The "This Might Be A Stupid Question, But...." Thread

[2littlemonkeys]

Yeah, AT&T disagrees and any smartphone you buy through them with a contract requires a data plan.  I was trying to go off contract, which is why I hadn't contacted anyone over there yet (because they're going to try to get me to get a contract)

Maybe getting an mp3 player would be the simplest route, since it's mostly for music anyway.

As far as I know, the only unlocked phone AT&T scans the network for and forces you to have data on is the iPhone. Android (and presumably Windows/BlackBerry) phones do not require that. It helps that unlike Verizon, you don’t necessarily have to register your phone with them, you just have to pop your SIM in the new one (therefore you can use whatever phone you’d like), but they can figure out what phone you’re using once you do so.

I ran into this issue when my old phone bit the dust and was using my SO’s original iPhone… AT&T didn’t care that we didn’t need to be in contract, nor that we didn’t buy the phone from them. If their network finds the signal of an iPhone, it adds the data plan automatically and they won’t remove it.

That's good to know.  I think if I ever do go this route, I'll ask before I buy.

Dh has an iPhone and he said I could have it when he upgraded (he hates it) but I've been hesitant to do so because of the same thing you experienced.  I knew they did that with iPhones but I didn't know if they did it with any other phones.

Maybe I'll just wait until he upgrades, use his old phone as an mp3 player and just get a regular phone to avoid the whole mess.

There was an article about that this last week:

http://consumerist.com/2013/01/16/heres-how-people-have-successfully-used-an-iphone-on-att-with-no-data-plan/

Thanks for that article, very helpful!

[Mental Magpie]

Being somewhat new, I have a few questions that may or may not be foolish.

Does the forum have a master list of members? Or of moderators? If so, where can it be located?

Also, at the gym, on occasion someone will complain about my smell. What is a polite way to respond that "sweat happens"?

I don't know the answer to the first set of questions, but for the second one, I suggest starting a thread for that.  I think you'll get a pretty good discussion on it.

[MrsJWine]

Being somewhat new, I have a few questions that may or may not be foolish.

Does the forum have a master list of members? Or of moderators? If so, where can it be located?

Also, at the gym, on occasion someone will complain about my smell. What is a polite way to respond that "sweat happens"?

I would laugh and then say, "Wait, you're serious?" I mean, as long as you're not wearing a heavy scent that gets worse with exercise, this is just how gyms smell. Like sweaty people. It's not the nicest smell, but that's why there are entire separate building just for people to work out.

I get a huge kick out of the women at my gym who will spend 30 minutes fixing hair and makeup and *then* go work out. I look like a hot enough mess after a workout as it is. Add in sweaty makeup, and I'd be like a horror show.

[BabylonSister]

So here's a dumb question...

My cell phone is dying a slow death and I'd like to get one with wi-fi capabilities so I can browse the internet (mostly to stream music) while I'm at home or at work.  Dh suggested getting a phone that has wi-fi and I've seen some deals on unlocked phones at various retailers but if I get one of those and use my SIM card, will AT&T recognize it as being a smart phone and decide I need the data package?  I really don't want a package, I can't justify the monthly expense. 

I thought I should just break down and get an mp3 player with wi-fi but it would be nice to have it all on once device.  And they are pricey!

Been there, done that.  I'm a professional killer of cell phones and every time I've had to buy another it's been the same song and dance.  Unless you're willing to get an iPhone, your best bet is to get a basic cellphone and and iPod Touch (which has Wi-Fi capability without having to pay anything.) I know some people tape their basic phone to their iPod. 


Another possibility is to go with a company that offers month-to-month service such as T-Mobile or Virgin Mobile.  You can get an unlimited voice/text/data plan for $50/month, and without a contract so you can get out anytime. I haven't tried them personally so I can't vouch for the value of their data but I'm seriously considering going with them when I finally enter the 21st century and get a smartphone.

[Virg]

BabylonSister wrote:

"Another possibility is to go with a company that offers month-to-month service such as T-Mobile or Virgin Mobile.  You can get an unlimited voice/text/data plan for $50/month, and without a contract so you can get out anytime. I haven't tried them personally so I can't vouch for the value of their data but I'm seriously considering going with them when I finally enter the 21st century and get a smartphone."

One warning I'll give in this is to check the coverage for your area, because the coverage pattern has one very important but rarely realized effect.  If the coverage in your area is spotty for the service you choose, your phone is going to spend more time hunting for signal, and the surprise effect of that hunt is that your battery won't last nearly as long.  As an example, I got a work phone on one network, and my wife got an identical handset but on a different carrier.  Because the coverage for my carrier is better, my battery lasts three or four times as long.  Trading batteries proved that it's not a faulty battery, so be aware and do your homework online before deciding.

Virg

[lilfox]

BabylonSister wrote:

"Another possibility is to go with a company that offers month-to-month service such as T-Mobile or Virgin Mobile.  You can get an unlimited voice/text/data plan for $50/month, and without a contract so you can get out anytime. I haven't tried them personally so I can't vouch for the value of their data but I'm seriously considering going with them when I finally enter the 21st century and get a smartphone."

One warning I'll give in this is to check the coverage for your area, because the coverage pattern has one very important but rarely realized effect.  If the coverage in your area is spotty for the service you choose, your phone is going to spend more time hunting for signal, and the surprise effect of that hunt is that your battery won't last nearly as long.  As an example, I got a work phone on one network, and my wife got an identical handset but on a different carrier.  Because the coverage for my carrier is better, my battery lasts three or four times as long.  Trading batteries proved that it's not a faulty battery, so be aware and do your homework online before deciding.

