TELECOM Moderator <telecom@eecs.nwu.edu> (04/07/91)
Has the bottom dropped out of the cellular phone market? I cannot imagine it has, yet consider these pending offers in Chicago from Ameritech and Cellular One: Cellular phones for $29 at the Ace Hardware chain. Or, should you want something a little more fancy, the Motorola bag phone, with an Ameritech label on the front of it for $49. Minimum commitment to Ameritech is six months. And what do you have to pay per month? For $29, you get 40 minutes of time to use day or night as you wish ... additional non-prime minutes are 4 (yes, four) cents each! Prime minutes are 40 cents each. Cellular One has the same offer, and in theirs you get the first thirty days of non-prime time free. All the non-prime usage you want at no charge. In both the Cellular One and Ameritech offers, the $29 also gets you two months of custom calling free. Those guys must really be scraping for new customers! PAT
rborow@bcm1a09.attmail.com (04/09/91)
Now, Pat, do you really think Cellular One and Ameritech Mobile are truly scraping for customers? On the contrary, I believe they are simply trying to rope the customers in: make great offers (short-term, they're great deals), but make subscribers commit to a time period of service (long-term, costly to customers but $$$ for the cellular companies). I've noticed here in Chicago's suburbs that within the last 12 months, I have seen more and more cars with those recognizable cellular antennas protruding from the back of their vehicles. It's obvious that mobile phones are no longer considered a luxury for the rich only, but a necessity or desired tool for the not-so-rich (like myself -- do you know how many times my old car has broken down and the phone has saved the day?). Randy Borow AT&T Communications Rolling Meadows, IL.
ROMANSKI@ucf1vm.cc.ucf.edu (04/10/91)
Speaking of scraping for customers; here in west central Florida, we
have a price war going on between some "trunkers" for phone jack
installs. I've been following this saga in our local paper for a few
months now. (Abbreviated classified ads):
Trunker 1: jacks= $25.00. Next day; Trunker 2 enters picture: jacks= $24.95.
Two weeks later; Trunker 1: jacks=$20.00. Trunker 2: jacks= $19.95.
One month later; Trunker 3 enters picture: jacks= $20.00, catv outlets=
$30.00 and up. Trunkers 1 & 2: remain the same.
Two days later; Trunker 1: jacks= $19.00, catv= $30.00. Trunker 2:
jacks= $19.95, catv= $30.00. Trunker 3 remains the same.
One week later; Trunker 1 remains the same. Trunker 2: jacks= $15.00,
catv= $30.00. Trunker 3 remains the same.
What are other Trunker prices like in other parts of the country? I
have lots of IBM type II cable outlets to be installed here. I'm
thinking of calling the $15.00 per jack guy! Or, maybe I should wait
until the prices drop more?
BTW, our definition of a Trunker down here is generally someone who
went to a certain "un-named" electronics chain, bought their book on
"HOW TO INSTALL YOUR OWN PHONES", and works out of the trunk of his
bomber. This guy will on occasion try to add jacks to Key Systems and
hose everything up.
** BEWARE OF THE TRUNKER, HE'S EVERYWHERE!!!! **
PS: Hope I haven't offended any of you on the net. (Disclaimer)David Albert <albert@das.harvard.edu> (04/11/91)
> Now, Pat, do you really think Cellular One and Ameritech Mobile are > truly scraping for customers? On the contrary, I believe they are > simply trying to rope the customers in.... In the April 10th {Boston Globe}, NYNEX advertises a FREE cellular phone. The deal is that you pay $295 for the telephone and sign up for one year of service (which, they say, can cost as little as $171 for the whole year if you prepay). At the end of the year you get your $295 back. So, of course, the phone isn't really free. In fact, it costs just about $29 (assuming you could get 10% a year on your investment) -- plus service, of course. David Albert UUCP: ...!harvard!albert INTERNET: albert@harvard.edu
king@uunet.uu.net> (04/16/91)
In article <telecom11.284.9@eecs.nwu.edu> albert@das.harvard.edu (David Albert) writes: > In the April 10th {Boston Globe}, NYNEX advertises a FREE cellular > phone. One of the providers in Chicago (Cell One or Ameritech; not having a cell phone myself I don't pay much attention to who's who) was offering a "free" cellular phone deal. Actually, it was a zero-fee rental agreement. Of course, if you ever moved or switched providers you'd have to give the phone back ... I don't recall the terms of the lease, or how much you paid per month, per minute, etc. Steven King, Motorola Cellular (...uunet!motcid!king) [Moderator's Note: They've both had deals like that from time to time, or similar things with variations. Some deals are okay, others border on sleaze, like the ones Fretters is always coming up with. I think you are just as well off buying the phone at the normal rate and making your own arrangements for service. Speaking of cellular service, I was sort of disappointed in Cellular One / Chicago's performance on my recent trip. I'll discuss it more later on. PAT]