What do you think

What do you think of the new Cingular family plan rates that went into
effect today?

bamp

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"bamp" <bampatcenturyteldotnet> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> What do you think of the new Cingular family plan rates that went into
> effect today?
>
> bamp

Expensive. The 500 minute plan is USELESS for a family plan. That means
that family plans start at $80/month for two lines only (more expensive if
you have more than two lines). Oh, and the included minutes have gone down.
You used to get 1100 minutes for that $80/month. The 1500 minutes for $100
doesn't look too bad. It would be a good deal if you only had three phone
lines and used exactly ~1400 or so anytime minutes per month. But then the
plans go up to $150/month or more as -starting- prices. Yikes. -Dave

Ted B. wrote:

> Expensive. The 500 minute plan is USELESS for a family plan. That means
> that family plans start at $80/month for two lines only (more expensive if
> you have more than two lines). Oh, and the included minutes have gone down.
> You used to get 1100 minutes for that $80/month. The 1500 minutes for $100
> doesn't look too bad. It would be a good deal if you only had three phone
> lines and used exactly ~1400 or so anytime minutes per month. But then the
> plans go up to $150/month or more as -starting- prices. Yikes. -Dave

Wow!!

I can sit all day on my home phone and talk and still pay only the base
amount. They have sold the cell phone like they did cable TV, and have
done an excellent job. Heck 500 minutes is 8.33 hours or over a 1/4
hour per day, heck I doubt I would or ever have spent that much time on
the phone and any month! Much less a year! Of course if it is for
business that would be another matter

Lee

I am a business user, and was actually thinking of changing to the 600
minute plan. I'll probably just keep my 900 minute plan, or go down to
the 450 minute plan and try to stay within that.

Do any of you think that the $39.99 plan is the next thing to be
eliminated? Seems like the most prudent thing to do is hold on to a
plan as long as possible.

> Wow!!
>
> I can sit all day on my home phone and talk and still pay only the base
> amount. They have sold the cell phone like they did cable TV, and have
> done an excellent job. Heck 500 minutes is 8.33 hours or over a 1/4
> hour per day, heck I doubt I would or ever have spent that much time on
> the phone and any month! Much less a year! Of course if it is for
> business that would be another matter
>
> Lee

It depends on a lot of things. Many users now, especially younger ones, only have
a wireless phone. That means no wireline to compensate for additional local calls
during peak periods. Of course, if a user can't control his usage, he shouldn't
have a wireless phone in the first place.

TH

I think you are misinterpreting the 500 minute plan. The base rate of
$59.99 is for TWO phones. In that example it is actually better than
before. Pre 6/1 a 450 National plane of $39.99 could have extra lines added
for $19.99 each for a total of $59.98 for 450 minutes for two lines. The
new plan is the same cost but gives you 50 minutes more and additional lines
can be added for $14.99 rather than $19.99.

Fred

"Ted B." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "bamp" <bampatcenturyteldotnet> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > What do you think of the new Cingular family plan rates that went into
> > effect today?
> >
> > bamp
>
> Expensive. The 500 minute plan is USELESS for a family plan. That means
> that family plans start at $80/month for two lines only (more expensive if
> you have more than two lines). Oh, and the included minutes have gone
down.
> You used to get 1100 minutes for that $80/month. The 1500 minutes for
$100
> doesn't look too bad. It would be a good deal if you only had three phone
> lines and used exactly ~1400 or so anytime minutes per month. But then
the
> plans go up to $150/month or more as -starting- prices. Yikes. -Dave
>
>

"Bob" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I am a business user, and was actually thinking of changing to the 600
> minute plan. I'll probably just keep my 900 minute plan, or go down to
> the 450 minute plan and try to stay within that.
>
> Do any of you think that the $39.99 plan is the next thing to be
> eliminated? Seems like the most prudent thing to do is hold on to a
> plan as long as possible.
>

WHAT 600 minute plan? WHAT 450 minute plan? They start at 500 and then
jump straight to 1000. There used to be a 750/800 plan, but that's been
eliminated. -Dave

"Fred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:2bXne.6763$rb6.5126@lakeread07...
>I think you are misinterpreting the 500 minute plan. The base rate of
> $59.99 is for TWO phones. In that example it is actually better than
> before. Pre 6/1 a 450 National plane of $39.99 could have extra lines
> added
> for $19.99 each for a total of $59.98 for 450 minutes for two lines. The
> new plan is the same cost but gives you 50 minutes more and additional
> lines
> can be added for $14.99 rather than $19.99.
>
> Fred

Well yes, it's cheaper in that sense. The problem is, 500 minutes is FAR
too few minutes to be used as "shared" minutes. The 500 level shouldn't
even be offered in the family plan. IMHO -Dave

> Wow!!
>
> I can sit all day on my home phone and talk and still pay only the base
> amount. They have sold the cell phone like they did cable TV, and have
> done an excellent job. Heck 500 minutes is 8.33 hours or over a 1/4 hour
> per day, heck I doubt I would or ever have spent that much time on the
> phone and any month! Much less a year! Of course if it is for business
> that would be another matter
>
> Lee
>

In our area, land-line phone service starts at $40 per month (much of it
bull**** fees and taxes). That doesn't include long-distance. Our total
telephone costs used to be well over two hundred dollars per month. By
ditching the land-line and upgrading to a better cell plan, we are saving
50% or more in total telephone charges. Our CELL phone bill is more
expensive now, but it is the ONLY phone bill we have. That's really nice.


