http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/ Engadget Comments for The obvious truth about text messaging: you're getting ripped off http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
Carriers could easily include unlimited messaging within their unlimited data plans and not charge a penny more. And why not? We're transmitting more data when online and emailing than with a stupid little SMS. But of course, they do nickel and dime like we're still stuck in the early 90's..

The first carrier who offers unlimited messaging as a part of their data plans without charging extra, will get an enormous amount of business, because wireless prices are already completely out of control. AT&T charging $125 USD per month for 900 anytime minutes, unlim. data, and unlim. messaging? Ridiculous.

What else can be said? Wireless carriers suck.]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
Ummm.... sprint does that.... and has been doing it for years.]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:53PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/In my area (MD) sprint's network is so bad it's not worth saving 30$/month to switch over.]]>Dec 28th 2008 11:34PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/i believe carriers has been doing unlimited everything for 99 bux.
im looking at Sprint now. its $99 for unlimited everything: voice, data, tv, text......

http://nextelonline.nextel.com/NASApp/onlinestore/en/Action/DisplayPlans?filterString=Individual_Plans_Filter&id12=CHP_PlansTab_Link_IndividualPlans
]]>Dec 29th 2008 8:42AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
Eg.
If your an early iPhone adopter like myself your bill would come up like this
$60 gives you:
250 daytime minutes
unlim. evenings/weekends (after 9pm)
visual voicemail
500mb data
+$30 for:
5.5gigs (6 gig total incl. your original 500mb)
+$15 for:
call display
ultd text messaging
+ 6.95
System access fee
Monthly Bill: $111.95x13% (tax in Ontario)
Total: $126.50

I`d gladly take your $125 plan over mine...

]]>Dec 29th 2008 12:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/

Snap, at a 13% sales tax, you're getting raped, cellular carriers aside.]]>Dec 29th 2008 12:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
Hell yes, I agree. With T-Mob, I am dropping $30 for my 'berry data package + enterprise, and it doesn't even include text...an extra ten bones a month. Rubbish.

The good news is that email and BB messenger have really lowered my amount of texts. Either way, it is highway robbery. ]]>Dec 29th 2008 1:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
I think paying 11 cents a text will do me.]]>Dec 29th 2008 2:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
Isn't the US all about free market? Stop bending over!]]>Dec 29th 2008 3:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
Hell Baltimore was one of the first cities with EVDO Rev A.

Sprint's network in MD "sucking" is FUD. Stop stupidly spreading it.]]>Dec 29th 2008 7:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Thing is, unlimited messaging is $19.99 for a single line, or $29.99 for the whole family (up to 5 lines)
Do the math.

And for all the people complaining about contract costs generally:

I'm splitting the bill with 3 other people (family plan), I get unlimited nights and weekends, a pool of 750 minutes per month (rolled over up to 12 months), *unlimited messaging* [instant messaging on AOL, MSN, Yahoo etc, picture/video/audio messaging (any MMS under 300kb per message; over that is 1c per kb...)], unlimited calls to other mobiles, and I use free wi-fi hotspots all over the place so I never pay for data...

Oh, all that sets me back a total of $30 per month (splitting the bill 4 ways, equally)
Go ahead, criticize AT&T for customer service,
but really, I don't believe its possible to beat that price. It was on a contract signed midway through this year, and there are no corporate discounts etc applied to that.]]>Dec 29th 2008 8:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 29th 2008 9:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
T-Mobile: 700 min, 4 lines, unlimited text (no data cap for MMS), unlimited CALLING on any Wi-Fi network. $30 a month (per line). Say what you want about T-mobile, but you cant beat their prices...]]>Dec 29th 2008 10:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 29th 2008 12:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
"Ummm.... sprint does that.... and has been doing it for years."


