Could you survive/go on without a cell phone.....

[SirJosephPorter]

Personally, I don't have one. No problem. Use an FRS.

Your opinions?

Thank you.

scratch

I don’t have a cell phone; I don’t see any use for it. My wife has one, she uses it only for business (she is a doctor). When she is not on call, she keeps it switched off. She can claim a tax deduction for it.

The cell phone companies in North America rip the customers off. In UK, British Telecom charges customer strictly on how much they use (e.g., they may charge 5 pence a minute, if you don’t use phone for a month, you pay nothing).

Anyway, I look at any new products strictly from a utilitarian point of view, if I don’t see a use for it, I don’t use the product. I don’t have ATM card or debit card either, I don’t see any use for it. I do like credit cards though, that is like getting interest free loan (assuming you diligently pay your balance by the due date).

 

[SirJosephPorter]

I sure can survive without a cell phone, but life would be just too uncomfortable

Veraya, not at all. Remember the days before cell phone? We were quite comfortable without cell phones in those days, why not today?

 

[Francis2004]

Goor Point SirJosephPorter.. As much as I am a Techy and love my Blackberry toy I agree with the notion I must get away from the blicking little light and can go aay for a period of time without having it attached to my belt.

I also agree that students should not have these Cell Phones in class.. I cannot accept that a student can make a difference by calling 911 in an emergency situation at school, as one parent put it, that could save any ones life any different then if one does not have access to the Cell phone to start with.

Say one student did have the Cell phone and tried to make a 911 call but it malfunctions, do you now blame that student for the life lost ?

What is the limitations we put on these items?

 

[Ron in Regina]

I also do not now, nor ever have, owned a Cell phone, by choice. I will get one only when
I'm forced to one day carry one for work. My boss almost got me one about a year ago, but
knows my position on these things, and figured it would be more of a pain in the backside to
get me to use one than it would have been to get one for me. It's good to be outspoken on
some things it seems.

 

[NorthernSun]

The cell phone companies in North America rip the customers off. In UK, British Telecom charges customer strictly on how much they use (e.g., they may charge 5 pence a minute, if you don’t use phone for a month, you pay nothing).

They have pay as you go, which is the same concept, but yes we get ripped off. In China texts cost less then one cent each even if you don't have a plan and a minute costs around 5 cents. Also, the most ridiculos fee ever, the system access fee, is paid for by most foreign telephone companies. All of the discount phone carriers (Koodo, Solo, and Fido) have gotten rid of this, but Rogers, Bell, and Telus should get rid of them too.

 

[scratch]

Dream on about Bell and friends.

 

[NorthernSun]

I know. We need regulators to allow foreign companies into the cellphone industry and the telecommunications industry in general. That would provide some competition to the existing 3. Currently a foreign company can only hold a maximum of 15% (I think) of a Canadian cellular company.

 

[scratch]

Try and fight Bell (Canada). Good Luck!

 

[lone wolf]

Try and fight Bell (Canada). Good Luck!

It's not that big a problem now that Bell doesn't have a monopoly..... Their arrogance just makes the competition busier.

 

[scratch]

Can the competition pick up the slack. Bell has been here before and many have returned to them regardless.

 

[SirJosephPorter]

They have pay as you go, which is the same concept, but yes we get ripped off. .

Here we have a modified pay as you go. There is still the minimum charge every month, even if you don’t use the cell phone. In many counties, it is strictly pay as you go; zero usage means zero charges, not a minimum amount that you have to pay.

 

[scratch]

Cost of phone and hook-up fees?

 

[SirJosephPorter]

How did we ever survive without cell phones? Like anything else, the need was created and we all went along with it.
I will make one concession, and that is that I feel more at ease on those evenings when my wife is out and she has her cell phone with her.

I don’t think so, juan, the need was not created first. The product (cell phone) was created first, and then the need was created for the product, to such an extent that these days many people consider cell phone a necessity.

But when we didn’t have cell phones, was there really such a hue and cry from the people for the cell phones? Nobody was crying out desperately for cell phones, there was no need until the product was created.

Indeed, that is the case with many products. The product is created, then the need is crated for the product with advertising, promotional hype etc.. After a while people begin to wonder how they could have got by without the product.

The same is true of ATM machines, or a debit card. We survived quite well without debit or ATM card. I still do, I don’t use ATM machines or debit card. But many people these days could not survive without them.

In most of these cases, it is product first, then need, not the other way around.

 

[Francis2004]

They have pay as you go, which is the same concept, but yes we get ripped off. In China texts cost less then one cent each even if you don't have a plan and a minute costs around 5 cents. Also, the most ridiculos fee ever, the system access fee, is paid for by most foreign telephone companies. All of the discount phone carriers (Koodo, Solo, and Fido) have gotten rid of this, but Rogers, Bell, and Telus should get rid of them too.

Do you know who (Koodo, Solo, and Fido) are ?

They are Bell, Telus and Rogers ...

Bell = Solo

Koodo = Telus

Fido = Rogers

Bell sacks cellphone system access fee on Solo phones

Of course they may not get you on access fees but somewhere is that fee.. As the saying goes, nothing is free and what they must pay to the CRTC they will pass on to you..

Of course as described in this article above if you go with these discount sub companies, you get limited Cell Phone coverage and packages for alternative services if you require them. Then if you need to cross the border, watch out for those roaming charges and billing fees "when" you can access the system..

Of course with the new licenses handed out recently it should open up the market, but don't expect a flood of US / Europe style packages deals.. These new guys are going to milk the market for a while before it gets dirty..

 

[damngrumpy]

Cell Phones

Well I could in fact I can survive without most things if I had to. I have a land line that seems to ring all the time. My wife has a cell phone, and I have one only because I am the Vice Pres, of a Provincial Organization and the damn thing rings before meeting, during meetings and of
course after meetings. I have learned to shut if off when I don't want it ringing

 

[NorthernSun]

Do you know who (Koodo, Solo, and Fido) are ?

They are Bell, Telus and Rogers ...

Bell = Solo

Koodo = Telus

Fido = Rogers

I know that. I mean that their main brands have not gotten rid of the system access fee and their discount brands have.

 

[Francis2004]

I know that. I mean that their main brands have not gotten rid of the system access fee and their discount brands have.

From that article it is soon on the agenda for all those main carriers to lose those fees ( Bell, Telus and Rogers )..