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

[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

[Luci]

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.

[mmswm]

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.

That actually falls under the Fair Debt Collection laws.  People have successfully sued, and won, even against collectors with legitimate debts for harassing debt collection practices.  It's rarely easy to do, because debt collectors rely on the fact that the debtors are scared, but it can be done. 

[Luci]

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.

That actually falls under the Fair Debt Collection laws.  People have successfully sued, and won, even against collectors with legitimate debts for harassing debt collection practices.  It's rarely easy to do, because debt collectors rely on the fact that the debtors are scared, but it can be done.

I think you are missing my point. These are for a smarmy company that can lower our debt (which we don't have) through partly shady means. Our house is paid off and we have bought our cars with cash for the past 20 years. We owe nothing, to anyone. (And our credit score is only 799 - I know why.)

How Fair Debt Collection apply to us?

It's just a random company that has out phone #.

[mmswm]

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.

That actually falls under the Fair Debt Collection laws.  People have successfully sued, and won, even against collectors with legitimate debts for harassing debt collection practices.  It's rarely easy to do, because debt collectors rely on the fact that the debtors are scared, but it can be done.

I think you are missing my point. These are for a smarmy company that can lower our debt (which we don't have) through partly shady means. Our house is paid off and we have bought our cars with cash for the past 20 years. We owe nothing, to anyone. (And our credit score is only 799 - I know why.)

How Fair Debt Collection apply to us?

It's just a random company that has out phone #.

You are correct.  I misunderstood.  I thought you were saying they were calling to collect on an imaginary debt.  You'd be surprised how shady debt collectors can be.  I've seen people get caught up in sweeps where collection agencies report a debt on the credit reports of all "Tom Smiths" they find in City X.  My thought was that you'd been caught up in something like that.

[JoW]

How you block a call depends on which carrier you use and which handset you have.  One technique that works on all phones is to put the number in your contacts list and assign it the ring tone "no ring".  That won't stop the calls but it will make them easier to ignore.

For a scammer the Do Not Call List law is one more law to break.  If you want to know more about a call that is harassing you look it up at http://800notes.com.  I post there under the name "not Michael".  I found the site when googled a number that was harassing me looking for Michael.  I discovered that the caller was an automobile finance company.  Michael bought a car he didn't plan to pay for and gave the finance company a false phone number - my cell number.  I used that information to discuss the situation with the caller and order them to stop calling.  It worked. 

[Sign Of The Times]

I have a question about wedding etiquette. Does it go on this forum or the Hells Bells one? (Or do I do the thread both places?)