But so many people seem to be addicted to the land-line. I don't get it
myself. I mean, I had a land-line and two cell phones for years. Then one
day I "woke up" and realized that the vast majority of our family's
telephone calls were being made with cellular handsets, and that the rest of
the phone calls were racking up long-distance charges. That made NO SENSE
AT ALL, financially speaking.

We could have gone with some kind of VOIP service on our cable modem. But
then, the cable modem is about as portable as the land-line phone. It's
nice to be able to have our HOME phone with us when we're not at
ome. -Dave

Our 3 phone family plan has 800 minutes, but our use even without the
mobile to mobile free would fall under the 500 minutes (under 400
actually). I guess some people just talk too much. hihi

My land line bill is $16. But I have to keep it for the DSL. My
wireless bill is $110 for three phones and that includes 50 minutes of
LD on my home phone. But I hardly ever use my home phone for long
distance.

"Jerome Zelinske" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Our 3 phone family plan has 800 minutes, but our use even without the
> mobile to mobile free would fall under the 500 minutes (under 400
> actually). I guess some people just talk too much. hihi

What, you don't have any women in your family? -Dave (ducking and
running for cover, ha ha )

You have to look at the per minute cost of the old vs. the new. My old
850 minute plan w/three phones ($60 + 2 @ $10) costs me 0.094 cents a
minute. I cannot get a plan anywhere near that now. The $60 plan w/two
phones, + the extra phone would cost me $75 for 500 minutes, a whooping 0.15
cents a minute, for 250 minutes LESS. Even if I went to the $80 plan +$15
for the third phone I would be paying 0.095 per minute for 1,000 minutes. I
don't need 1,000 minutes. Looks like I will be holding on to my current plan
for a LONG time.

I don't pay much attention to what other carriers are doing, but I
think Cingular is shooting themselves in the foot big time, and I think
giving prospective and current customers more reasons to look at other
carriers

--
MICHAEL J. MacMAHON
Captain (ret.) KCPD

Remember, Golf is not a matter of Life or Death;
it is MUCH more important than that.

NOTE: All outgoing mail is scanned by McAfee Virus Scan for your safety.
"Fred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:2bXne.6763$rb6.5126@lakeread07...
> I think you are misinterpreting the 500 minute plan. The base rate of
> $59.99 is for TWO phones. In that example it is actually better than
> before. Pre 6/1 a 450 National plane of $39.99 could have extra lines
added
> for $19.99 each for a total of $59.98 for 450 minutes for two lines. The
> new plan is the same cost but gives you 50 minutes more and additional
lines
> can be added for $14.99 rather than $19.99.
>
> Fred
>
> "Ted B." <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > "bamp" <bampatcenturyteldotnet> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > What do you think of the new Cingular family plan rates that went into
> > > effect today?
> > >
> > > bamp
> >
> > Expensive. The 500 minute plan is USELESS for a family plan. That
means
> > that family plans start at $80/month for two lines only (more expensive
if
> > you have more than two lines). Oh, and the included minutes have gone
> down.
> > You used to get 1100 minutes for that $80/month. The 1500 minutes for
> $100
> > doesn't look too bad. It would be a good deal if you only had three
phone
> > lines and used exactly ~1400 or so anytime minutes per month. But then
> the
> > plans go up to $150/month or more as -starting- prices. Yikes. -Dave
> >
> >
>
>

The three phones are for me, my Wife and my teenage Daughter.

That may be true in your case but among those sharing 2 phones it is by far
the most popular choice.

Fred

"Ted B." <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Fred" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:2bXne.6763$rb6.5126@lakeread07...
> >I think you are misinterpreting the 500 minute plan. The base rate of
> > $59.99 is for TWO phones. In that example it is actually better than
> > before. Pre 6/1 a 450 National plane of $39.99 could have extra lines
> > added
> > for $19.99 each for a total of $59.98 for 450 minutes for two lines.
The
> > new plan is the same cost but gives you 50 minutes more and additional
> > lines
> > can be added for $14.99 rather than $19.99.
> >
> > Fred
>
> Well yes, it's cheaper in that sense. The problem is, 500 minutes is FAR
> too few minutes to be used as "shared" minutes. The 500 level shouldn't
> even be offered in the family plan. IMHO -Dave
>
>