I'm just curious. For the first time since I've had a cell phone (5+ years), I went over my minutes this month (by a lot). I have 1000 weekday/unlimited nights and weekends, and I went over by about 320. Since it was my first time they were kind enough to throw me 400 bonus minutes and I didn't get hammered the $120 or so it would have been.
My total minutes usage for the month is right around 3600, which means I talk a ton at night and on the weekends. I'm just curious to see what you guys do and what kinds of rate plans you have.
I have 1000 minutes any time, and unlimited or something at night, but I don't use my phone enough to worry about going over.
I'm on a shared plan with 4 other people which gives me unlimited nights & weekends and unlimited to other verizon customers, ~5000 anytime minutes IIRC. I don't even use 100 minutes though (including nights and weekends) and about half of those minutes are with my fiancee. Maybe its just because I live in a small town where its always easy to just go see someone if I want to talk to them.
I've had this phone for about 13 months and here are my stats:
Dialed: 22:42:11 (~45/month)
Received: 20:48:43 (~41/month)
I have a shared family plan thing. I don't use my phone much, I probably spend an hour or less a month talking to anyone other than my girlfriend, and probably upwards of 10 hours/month talking to her (errr, listening to her talk) but we both have verizon so that's free.
I have 1000 minutes shared and I guess free nights/weekends. We've only gone over once, and it was my fault. I hardly use my cell now though.
Hitmen: Is the free Verizon in-calling standard, and does it apply for long distance as well? (Maybe Verizon removed all long distance calling, I'm not sure?)
Quote from: OG Trust on February 28, 2007, 05:49:57 PM
Hitmen: Is the free Verizon in-calling standard, and does it apply for long distance as well? (Maybe Verizon removed all long distance calling, I'm not sure?)
Yes, and yes.
I got the cheapest plan that Rogers (AT&T) offers. I get 150 minutes/unlimited evenings/weekends. I also got 100 minutes of long distance/month for an extra $12 (I call home a lot, so it made sense).
So far, my biggest bill is for 60 daytime minutes and 463 evening/weekend minutes.
Of course, I'm not a big phone person :)
Flying 4 times a month, going $120 over on an already expensive phone plan, and spending on average 2 hours a day on the phone (likely about 5 hours/day on weekends)? This girl is sure costing you. ;)
Quote from: Rule on February 28, 2007, 07:18:56 PM
Flying 4 times a month,
The extra flight this month was a fluke because when I went to go see her, she was out of town in the hospital. I typically get two flights a month to see her (one there, one back). The other was to go see family in California.
Quote from: Rule on February 28, 2007, 07:18:56 PM
going $120 over on an already expensive phone plan,
Did you miss that I'm not paying for it? And 1000 minutes for $40 a month isn't hardly expensive with free nights and weekends.
Quote from: Rule on February 28, 2007, 07:18:56 PM
and spending on average 2 hours a day on the phone (likely about 5 hours/day on weekends)?
Actually the majority of phone time with her is at night, not on the weekend. But I only had 250 daytime minutes with her. The real trick will be itemizing my bill and figuring out where the rest of the time went.
Quote from: Rule on February 28, 2007, 07:18:56 PMThis girl is sure costing you. ;)
What's it to you?
I have no phone. :(
Quote from: MyndFyrex86] link=topic=8710.msg110760#msg110760 date=1172723758]
Quote from: Rule on February 28, 2007, 07:18:56 PMThis girl is sure costing you. ;)
What's it to you?
Judging from your reply, it is to me the satisfaction for being right in my guess, since you never explicitly stated any of these things had anything to do with a girl, and it is amusement to me.
I generally don't use my cell phone often. I think one month I had a total of 7 minutes used lol.
I think I talk a maximum of 30 minutes on a daily basis. Sometimes (about once every two months or so?) I'll binge and talk to someone for like two hours. Other than that, I don't use it too much.
My ideal plan would probably be 1000 anytime and free nights and weekends (off topic: my celing light dimmed as I was typing this..) with rollover.
