Phone Bills should have a Cap

I'll just post this as kind of a heads up to anyone reading a high cost cell thread.

Google came out with a new service called google voice. To my knowledge, it is free if you accept the number they give you, however you can port your old phone number to the service for like 25 dollars.

The service is free for domestic calls and texts, but it piggybacks off of your current data, or you can only use it on WIFI.

Many first world countries are between .01 and .03 a minute.

So if you have home internet and do most of your talking at home, or somewhere with WIFI, you can have the app on your phone and make the calls via Google voice.

I personally use Google voice, so if anyone has any further questions feel free to ask.


I got it because Sprint ran a black Friday deal where if you are a new customer you could get a new LG V40 for 20$ a month for 18 months (for a 1000 dollar phone) and they buy it out from you after that for like 200 dollars. It came with a free 49 inch 4K TV thought.... But I was already a customer, so I cancelled my plan, ported my number to Google voice and got a new number.

So my cellphone has 2 numbers, I decided to use the new one for work and my old one is personal on Google voice, but I have unlimited data so I can use it whenever I want.

a reply to: CriticalStinker

Free phone service by google.......

Wonder what they "get" out of it.

No thanks, I'll let them mine their data someplace else.

originally posted by: MisterSpock
a reply to: CriticalStinker

Free phone service by google.......

Wonder what they "get" out of it.

No thanks, I'll let them mine their data someplace else.

Using a cell phone isn't much different.

3rd parties get access to information via the cell phone company or backdoor programming all the time.

While I hate the practice of it... There is not much you can do to avoid it other than being off the grid to some degree.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker

originally posted by: MisterSpock
a reply to: CriticalStinker

Free phone service by google.......

Wonder what they "get" out of it.

No thanks, I'll let them mine their data someplace else.

Using a cell phone isn't much different.

3rd parties get access to information via the cell phone company or backdoor programming all the time.

While I hate the practice of it... There is not much you can do to avoid it other than being off the grid to some degree.

Sure the providers give info to 3rd parties.

Probably not as bad as what google is doing, which I assume is recording EVERY WORD you say and storing it/analyzing it. Building databases and deeper profiles on people and of course selling the information.

a reply to: Akragon

WOW what country does your friend live in?!

I'm in the states and I pay $80 for unlimited everything. In today's day and age no phone should cost $1500! That is definite robbery!

a reply to: Akragon

This is a good example of the downside of capitalism. Pharmaceuticals are another good example.

I definitely agree with you and I'm equally angry about the insane level of greed in business.

This brought to mind Bezos' recent rate increase for Amazon Prime. He is a multi-billionaire. He didn't need to raise the price. He did it because he's a greedy SOB.

a reply to: MisterSpock

Sadly, you're probably right.

Amazon and Google are probably doing the same while you're in someone's house that has the voice activated speakers.

My calls and texts are typically not anything I'd be petrified if exposed... Conversations in private could be different.

a reply to: Akragon


If someone is screwing with her plan she needs to file a complaint with the FCC.

More than likely she had the wrong plan for her!

Shopping around is key!

I prefer Verizon; have a teenager so the unlimited plan is a must.

a reply to: Akragon

I had a similar thing happen to me back around 2009.

I got on a plan for the just released iphone 3g and ended up going over my data limit by more than a gig. Me being so naive as to assume they'd shut it down once I reached my limit, or at least just slow it down to a crawl and not charge extra.

But no! Not even a text to inform me I'd reached my data limit... Just a bill at the end of a month charging me more than a dollar for every megabyte I went over my limit, which came to over $1500.

I rang em and told them they could either charge me a reasonable amount or they'd never see a cent... They obviously declined.

So I kept their phone and got a pre-paid sim card... and they never saw a cent!

They must be making a fortune from people who just allow these companies to extort them like that.

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
a reply to: Akragon

I had a similar thing happen to me back around 2009.

I got on a plan for the just released iphone 3g and ended up going over my data limit by more than a gig. Me being so naive as to assume they'd shut it down once I reached my limit, or at least just slow it down to a crawl and not charge extra.

