Oh great...Verizon can charge me for NOT making calls

cnjvh

Good thing I have their long distance plan...I guess :mad:

http://reporternews.com/news/2007/may/03/phone-companies-levy-new-fee-not-making-calls/

zingo

Ahhhh! I really do hate those companies and markets that know their product is needed. It makes me so mad that they just rape the hard working people of America because they can. Ahhhh!

bobman1235

And people wonder why I completely abandoned having a landline.

Rivrrat

I suppose I understand their philosophy in a corporate kind of way, working for a baby bell like I do. You're still running through their switch to get out to the LD provider, so they're going to hit you with a user fee.

Now having said that, I don't agree with it either. They get enough user fee on your local service.

dorokusai

I haven't had a landline for 15 years.

disneyjoe7

I wonder with all the mid 20's to 30 something crowd with their feeling that they don't need a landline with a CellPhone thinking. With Phone Companies losing local services that they are needing to compensate for that loss?

Schwingding

Thats it. I'm cancelling our land line service today. Don't really need it anymore, and I'm not about to tolerate this.

MrNightly

Haven't had a land line ever here... since I got married over 4 years ago. We both have cell's and it's just peachy with us!

jflail2

What a load of crap.

I say that, but I still have a landline....I am of the opposite end of the spectrum I guess, but I refuse to get a cell phone. Multi-year contract for a frickin phone........my @ss.....

My girl has one for emergencies, but she never uses it either.

We don't make many long distance calls over the phone line anyway. Most of our long distance communications are through skype or vent on the pc...

bobman1235

You don't need to sign a contract to get anything. All contracts do is give you a rebate on the cost of the phone. If you want, you can buy a cheap phone at retail for a hundred bucks, and sign up for cell phone service with no contract whatsoever.

I love how people think they're such informed consumers and get all this outrage over cell phone contracts but have no idea that they're completely OPTIONAL.

dorokusai

Exactly. If you purchase the phone on your own, eBay for example, you don't sign multi-year contracts....you simply get it turned on for a nominal fee. The phones are cheap because they get you with the commitment. No money is made on the actual phones, its made with your monthly bill.

disneyjoe7

dorokusai wrote: »

Exactly. If you purchase the phone on your own, eBay for example, you don't sign multi-year contracts....you simply get it turned on for a nominal fee. The phones are cheap because they get you with the commitment. No money is made on the actual phones, its made with your monthly bill.

How true, and 100% correct. It's a bit scary just how few informed customers are out there.

halo

but you still have to pick a plan, no? amount of minutes per month, texting, etc?

jflail2

I love how people think they're such informed consumers and get all this outrage over cell phone contracts but have no idea that they're completely OPTIONAL.

Wow, easy now. You could've just told me that instead of going to capt holier than thou smart @ss mode. Its cool though.

It's been years since I've looked into a cell phone as I sit at a desk with a phone in front of me all day, and have a phone at home as well (not much need for one.) I'm pretty positive that many moons ago you did have to sign up for a contract to get rolling........but I'm thinking back to the mid/late-90's I guess.

I never said I was the be all/end all informed customer. I gave my (now dead) reason why I don't have a cell phone, and have been rebutted. Thx for the input, now I can reevaluate.

bobman1235

Halo wrote: »

but you still have to pick a plan, no? amount of minutes per month, texting, etc?

Correct, you're just not locked into it - you can cancel at any time without paying early termination fees and whatnot.

I'm sure the store you go to will resist you on this - it's their job to make you try and get locked into a contract - but they CAN do it if you ask.

halo

Thanks Bob

nadams

Verizon offers carrier-less DSL here, so when I moved into the house I just got that and kept my cell. I never used the landline at my parents house anyway.