Text 9100, 159 rader
Skriven 2010-07-09 11:32:18 av Roy Witt (1:387/22)
   Kommentar till text 9053 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Cellphone woes
======================
09 Jul 10 08:08, Robert Bashe wrote to Roy Witt:

 RB> Roy Witt wrote to Robert Bashe on Thursday July 08 2010 at 09:43:

 RB>>> Again, in the States. You're only familiar with the system there,
 RB>>> and I have only a vague idea of the system where you are, except
 RB>>> that incoming calls are _not_ free in the States. You can deny that
 RB>>> until you're blue in the face, but there are too may people
 RB>>> confirming that to accept your claims.

 RW>> You're obviously getting your information from people who don't know
 RW>> what they're talking about.

 RB> No, you're obviously thinking of something else, probably cellphones
 RB> on contract to a provider, and simply assuming the same system as
 RB> that you know applies everywhere.

Actually, I have a bunch of pamphlets from many providers in front of me
that I use to make sure the information I talk about is correct.

 RB>>> [Providers keeping balance on prpaid cards]

 RB>>>>> we did away with that in Germany around 5 years ago, when several
 RB>>>>> providers were sued for that kind of practice.

 RW>>>> That's also been the case here for a few years now.

 RB>>> It is? Interesting - in view of the fact that the few American
 RB>>> prepaid cards I've seen have a _very_ short validity period (a few
 RB>>> months down to only 30 days without adding cash), I would have
 RB>>> thought people would first try to have that changed (longer
 RB>>> validity times or eliminate the limits altogether) rather than to
 RB>>> first get a prepaid balance refunded.

 RW>> It depends on the provider you use. Those who aren't as big as the
 RW>> big boys give you better deals. Net10 for instance doesn't delete
 RW>> your minutes that you haven't used, as long as you keep the phone
 RW>> active. Let it expire and the minutes do as well.

 RB> The subject was _prepaid_ cards, Roy. You're obviously talking about
 RB> phones that are locked to a specific provider, with a contract.

There is no such freedom of roaming without a provider here. If you buy a
prepaid card, it will have to be one from the provider from whom you
purchased your phone.

 RW>>>> You conveniently overlook that my minutes (airtime) continue to
 RW>>>> add up rather than go away.

 RB>>> So what? Do you get paid for the unused balance when you switch
 RB>>> providers? If not, my above comment stands.

 RW>> Your comment is from outer space.

 RB> You conveniently avoid answering the question.

Let's see if I can make one from outter space then. If you drop one
provider for another, you lose any minutes you have with the former and
are given new minutes from the new provider. That also applies to a
pay-as-you-go cellphone.

From outter space, I'm mooning you now.
                   _____
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 RW>>>> Have you ever heard the old saying that 'some people will never
 RW>>>> believe anything someone else tells them because they already know
 RW>>>> it all'?

 RB>>> Yes, and I immediately thought of you. Interesting, isn't it?

 RW>> That was while you were looking at the know it all in the mirror of
 RW>> course.

 RB> No, my mirror is one of those things where you can look through from
 RB> my side and see someone else.

Ahhh, an imaginary mirror that serves as a window to your past.

 RB> Ever wonder about the funny bluish color of your mirror when you
 RB> shave in the morning?

No, mine isn't one of those inferior mirrors like yours.

 RB>  That's me behind it. And believe me, it ruins my breakfast every day
 RB> - imagine looking at something like that before your first cup of
 RB> coffee in the morning ;-((((

I'd have a hard time with the first cup of coffee in the morning if I had
a face like yours too.

 RB>>>>> In Germany, the charges for fixed-line calls are _much_ lower
 RB>>>>> than for any cellphone rate (prepaid or contract), so only people
 RB>>>>> who rarely call anyone find it practical to do without a land
 RB>>>>> line.

 RW>>>> Just the opposite here. Even with the bare minimum landline
 RW>>>> service in the US, it costs more than half as much as a cell
 RW>>>> phone, which can be used anywhere.

 RB>>> Did you mean "more than twice" instead of "more than half" above?

 RW>> No. More than half as much, is pretty clear to me. If you pay 40 EU
 RW>> for something and then you pay 22 EU for something else, isn't the
 RW>> latter more than half as much?

 RB> Except that if you meant that, your above quote would mean that the
 RB> land line was half the price of the cellphone.

You are dense. The land line IS more than half the price of the cellphone.

 RB> That's why I asked. What you mean is still unclear, but I assume my
 RB> interpretation is correct since otherwise your statement would make
 RB> no sense.

Over your head in any case.

 RB>>> Otherwise I don't think I understand you. Anyway, I suppose it's
 RB>>> cheaper to build a few transmission towers than to string land
 RB>>> lines,

 RW>> Especially when the price of copper is at a very high level. Not to
 RW>> mention that people actually steal that wire.

 RB> I've read about that, and not only in the States... there was also a
 RB> case in Australia, as I remember. Incredible.

One thief here got himself a jolt when he entered a power station to steal
copper wire. They found him cooked and hanging from the wire.

 RB>>> and in a place like the USA, with a huge area and many sparsely
 RB>>> populated places, it would be logical that cellphone service would
 RB>>> be cheaper than a land line (except in a metropolitan area).

 RW>> That applies to San Antonio, which is a metropolitan area.

 RB> Which again confuses me, as I would expect a land line would be
 RB> cheaper there for the reasons given above. On the other hand, a
 RB> cellphone might be cheaper in West Texas, where prarie dogs are more
 RB> common than humans.

The last day of the landline is on the horizon while the day of the
cellphone has yet to peak. The next best communications device will be
telepathy by way of implants.

                R\%/itt

 "Peltier was responsible for the close range execution of FBI agents..."
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