Are you one of the millions who are locked in to some ridiculous x-number of years contract with one of the major cell phone providers? Me too. I’ve been with one that rhymes with Dodgers whom I am not at all pleased with. I’ve paid (as an estimate over 7+ years) thousands of dollars in wireless fees, texting, hidden fees, upgrades, replacements, roaming charges and late fees. For a long time I was addicted to having my cell phone at my side. I had the iPhone (first generation) and thought I was all that and a bag of reduced salt chips. I used it is my primary source of contact and information gathering to the outside world.
Last December I was the lucky recipient of tickets to the Roger Waters performance of The Wall – absolutely mindblowing! Somehow, by the end of the show I was convinced I was going on a crusade to protest injustice (which isn’t too far off from how I feel on any given day actually) and that I was not going to conform to the cell phone companies. I know, silly as it sounds, I am sticking by it.
So, back to being a slave to “Dodgers”….my contract isn’t up until October 2012. Blast. The cost to cancel your services (forget the thousands over several years of being a customer) was $360. Unbelievable. So my plan – since I had decided I want to be cell phone free – was to cut my services to nearly nothing. A 40minute per month plan. Laughable to the cell users out there. The agent on the phone as I was doing such an appauling change tried her hardest to get me to change my mind.
CS Agent – “You will likely go over your minutes”
Me – “No I won’t”
CS Agent – “What will you do if you need to make a call?”
Me – “Send a smoke signal”
CSA – silence……….”Ok then, if you are sure then it’s done”
Me – “Excellent. Thanks!”
So I managed to find a way to pay less than $10/month to weasle out of my plan which turns out to be way more than half of what the cancellation fee was. And how am I coping with being cell phone free? Liberated. And ever so slightly richer. Less stressed about the insane monthly bills. Free. Relaxed. As if I have conquered the beast in the ring!
For the current cell phone lovers and users, I’m not hating on you at all. I had to do what I needed to do. The only advice I leave is this:
Stop texting and driving/crossing streets without paying attention!
Wine & Cheese or bust 
You $#%@&ing rock. Amen to another fabulous post!!!!! I think that medical centres and hospitals should also consider putting texting / phone use accidents into the same practice as those used when involved in Motor Vehicle accidents or workplace injuries. “Is today’s visit a result of driving while texting / cellular use? Please proceed to form 12.b “common sense for idiots”. Asshats that cause accidents due to their inability to focus on the road and not their FB updates / txt msgs while driving, should have their premiums upped!
I agree, but unfortunately society has been groomed to need/require smartphones for daily living…apparently. I kind of think of it as the cell phone companies are the modern day tobacco companies – only with different repercussions. We are bombarded with marketing tools that suggest that we must have cell phones ( I saw an elementary school student talking on an iPhone two days ago). “What if there was an emergency?” ok. The emergency in my opion should be to focus on paying attention in regards to safety to avoid the potential emergencies (like car/pedestrian accidents).
The modern day spin on my tobacco analysis is that rather than cell phones giving us lung/mouth cancer and the like, “smartphones” are redirecting us from actually needing to know anything. We can simply “google” it from our phones. Remember when you actually had to look something up in books/the library/encyclopedia?
My experience as a daily transit user is that commonsense and awareness is disappearing at a frightening speed. My effort to revolt is to be cell phone free, always have a book to read, and be willing to talk to a random stranger.
Pingback: Questions And Answers On Cell Phone Charger Pad | Solar Power For Energy
I still haven’t gotten a cell phone…for many many reasons. 🙂 good job! 🙂