Mobile phones, what is your opinion?

[hamster]

(Where's our birthday monitor? Not got up yet on this Sunday morning??? )

Busy weekend... Also, yugogypsy, I wished you a happy birthday before reading your memo, so you're stuck with our good wishes I'm afraid!

It was useful at uni for keeping in touch with my parents and stuff. In first year, there was a payphone in the building but it was in the TV room and not v private, so it was nice to be able to talk to my parents in my room without the constant sound of football or the OC or whatever.

Now I have one cos work needs to be able to contact me when I'm out on events and stuff (though I'm sure everybody managed perfectly well 10 years ago) but I don't really like it. I also resent having a contract when I already pay for access to a phone line through the landline (and I'm not getting rid of that or the internet) and am seriously thinking of going back to pay as you go when it runs out. I also get a glorious and anarchic sense of freedom whenever I don't have it - left it at some friends' just before Christmas and couldn't get it back till about January 12th - best fortnight ever. I just said to people, 'I will meet you here at x time' and they were there. None of this, 'Ooh, I'll ring you when I'm nearly there and find out where you are,' nonsense.

[mrsflibble]

Had one 7 years now and I find it useful. I wont use it if I'm paying for things and only use it on public transport as an emergency thing like "mum, I'm stuck at Marks tey, please come get me!!". My hubby got one in 2004 under duress but he's never looked back either. We're both on contract now after many years of P+G, and it costs us less than when we were on P+G so it's good for us. I find it useful, and as for being uncontactablke... THAT'S WHAT THE OFF BUTTON IS FOR!!!

[the.fee.fairy]

I love my mobile...

BUT i don't use it when i'm talking to someone else, or when i'm paying for things as that's rude.

I work unsociable hours, so it is mighty handy for getting texts on, because then i can read them when i have a break. It also means that i can see who's calling, so i know whether its going to be urgent or not. I work til 11 at night, so people tend to phone/text me from 6ish...when they've finished work. I usually have it on silent (or with a birdsong ringtone) so its not distracting. I work in a team with one phone between us all, so its much easier for people to contact me by mobile than by work landline.

I do have PAYG, i used to have a contract, but i cut the cost by 3/4 by switching to PAYG. I now use my mobile more than my landline, and i find it easier to contact people if meeting them somewhere by phone (like, in the middle of festivals and stuff, not in general day to day life).

[mrsflibble]

forgot to mention, james uses the camera on his phone if he can't describe to other technicians/work out what's wrong with a train part... he can then say "the bit connecting the flobblegrommit to the ganglypin, that rubber gaitor bit, yeah that bit *flashes mobile*" and his colleagues understand what he's going on about.

[yugogypsy]

Yes, they can be very handy, but I still hate mine and wish I hadn't got it, because in the end its just another darn bill to pay when I already have too many

I object to the fact I have a camera in it-so what, I can show people a picture of my horse-well DUH , everyone knows what a horse looks like.

I am going to be phoning the cel place in the morning and asking if I can switch to PAYG because I don't want the damn contract when I hate the phone and don't want to use it any more than possible.

Needless to say, the first person to suggest I get one when my car broke ain't too popular either

HE can't be bothered to answer his mobile half the time so if the car broke and he had his phone off, he'd be no help anyhow!

Lois

[Millymollymandy]

I have one for emergencies and for calling my husband to say come and pick me up from places .

Finally I have a PAYG one because up until recently such things didn't exist in France and I wasted €30 every 3 months often without using the darn thing at all.

[Helsbells]

In The Good Life in the episode where Tom and Barbera are having their phone land line disconnected, the telephone disconnection man walks out of the house with Tom and Barbera's phone and Margo Leadbetter says something like "Oh dear you've had to let the phone go too" and the phone disconnecter man says "No madam, I am an ecentric millionairre, I get so many phone calls I have to carry my phone round with me"

To me this just shows how ludicrous the idea of having a mobile phone is (or at least was in the 1970's)

However I do indeed have a mobile phone.

