OT Re: Cell phone opinions/options

[mgorse at mgorse.dhs.org (Mike Gorse)]

On Sun, 27 Nov 2005, Rich Braun wrote:

> As someone noted in this off-topic thread, those clever cell-phone capitalists
> have figured out how to price-gouge you for everything.  So I carry a
> stripped-down GSM phone on a $29.99 month-to-month Cingular plan.

Interesting.  When did you sign up for your plan?  Do you know if they are 
still offering it?  I use to be on a similar plan (perhaps yours), then 
switched to a national plan because I went to Austin for a couple weeks. 
A few weeks ago I tried to switch back and was told that the plan I'm on 
is now the lowest that they offer (I think it's $39 per month, but I wind 
up paying $47.50/month or so after taxes, regulation recovery fees, etc.) 
It's frustrating because, up until spring of last year, I was on a basic 
plan paying around $20/month (50 minutes/months plus free nights/weekends) 
which they no longer offer, but then I suddenly had to start cramming a 
bunch of half-hour phone calls into my schedule every week and started 
using my cell phone more, so I switched to a more expensive plan from 
which I could not switch back, and it appears that something similar has 
happened to me again.  Perhaps other

I originally only got this thing for emergencies, and now I'm stuck paying 
$47/month for it.  Are there other companies that offer lower prices than 
what I'm paying?  Perhaps I should look into some of the prepaid phones?

Thanks,
-Mike G-