Prorating (you may not have "any data to use" in the first few days of service) - The first month you begin your cellular service, it's critical to call customer service and find out your billing cycle date. Dial "611," to reach them free of charge. The first month you will likely have a shorter period than normal which is prorated. The tough part is that your included data (and/or minutes) are also prorated. Exceeding your allotment can be really expensive and it's really easy to do the first month. You get your brand new shiney toy out and play with it, not realizing you may not really have hardly any allocation to use the first few days of service. Your billing date is not usually tied to the day you start service and in fact can seem quite random. If you have the bad luck of starting service two days before the end of your billing cycle, you will only have about 3% of your normal allocation. I've started cellular service four times total, and in each case my billing date was 2 days after my startup. Coincidence? I don't think so. This is one of the more questionable cellular industry practices in my opinion. [If the vendor was sincerely interested in being fair to a new customer all they need to do is limit any overage in the first month to no more than a full month cost. No carrier handles things this way to my knowledge, so I find it hard to believe that any of them are really trying to remedy this common problem.]

Calls to customer service "611" are free - You can ask them any question. Calls to this special number do not use airtime or otherwise cost you anything. Got that new phone and really want to get using it? Write down some questions and call 611 to reach customer service free of charge. At the same time you can get used to using your new phone and its features at no cost to you. This may also be a good number to test your phone with, assuming it initially connects you to an automated system prior to reaching a live operator (which is typical). There may be other informational numbers that are free of charge. For example, "#MIN" (#646) and "#BAL" (#225) are automated methods to hear your minutes used and balance on Verizon. Some or all of these numbers may not work when roaming, but should not result in a roaming charge. I use #646 to test my phone even when roaming for this reason. The error message also tends to reveal the carrier's name you are roaming on, all without costing me anything. Other important details you can learn from an automated error message include whether or not you have enough usable signal to place a call at all and its quality in a particular area.

Program your Phone book with Useful Numbers - Your carrier should provide a 1800 customer service number which you should keep programmed into your phone. For example, 611 may not reach your carrier when you are roaming. I also keep other important numbers in my phone-book, including AAA/Tow Truck #, my bank, and Free411 (1800-373-3411).

Programming Numbers and Voice mail: When you program numbers into your cellular phone, enter the whole +11 digit number. Ten, or even eleven digit dialing always works in my experience, even for local calls in an area that only requires seven digits. If you are roaming, the ten or eleven digit number will be required to place the call at all. For example, instead of "Bob Smith" 554-1212 enter the number as +1-503-554-1212 (without the dashes). For your voice-mail number, enter your own eleven digit number. This will work even when you are roaming. Special voice-mail numbers like *86 (Version) only work when you are using Version's native system and not while roaming. For this reason, I never use them. The + sign permits dialing that same number internationally. There's no downside to entering it this way. i.e. It works, and there's no additional charges for dialing this way at home, however, the number will still work outside the USA.

Cellular Contracts don't currently serve you at all: Each of us, when we start service call customer service, or visit with store staff, probably repeatedly before signing up. We ask the questions about the service that matter to us the most, and the customer service "CS" does their best to answer. All that is fine and good. The problem is that customer service tells you features, and policy at the current time. These things do change in time. You can go back to the store and ask the same questions one, two, or five years later and get very different responses. Oh, you say, but we have a contract that protects us. No, actually the carrier never promised us anything specific in the contract. All you have is your memory of that friendly sales person and what they said.

The backdrop here is that cellular contracts really don't promise the customer anything. The printed materials don't even guarantee that your phone will work, or even a specific coverage area, even during the duration of your contract. The contract only includes protection for the carrier, and stated limits of service. Your cellular contract makes for odd reading because the service you are paying for is never detailed anywhere! The service itself is only implied by the contracts stated limitations. Anyway, many of the features we enjoy on our phones were never explicitly promised to us. We simply take it, use it, and get used to it working a certain way. We notice if it changes. We may complain if what we are provided with changes, but ultimately have little to say about it. In the case of a billing problem, the only way I've ever dealt with any billing problem is to pull up past statements showing something billed a certain way, then disputing a change based on past experience. Incidentally, I sincerely desire reform in the cellular industry where the carrier gives me a contract that includes both my and their responsibilities. For example, I'd like them to give me the set of features in writing that I am paying for (like coverage area and features), and my obligations to them (like paying my bill on time, not abusing the service etc.) Anyway, get your printed contract terms (if, like most of us, you've never seen them). Read them carefully, and see if you can determine what the carrier is providing to you. I doubt you'll find anything.