Virg

Yes!  I should have known better since I had Sprint (on a non-smart phone) before signing up with Virgin Mobile (which uses Sprint's network) for a smart phone.  Sprint has lousy coverage for my area which was tolerable with a non-smart phone, but with the new smartphone I routinely had delayed texts, dropped calls, and could rarely load a web page in less than 5 minutes and sometimes not at all.  When I upgraded, I went with a competitor with better regional coverage and it's like night and day.  Of course the competitor requires a data plan and costs 2x as much, but I can actually use the smart features now and don't have to keep putting the phone on airplane mode to stop it searching for service all the time.

[mmswm]

BabylonSister wrote:

"Another possibility is to go with a company that offers month-to-month service such as T-Mobile or Virgin Mobile.  You can get an unlimited voice/text/data plan for $50/month, and without a contract so you can get out anytime. I haven't tried them personally so I can't vouch for the value of their data but I'm seriously considering going with them when I finally enter the 21st century and get a smartphone."

One warning I'll give in this is to check the coverage for your area, because the coverage pattern has one very important but rarely realized effect.  If the coverage in your area is spotty for the service you choose, your phone is going to spend more time hunting for signal, and the surprise effect of that hunt is that your battery won't last nearly as long.  As an example, I got a work phone on one network, and my wife got an identical handset but on a different carrier.  Because the coverage for my carrier is better, my battery lasts three or four times as long.  Trading batteries proved that it's not a faulty battery, so be aware and do your homework online before deciding.

Virg

Yes!  I should have known better since I had Sprint (on a non-smart phone) before signing up with Virgin Mobile (which uses Sprint's network) for a smart phone.  Sprint has lousy coverage for my area which was tolerable with a non-smart phone, but with the new smartphone I routinely had delayed texts, dropped calls, and could rarely load a web page in less than 5 minutes and sometimes not at all.  When I upgraded, I went with a competitor with better regional coverage and it's like night and day.  Of course the competitor requires a data plan and costs 2x as much, but I can actually use the smart features now and don't have to keep putting the phone on airplane mode to stop it searching for service all the time.

Verizon has the most coverage nation-wide and they have a pre-paid plan that's $50/mo for feature phones and $80 for smart phones. I've used them before and was quite happy.  I only dropped them because I was back in my hometown and my father's retirement benefits includes an insanely large discount on his company's services, so it costs me a ridiculously tiny amount of money to add an iPhone line to his account, and I couldn't justify paying a much larger amount for fewer features.

[ladyknight1]

DH has a T-mobile phone through his company, so about two years ago DS and I switched from AT&T to T-Mobile as well. We use the $50 unlimited monthly plan and haven't had any problems with coverage in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Colorado and New Mexico. We did have roaming, but no additional charges.

[Slartibartfast]

This is definitely a stupid question, and one I could probably answer with a few hours of sorting through Google links to random advice forum posts, but I'm hoping you all will save me the headache :-)  I've had a persistent telemarketer calling my cell phone.  (New phone, but I've had the number for years.)  Google tells me it's someone giving away travel "prizes", most likely contingent on buying a timeshare.  I have no idea how my number ended up on their list, since I never use my phone and actually lost it for the last six months or so before buying this new one, but the comments I saw indicated they won't take you off their list so there's no point in asking.

is there a way to block specific incoming calls on a cell phone?  Does it vary by phone type?  I now have a samsung something or other, if that makes a difference.  I don't even know where to start looking - I dug through all the likely phone menus but didn't see anything.  This phone is capable if interrnet and taking videos and making cannolis and who knows what else, so there are a lot of menus :-)  I just use it for phone calls and the occasional text . . .

[RingTailedLemur]

Slartibartfast, you might be able to scroll through to "recent incoming calls" (or whatever your phone says) then select that number and see if there is an options menu with it that includes "block".

[mmswm]

Register your number with the DNC list, then report them every single time they call.  In the meantime, most cell phones have a feature where it won't ring for specific numbers, but you can still tell the number called.  Failing that, give that number the "special" ring tone of no ring at all.

[ladyknight1]

My block number option is in the settings, call settings part of the menu.

[LadyJaneinMD]

This is definitely a stupid question, and one I could probably answer with a few hours of sorting through Google links to random advice forum posts, but I'm hoping you all will save me the headache :-)  I've had a persistent telemarketer calling my cell phone.  (New phone, but I've had the number for years.)  Google tells me it's someone giving away travel "prizes", most likely contingent on buying a timeshare.  I have no idea how my number ended up on their list, since I never use my phone and actually lost it for the last six months or so before buying this new one, but the comments I saw indicated they won't take you off their list so there's no point in asking.

is there a way to block specific incoming calls on a cell phone?  Does it vary by phone type?  I now have a samsung something or other, if that makes a difference.  I don't even know where to start looking - I dug through all the likely phone menus but didn't see anything.  This phone is capable if interrnet and taking videos and making cannolis and who knows what else, so there are a lot of menus :-)  I just use it for phone calls and the occasional text . . .

This probably wouldn't work, but it's funny anyway.
http://notalwaysworking.com/af-fair-way-to-end-a-call/28298

[Virg]

mmswm has the best answer.  Several thousand dollars in fines will get them to take you off their list, and if that doesn't work then whoever's paying her to call can go sit in a jail cell.

Virg

[Luci45]

mmswm has the best answer.  Several thousand dollars in fines will get them to take you off their list, and if that doesn't work then whoever's paying her to call can go sit in a jail cell.

Virg

If only Do Not Call worked!

I reported one company several times, keeping a log. Then I noticed that it was changing the phone number every few days to avoid the fines. I know it was the same because it was always Angela or Michelle with an important message about our credit card debt, which we haven't had for over 20 years, and then it was paid off in 2 months.

Now, I just don't answer any number I don't know, or at least flick the disconnect on my phone.

I've almost completely given up. One call, we mention we are on the Do Not Call and report, after that, we don't answer.