Now I'm glad I don't have a fancy mobile phone

[budafist]

Now I'm glad I don't have a fancy mobile phone where you can access all kinds of money sucking things. I don't even have a colour screen or a camera. I was just watching a NZ consumer program where people write in when they think they have been ripped off and the program investigates on their behalf.

One guy had been charged about $700NZ ($540US) for using the internet for 40 minutes via his mobile. His complaint was that he had a mobile phone credit limit of $150NZ ($115US) per month and therefore should only pay the credit limit. According to the mobile phone company the internet usage wasn't included in the credit limit. Normally, when the credit limit has been reached, say you are in the middle of a phone call, you will get a text message and the call will be terminated.

In the end the mobile phone company reduced the bill. There was a family who had a $3000NZ ($2300US) internet usage bill when their credit limit was $150NZ ($115US). The mother had signed for a $150 credit limit so with that in mind, she let her child pretty much do what he liked with his cell phone. Little did she know that she could be charged $3000 for his internet usage!

I had a look at their internet plan on their website. For casual users (those without a plan) the charge is $11.25NZ ($8.48US) per MB. So if you manage to use 1GB per month, that's $11,000NZ ($8,480US) bill for the month.

Of course, their plans are cheaper but if you aren't paying attention or don't want to sign onto a monthly plan, then be very careful!

[urstwile]

Bah, cell phones piss me off, just in general. :mad:

[captain spanky]

holy crap that's expensive!
i've got a mobile with wireless now so i can go ont tinternet for freeeee
but they are desperatley expensive anyway, i've lost count of the times i've thought i'd get rid and go retro with no mobile.... but then i play SkyforceReloaded and change my mind ;)

[hewligan]

New Zealand's whole telecommunications industry is shockingly bad, thanks to the monopoly created by the sale of our state owned telecom about 15 or 20 years ago.

In a case of better late than never, the government seems to have finally decided to do something about them, so maybe things will improve. But I doubt they'll improve quickly.

[Red Kittie Kat]

thats why I have a plain phone with just calls .. I don't need fancy in an emergency and thats the only reason I have it.

[Typically]

that happened to me. i got the motorala q and when i got it activated they said that i had to get the Internet plan for my phone. which is $50 a month :eek: so what ever i get it because they said i had to. well i get the bill and its like $300! they were charging me something dumb for Internet usage because they didn't actually sign me up for the plan, frickin idiots. so it took about an hour of angryness to get them to take it off the bill. i also found out that i don't need that plan to use my phone it was just an option. they didn't tell me it was an option when i changed phones. sooooo i no longer have internet and email on my phone because i sit at a computer 9 hours a day i can do without it =]

[WannaBrie]

Wow, that's freakin incredible expensive. I too, have just a basic bottom of the line phone, if I want internet, I use my computer...

[Virgo Nightingale]

A former co-worker of mine got a nice $400 cell phone bill for her daughter's phone. She had unlimited texting and no internet access... it was from playing the 'free' games! As she's screaming at her daughter for this bill, the daughter's screaming back "But it said they were free games! They were free games!!" Apparently, they're free to download, but you're using up all your minutes (and eventually going over) while you play them.

[GraphixNPrint]

heh ... I have a fairly plain old cell phone. It has options for the internet and text but I never use them. 99% if I am away from an office or home setting I have my laptop with me, and its built in wireless. Most of the time I can find an open wireless router if its an emergency and I have to get on line.

[captain spanky]

while we're on the subject of WiFi... anyone seen this?
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts/generic/991e/
lol
fashionable AND useful! :D

[GraphixNPrint]

:D haha ... thats pretty cool Capt! Why didn't I think of that idea and get rich off of geeks?

[Kool]

I remember reading about some guy who went to Europe on vacation with his new iPhone. He had all the wiz bang automatic stock updates and such turned on so his iPhone was constantly calling and updating back to the US from all over Europe. He got some ridiculous $4000+ phone bill LOL.

[DonnaL]

I have Virgin Mobile.. no plan, and buy my minutes when I run out. If you ask me, cell phone are only good for E M E R G E N C Y S only!

I rarely use my cell. $50 top-up lasts me 3 months. Only special feature it has is txt'ing.... which that cost .25 per txt... but I hate txt'ing so... I'm happy with what I got and what I use if for.

[CkretAjint]

Im not one to talk, but that sucks!!! I once got a $687 bill for just going over my minutes :o (thats not text messages or internet). I have since ditched the internet and have unlimited texts...

[Typically]

i would rather text the talk to someone on my phone haha. at least for easy things when you don't want to get stuck on the phone with someone for 10 mins when you could just text a quick question and get a quick answer

[DonnaL]

i would rather text the talk to someone on my phone haha. at least for easy things when you don't want to get stuck on the phone with someone for 10 mins when you could just text a quick question and get a quick answer
True... but what if you txt the question and they end up "calling" you....
:P

[Typically]

that's what voicemail is for =]

[DonnaL]

Lol!!!

