$20 phone plan
- Thread starter RonC
- Start date
thegoldenmackid
Why Can't I be a Lancero?
If you were in a city that had great public wi-fi, this would be an option. For me, I spend 90% of my time in a place with a great wi-fi network, the problem is, once you are in a non-wifi network you are out of luck.
It depends. The one thing I've learned being in the wireless industry for 10 years is when it comes to service providers, you get what you pay for in terms of service and customer service. You're also going to pay full-price for the phone, which isn't cheap....a couple hundred dollars at the very least and upwards of several hundred dollars for some models, if the carrier expands it's line-up beyond the one phone it offers right now. Since it's a dedicated phone that requires special technology (UMA), you won't be able to use it with anyone else and you can't get your phone unlocked to use it on their service.
Another problem is public wi-fi....1) it's not secure, 2) signal strength depends on how close you are to the hotspot and how much traffic is on the hotspot, 3) who's providing that free wi-fi (because of reason #1).
It's just glorified pre-paid service. Which means if you break or lose your phone, it's gets stolen or damnaged, you are SOL. You'll be getting a new number and shelling out another couple hundred for a new phone. Also, if you don't refill your service by a certain date, you'll have to get a new number all over again....even if it's the next day. Once that date passes, say goodbye to your phone number. That can be a very big hastle having to get your phone number out to new people.
You're choice of phones is pretty limited. In fact, you don't have a choice right now...they only have one phone in the lineup. Their website admits that "This is Beta", meaning that you are guinea pig. There's no guarantee of service and there is no guarantee that the rate will stay at $19.99. Since it's a month-to-month agreement, they can change the terms pretty much anytime the please and you have no legal recourse since there is no contract.
In my experience and from what I see from other pay-as-you-go services (Boost, MetroPCS, Cricket, ect...), it's not worth it and most people go back to a national carrier because of the lack of customer service within a few months. The only people that stick with it long-term are those that have credit issues, can't get a regular rate plan because they lack a SS number (illegal aliens, etc.) and drug dealers / prostitutes since the accounts are untraceable.
It's not worth it if you ask me.
Correction Needed: They do offer replacement phones for a fee without having to change your number but they are refurbished units. They have 3 pricing tiers for replacement phones, so it looks like it depends on how long you are with them for.
Another problem is public wi-fi....1) it's not secure, 2) signal strength depends on how close you are to the hotspot and how much traffic is on the hotspot, 3) who's providing that free wi-fi (because of reason #1).
It's just glorified pre-paid service. Which means if you break or lose your phone, it's gets stolen or damnaged, you are SOL. You'll be getting a new number and shelling out another couple hundred for a new phone. Also, if you don't refill your service by a certain date, you'll have to get a new number all over again....even if it's the next day. Once that date passes, say goodbye to your phone number. That can be a very big hastle having to get your phone number out to new people.
You're choice of phones is pretty limited. In fact, you don't have a choice right now...they only have one phone in the lineup. Their website admits that "This is Beta", meaning that you are guinea pig. There's no guarantee of service and there is no guarantee that the rate will stay at $19.99. Since it's a month-to-month agreement, they can change the terms pretty much anytime the please and you have no legal recourse since there is no contract.
In my experience and from what I see from other pay-as-you-go services (Boost, MetroPCS, Cricket, ect...), it's not worth it and most people go back to a national carrier because of the lack of customer service within a few months. The only people that stick with it long-term are those that have credit issues, can't get a regular rate plan because they lack a SS number (illegal aliens, etc.) and drug dealers / prostitutes since the accounts are untraceable.
It's not worth it if you ask me.
Correction Needed: They do offer replacement phones for a fee without having to change your number but they are refurbished units. They have 3 pricing tiers for replacement phones, so it looks like it depends on how long you are with them for.
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Usualty with Wi-Fi calling (TM started this when I worked for them), the bucket of mins that the call comes out of depend on what service (cell or Wi-fi) you originated the call from. If you start or accept the call on cell service but then travel into wi-fi and are on that call for 2 hours, that's 120 minutes that are coming out of your 550 cell minutes.
This comes from their "What's the Catch" section:
How much cellular usage is too much?
It depends. Even assuming 0% wifi usage, for example, you could consume 550 minutes, send 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes of data without crossing the community’s fair use threshold. Everyone's usage patterns will be different, but we're confident you’ll be amazed at how little cellular you actually use when you have a phone that makes it easy to leverage the power of your Wi-Fi networks.
So this isn’t really an unlimited plan?
It is in fact an unlimited plan. We’ll never charge you overages, limit your download speeds, or restrict you to calling circles. Hybrid Calling makes it easy to stay within the community’s fair use guidelines.
What happens if I use more than the suggested guideline?
First, you’ll be reminded of the guidelines and to what extent you’ve crossed the fair use threshold. We’ll provide you with tips for reducing your cellular footprint and plenty of opportunity to get back on track. When we contact you about your usage, we’ll let you know how much time you have to correct your problem.
This tells me that it's a nice way of saying, "If you use the service too much, you're account will be cancelled because of it." They won't charge you overage but you won't be able to contiunue using their service.
How much cellular usage is too much?
It depends. Even assuming 0% wifi usage, for example, you could consume 550 minutes, send 150 texts, and download 300 megabytes of data without crossing the community’s fair use threshold. Everyone's usage patterns will be different, but we're confident you’ll be amazed at how little cellular you actually use when you have a phone that makes it easy to leverage the power of your Wi-Fi networks.
So this isn’t really an unlimited plan?
It is in fact an unlimited plan. We’ll never charge you overages, limit your download speeds, or restrict you to calling circles. Hybrid Calling makes it easy to stay within the community’s fair use guidelines.
What happens if I use more than the suggested guideline?
First, you’ll be reminded of the guidelines and to what extent you’ve crossed the fair use threshold. We’ll provide you with tips for reducing your cellular footprint and plenty of opportunity to get back on track. When we contact you about your usage, we’ll let you know how much time you have to correct your problem.
This tells me that it's a nice way of saying, "If you use the service too much, you're account will be cancelled because of it." They won't charge you overage but you won't be able to contiunue using their service.
