Friday, September 29, 2006

Worst Purchase EVER - My Phone

Once in a while we all just "HAVE to Have" something. I do this mainly with electronic stuff, and generally it works out well and I'm happy with the purchase.

However 5 months ago when I got the Treo 700w when it first came out from Verizon Wireless, I had made a terrible mistake. Unlike my "Have to Have" cameras or tablet pc, this phone came with a contract.

I've had my phone for about five months now, and here is what I've paid so far for the phone and phone bills:

Because I just HAD to have this phone immediately, I irrationally accepted the high monthly fees, high starting costs and the expensive low-end service plan. The high overages were part part Verizon's fault for screwing up an order for a larger plan, and part my fault for being irresponsible. However in the end I'm paying the (very expensive) price of an emotionally driven purchase.

I went from loving this phone to hating it, as graphically portrayed here:

I don't actually hate the phone itself, just what it represents. I rank this as my WORST PURCHASE EVER.

LESSON I LEARNED:
"Have to Have" purchases aren't always bad, but when irrational thinking muddles the details of a contract, beware.
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14 comments:

  1. Anonymous6:51 PM

    Switch to T-Mobile, I'm paying a little less than $60/month after taxes and fees.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous6:58 PM

    for those who use their phone very little, cingular's pay-as-you-go $.25/min in a $100/365day quantity gives you about a half hour per month of airtime for under $9/mo.

    not for everyone, but probably the best deal for occasional use.

    personally, upon receipt of a $772 cell phone bill, i'd throw said device in a nearby body of water.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lazy Man and Money8:17 PM

    I've had every Palm Treo there is. The key is to buy through Sprint. I have been there long enough to get some special deals that the average consumer wouldn't, but it still has a $15 high speed data plan where Verizon charges something like $40. That savings alone is big - I've never paid more than $40 a month for phone service.

    The Treo's are also much cheaper if you can use the new contract discount (Sprint allows you $150 for phone upgrades every two years), and you sell a previous Treo. There are ways to make it work, you just have to be really creative.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9:32 PM

    It's sucks that you got all emo and wasted some cash-money. Maybe you should look at being on the other side... there's alost of money to be made by customizing high-end phones.


    LOOPY
    www.betathetapi.net

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous2:00 AM

    Have to haves are always expensive, especially if they are brand new. Patience can save a lot of money here. This is especially true with electronics (including, as you have seen, phones).

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous4:34 AM

    Invest in CSHD toDAY!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous6:47 AM

    CANCEL THE SERVICE.

    I just cancelled our cell phone plan with Verizon and it was $175 per phone. It sounds like it would be more than worth it for you.

    gt,
    Reid

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous7:38 AM

    Nev,

    Nice blog. I did what a previous poster suggested, threw my cell phone in a nearby lake. I HATE Sprint, and getting a monthly bill for a telelphone just makes me sick. I haven't gone back to the pay-phone, (yet) but I did purchase the Vonage USB "phone on the go" stick, and now I can call from my laptop. If anyone needs to get a hold of me when I'm away, they can leave a msg.

    It's like I got out of jail when I ditched cellular service. FREEDOM!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous11:10 AM

    I thought you were all about saving money. Fools pay thousands to have a cell phone. I get unlimited internet access and plenty of minutes for 70 bucks hahahahahaha. You dont make any sense.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous11:52 AM

    Neville,

    great site man. it's nice to see more people financially conscious these days. I also think you have a unique spin going on in the right-hand column of this blog in stating your income each month.

    You should def. place a few ads on your site. your site is about bringing in the cashflow right!? as long as they don't over crowd things you'll be good.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous12:45 PM

    Not to say, we told you so... but "We told you so.." read the comments from the post after you got the phone...

    "At 1:48 PM, Anonymous said...
    Getting a toy will not make you more "productive." People use things like this as crutches or excuses to spend money saying that, "if I only had XYZ I would get more done..." At the end of the day it all comes down to you making it happen."

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous9:48 AM

    that's a lot of money to be blowing on a gadget

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous12:21 AM

    So do you have at least 3 separate sources of income totaling over $6,500 per month.

    ???

    You should.

    RICHGUY
    www.gmail-lite.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous4:46 PM

    Same here

    When the blackberry phone came out I had to have it.

    If I had patience, I would have waited at least 6 months,

    The first 3 months cost me a bundle nearly a $1000 dollars

    ReplyDelete

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