But no! Not even a text to inform me I'd reached my data limit... Just a bill at the end of a month charging me more than a dollar for every megabyte I went over my limit, which came to over $1500.

I rang em and told them they could either charge me a reasonable amount or they'd never see a cent... They obviously declined.

So I kept their phone and got a pre-paid sim card... and they never saw a cent!

They must be making a fortune from people who just allow these companies to extort them like that.

Your post is pretty much everything wrong with a good number of people I meet currently:

1. You knowingly went into an agreement.
2. You didn't fulfill your part of the agreement which was staying under your data cap.
3. Company you went into agreement with charged you for that .
4. Cry , complain and stomp your feet to get your way.
5. Be proud for taking it to the man because it's never your fault since they should have notified you when you didn't do your part.

a reply to: opethPA

How can you seriously sit there and defend these unscrupulous business practices?

I got news for ya, as hard as it might be for you to believe, some people simply don't have a bloody attorney on hand to break down the 30 pages of fine print every time they purchase a new phone or data plan! Which I'm sure they generally rely on.

I mean fair enough, you've gotta do some research before signing up to these things and if you go over your limit, you've obviously got to expect a few extra charges... But if their not gonna warn you that you've gone over your limit and charge ya what could probably feed some random african village for a month straight for going a few megabyte over, then that s# needs to be made perfectly clear in large bullet point text before selling the plan to people!

imo, it's a disgrace that these companies get away these predatory business practices... and it's even more disgraceful that there's people that would actually defend it.

a reply to: Akragon

I have the granddad plan in the uk House phone, broadband 15 gb and cell /mobile phone unlimited minutes ,text and 1/2 gb of data for £ 17 or $ 30 Canadian . i regularly use 30-50 gb of data on the computer downloading and have never been billed more for it .

I did one time stupidly phone a helpline number and got billed a extra 8 pounds but i can use the mobile wifi to download UNLIMITED data and can give it to 15 people to do the same

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
a reply to: opethPA

How can you seriously sit there and defend these unscrupulous business practices?

I got news for ya, as hard as it might be for you to believe, some people simply don't have a bloody attorney on hand to break down the 30 pages of fine print every time they purchase a new phone or data plan! Which I'm sure they generally rely on.

I mean fair enough, you've gotta do some research before signing up to these things and if you go over your limit, you've obviously got to expect a few extra charges... But if their not gonna warn you that you've gone over your limit and charge ya what could probably feed some random african village for a month straight for going a few megabyte over, then that s# needs to be made perfectly clear in large bullet point text before selling the plan to people!

imo, it's a disgrace that these companies get away these predatory business practices... and it's even more disgraceful that there's people that would actually defend it.

Im not defending either side I just know I am a firm believer in personal accountability and on every phone since data threshold became a thing there is or was a way to set up alerts when you got near your limit.

Put a cap on a phone bill?

Okay, consider this: would you fill up at a fuel station that charges $12 per gallon gas?

Probably not.

But if people are filling up there--it's not price gouging on the part of the owner of the station. Those customers could easily buy their fuel where you and I do, and save money. But they're too stupid to realize they're getting ripped off.

originally posted by: TheTruthRocks
Put a cap on a phone bill?

Okay, consider this: would you fill up at a fuel station that charges $12 per gallon gas?

Probably not.

But if people are filling up there--it's not price gouging on the part of the owner of the station. Those customers could easily buy their fuel where you and I do, and save money. But they're too stupid to realize they're getting ripped off.

Bad example, actually. Fuel gouging counts on people not knowing they're overpaying. In Orlando, FL, there's a gas station next to Orlando International that gouges TF out of passengers fueling there. They COUNT on people, especially foreigners, being too stupid or ignorant to know they're gouging them. Locals, and most Floridians in general, know the station, but out-of-staters & foreigners definitely don't and don't know they're being screwed.

