Go-Go Gadget Go Phone?

RedMageDarion

I don't have a cell phone.

I've been thinking about getting one.

I don't talk much, so I'm wondering if a Go Phone is probably the way to go?

If you guys think I should get one, help me out here.

Where do I get it? Is it any good? Is it a ripoff? Will it get me laid?

For argument's sake, let's say I'd do 20-30 minutes of cellphone talking (at most) per month.

AresProphet

If you're really only going to use it that much, GoPhone isnt a bad deal. Just pay attention to coverage maps, because the pay-as-you-go one gets terrible coverage in many, many areas. You basically don't get any roaming, period. Not as in, you pay more to roam. As in, your phone won't work. I remember a customer who told me he didn't appreciate my "scare tactic" about coverage, bought the PAYGO anyway, and then returned completely pissed at me when his phone did not work where I told him that it wouldn't work.

Don't buy the cheapest phone available, because it always is a piece of shit. They aren't making enough money off you to sell you a decent one at a good price. You'll possibly have it for a year+, saving $40 and hating your phone for that long isn't worth the frustration. I say this as someone who was too cheap to replace my awesome phone when it died after I left AT&T, bought a cheap replacement instead, and am now too broke to replace this phone that I hate so fucking much.

When you do get a cell phone you will talk a lot more than you think you'll talk, because hey it's there in your pocket. If you are between 10 and 25 you are going to get/send a lot of texts, lots of inane, pointless, annoying ones that jesus christ people don't you have anything better to do than waste texts all day?

Texting on a GoPhone will rape your wallet, and no, your friends probably won't stop texting you if you ask. Just accept this. If you have texting turned off, your friends will hate you because they don't want to talk to you, they just want to text. Bunch of antisocial fucks.

Sorry, where was I.

Good news is, if you get a GoPhone and you're putting less than about $45 a month into it, you're still ahead of the game. $45 is a pretty good chunk of talking and texting. If you're paying any more than that the contract plans are a better deal, if you don't need to put down a deposit. There's also the Pick-your-Plan GoPhone which is somewhere in between, better coverage and per-minute costs than the Pay-As-You-Go, no deposit or contract like regular plans. And again, don't skimp on the phone. They sell you a shitty phone at the lowest price level for a reason.

Just be prepared to spend more than you think you're going to have to pay. The guys at any cell phone store/counter/kiosk will never tell you the real cost of your cell phone, which will piss you off and make you a bitter customer. I tried to brace customers for the possibility that yes, they might use more minutes in a given month and yes they might break their phone. If you get a cell phone looking to spend as little as humanly possible you will be disappointed and frustrated.

Do go to an AT&T (or whatever carrier you pick) corporate store. You can tell if it's a corporate location by going to their store locator, if it says Authorized Retailer then it's not. Some indirect stores aren't bad (I tried) but you'll probably get smarter/friendlier people at a corporate store, because they actually have standards.