AT&T
boasts the biggest 3G/4G Network in the world. 3G, 4G, what
difference does it make when you can't get a signal? You get Zero
G.
I
get Zero G in my house \ home office, and called AT&T to
complain. AT&T Support explained it to me. It is not their
fault. It's the wind.
AT&T
says; "Is it windy out? Because if it is, you
see, the birds, they have to hold on to the telephone wires real
tight, when it's windy, and that degrades the signal."
AT&T
then suggested their $200 MicroCell which would allow cell phones
in WiFi range to make calls using my Time Warner Cable connection,
and $30 a month.
When
I typed; "So you're telling me to pay you another $560 this
year because what I'm paying for doesn't work?" They
typed; "Yes.".
Turns
out Vonage has a free iPhone App to do the same thing, without
buying a $200 device, for about $0.02 per minute. That's 25
hours a month at the AT&T rate.
Why
not get the Vonage App? Anywhere you get WiFi, your house, the
library, coffee shop, office, you can use the Vonage App to make
calls. No MicroCell required.
I
have "No Service" displayed on my AT&T phone but get
crystal clear VOIP connections using Vonage. VOIP (Voice Over
Internet Protocol) is very trendy and also fun to say.
The
Vonage App even gives you quotes. Type in a number, and it tells
you what it'll cost per minute. You can use PayPal, Visa, whatever
to buy credit in increments of $4.99 and $9.99. Your balance is
displayed on every outbound call.
Vonage
doesn't just grab all your outbound calls so it can bill you
either, you have to intentionally use Vonage.
Which
brings us back to the same problem of paying more to get something
you're already paying AT&T for. But you don't have to pay for
it, let AT&T.
Why
not take those 25 hours a month, 1,500 minutes, off your AT&T
package? That's about $50 a month ($600 a year) on the Family Plan.
Everything less than 25 hours a month with Vonage saves
money.
As
a matter of fact, AT&T probably hasn't told you that if you're
paying $30 a month for Unlimited Text Messaging you can check a new
box and get unlimited cell to cell calls under the same $30. That
leaves only land lines going against your precious minutes. Check
that box and then check the usage on your next bill. Right now
they're charging you for those, which is probably why they probably
haven't told you.
Actual
mileage will vary but it seems like saving $560 by not getting the
AT&T solution plus $600 by reducing AT&T's package equals a
trip to Mexico, and if you use your Vonage App to call home from
paradise you won't have to pay AT&T's international rates
doing it.
Kick a giant
in the shins, go to Mexico, shut up and keep paying, that's your
call, and that's Cocktail Talk.
