep 13, 2005, 05:00 PM

Originally Posted by Demonhood

same thing happened to a friend of mine under the verizon data plan (with his treo).
so either cell phone companies are incompetent, or they are hoping that some people will just blindly pay their bills without seeing that the number has a lot more zeros than usual.

I vote for incompetent sales drones. I've worked with some real gems, but I've also seen some real lumps of coal. "I don't think we support that phone" when it is on display right behind the guy, "We can give you a big discount if you move up to our top-of-the-line phone" when they can't describe that discount, the plans that it works with, or how much the new phone would cost.

I have ALWAYS done much better going to brick-and-mortar stores and particularly the ones that are the "genuine article" instead of licensees. A licensee can manage to screw up everything and still get their commission, so beware.

El Gato · Sep 13, 2005, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by Demonhood

or they are hoping that some people will just blindly pay their bills without seeing that the number has a lot more zeros than usual.

Cox cable in Arizona used to apply a $50 service charge for having someone come out to your house and setting up your cable internet for you - regardless of if you set it up yourself or not. The only way to get it off was to call in and sit on hold for a while.

IceEnclosure · Sep 13, 2005, 05:08 PM

It was funny, when I mentioned how I previously had a 'spending cap' on my acct. from my previous provider, the 'higher-up' woman from my current provider said 'yea, we tried that for a while, it wasn't really working out well'

ha, cause there went your overage revenue. insanity.

zerostar · Sep 13, 2005, 05:12 PM

I hear this at least once a week on cingulars forums, usually it works out and they get on the proper plan, but man what a bill.

IceEnclosure · Sep 13, 2005, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by zerostar

I hear this at least once a week on cingulars forums, usually it works out and they get on the proper plan, but man what a bill.

yea, I'm on HoFo
(if that's what you're talkin' about)

; )

alligator · Sep 13, 2005, 08:49 PM

That's why I'm thinking of getting rid of my phone. Yes, getting rid of it. Do I really need to be contacted at all times? Can people survive without calling me or me calling them? Yes. When my contract ends, I may dump it and buy about 10 more iPods.

rickey939 · Sep 13, 2005, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by IceEnclosure

So, if you want to know how much it would cost to use your cellphone as a modem for two weeks..around $5000

I would never make it 2 weeks using my cellphone as a modem...so I'm in the clear.

Eug Wanker · Sep 13, 2005, 09:38 PM

I will go with stupid. I still owe my provider 3-digit $, but they wouldn't take my money so I gave up.

dampeoples · Sep 13, 2005, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by rickey939

I would never make it 2 weeks using my cellphone as a modem...so I'm in the clear.

yeah me too, the battery would die.

sminch · Sep 14, 2005, 03:27 AM

gator - do it, man. unless you're in a job in which you need to be contactable at all times, why pay so that they can? screw 'em! it just seems to be the mindset that you have to have a cell without any rational thought into whether you really need one...

sminch

JoshuaZ · Sep 14, 2005, 04:40 AM

Pwned!

Oisín · Sep 14, 2005, 11:54 AM

This reminds me of the story of the (local Kalundborg) girl who went on holiday to Egypt for a month, and came back to find a phone bill of approximately 10,000,000 DKK (about $1,650,000) for absolutely nothing.

Idiot phone company drones claimed that their computer system did not make mistakes, and that she'd just have to pay the bill, otherwise they'd take her to court. Took a quick trip to the ombudsman for her to get TeleDanmark's attention long enough that they acknowledged their system had screwed, and she got a 145 DKK bill instead.

Glad to see it worked out well in the end for you too, Ice.

ort888 · Sep 14, 2005, 12:08 PM

I used to work with a girl who had cell phone bills that ranged from $500 - $1,000 every month. She would just always go way over her minutes. This was about 5 years ago before the had lots of plans to choose from.

She would just pay it every month and bitch about it... but continue to rack up massive amounts of minutes. Talk about idiotic. I thought she was freaking nuts.

IceEnclosure · Sep 14, 2005, 12:24 PM

I had a 2000 minute plan with Sprint, and my current plan is 1350 min with rollover. I have no landline.

ort888 · Sep 14, 2005, 12:37 PM

I also have no landline. Landlines are for suckers.

dampeoples · Sep 14, 2005, 06:09 PM

I have free incoming calls!

PurpleGiant · Sep 14, 2005, 07:43 PM

Originally Posted by dampeoples

I have free incoming calls!

Wow, so do I! Oh, and everyone else not in the US

TheMosco · Sep 14, 2005, 10:13 PM

yeah, land lines suck. I live in a 4 person apartment, and we decided not to get a land line. All of us have cell phones. There is only one time a land line would come in handy, is international calls. One of the kids is from Greece but he just uses skype to talk to his parents.

Salty · Sep 14, 2005, 11:27 PM

When I get an apt if I have a phone it'll prolly be a cell. And just get free incoming calls. I don't call that much but eventually when I'm in ministry it'll be a pretty important thing to have.

Oisín · Sep 15, 2005, 05:23 AM

Originally Posted by PurpleGiant

Wow, so do I! Oh, and everyone else not in the US

...or China.

Having to pay for when other people call you is just insane.

zwiebel_ · Sep 15, 2005, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by ort888

I also have no landline. Landlines are for suckers.

I am a sucker, with the side benefit of paying $12/month. Hm, not as sucky if you ask me.

Oisín · Sep 15, 2005, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by zwiebel_

I am a sucker, with the side benefit of paying $12/month. Hm, not as sucky if you ask me.

Well, that's about the same (more, actually) than I pay for my cell phone...

I also have a landline (no Internet without landlines here), which costs me more than $12 per month, unfortunately. On the other hand, I get 180 free minutes every month—which I can never use more than about 5% of.