Phones and data plans?

Kwesi · #1 12-11-2010, 10:02 PM

So my family is by no means poor. We live comfortably and are able to afford luxuries here and there. Of course, the economic downturn has impacted us just as much as anyone else though my parents refuse to tell me exactly how much so. The majority of my friends have data phones and I still can't quite understand why my parents seem so against it. Usually, their parents seem just as strict as mine and were all in a similar financial class. I understand that it's expensive and I understand that it's unnecessary but it's almost like my parents think it's impossible to us to afford one or two of these and live the way we have before. They also keep bringing up the word "useless" which I don't particularly think is fair considering how much I use the internet for school, recreation, and income (if I can actually call it that).

This isn't a kid complaining about not getting what he wants, I just want to see how others look at the cost of data phones and how they feel about the cost vs. their usage, productive and otherwise. Obviously, no one besides my parents themselves could tell me exactly why we couldn't swing them but I figure other adults could give me a little insight. Thanks.

Simo98 · #2 12-11-2010, 10:10 PM

Can't you just go down to the phone place and get one?

HaPpYfAcE · #3 12-11-2010, 10:19 PM

i use my phone like nothing else. when i'm away from home, i can get on here or other forums to respond to threads, pm's, for sale posts, etc. i can check finances, i can get all my emails, along with texting and calling.

i use it to its full potential and i have no issues paying the price of my own plan, which is about $80/month. sprint has the cheapest prices, but you really have to figure out who has the best network where you're going to be.

family plans tend to be considerably more expensive, though...i believe verizon and at&t are the most expensive now.

fdeck · #4 12-11-2010, 10:27 PM

Virgin Mobile has a $25/mo data plan.

I'm not looking forward to my kids wanting cell phones. Paying $1000 per year per kid, so they can do anything but their homework, is off-putting. If the government raised middle class income taxes by that much, there would be a revolution.

What would you be willing to give up in your life, to offset the cost?

Kwesi · #5 12-11-2010, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fdeck

Virgin Mobile has a $25/mo data plan.

I'm not looking forward to my kids wanting cell phones. Paying $1000 per year per kid, so they can do anything but their homework, is off-putting. If the government raised middle class income taxes by that much, there would be a revolution.

What would you be willing to give up in your life, to offset the cost?

Hmmm, good point. Now that I look at, having a data phone would be super convenient but considering the amount of money spent there are a lot of other things I could get... Gotta think more on that

MJ5150 · #6 12-11-2010, 10:49 PM

Just because you have the money doesn't mean it should be freely spent. If you want this bad enough, you will need to show your parents the RoI for you and for them.

These phones and data plans weren't around for my parents to make rules about. My kids were grown enough to pay for it themselves, so I didn't have to make any rules either. I could easily see a parent saying that since you have internet access at home, at school, at the library, what is the point of paying for it again on your phone. It's like paying for the same thing over and over.

Kind of why I did not opt for the 3G iPad. Why pay yet again to access the internet? Maybe one of these multimedia giants can come up with a plan where you pay one price per month and any Internet accessible device you own is covered in your plan.

-Mike

Mike N · #7 12-12-2010, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJ5150

I could easily see a parent saying that since you have internet access at home, at school, at the library, what is the point of paying for it again on your phone.

Exactly why my daughter doesn't have a data plan on her phone.

DwaynieAD · #8 12-12-2010, 07:27 AM

i'm just happy that my phone gets text messages and sexy pics of my gf. i cant see the need for more

tplyons · #9 12-12-2010, 08:55 AM

I use the internet constantly on my phone... often for looking things up quickly, and of course to make my bathroom breaks at work more enjoyable.

Honestly, it's 95% useless. When I was freelancing in between jobs, it was a must, to send and receive email anywhere, send and receive faxes, and send invoices to clients. Now that I'm full time with another company, I have no use for the data plan, but can't fathom giving it up.

I pay nearly $1,000/year for my cell phone with data plan, and that's with a 15% discount from my company.

Kwesi · #10 12-12-2010, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike N

Exactly why my daughter doesn't have a data plan on her phone.