Never fill up at Suncoast Energys gas station near Orlando Intl. As far as I know, they're still not posting prices and still charge an arm & a leg. A friend of mine down there had out-of-state relatives fly in via Orlando and they paid $6 a gallon a few weeks ago. They had no idea they got ripped off until they started driving and passed other stations further away. That's highway robbery of the Nth degree, and highly likely the most expensive station in the US, too.

I have an idea that cell phone towers is what runs the monthly cell bill so high. Maybe after all the towers are built that are needed the monthly service cost will come down but I doubt it. Nothing ever comes down in price it seems.

I wonder what just one cell tower costs?

As a former customer service rep for a phone company the best thing you can do is never take your phone out of the country. The roaming phone companies will bill you for everything and anything. Even just powering up the phone will incur a charge if it connects to their network.

For long term international travel get a local burner phone. Use email and Internet cafes when you can. If it would work take out the sim card and just use the phone as a web browser on hotspots.

Just never allow the phone to connect to roaming phone services or it will cost you.

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
a reply to: opethPA

How can you seriously sit there and defend these unscrupulous business practices?

I got news for ya, as hard as it might be for you to believe, some people simply don't have a bloody attorney on hand to break down the 30 pages of fine print every time they purchase a new phone or data plan! Which I'm sure they generally rely on.

I mean fair enough, you've gotta do some research before signing up to these things and if you go over your limit, you've obviously got to expect a few extra charges... But if their not gonna warn you that you've gone over your limit and charge ya what could probably feed some random african village for a month straight for going a few megabyte over, then that s# needs to be made perfectly clear in large bullet point text before selling the plan to people!

imo, it's a disgrace that these companies get away these predatory business practices... and it's even more disgraceful that there's people that would actually defend it.

I've seen all phones since the Iphone 3 and Galaxy S3 have a data counter that is built into the hardware and it will warn you when your near your limit and even turn off data when you reach it. This excuse that "it's their fault, not mine" is just the standard run of the mill, take no responsibility. Even the cheap and inexpenisve phones have this feature from what I have seen, so unless you had some knockoff (which I suspect even has this feature since it is a very simple feature) then I'm sure you had this feature.

There are even apps that can track data usage on the phone.

As far as the contact, IDK of one person who "has a lawyer" to review the contract and they all seem to make out OK, so is this just another "pass the blame" game, or are you just dead set against blaming others for your mistake?

originally posted by: DigginFoTroof

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
a reply to: opethPA

How can you seriously sit there and defend these unscrupulous business practices?

I got news for ya, as hard as it might be for you to believe, some people simply don't have a bloody attorney on hand to break down the 30 pages of fine print every time they purchase a new phone or data plan! Which I'm sure they generally rely on.

I mean fair enough, you've gotta do some research before signing up to these things and if you go over your limit, you've obviously got to expect a few extra charges... But if their not gonna warn you that you've gone over your limit and charge ya what could probably feed some random african village for a month straight for going a few megabyte over, then that s# needs to be made perfectly clear in large bullet point text before selling the plan to people!

imo, it's a disgrace that these companies get away these predatory business practices... and it's even more disgraceful that there's people that would actually defend it.

I've seen all phones since the Iphone 3 and Galaxy S3 have a data counter that is built into the hardware and it will warn you when your near your limit and even turn off data when you reach it. This excuse that "it's their fault, not mine" is just the standard run of the mill, take no responsibility. Even the cheap and inexpenisve phones have this feature from what I have seen, so unless you had some knockoff (which I suspect even has this feature since it is a very simple feature) then I'm sure you had this feature.

There are even apps that can track data usage on the phone.

As far as the contact, IDK of one person who "has a lawyer" to review the contract and they all seem to make out OK, so is this just another "pass the blame" game, or are you just dead set against blaming others for your mistake?

Indeed I don't remember a time when i went past the limits, i posted before on this thread about how there must be something else going on and i feel that's what's going on

i mean how can you go past 1000 a month and not be aware of it at all until the bill comes?

a reply to: MisterSpock

dont see how its possible either

75 bones for two lines unlimited.
use about 4 gigs a month and i watch a lot of fights