Landline + Prepaid?

(PeteCresswell) wrote:


> A workaround just occurred to me: put in a second land line at my house
> that has that number that I want to preserve, use that for all incoming
> calls, and somehow connect them to whatever cell phone I'm using at the
> moment - either by dialing out on our existing line or by some software
> magic provided by the telco.

I would imagine you could have the number ported to a landline. But it's
the options (& cost thereof) that really need exploring.

1) You can get the "bells & whistles", which would include voicemail (which
I don't think will notify another number) or use call forwarding to your
prepaid phone. or.

2) Perhaps, some of the higher end answering machines could notify your cell
of messages on the machine. I'm not sure of that, it's an option I've
never explored. or,

3) Have the landline number go to an answering service that would notify you
on your cell when they have messages. or,

4) Get an old pentium (or higher) with a voice/fax/modem. Install whichever
OS you prefer & a voicemail program you like. There are choices for both
Windows & linux. And at least one I tried about 9 years ago had the
capability of notifying a pager, which should also work OK for a cellphone.

The downside of several of these is that, during the calls to notify you or
for you to retrieve messages, the line will be busy to those trying to
reach you.

And what is the tax ratio on the landline? It might still be almost as cost
effective to keep your prepaid cell with voicemail. And, depending on your
carrier, perhaps you can move down to a cheaper (less minutes) plan?

Bill K

---

› See More: Landline + Prepaid?

On my "regular" cell phone account, I'm paying about 25% taxes.

I don't use that many minutes, but need the phone to service my customers.

The only reason that I don't go to prepaid is presrvation of the number that
I've had for over 10 years and which probably 1,500 people know and have in
their phonebooks.

Seems like technically I should be able to keep that number on a series of
prepaid accounts, but the folks at my carrier seem reluctant...besides every
time I'd sign up for a new prepaid card, the number would be a risk.

A workaround just occurred to me: put in a second land line at my house that
has that number that I want to preserve, use that for all incoming calls, and
somehow connect them to whatever cell phone I'm using at the moment - either by
dialing out on our existing line or by some software magic provided by the
telco.

Anybody familiar with a scheme like this?

Is it practical?
--
PeteCresswell

Per Bill Kraski:
>voicemail

Any scheme that I'd adopt would have to include a realtime connection to my cell
phone. I couldn't live with people getting bounced to voicemail all the time.

Having to wait a few extra seconds while softward and/or hardware forwards the
call would be acceptable - but 100% voicemail and/or paging would not.
--
PeteCresswell

(PeteCresswell) wrote:

> Per Bill Kraski:
>>voicemail
>
> Any scheme that I'd adopt would have to include a realtime connection to
> my cell
> phone. I couldn't live with people getting bounced to voicemail all the
> time.
>
> Having to wait a few extra seconds while softward and/or hardware forwards
> the call would be acceptable - but 100% voicemail and/or paging would not.

OK. That pretty much means landline with at least some bells & whistles,
plus less subsidized phone with limited noncontract minutes. So, you're
looking at about $35-$40 a month (including taxes, etc.) for the landline.
Up to $100 for a low end phone, plus a card that will vary in how often it
will need to be refilled (depending on how often customers call, you call
back & how long for each). Cingular GSM, for instance, can be had for $30
up ($40 gets 450 minutes & rollover), plus a decent phone for up to $100.
It seems like your alternative may cost you more in the long run than a
contract phone would.

Bill K

Per Joseph:
>
>Just use forwarding to deliver the calls to the number you want them
>delivered to.

Any idea what the user hears with "forwarding"? e.g. Does it just keep
ringing transparently until the cellphone answers and hit the cellphone's
voicemail if no answer, or is there an answer click followed by mysterious
noises, followed by the cellphone ring?
--
PeteCresswell

Per Bill Kraski:
>looking at about $35-$40 a month (including taxes, etc.) for the landline.
>Up to $100 for a low end phone, plus a card that will vary in how often it
>will need to be refilled (depending on how often customers call, you call
>back & how long for each). Cingular GSM, for instance, can be had for $30
>up ($40 gets 450 minutes & rollover), plus a decent phone for up to $100.
>It seems like your alternative may cost you more in the long run than a
>contract phone would.

It's gonna depend on the nitty-gritty dollars and cents then. For instance, for
some reason here in SE Penna we seem to have a better deal on land lines than
most. My last data line cost me about $17/month - which would be the incoming
line.

Sounds like the deal breaker may be whatever the telco charges for forwarding
those calls.

Even if it were about the same, it might still be attractive to me because of
the fungibility factor.... the ability to change carriers in a heartbeat with
not even a minute when my number is not available to people one way or another.

Gotta look into the forwarding charges.
--
PeteCresswell

(PeteCresswell) wrote:

> It's gonna depend on the nitty-gritty dollars and cents then. For
> instance, for some reason here in SE Penna we seem to have a better deal
> on land lines than
> most. My last data line cost me about $17/month - which would be the
> incoming line.

