the Cost of Shared Cell Phone Plans

Monthly charge for cell phone usage for two lines. This includes 700 shared minutes and unlimited nights and weekends and unlimited calling to our family phones. Nights start at 9pm. The basic 700 minut plan is $60 a month. On this bill there was $14 in usage charges for things like downloads. The text plans on one phone are $5 and one the other are $2.99. There is a $15 data fee for each phone as well.

I am fairly displeased with the bill. I did not request to have any additional services on my phone, yet I have apparently been continually billed for them. When we signed up, we requested one phone to have internet access and a text plan, and one to have neither. Somehow, both ended up with both and it appears we are stuck with them as we are in a contract.

For example, on this bill there is a plan for 250 text messages and only 17 were used. I am billed $15 a month for internet access that I have never used.

Additionally, we are receiving a significant amount of spam texts that are being charged onto that number.

We have both had problems with our phones that required a software upgrade. We had to take the phones to the store and drop them off for an hour to receive an new software plan. It was highly inconvenient to have to do- especially on two seperate phones on seperate occassions.

Additionally, they do not allow you to put your own information like ringtones on to the phone. You have to purchase them from their sponsored companies. Any games you download onto one phone are non-transferrable to another.

We have been locked into this particular company for many years. The problem is, that every time we want to upgrade our phone or change our plan, we have to restart the contract. We have yet to finish a contract to its end since we have had to alter the plan to accomodate different situations over the years. My advice is to research a company well before you start any plan with them, because it seems like you are with them for life once you commit.