But after moving this past weekend, I realized that I need some kind of telephone. And prices the way they are, the convenience of a cell seemed worth the premium over a land line.
But cell phone companies are evil. They rope you into 2 or 3 year contracts with the lure of cheap or “free” phones. And mostly, their “free” phones suck. I had a 2 year contract with Bell Mobility that ended in the Spring. It was nothing but headaches, and I resolved to never give them any of my money ever again. Ever.
So I did some research, and figured it out something I’m pretty happy with:
I picked up an unlocked Hong Kong version of the Motorola SLVR from Canada Computers at College and Spadina for $219. The same phone, locked to Rogers Wireless, would cost $389.99 without a contract.
Then I walked into Fido at the Eaton Centre, signed up for the recently announced $30/month Urban plan, and ponied up $30 for a Fido SIM card.
So: an unlocked GSM phone, a monthly plan I can change or cancel anytime, and no dealings with Satan Bell. Not too bad.
Cell phones suck. Cell phone companies will always rip you off. But this way, I feel like I’m getting ripped of the least.
Comments 4
I fail to see how this could possibly be considered “not too bad.” The $219 for the phone itself is enough to make me throw up (my arms) in disgust.
So much for the “no more electronic devices to clutter up my life/pockets” fad, I guess.
Posted 17 Aug 2006 at 2:04 pm ¶\”Too bad\” is being locked into a crap contract with a company I hate.
So this arrangement, though far from perfect (read: free) is not \”too bad.\” And if worse comes to worse, I can always sell the phone and recoup some of my costs.
As for no more electronic devices… it was an experiment. And it failed miserably.
Did you get your land line set up? Send me the number, willya?
Posted 17 Aug 2006 at 2:08 pm ¶Preach on! I ranted about this a few years back, sadly us Yanks are probably in the same technology consortium as you Canucks which is why we both have such a horrible history of providers with lock-in. Unlocked GSM is the way to go, when you can afford it.
Posted 17 Aug 2006 at 6:17 pm ¶Hmmm…
I’m still debating the whole cell phone thing, so I’d be interested to hear what your take is in a couple of months.
$219 for a phone sounds like a lot ($390 sounds absurd). Especially when that money could have been spread out over many months of service even with a two-year Rogers deal (example).
SLVR’s are thin. Thin, to me, means fragile. What happens if your phone breaks, dude? Any warranty on that thing?
As for the plan, 400 minutes doesn’t sound like a lot, somehow. 13 minutes a day? Yikes. One phone call from home and I’d be pooched. Besides, I HATE the idea of counting my minutes. As an analogy, a friend had a leased car with limited kms per month. Going anywhere with her was a pain in the ass because it inevitably involved counting kms and complaining about the distance. For me, I’d rather have the peace of mind of unlimited evening/weekend minutes for the extra few bucks. During the day, you’re probably at work; so who needs a cell phone then? (And don’t forget that that $30 does not include the network acccess, 911, taxes, etc.)
The other drawback is portability. I don’t know about you, but I don’t carry a man-purse and putting even a SLVR phone in my pocket all day seems like it’d be annoying when I’m sitting at my desk. Taking it out is not an option - I’d forget it…which is another worry.
And I won’t bother going into the hassles with sound quality. When I borrow a friend’s cell, I feel like I’ve turned into a 90-year old (”What? WHAT?”).
But, like I said, let me know what you think of your deal in a couple of months. For now, I’ll stick with my dependable land line and pay phones at $0.25/call (regardless of minutes).
I don’t need to be reachable ever minute of every day; I’m not that popular.
Posted 18 Aug 2006 at 9:56 am ¶Post a Comment