Ummm.... yeah, jeff, I'm sure they do. But ummm... that's one carrier, not all carriers. And I have no interest in Sprint.]]>Dec 30th 2008 4:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 29th 2008 2:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 29th 2008 4:51AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 29th 2008 5:03AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Maybe you need a life.]]>Dec 28th 2008 11:19PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 11:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 11:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
I mean, I'm paying the no-nickel-and-diming fee!]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
I mean... we could be spending time looking into people getting ripped off $10-$20.... or you know... fix shit.

Where was all this effort into price gouging research when Gas was $4 a gallon? Whatever, now we get to laugh at OPEC for awhile. It feels good, and we didn't need a gov't to do it... we just needed the economy to collapse.

]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:21PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
But $9.99/mo gets me Vdiming]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 29th 2008 1:09AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
actually, the price of gas was driven up by speculators due to the conflict in iraq. They were afraid the drilling stations were going to be destroyed, so the companies upped the price. There wasn't ever a crisis, just the appearance of one.]]>Dec 29th 2008 2:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 29th 2008 3:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
Text messages are a different story. They are charging you what you are willing to pay, not what it costs them. It's a common thing to do, and it happens particularly in markets where there is not much competition.

It might be worth investigating if there is collusion on price but I don't even think they'd need to explicitly conspire, one operator sneakily raises the fees and the others just follow suit. ]]>Dec 28th 2008 11:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 29th 2008 12:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
I find this appropraite only because I've been out drinking, and on my way back home I gave 57 cents to a homelss man infornt of a high end restaurant. From the depths of this establishment emergeed 2 weomen who light up their cigarettes, and witnessing my paltry donation asked the elderly man:

"Aren't you ashamed?"

and I wonder why i don't want to get out of bed in the morningss.....]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 11:06PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
Many of the homeless people in Vancouver are there because of substance dependence. Without trying to sound high and mighy, they're the only people responsible for the choices they've made to get there. I'm all for donating to organizations that help rehabilitate them, and get them out of the downward spiral of substance abuse, but I cannot, in good conscience give them change on the street. I know that the money I give them will go either to more drugs, or to food because they spent all their other money on drugs. It's a sad reality, and it breaks my heart to turn them down. (Although I rarely have change anyways.)

What really bugs me is when they get persistent. I've had one man refuse to leave until I turned out my pockets and showed him my coin-and-bill-less wallet.

So I'm all for helping the homeless, but I don't think that giving them change will help their situation at all.]]>Dec 29th 2008 12:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
I understand where you are coming from. As a former Vancouver resident and lover of B.C. I have given plenty of change to the homeless of Vancouver. I gave and gave until I realized that I kept giving to the same people day after day.

Eventually I found a solution.

One drunken evening in front of The Camby I was asked for a dollar, to which I replied "I was just about to ask you the same thing man."

I used that every time and eventually they learned to leave me alone. The permanent fix may be to just quit frequenting the shit-hole areas of Vancouver (Gastown).

Are we all getting raped by the high cost of text messaging, of course we are.

We just cant do a damn thing about it.
]]>Dec 29th 2008 4:00AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/155590/?tag=Change

Sorry, I just had to.]]>Dec 29th 2008 7:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
Hey Senator Kohl, before you start complaining about SMS prices why don't you ask yourself why you are charging so much for tickets to see the pathetic Milwaukee Bucks.

Maybe the Senate needs to start looking into drug use in the NBA or the price to earnings ratio for NBA team owners?

Shut the eff up Congress. Haven't you caused enough pain and suffering?]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:11PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:23PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 10:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/I couldn't live without a cell phone tbh, but a life without texting wouldn't be the worse thing :P]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:30PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/
We are not enforced to send text messages, right. But when we receive text messages, we STILL GET BILLED (USA, Verizon, $20 a message sent/received).

I can not tell all of my friends to stop sending me text messages. Not only it is unethical, it is simply impossible. So the only choice I have is to pay $0.20/message or get a message bundle for additional $5-up a month. Exactly what TFA is about.]]>Dec 28th 2008 10:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 28th 2008 11:35PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/http://www.engadget.com/2008/12/28/the-truth-about-text-messaging-youre-getting-ripped-off/Dec 29th 2008 7:38AM