[oldfella]

My daugther bought me one 5 years ago never did find out how to switch on

[andyt]

Lady Willow,....you are right, they are a blight! (Blimey,thats nearly Poet Laureat standard).

[marshlander]

Mine is PAYG too. OH bought me a big heavy thing years ago to keep in the car for emergencies. He felt unhappy about me travelling alone long distances (as I did for work back then). The 'phone I have now used to be my mums but it is light enough to carry in my handbag - still only used if I have a problem.

Surely it's the inconsiderate and indiscriminate use of mobile 'phones that's the real problem - people who leave them on in theatres and so on?

[Annpan]

I used to have one for work, I was on contract and it was cheaper than a landline - I lived in a bedsit with a payphoe in the hall - not private at all. I was self-employed and I did NEED a phone for work.

Then I didn't have one for 5 years until I was preggers and OH bought me a PAYG one which I barely use, I barely use my house phone either and I am always being berated for not answering. Frankly I am not a very sociable type and prefer not to chat all the time (except on 'ish )

Lois - it isn't that bad I do think it is a good comfort to know that you can phone someone in a minor emergency - ie, missed a bus, got a flat, etc - personally I prefer to think I'll never be in a real emergency You should have got a 'cooling off' period from the cell phone shop (they have to in UK I think) So you ought to be able to change your contract for PAYG, as you say, you do need to pay for the phone but in UK you can get a basic PAYG for about £15 ($30 -US - don't know what that is in canadian)
Not worth beating yourself up over - hope you had a good birthday

[yugogypsy]

Yes, the cel phone shop said to see them after the weekend if I wasn't happy with the phone.

I hope I can change to PAYG because then I can get minutes when I'm going on a long trip and put the thing in a drawer the rest of the time.

15 Euro is about $23.75 here, but most of the PAYG phones I've see are $50 at the lowest.

Birthday is not going well Annpan, people who were invited over have a million excuses and these are people not tied in to a Father's Day thing or anything else.

I got 1 e-card and my ex is going to buy me a coffee after he moves (at least we're still friends)

At least the weather has been nice all day, if it had rained I probably would have gone round the twist today.

Lois

[Turf cutter man]

that's one thing I have noticed since leaving england is the lack of people shouting one side conversations...

"I'M ON THE TRAIN." heard on the train, substitute the word train for Bus etc

What cereal do you want'" in the shop

or people having the most personal/intimate conversation in a loud voice while everyone who can hear it is supposed to pretend they can't

Waste of time. apart from real emergencies, can't most callls wait for ten minutes til you get to a real phone!

I did go throuh a stage many years ago of using one a lot and used to get a headache on the side of my head I held the phone.

GOOD thing about mobiles is in rural poorer countries for people to keep in genuine contact. Have also been used to organise uprisings/rebellions

If you tell people you don't have a mobile they look at you as if you are a loony!

[Russian Doll]

Yes, the cel phone shop said to see them after the weekend if I wasn't happy with the phone.

I hope I can change to PAYG because then I can get minutes when I'm going on a long trip and put the thing in a drawer the rest of the time.

15 Euro is about $23.75 here, but most of the PAYG phones I've see are $50 at the lowest.

Birthday is not going well Annpan, people who were invited over have a million excuses and these are people not tied in to a Father's Day thing or anything else.

I got 1 e-card and my ex is going to buy me a coffee after he moves (at least we're still friends)

At least the weather has been nice all day, if it had rained I probably would have gone round the twist today.

Lois

stupid question but does it have to be bought in canada...they have some nice virgin pay as you gos in the shop for twenty pounds...if you can use them i dont mind buying it and sending it out

[yugogypsy]

Yes, it does have to be bought in Canada. But thanks for the offer.

I will stay with this thing I got. I was out taking pictures with it this morning. My iris is starting to bloom, so I'll have to get the cord for uploading to the computer, then maybe I can get some shots from my Webshots collection over here

If I can ever figure out how to move pictures in here!

Lois[/img]