And that's the line of reasoning my parents are using too. At first I was cool with it because I thought it would be somewhere in the area of $60 a person for the plan but my brother just got back from the Verizon store and it's actually $15 per person. So thats $30 a month for the both of us and $360 extra a year. Call me naive and inconsiderate but that doesn't sound like a lot for the benefit that I think we could get even if that benefit is simple convenience.

iamlowsound · #11 12-12-2010, 01:26 PM

If it is so cheap, you pay for it. I never had a cell phone paid for by my parents and when I have kids, if they want one, they can pay for it. You are luck that they even pay for your cell phone in the first place.

lowsound

tplyons · #12 12-12-2010, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kwesi

And that's the line of reasoning my parents are using too. At first I was cool with it because I thought it would be somewhere in the area of $60 a person for the plan but my brother just got back from the Verizon store and it's actually $15 per person. So thats $30 a month for the both of us and $360 extra a year. Call me naive and inconsiderate but that doesn't sound like a lot for the benefit that I think we could get even if that benefit is simple convenience.

Offer to pay for the added service. Surely you could scratch up $15 a month. When I was in high school, I got the minimum minutes, no texts, and had to pay for everything extra. So I paid $10 a month for the unlimited texting plan. That was the first "bill" I ever had.

McHaven · #13 12-12-2010, 04:11 PM

Aside from the cost of the data plan itself, don't forget the cost of buying the phone, and buying any related apps you may need.

The data plans often look cheap, but are sold in combination with expensive phones.

Mike N · #14 12-12-2010, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kwesi

And that's the line of reasoning my parents are using too. At first I was cool with it because I thought it would be somewhere in the area of $60 a person for the plan but my brother just got back from the Verizon store and it's actually $15 per person. So thats $30 a month for the both of us and $360 extra a year. Call me naive and inconsiderate but that doesn't sound like a lot for the benefit that I think we could get even if that benefit is simple convenience.

Do you young'uns really need to be connected to the 'net 24/7, no matter where you are?

Mike N · #15 12-12-2010, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by McHaven

Aside from the cost of the data plan itself, don't forget the cost of buying the phone, and buying any related apps you may need.

The data plans often look cheap, but are sold in combination with expensive phones.

I'm confused as to what this whole "app" thing is. My life seems to function fine without a data pack and all sorts of apps, so what's the big deal all about?

hover · #16 12-12-2010, 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

If it is so cheap, you pay for it.

Yes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

I never had a cell phone paid for by my parents and when I have kids, if they want one, they can pay for it. You are luck that they even pay for your cell phone in the first place.

lowsound

yes too.

m0nst3r · #17 12-12-2010, 04:35 PM

I can't fathom paying almost $100/month plus another $200+ for a smartphone just to look at useless stuff on the internet with my phone when I'm not home. :-\

Unless you're a very important person with the need to check your email constantly, you don't really need it. :-\ The only thing that I can see it being useful for is GPS.

hover · #18 12-12-2010, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike N

I'm confused as to what this whole "app" thing is. My life seems to function fine without a data pack and all sorts of apps, so what's the big deal all about?

It's trendy-speak for "applications", like programs on a regular computer, but that just sounds boring...so "apps" in this respect stands for threadbare-functioning programs you pay a little for because they do very little on your mini-computer phone. some are great, some not so much.

McHaven · #19 12-12-2010, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike N

I'm confused as to what this whole "app" thing is. My life seems to function fine without a data pack and all sorts of apps, so what's the big deal all about?

More pointless time killers. Its for a generation that needs constant entertainment or as my father puts it "sparks flying our your butt."

Smart phones, internet enabled phones, etc, are just creating a short attention span in Americans and enforcing the idea that no one ever needs to actually learn anything, because "there's an app for that."

"What's the square root of 16?" "I dunno, let's look it up on my phone!"

"Dude, what's the treaty of versailles?" "Let's look it up on my phone!"

Kwesi · #20 12-12-2010, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike N

Do you young'uns really need to be connected to the 'net 24/7, no matter where you are?

'course not, but it'd be nice. I use eBay (buying and selling) a lot too and I can't count the number of times I've missed out on stuff because I couldn't get to a computer. I admit, it's mostly a nice convenience to have but for $180 extra a year person person, I think it's worth it.