Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Cell Phone Mistake

I did it this time. Yesterday, D was checking when his cell phone service expires and I decided to check mine as well. It turns out I missed my payment and my number has been disconnected.

So I got on the phone and 3 numbers and 2 people and 1 hr later, I get an answer.

Yes, your number has been cancelled and you will have to pay a $50 reconnection fee and there is no guarantee that my old number will still be available. OK.

The fellow I spoke with gave me another option. He said that I could get a new phone for $75 which would include a time card valued at $50. Interesting. He also went on to say that because my phone is 6 years old, the battery is probably not charging well anymore etc. etc.

Well, my phone is still fully charged since August '09 and I really like my phone. The thought of having yet another phone doesn't make sense to me as I do not even recall the last time I actually used my cell phone. It is there for car emergencies and is never turned on.

I have a pay as you go service which means I buy time cards -- usually the cheapest one -- 30 mins for $15 with a 1 month expiry date. I have 120 days after the time card expires before they cancel my number. So, what I've been doing for the last 6 yrs is putting in time cards around the 120 day mark.

That was supposed to have been last Friday.

So now I get to re-evaluate the whole cell phone idea in my mind. Because I don't drive often now, it may not be as big an issue to just go without. D still has his phone and we have a world phone (for travelling, whose time never expires) that I'm sure can be used in an emergency.

I think I'm covered.

4 comments:

  1. Hi
    I use my mobile becuase the inclusive minutes every month make it cheaper than using the landline especially when calling other mobile. Also we all have the same provider so calls between the four of us are free on top of the inclusive minutes.
    However I am with you, if you don't need it then don't go with it but next time diarise the date to ensure no nasty surprises.
    Lizzie

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  2. Hi Lizzie!

    Yes, the changeover in my yearly daytimer is where the mistake happened. In the end, I may end up thanking it.

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  3. I have a pay as you go with Virgin Mobile - I just buy $100 in minutes that takes a year to expire and that seems to work.

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  4. Thanks Dave for the great tip. Once a year is much easier to remember than a changing roster of days throughout the year.

    If I decide to get the cell phone idea started again, I'll give Virgin a go.

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