What Cell Phone Is Right For You?

Are you the kind of person, like me, that has to have the latest and the greatest? Or are you someone who simply wants something to get you help in an emergency? Choosing the right cell phone is important to make sure you have a good experience.

In a recent poll, it was found that most people would give up their home phone or land line before giving up their cell phones. This was not true just a few years ago. Keeping in touch with friends and family anywhere and at any time has become a necessity when a few years ago it was a luxury.

Today's cell phones have become more though. Almost anything you can do on a computer can now be done with a cell phone. Surfing the net, keeping track of finances and stocks, scheduling, real time directions and any number of other things. Because of this, the cell phones that are available have grown tremendously and it can be hard to decide what is best for you and your needs.

How can you decide then? You must decide first on your primary use. Will you simply be making calls? Is email on the go important to you? What about pictures, text messaging, music, games? Each of these things can be provided with cell phones. The trick is determining what is right for you.

Going to the cell phone store is not good enough. Sales people work on commission and because of this will try and sell you the most expensive phone they can, along with the extra charges for features you may not want or need. They are good at what they do and have the ability to make you think what you want is what they are trying to sell you. Only later, after you have gone beyond the return time will you realize that the choice you made was the wrong one.

Take the time to research phones and their capabilities. I suggest going to Phonescoop to compare phones.

The high end phones, or "data" phones offer the most extras. With the ability to surf the net and other high level capabilities, they also require a data plan to use it. This is on top of the rate plan that you agreed to. Once you agree to these extra fees for the data features, you cannot remove them in some cases, even if you change phones to one that does not offer the data feature. You must keep the data feature for the life of the contract. This is a recent change and the service providers tell you that they require it to ensure you get the best experience with your device. The real reason is revenue and profit. Service providers found that people were buying the high end devices but not adding the additional cost of the data feature. This prompted the recent change requiring the feature.

Make sure you know what you want before you go to the store and stick to it. If you do not want extra features such as text messaging, do not allow the sales person to talk you into it. Read the contract BEFORE you sign it. You would be surprised at what you are agreeing to when you blindly sign the contract. There are clauses such as mandatory arbitration which means you agree to arbitrate any disputes before you go to a lawyer. Another obscure clause is the agreement that a customer service agent can disconnect your service if you are rude or curse at them. Early Termination Fees apply in this case! Granted that clause is rarely enforced, but I have seen it happen.

Finally, know the return policy. Most providers only give you 14 days to return your device from the time of activation, not the time you get your phone. So, if you get it through the mail, you can subtract a few days. Returning the device is not as simple as it may seem. You must return it in "like new" condition, with everything that was included and in the original box. Loose the box and a restocking fee will be charged as agreed to in the contract. After canceling the line under the return policy, I recommend calling the provider the next day to ensure it was actually canceled by the store agent. Remember, they are on commission and will sometimes resort to drastic and even illegal measures to keep a sale. I will write more on this in another post.