Got my first cell phone!

[Kirosia]

After forever, I finally got a cell phone. Decided on the SE w300i and cingular wireless. I had to pay an INSANE deposit of $500, which was my emergency money. (there's still some left) Also didn't come with a usb cable, so I have to wait a week before I can put on my ringtones/wallpaper.

So far I like the phone, but I've used it for like a few minutes. The interface isn't horrible, though I hate how it accesses the net every time I press the center button. Design-wise, it's pretty nice. Haven't called anyone yet.

I do have a question for other cingular users, if I keep my account in good standin for a year, I can request a full deposit refund, right? I've heard people say they had a hard time, so. $500 is a lot, and I'm still kinda crying.

Pics to come tomorrow.

 

[MrSlacker]

The reason you had to make a deposit is because you dont have a credit history, or it is bad. We have cingular, and so does my brother, and none of us had to make any deposits. Nice phone btw

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrSlacker The reason you had to make a deposit is because you dont have a credit history, or it is bad.

I knew that. I don't have credit, since I've never borrowed. What is strange, is that when I called them a few months ago, they said my deposit would only be $150.

 

[feh1325]

wow. 500 bucks is more than the shure e500.
thats pretty steep.

my sister thought that we a free month of internet. the bill was pretty high that month...

 

[plainsong]

Yowzza! I don't miss those stupid plans with their "anytime minutes" back home. Here they've been doing it longer so it's a tad less of the wild west feeling. My plan is in my name, but they let my husband co-sign. That's cool because it finally gives me a bit of a track record in Finland. They even let me keep my old number... I don't know if they do that back home yet or not. What's really nice is the 10mb of gprs/edge connectivity that's included. That way I get download weather and rss feeds and such without worrying aout it.

Welcome, you were the last person to not have a cell phone. We would have pestered you more about it, but you were hard to contact.

 

[TopShelf]

I dont even bother to have a LAN line in my house, all I use is my cellphone, pretty scary.

How does the 500 buck deposit work? Do you get it back if you give them the phone back at a later time?

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TopShelf How does the 500 buck deposit work? Do you get it back if you give them the phone back at a later time?

Supposedly you can get it back after a year(bills paid on time, nothing outstanding). But you HAVE to call them, or else you never see the money again, even if your service ends.

 

[antiant]

it's pretty easy, just keep your reciepts and call them back after your year is up, they're not going to remind you, simply because they would rather keep the money, same mentality as rebates, they pr[a]ey on your forgetfulness

 

[Kirosia]

Got a question to ask, can you use calling cards with a cell phone?

 

[GreatDane]

Don't feel bad, I didn't have a cell phone when I was 20...of course modern cell phones hadn't been invented yet

They looked like World War II walky-talkies.

$500 is crazy though. I hope they don't find some stupid loop hole and screw you out of it.

Being the gadget geek that I am , surprisingly cell phones don't excite me. That's what happens after you've destroyed half a dozen of them. Ever see what happens when you drop one from a 4 story building.

 

[mr_baseball_08]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia After forever, I finally got a cell phone.

Congrats! Welcome to the 21st century...

 

[TopShelf]

Good Luck, and hopefully you get your 500 bucks man.


Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane Don't feel bad, I didn't have a cell phone when I was 20...of course modern cell phones hadn't been invented yet They looked like World War II walky-talkies. $500 is crazy though. I hope they don't find some stupid loop hole and screw you out of it. Being the gadget geek that I am , surprisingly cell phones don't excite me. That's what happens after you've destroyed half a dozen of them. Ever see what happens when you drop one from a 4 story building.

Ya, I am the same way. I have a cellphone that is good enough to call, get calls, voice mail and text msg. But all my other toys are way more high tech

 

[krmathis]

Congratulations!
About time I would say... (coming from someone who got his first cellphone in the late -80's).

 

[stevesurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia Got a question to ask, can you use calling cards with a cell phone?

Yes you can, as long as the calling card access number is a domestic US toll-free number. It can be any number if you have international calling. It's really not an advantage unless you do not have long distance service included in your base fees. You should see if you can get another friend or family member to add you on to an existing account and then try to separate your number and account. Someone at Verizon told me this could be done, but I have not tried it yet. Also, if you have an expensive phone, don't forget the insurance. It really only works twice, but it will save you a ton if you lose the phone (you'll just have to get a police report filed).

 

[plainsong]

You mean that international calling does not come standard?? What??

I'm sorry, it's still the dark ages over there.

What should come standard - ability to make and receive calls (obviously) - anywhere in the world, text messaging, mms messaging, gprs/edge, call fowarding, waiting, voice mail, partnerships in most countries so that as long as your phone supports it, you can make or receive a call most anywhere. And if you have to pay extra for any of that (other than the cost of a text/mms message, or depending on how many mb's of data you want a month), you're being ripped off.