Cell phones are a scam - General

It really just depends on how much you text/call really. People that send an absolute shit load of texts every month would wind up with some massive debts on most pay as you go plans so even pretty bad looking monthly contracts can be a god send.

Buy cellphone off the contract for higher price off of craigslist or retailers Buy pay-as-you go (Alternately non-data plan) SIM Unlock said cellphone and insert SIM Congrats you just beat the scam - as long as you don't use the data plan anyway. I couldn't really find a use to pay $30 per month for a data plan when wireless is so abundant in cities nowadays.

You think an extra $18 for going on the internet is bad? My friends (both brothers) used the bluetooth feature on my phone to connect their pocket PC to the internet to watch a single video on Youtube. Bill that comes later has over $200 fucking dollars on it.

[QUOTE=Ama-zake;27331276]Buy cellphone offcontract Buy pay-as-you go SIM unlock phone Congrats you just beat the scam[/QUOTE] I can't. I am on Sprint, they don't use SIM cards to change between phones, you have to call and activate it through them. It's the only way with Sprint (and Verizon as well I think). I would leave Sprint, but one of my family members (who is in the family plan) has about a year and a half to go. Besides, my mom likes to stick with Sprint since when I signed up with them, we were able to get free calls after 7PM. It also seems to me that us Americans and Canadians are being screwed up the ass from these phone companies when compared to other companies in the world.

I'm billed 35 USD/month for 2 hours talk every month, 500 MB data and unlimited SMS.

PAYG all the way

Three send me free phones because I review them.... :smug:

I got around the required internet for most T-Mobile phones by just buying an iPhone from Craigslist and unlocking it. Sure it was $200, but it saved me a fuckton of money that I would've used to pay for internet I didn't need.

you're doing it all wrong, you stuck with one provider and let them keep raising your bills, you need to contact multiple providers tell them what you currently have and get them to offer you something better, after a few years of this you should have them ringing you weekly with cheaper deals each time, my boss has it like this and he nows pays £37.50 a month for unlimited everything and a free htc hd2 but this was when the htc hd2 was brand new and his deals just keep getting cheaper.

I got my phone off my dad (his old one) and I'm on Asda mobile. I get something like 4p per text and 10p/min calls and it doesn't expire due to inactivity

[QUOTE=Kolmala;27331332]You think an extra $18 for going on the internet is bad? My friends (both brothers) used the bluetooth feature on my phone to connect their pocket PC to the internet to watch a single video on Youtube. Bill that comes later has over $200 fucking dollars on it.[/QUOTE] Wow, I only pay 0.5 USD per MB data if I exceed the 500 MB monthly.

[QUOTE=Amez;27331507]I got around the required internet for most T-Mobile phones by just buying an iPhone from Craigslist and unlocking it. Sure it was $200, but it saved me a fuckton of money that I would've used to pay for internet I didn't need.[/QUOTE] What's the point of having the iPhone if you can't get onto the internet with it?

Got a Nokia 5230 for Christmas, calls and texts are shit-cheap here, and i got a deal so I could have 12 gigs a month of bandwith for only 6 euros or so. Estonia, HOI.

Oh yeah, also if you DONT get that, one MB is 2,5 euros.

Also @OP I had an option to pay via online banking instead of paying for them to send the invoices. Maybe you can do the same?

i used to pay £15 for no free phone, unlimited texts and 200 minutes. i now pay £25 for a free iphone, unlimited texts, 300 minutes and 500mb internet.

Tell me about it. If I end up getting a smartphone this summer when my current contract runs out, it'll be about $120 a month for all the stuff I want to get with it.

OP has discovered capitalism and the modern world.

I do think mobile companies charging for text message is a bunch of bologna. Text messages do not require data and cause less of a stress on the network than a phone call. If anything, people sending texts are helping the mobile company that is charging them an extra $20 a month for texting. :frown: [editline]10th January 2011[/editline] Also, Sprint is by far the best value out of the American mobile companies. (VZW, AT&T, T-Mo & Sprint)

My mobile / cell phone is hardly ever used. In all seriousness its a glorified alarm clock to me. its a tocco lite. (horrible phone)

I don't know about you guys but I'm not buying into this smartphone bullshit. If I need what a smartphone offers I'll take a glance at a computer and I won't have to pay outrageous fees.

Chinese mobile phone clone are the biggest rip-off. My friend got a chinese N96 nokia fucking he was pissed.

25$ per month for me - 100 minutes, unlimited text msgs

Smartphones are expensive but worth it. There's no feeling quite like being able to BM and browse the interwebs anywhere you want.

I aggree with that . Sprint is ridiculous. 4G for 40.00? When T-Mobiles 4G is 29.99. Family Plan 60.00 For 4 People 750 Minutes 20.00 Text unlimited for all family. = 80 per month

Also, neither Sprint or T-Mo have true 4G. [editline]10th January 2011[/editline] Another thing, if you do get an Evo with Sprint they will charge you $10 extra a month [b]REGARDLESS[/b] of whether or not you are in the 4G coverage.

I have a pay-as-you-go kind of thing for my phone where I load it with 14 bucks every month or so and it's only deducted from the sum I inserted when I call and send messages I've had this phone for like two-three years soon and I haven't had one problem with it

My dad pays my bill so no scam there, for me at least.

Phones are to be replaced when they get old or break, not before that, I just think it's a waste of money then

Yeah, cause a 3.2 MP camera on your Blackberry is so much better than the EVO's 8 MP. Just because you're cheap as fuck doesn't mean cell phones are a "scam". I've never read a thread this stupid. Yeah, cell phones are a scam, that's why everyone has one :downs: