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the land line phone
Mar. 1st, 2012 01:24 pmI have watched many of my friends turn off their land lines in the past 10 years. Why keep them?
When we both got cell phones with long distance, I called our land line company and asked for no long distance. They refused. They reluctantly admitted that I could go on a pay-as-you-go plan. Thanks, I took that. At the same time, I cut down our local phone service from unlimited to a measly 30 local phone calls a month. The sales person ranted at me about overage charges because I undoubtedly call locally all the time. Evidently I NEVER make local calls. That was a pressure sales scam. I was thrilled with the $15/month land line phone bill (including all taxes and fees).
A few years ago, I brought up with T the idea of canceling our land line entirely. He was and is totally against it. He wants to keep the number. So our elderly relatives can find us.
We are now running significantly low on elderly relatives. In spite of this, T still wants to keep the number. Not that it has to be hardwired, just the number.
A few years ago, the fees for my measly 30 local calls a month went up. Then again. Then again. Including fees, the rate is now $30/month.
Today I signed up for one of those internet phone services. I am pretty sure I now get 300 US/Canada phone calls a month. 300! Not that I will call, but it is nice to be able to. And it looks like the monthly rate, including all taxes and fees, will be about $17.50/month.
This would be why the big phone companies are having so many problems. They inflate the rates for the measliest service, their customer service is abysmal (2 hours on hold trying to understand why they are raising my rate AGAIN?!) and they expect us to just take it?!
When we both got cell phones with long distance, I called our land line company and asked for no long distance. They refused. They reluctantly admitted that I could go on a pay-as-you-go plan. Thanks, I took that. At the same time, I cut down our local phone service from unlimited to a measly 30 local phone calls a month. The sales person ranted at me about overage charges because I undoubtedly call locally all the time. Evidently I NEVER make local calls. That was a pressure sales scam. I was thrilled with the $15/month land line phone bill (including all taxes and fees).
A few years ago, I brought up with T the idea of canceling our land line entirely. He was and is totally against it. He wants to keep the number. So our elderly relatives can find us.
We are now running significantly low on elderly relatives. In spite of this, T still wants to keep the number. Not that it has to be hardwired, just the number.
A few years ago, the fees for my measly 30 local calls a month went up. Then again. Then again. Including fees, the rate is now $30/month.
Today I signed up for one of those internet phone services. I am pretty sure I now get 300 US/Canada phone calls a month. 300! Not that I will call, but it is nice to be able to. And it looks like the monthly rate, including all taxes and fees, will be about $17.50/month.
This would be why the big phone companies are having so many problems. They inflate the rates for the measliest service, their customer service is abysmal (2 hours on hold trying to understand why they are raising my rate AGAIN?!) and they expect us to just take it?!