Well, that's about $12 cheaper (before taxes) than we get, here in
Baltimore. By the time you add the basic "bells whistles" (including call
forwarding) and fees & taxes, it's around $35. So, for what you need, a
$30 or $40 cell contract with a decent phone is very competitive, here.
That may not be as true where you are.

> Sounds like the deal breaker may be whatever the telco charges for
> forwarding those calls.

That & look at you landline taxes & fees. It may be that both have similar
percentages of taxes & fees.

> Even if it were about the same, it might still be attractive to me because
> of the fungibility factor.... the ability to change carriers in a
> heartbeat with not even a minute when my number is not available to people
> one way or another.

One other thing to consider. By adding the extra step of going to a
landline, any time that service is down (the local drunk hits a pole,
hurricane Buford rips out the wires, etc.), you have something extra that
makes your calling system not work as well. Something else you want to
consider in your decision.

Whatever you decide, I hope it works out the way you want it to.

Bill K

I just got busy call forwarding on my biz phone account to try, for
about $3 a month. I selected to have calls forwarded to my cell. Calls
just go right through, seamlessly (AFAIK) and cell phone starts
ringing.

Check out the services offered by your Local Telephone CO on their
website.
Like these products...

http://www02.sbc.com/Products_Servic...-1-3-2,00.html
"
Forwarding Your Incoming Calls
Busy Call Forwarding $2.75/month
Forwards calls when your line is busy.
Add to CartCall Forwarding $3.23/month
Automatically forward calls to any number. Take the Tour
Add to CartDelayed Call Forwarding $2.75/month
Forwards calls after a designated number of rings.
Add to CartRemote Access to Call Forwarding $0.95/month
Dial in and direct calls to another number.
Call to OrderSelect Call Forwarding $3.23/month
Forwards selected calls when you want them."

Then there's the fancy, third party integrated comunications suites...
$8-15+/month

http://www.ureach.com/home/overview.htm

"uOrganize: Essential productivity tools for everyone that include
web-based email, address book and calendar.

* uMessage: Voice mail, email, and faxes in one mailbox! Industry
leading unified messaging and access to messages over the web, phone,
or wireless devices.

* uConnect: A unified mailbox and find me / follow me service - total
control and integration of your communications in a single powerful
service.

* u800: Be in control of your business - u800 service from uReach lets
you direct your calls anywhere. Easy and affordable!

* u800 Plus: uReach gives you unprecedented control over your 800
number - you route it to wherever you are - whenever you want!

* uFax: Cost effective web-based faxing solution - No hardware or
dedicated fax line required - send and receive faxes from your PC.
Totally private, completely reliable and convenient."

An 800 number can be valuable for some business uses, since it is
"yours" for life, as long as you pay. It can be given out to special
customers if one wants to control who's incoming calls they pay for.

You can choose to "point" an 800 number to any other phone number
(takes some time though) and also change the company that bills you for
the service. With local number portability the consumer has much more
control over their number, but those local numbers are still
geographically based, so you can't simply take it with you if you move
out of the area. An 800 number works anywhere in he US and Canada. Of
course the "owner" pays by the minute for all the incoming calls.

Here's one 800 number provider that has been recommended. The best
deals are no monthly fee and good per minute rate. Getting a "good"
easy to remember number, or one similar to your local number are
possibilities. Some 800 number service providers have bigger pools of
new 800#'s. Some offer "vanity" and custom numbers for extra. I've
found it's best to get a clean 866, 877 etc. number, which has not been
used, since the owner is charged for wrong numbers or calls from
previous expired directories and ads as well!
A friend, (who I signed up for another 800# service), called one night,
very excited... apparently he got a _bunch_ of wrong numbers, due to
people calling in for a TV ad. The callers were dialing 800-xxx instead
of 888-xxx. Hard to predict which numbers will be used for ad
campaigns, and how callers may misread certain numbers. That's one
reason why 24 hour customer support is useful, but he had to wait for
the next day.


http://www.callatn.com/

"American Telecom Network smNEW LOWER RATE 4.9¢ NEW LOWER RATE
Per Minute, State-to-State
(in the continental U.S.)

Long Distance and Toll Free Services

No Monthly Fees or Minimums

NOTE: Other Lower Rates, which have small monthly minimums or monthly
fees are also available.
Call 1-888-ITS-GREAT for details.

LONG DISTANCE PLAN FEATURES:

4.9¢ per minute
Flat-rate, State-to-State (in the continental U.S.), 24 hours a day / 7
days a week.
6-second billing
With an 18-second minimum. Not in full minutes like most other
carriers.

NO Monthly Minimums or Fees!

Same great rate available for businesses!"


Allthough not acceptible for the OP use, since it's a messaging type
service and not direct connecting, one cheap method of keeping an
incoming number, is to find a Phone Answering Machine with a "number
transfer" feature. "Pager Call" may also work, but not quite as
useful.