I can't stand cell phones. I used to have one, but I decided that I would never get one again (in the near future) for the following reasons:
a) I don't like being "reachable" wherever I am, or having people believe that I am reachable. (Yes, the cell phone can be turned off, but that doesn't mean people won't expect to be able to contact me when I'm out).
b) The reception at best is still not as a good as a landline. I can't stand poor reception, or any interruptions to my phone conversations. I remember it felt like such a relief whenever I used a landline after using a cell-phone for an extended period: it was as though I took a phone-use specific valium dose.
c) They usually don't feel as comfortable as a landline telephone, as they have been designed with portability in mind.
d) I always felt kind of disoriented after speaking on a cell phone for a long period of time. I don't like the idea of having an huge amount of EM radiation so close to my head either (this sentence may not be that disconnected from the previous one). And I don't like it when the cellphone gets hot in your hand after prolonged use.
e) I hate seeing people use cell phones in public places -- classrooms, restaurants, etc. It's low-class, rude, generates an uncomfortable atmosphere, and it's interruptive. If I were a girl out on a date at a restaurant with a guy, and he started loudly talking on his cell-phone during most of the meal, I would drop him like whatever cliche describes when people drop things when they are extremely undesirable. I've noticed these guys (I mention the hypothetical "if I were a girl" example because I've observed this particularly with men out on a date with a girl) often have a really dumb expression on their chubby faces
and sound as though they think they're important because they're talking on a cell phone in public (e.g. their attention is desirable). Or they also think this behavior will impress whoever they are with.
and perhaps less importantly..
I hate it when I'm in a meeting or lecture and someone's cell phone goes off accidentally. Either
A) Everyone will laugh (hasn't it gotten old at this point?)
B) It's just awkward and annoying. That's what cellphones are. >:(
and also, I don't like watching people compulsively take out their phones to text message someone. It's like they'll be reading a book or something and I'll watch their knee jerk as though it's been hit at the joint
as they reach out, grab their phones, and start typing on it like a korean with Asperger's syndrome and a PhD. in Starcraft.
Oh and I HATE it when people whine about their "minutes." It's a classic excuse for shortening a conversation, or starting a conversation up to get sympathy from friends who also like talking about how cheap they are in various ways. Just get a landline and don't worry about regular "minutes." And it's not nice talking on a phone and imaging an egg-timer in the back of your head (or to push the image further, an egg-timer with finely ground dollar bills in place of the coloured sand).
In short, I hate cell phones. I wish they were never invented.
It would be fun extending this and turning it into a Seinfeld stand-up. :P
Quote from: Rule on March 01, 2007, 12:28:14 AM
I hate it when I'm in a meeting or lecture and someone's cell phone goes off accidentally. Either
A) Everyone will laugh (hasn't it gotten old at this point?)
B) It's just awkward and annoying. That's what cellphones are. >:(
or... C) Everyone will put out their cell phone and make sure it isn't theirs ringing! :D
I've always wanted to creep into a business meeting and set off a default ringtone, and watch as everyone checks their phone. ;P
Quote from: Rule on March 01, 2007, 12:28:14 AM
I can't stand cell phones. I used to have one, but I decided that I would never get one again (in the near future) for the following reasons:
a) I don't like being "reachable" wherever I am, or having people believe that I am reachable. (Yes, the cell phone can be turned off, but that doesn't mean people won't expect to be able to contact me when I'm out).
I'm not a big fan of the things either, and this one bugs me the most. I mitigate it as much as possible by having my phone only accept incoming calls from my contacts, which consists of family members, a few close friends, and the girlfriend. Most of these people know me well enough to know I don't like the phone so rarely call me unless it is important, with the obvious exception of the girlfriend who loves to call me every single night. If I really don't want to be interupted while I'm out, the phone stays home.
Quote from: Rule on March 01, 2007, 12:28:14 AM
c) They usually don't feel as comfortable as a landline telephone, as they have been designed with portability in mind.
Easily solved (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/8928/).
