Vent/ older folks & modern life insanity!

[Oaktree]

My wife & myself plus a bunch of our friends have TracFone and have no complaints. 200min card with 90 days service cost $40. If we want more text 1000 is $5
Of course all we do is text and make calls on them. Works fine for us.
We still have our LL though. Not ready to give that up.

I plan on keeping my LL for the foreseeable future too. Well, technically not a true landline...it's VOIP and part of a cable-phone-internet bundle, but it acts like a LL.

I also use Tracfone, and have had no problems. It's just a cheapie flip-phone. I think it will do texting, but that's not something I have any interest in, and is really cumbersome on a flip phone. Don't need to be able to surf the internet, check email or anything else when away from home, all I need/want is a portable phone, mostly for emergencies, one that's easy to use.
I just get the $20 airtime card every 3 months just to extend service, I rarely use it so the minutes have accumulated.

I do find the whole "download our ap" trend annoying, especially if that's the only way to get discounts, etc. from a business. I guess they figure anyone who doesn't have a smart phone isn't a valuable customer.

 

[Toyboy]

I plan on keeping my LL for the foreseeable future too. Well, technically not a true landline...it's VOIP and part of a cable-phone-internet bundle, but it acts like a LL.

I also use Tracfone, and have had no problems. It's just a cheapie flip-phone. I think it will do texting, but that's not something I have any interest in, and is really cumbersome on a flip phone. Don't need to be able to surf the internet, check email or anything else when away from home, all I need/want is a portable phone, mostly for emergencies, one that's easy to use.
I just get the $20 airtime card every 3 months just to extend service, I rarely use it so the minutes have accumulated.

I do find the whole "download our ap" trend annoying, especially if that's the only way to get discounts, etc. from a business. I guess they figure anyone who doesn't have a smart phone isn't a valuable customer.

Our two girls and sil's AND 4 grand kids text more than call. Thats the way that generation stays in touch anymore.

 

[Jstpssng]

15 years ago when I switched from a landline to just cell, they gave me a hard time because I was supposed to have a hardline to keep my account open. I'd had so many problems with Verizon getting past their "talking computer" that I gave up. I couldn't even have it shut off because I couldn't talk to anybody, so just stopped paying the bill and they eventually disconnected me. For years the company I'd been with since 1995 had great coverage (USCellular) yet their computers were always down. Also, as things "improved" reception deteriorated, so that instead of having great service from my house I would have to drive 2 miles to make a call. About 6 years ago, Verizon had sold their land line service and I switched back. So when most other people had landlines I was running just a cell phone; now that many people have cut the cord, I'm back to a landline.

 

[Fuddy1952]

Shame there isn't a "like" button for replies.
I guess my main gripe is wasting all those hours on phone, then it's so rare nowadays to talk to an English speaking person. Then you get transferred to a bunch of people and having to repeat story to each one.
It's crazy business when you have a loyal customer paying on time for years then losing them. All they had to do was say "our system is outdated...you paid $50 for the original box, we'll send you the $39 new one no problem."
Remember the days when an English speaking person answered the phone 1st time, solving the problem within 15 minutes?
Now you call, listen to their 5 minute spiel, then press 2 for English, then 5...1...2...4...2...say yes...no...agent...press 2...etc. Hours later and nothing accomplished.

 

[Industrial Toys]

There was a time when BELL cared immensely that a phone did not work. There are Great ATT archive movies about this communications resource. AT&T Archives: The Astonishing, Unfailing Bell System (1967) - YouTube

Now it's just like all the other modern flakey technology. It works "most" of the time, you can't get upset about it not working, lest you violate someones rights or feelings, and no one ever tells you what went wrong. It's just about "moving forward" with yet more garbage technology. Some person will eventually take your report, it's their job, but they certainly don't care at all about whether you have service.

 

[Jstpssng]

One thing which I really miss is an itemized bill for all of the long distance calls that I make. I would probably find that it isn't worth what I pay for the service. I have my internet and phone on the same account, and trying to read it is like interpreting hieroglyphics. They also probably have gotten money from me which they shouldn't have; how many hours should I expect to stay on the phone to find out what a $5.00 charge was for? Everything is supposedly flat rate, so why does my bill fluctuate up to 10% each month?

Somebody mentioned "apps". As near as I can tell, the only benefit is to the vendor. My electric company was the first to use one... I didn't have to download it but still takes longer to access my account, while the app loads.

 

[/pine]

I plan on keeping my LL for the foreseeable future too. Well, technically not a true landline...it's VOIP and part of a cable-phone-internet bundle, but it acts like a LL.

I also use Tracfone, and have had no problems. It's just a cheapie flip-phone. I think it will do texting, but that's not something I have any interest in, and is really cumbersome on a flip phone. Don't need to be able to surf the internet, check email or anything else when away from home, all I need/want is a portable phone, mostly for emergencies, one that's easy to use.
I just get the $20 airtime card every 3 months just to extend service, I rarely use it so the minutes have accumulated.

I do find the whole "download our ap" trend annoying, especially if that's the only way to get discounts, etc. from a business. I guess they figure anyone who doesn't have a smart phone isn't a valuable customer.

I don't know about Tracphone but if you have a balance above say $100 some carriers will preserver your cash balance/minutes for a full year without having to add anything every 90 days etc...I know AT&T will...it's worth a call to find out...

 

[ultrarunner]

The work issued cell is 1000 minutes for $100 and been this way for many years with T-Mobil... with the merger coverage greatly improved.

 

[Oaktree]

I don't know about Tracphone but if you have a balance above say $100 some carriers will preserver your cash balance/minutes for a full year without having to add anything every 90 days etc...I know AT&T will...it's worth a call to find out...

I believe Tracfone offers a 1 year card with a fairly large # of minutes on it. As I noted, I use mine seldom enough that I never even come close to using up the minutes even on the cheapest card. Also, I'm not sure if the 1 year card is only good on smart phones...some of their plans are, and I don't have (or particularly want) one.
The 90 day ones work just fine for me and you can usually find a promo code on line that adds extra minutes.

Not sure if Tracfone's minutes will transfer from one phone to another. I know it won't if you don't have the old phone (ie-lost it), or if it's not operational...learned that the hard way a couple years ago when mine got dropped and broke. :smiley_aafz:

 

[tallyho8]

I have had Tracfone for years and am pleased with it. It has had many changes over the years. I dropped my first one in San Juan harbor after having it a few years. I got a replacement from them and they transferred my time and minutes over to my new phone. My old phone worked in Puerto Rico and St Thomas but my replacement phone would not. After many more years and wanting to connect to the internet faster when out of town I got one of their iphones and they transferred my time and minutes over to it.

I very rarely, if ever text, and don't use the internet except when I am away from my home computer, and it cost me $118.75 a year with 1500 minutes, 1500 texts and 1.5 GB data. If needed, 500 minutes or 1 GB data can be added for $10 but I have never needed to add any. This phone works from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

I still have my old landline also because I rather talk on it than on a cell and I liked having my number in the phone book so that old friends could find me. Now they only deliver the small yellow pages and if you want the very small white pages you have to request it. Nine out of 10 calls I get on the LL are spam so I am now considering getting rid of it because ATT won't block the spam calls.