Something I have been contemplating for quite a while is getting rid of my home phone (old school touch tone, not voip). I have also had a cell phone for several years at this point (going on 7 years including one number change due to changing service providers). There are several reasons why getting rid of this roughly $30 per month expense would be a good idea.
PROS
* Save money each month and as a bonus, I can justify adding more features to the cell if I like
* This line is almost never used
* Cell phones by default offer a great deal more features and technology
* Cell phones offer the convenience of mobility
* All calls can be centralized to one device
* Cell phones scarcely get telemarketer calls
* Cell phones tend not to have listed numbers unlike generic phone book listings (to get an unlisted number requires a fee with the local phone company)
* There are outrageous fees to changing numbers or setting up lines if one moves
Of course, there are always drawbacks, but I can only think of a few:
CONS
* I’ve had this same home number for 12 years so it is the one registered with anyone who has asked for a phone number
* Long distance charges tend to be less expensive by default (a special service may be used with cell phones perhaps to enable a discount)
* The cell phone number could be only given out to people you would be willing to take calls from as a secondary line, where if only one line is used then it could mean that even people or businesses you would rather not hear from may still call (different ring styles for groups of people may help distinguish)
* Cell phones sometimes can be regarded as less reliable as home phones if there are issues with the battery or the cell phone provider
I have been doing an experiment for the last month or two to see what it would be like not to use the home phone at all. I wanted to see if my monthly cell phone bill would increase exponentially. The only thing I found which is completely unrelated is that my text messaging increased. I ended up adding more texting to my plan. What it comes down to is the nagging feeling that once I would call and cancel then suddenly something would occur to me that hadn’t before and I would regret such a cancellation. In two months I haven’t been able to find any monumental reasons to keep the line. What I may end up doing is calling the home phone provider to see if they have any other options other than a cancellation. To be continued…
June 30th, 2006 at 12:38 pm
Well, I ended up calling with the intention of discussing cancellation. At first the agent was telling me about the benefits of keeping the line of which I was already aware. Then I asked if there was any way to keep the number and just suspend it. It turns out they have a suspend option which costs $40 for 3 months or $50 for 6 months. I contemplated this as it would save me a lot of money, yet somehow I still thought it would not be worth it. Eventually I just told him to cancel the line. He then offered me a $75 credit and to reduce my bill by taking the long distance savings plan off. This means I get the service for free for at least 3 months. This I agreed to in the meantime, but I think I will eventually cancel anyway. They really need to come with something more competitive and practical as a lot of people are using cell phones as their primary means of communication as opposed to having a home line and in the case where some people have home lines, they are using voip and other derivatives. From what I see right now, it is only a matter of time before I cancel.