How it works... a caller leaves a message and then the machine is
programed to dial a number string, then leaves a recorded message. I
have it call my cell phone and leave a fairly long recorded message,
saying I have received a voice mail back at the shop. IF I pick up
during the incoming alert message, then entering the machines remote
access code, will begin message playback . Some phones can be send a
page with "Pager Call" when a message is received. AFAIK, incoming
pager notifications cannot be interupted to get access the machines
mail box.
Unlike using a basic pager to recieve notifications, a cell phones
incoming text is stored until delivery to the handset. Skytel use to
offer this kind of guaranteed delivery. a ceap prepaid Callplus cell
phone have free incoming pages for $10 /90 days and might be a good
choice over a "2-way" guaranteed page service, although carriers seem
to have been shutting down numeric/pager only type gateways(?)
replacing them with voice and web based gateways.
Saves on cell minutes and interuptions too, since recorded messages can
be limited to ~3 minutes incoming.

Basically, I always know when a business message is left, for no
monthly fee. I can get the message at my convenience.
The answering machine cost about $180, 7+ years ago. Hope I can find
another "Transfer Number" capable model when it breaks?

For urgent contacts, I can still give out my cell number.
Havng an 800# pointed to the office answering machine would allow a
customer to only need one number.

The good points, using call transfer from an answering machine.
It's very cheap, no monthly fee to phone company. Just a upper model
Panasonic or ATT answering machine. (Haven't seen too many lately with
this feature).
Don't have to give out my cell phone number, when I probably won't be
able to answer it anyway.
Can return calls quickly, since I've been alerted for each incoming
message. No "calling in" to check for messages!

Giving out an 800#, pointed to the biz answering machine, allows
changing of any of the phone numbers (cell or biz) and still having a
permanent number that can be used in advertising. Costs about 5-6
cents/minute for incoming calls.
With an 800#, there is also a list of all the incoming numbers that
have called, with the bill.

-
David

Per David L:
>I just got busy call forwarding on my biz phone account to try, for
>about $3 a month. I selected to have calls forwarded to my cell. Calls
>just go right through, seamlessly (AFAIK) and cell phone starts
>ringing.

Sounds good.


- No per-forward charge, right? Just the monthly charge...

- Whatever the type of landline account is, it probably burns a minute on that
landline for every minute of forwarded time - just as if the landline made an
outgoing call. ?
--
PeteCresswell

Just a monthly fee of $2.75. I have an unlimited local phone plan and
the cell number forwarded to is local. No per call charge or double
airtime like a cellular call might be charged.

Of course, I get more minutes used on my cellular bill, but i usually
just call back from my landline, once I get offline if it's peak
hours.
Everyone should check out the special services the local phone company
offers. Many are over priced frills, but some services are very useful
and inexpensive for certain situations.
SBC California Service Guide 1-800-21-GUIDE (1-800-214-8433)

I refuse to pay for caller ID. That's just selling you back the
information that was part of the incoming call info, which THEY block.
It's like your ISP blocking headers and then charging you to see who
the email was from! Since it's an unregulated charge, the local phone
company can get away with charging you whatever they want to.
I use a phone machine to screen calls, if I need, the phone machine to
get messages and the same phone machine to notify my cell, when a
message is left . (Call Transfer/Pager call). All for free on a 8 year
old machine. Not the most sophisticated solution, but it works fine.

"(PeteCresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On my "regular" cell phone account, I'm paying about 25% taxes.
>
> I don't use that many minutes, but need the phone to service my customers.
>
> The only reason that I don't go to prepaid is presrvation of the number
> that
> I've had for over 10 years and which probably 1,500 people know and have
> in
> their phonebooks.
>
> Seems like technically I should be able to keep that number on a series of
> prepaid accounts, but the folks at my carrier seem reluctant...besides
> every
> time I'd sign up for a new prepaid card, the number would be a risk.
>
> A workaround just occurred to me: put in a second land line at my house
> that
> has that number that I want to preserve, use that for all incoming calls,
> and
> somehow connect them to whatever cell phone I'm using at the moment -
> either by
> dialing out on our existing line or by some software magic provided by the
> telco.
>
> Anybody familiar with a scheme like this?
>
> Is it practical?


Why not go with a unlimited pre-paid service provider?

The coverage is not nationwide, but for $50 a month I get to gab on the
phone all I want all over the US
> --
> PeteCresswell

Per GeekBoy:
>Why not go with a unlimited pre-paid service provider?

That's where I am now. tMob's 1,000 minutes for fifty dollars.

I was looking for:

1) Greater freedom in hopping between carriers without jeopardizing my phone
number. With that scheme, all I'd have to is change the forwarding number
when I changed carriers.

2) Not paying 25% of my monthly bill in taxes. Seems like the government has
found a cash cow here. But maybe if I do the arithmetic maybe I'll find it's a
wash against the per-minute charges of prepaid.


From the responses so far, it's not looking like a particularly realistic
solution in terms of dollars and cents.

Also, it's finally dawned on me that I would lose the benefit of incoming
CallerID on the cell phone.
--
PeteCresswell