Quote from: Hitmen on March 01, 2007, 01:03:02 AM
Quote from: Rule on March 01, 2007, 12:28:14 AM
I can't stand cell phones. I used to have one, but I decided that I would never get one again (in the near future) for the following reasons:
a) I don't like being "reachable" wherever I am, or having people believe that I am reachable. (Yes, the cell phone can be turned off, but that doesn't mean people won't expect to be able to contact me when I'm out).
I'm not a big fan of the things either, and this one bugs me the most. I mitigate it as much as possible by having my phone only accept incoming calls from my contacts, which consists of family members, a few close friends, and the girlfriend. Most of these people know me well enough to know I don't like the phone so rarely call me unless it is important, with the obvious exception of the girlfriend who loves to call me every single night. If I really don't want to be interupted while I'm out, the phone stays home.
What if you need it in the case of an emergency while you're out? I just don't answer it if I don't want to talk.
Quote from: OG Trust on March 01, 2007, 07:00:54 AM
What if you need it in the case of an emergency while you're out? I just don't answer it if I don't want to talk.
People still plan, and count on you being reachable wherever you are. For example, parents often give cell-phones to their kids to "keep tabs" on them.
They can be useful in emergencies, but so can a lot of other things that I'm not going to carry around with me (e.g. first aid kits). Never have I been in an emergency situation where personally owning a cell-phone would have helped, but in the unlikely event of such an emergency, I could in most cases
a) use someone else's cell-phone
b) use a payphone
c) use a landline near by
I'm living alone now, and it turns out that a cell-phone is cheaper than a land-line for the amount I use it, so financially it makes sense. I've never complained to anybody about my "minutes" unless I want to get rid of them, maybe you should be careful about who you talk to? :)
I agree that it's annoying when people use that excuse. It's also stressful if I'm using a phone and worrying about my own minutes. But it's so rare to use the phone during the day that I'm nowhere close to my time limit, and therefore I'm perfectly comfortable not worrying about minutes.
If I need to use the phone in a restaurant, I excuse myself and stand outside/in the lobby. In class, I never answer my phone, no matter what. I'll return the call between classes.
My phone is always on vibrate, because I hate ringing phones.
I don't mind being reachable, since there are very few people that want to reach me, and usually it's important if they do.
I think that covers your main objections. I stand by having a cellphone without a landline. Of course, it's a personal taste thing :)
Quote from: iago on March 01, 2007, 07:23:27 PM
I think that covers your main objections. I stand by having a cellphone without a landline. Of course, it's a personal taste thing :)
Well, you've agreed with some of them :P. But sure, it's probably more ideal for some people to use cell phones over land-lines. I personally can't stand them, but certain things that bug me immensely probably don't bother other people as much or at all.
Cellphones = life. Bored in class? Txt one of the random girls in your phone book. At work? Text Messaging! I use my phone entirley too much, but if someone calls it to talk, I just say call the house phone. Only time I really talk on my phone for long conversations is when I'm driving.
I maybe use 60 minutes / month. I text a lot at work ( I work over night ), but other then that I rarely use my phone.
Quote from: Rule on March 01, 2007, 11:39:24 AM
People still plan, and count on you being reachable wherever you are. For example, parents often give cell-phones to their kids to "keep tabs" on them.
They can be useful in emergencies, but so can a lot of other things that I'm not going to carry around with me (e.g. first aid kits). Never have I been in an emergency situation where personally owning a cell-phone would have helped, but in the unlikely event of such an emergency, I could in most cases
a) use someone else's cell-phone
b) use a payphone
c) use a landline near by
It really hasn't been my experience that people plan or count on me being available whenever and wherever I am. In fact, I often encourage my customers to utilize my mobile phone over e-mail but rarely am contacted by phone. I would much rather get mobile phone calls that have to deal with e-mail.
I use about 500 minutes a month and send/receive way to many text messages.
I use the standard 450m Verizon plan with the tethered EVDO/1x data option (which I am now using to post with from the Westin hotel in downtown Seattle).
Quote from: Skywing on March 13, 2007, 09:05:14 PM
I use the standard 450m Verizon plan with the tethered EVDO/1x data option (which I am now using to post with from the Westin hotel in downtown Seattle).
I hated living in Seattle. Smoggy skies and rainy days FTL