[CkretAjint]

HA! Like I actually check that.... LOL

[Drazan]

I have virgin mobile as well. Mom bought it for me when I was sick. I used $24 worth of minutes in three months. I top up only because I have to in 3 months or lose the phone. my mom calls me at work, my friends email me, my ex and all his new family call me at work, even my son calls me at work. And for the last three days, my phone is on the floor by the couch dead because I keep forgetting to plug the darn thing in. ;)

Just think not so long ago I had a plan with 3000 minutes anytime/nationwide for $39. I never did use it all, the most I used in one month was 700 minutes. That was when I partied up in the cities a lot... now we email. :)

[DonnaL]

my phone is on the floor by the couch dead because I keep forgetting to plug the darn thing in. ;)

I do the same darn thing!!

[GraphixNPrint]

No wonder your cell bills are so low; you both forget to charge them and no one can call! :p

[DonnaL]

**plugs in phone**

Thanks for the reminder....... :D

[GraphixNPrint]

**plugs in phone**

Thanks for the reminder....... :D

That is my sole purpose in life... now I feel rewarded! ;)

[budafist]

So I guess huge telephone bills are a worldwide problem huh?

Can we boycott?

[GraphixNPrint]

So I guess huge telephone bills are a worldwide problem huh?

Can we boycott?

YES, we can use internet forums to communicate! We'll start here at GDF! :D

[Ovaltine]

Boycott away, there's plenty of internet access w/out cell phone. :)

I still have only the land-line at home. If I could find a cell plan for under$50/month, unlimited minutes, 2 phones (hubby and self), and reliable service, I'd ditch the land-line (which costs over $60/month if we make any long distance calls).

[GraphixNPrint]

We use VoIP here for all our "Land Based" lines. Now they have that mobile phone that can be programmed to pick up WiFi when your mobile, I would trade in my cell any day for that if I new there were enough WiFi spots around to cover where ever I go.

And with VoIP I get just as good of service as with a hard wired line and can call anywhere including Europe without dropping an extra penny (most areas).

[DonnaL]

I have Vonage... only problem with them is if I lose my cable internet..... I lose my phone! But it only costs me a flat rate of $30 a month. Unless I call Australia.. but then again, I'll use my cell for that... "prepaid"

[budafist]

I spend just over $10NZ or about $8US per month on my phone. I try and text instead of call because I get 2000 text per month for $10. I don't think I've even gone over 100 text a month so it's a bit of a waste really. Maybe I can start a text message spam business to use up my 2000 per month.

[GraphixNPrint]

uhm, yeah Vonage here too ... fortunately we have Cox commercial internet service so lost internet connections is very rare.

The backup, I have all lines set to default to my cell phone (except the fax line), so if by chance Cox F's up on us... it goes to the cell anyway.

[GraphixNPrint]

I spend just over $10NZ or about $8US per month on my phone. I try and text instead of call because I get 2000 text per month for $10. I don't think I've even gone over 100 text a month so it's a bit of a waste really. Maybe I can start a text message spam business to use up my 2000 per month.

Buda, what is your phone number so I can block it when you start your spam text message business :p

[budafist]

You are safe, I don't think my 2000 texts per month for $100 covers texts to America.

[GraphixNPrint]

You are safe, I don't think my 2000 texts per month for $100 covers texts to America.ok then, and besides I think I am on the do not call list... :D

[budafist]

Actually I remember my ex colleague telling me about a school trip where all the kids too their cellphones to America. So in NZ you have deals here like 2000 text a month or a while ago we had free texting in the weekends. Kids would go MENTAL and send hundreds of text.

Now if you are travelling in the States, you had to pay 20 cents for every text message you receive from your friends back in NZ. Kids back home are missing their friends and sending hundreds of texts that are free to send for them. You can't choose stop receiving text messages and so the bill grows and grows.

[Red Kittie Kat]

LOL .. my friend came over to visit from the UK .. He called from the airport... we only talked for roughly 10 minutes, it took 60 pounds of credit off his phone .. about 120 american dollars .. we texted after that. Luckily that was still about 20 cents per text. I just couldn't believe the price jump for using a phone from the UK in the US. It's a money racket for sure :rolleyes:

[GraphixNPrint]

RKK, this is why the stock market keeps going up, well, 14000 and will push 15000 late this year. Marketing, tied with lack of consumer knowledge will continue to rake in the $$ for those who do no know better.

The US needs a manual of Do and Do Nots ( as well as other major markets in the world ) to warn un-knowing consumers.

[frankster]

It's crazy. Aside from the mobile phone nuttiness, we have a cheap as it comes landline and a calling card that works out cheaper to phone my mum in the UK from the west coast of the US than it was when I lived 2 hours away from her in the UK! We do webcam with both sets of grandparents for the kids too. They think it's fun that nan and grandad are talking to them on the "TV".

It's a nice touch in the US that calling a mobile in the same area code from a landline is no more expensive than calling another landline in the area, because when I was in the UK, if you called a mobile from a landline it would cost a fortune.

[GraphixNPrint]

frankster, since you already have a hi-speed internet connection (just an assumption) check out vonage. You can call and let the kids talk and confess all your teenage oopsies to the folks in the UK for nada extra...

IDK (kidspeak I guess), but it works here for us.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Vonage doesn't charge extra to call out of the country?

[GraphixNPrint]

No, 24.95 per month with most* of europe included. Some places like Mexico and the far east are like 1-10 cents per minute, but I never call those places.

[MD]

Vonage doesn't charge extra to call out of the country?

I had Vonage since 2002 or so - I recently just dumped it and went to an all cell service. I always had great service when I was with them.

http://www.vonage.com/images/int_rates_chart.gif