Big First Bill - Some providers bill you for the first two months of service on the first bill (Verizon did this to me). Once you add in the cost of the phone or phones and any overage from the prorating problem described above, you may be in for a whopper the first time around. These issues are good to figure out before you sign up for service.

Hidden Fees - Just like land-line phones, there are taxes and fees that amount to a few dollars each month. These typically vary by area. My own fees average about $5/mo. So if you get a plan for $34.99, you'll actually pay about $40 per month. For budget purposes, I always add about $5 per month in my mind to get a more realistic idea of what I'll be paying. Some states have much higher fees (i.e. California and New York, so this varies a lot by state). If you can get the 10-20% employer monthly discount for personal-use plans, this seems to negate the effect of the tax.

"Free" Call Forwarding: Most carriers advertise free call forwarding. What they actually mean is that the service is available to you without additional monthly fee. If you choose to use it, most often you will be billed 15-20 cents per minute. In other cases, you will be billed airtime for the call (which seems fair to me). Note that Verizon is the only provider I've ever used that really provides free call forwarding in the sense that I don't have to pay additionally per-minute to forward my calls. Call forwarding can be a powerful tool if you use it properly. For example, if the signal inside your office is unusable, you can at least forward calls to your normal office phone. Call forwarding may incur long distance charges, if you forward to a long distance number even if your rate plan includes free long distance. There are two major types of call forwarding, one called forward-all-calls (typically invoked with *72<number>), and conditional call-forwarding (*92<number>). On some carriers (i.e. T-mobile) conditional call-forwarding will not cost you anything unless you exceed 500 minutes. To simulate forward-all-calls and possibly not pay a dime for it, use *92 instead, then turn it off (or silence it, and simply ignore it if it rings). Please test this with just a few minutes, and see how it gets billed in case this has changed.

Three Way Calling: My experience has been that if your rate plan includes free 3-way calling, then you'll be able to use it without additional monthly fees, but both calls will use airtime.

Contracts Are Rarely Beneficial: If you've had a phone for 3 years, and bought it with a 2 year contract, this means you are out-of-contract and now a month-to-month customer. In almost all cases, this is a good thing. It means you can quit at any time without penalty. In most cases, the carrier does not raise rates or change terms unless you make a change. Have an old plan and phone you like-- keep them, and keep your rate plan too. If you do re-up, make sure you get something to do so-- i.e. free phone, discounted phone, better rate plan etc. It always shocks me when someone gets worried that they are "out of contract." While I can imagine a hypothetical situation where the contract could be beneficial to the consumer, I've never witnessed one.

Where to buy? This is highly opinion specific, but I'd recommend the following: If the carrier has a local store in your area that isn't overly crowded, use them. If not *call them* on the phone to order. Next up order Online. Dealers would be my last choice. The reason I don't like the dealers is that they may have a harder time enabling you to return a phone if you quit the service or dislike the phone. They may be forced to "eat" the cost personally, where the larger company (carrier) may be more willing to do this for you. Update, sometimes best pricing, for an upgraded phone, is had on the website. I've now heard reports that the web is a reasonable way to do this generally. Check more than one method, compare prices, then choose.

My hope for contract improvements: I believe the cellular industry really needs to provide the user with detailed coverage map at the time one signs up for service, especially on network plans, and guarantee that coverage during the contract. The coverage area should not change during the contract. Many carriers use roaming partners to deliver part of their included coverage, and these partners can and do change even during a contract. Given the fluid nature of cellular, I actually think a detailed "here's what's included, and here's what you agree to" written contract would be useful. You can request a written version of your contract, but you'll likely find little detail as to what the carrier promises to do for you, especially when it comes down to specific features.

Big Brother is Recording - I find it freaky, but I believe that every cellular provider takes detailed notes about your interactions when you call. One purpose of this is to do oral contracts. For example, I've had multiple contracts with multiple carriers over the years yet have never signed anything. I have always honored these verbal agreements, but I imagine one of the reasons for the detailed notes is if someone makes a claim that isn't true, then the logs give them some ability to determine the truth. While I don't ever recommend being rude to customer service, doing so can actually "blackball" you. An agent makes a note in your account that you're an abusive customer, and none of your future phone calls will be pleasant. I recommend you always be polite to customer service staff anyway. If you do have a problem, control your frustration, and thank the agent for their time every time you call. On the other side of the coin, having a good track record with a company can result in better offers and more flexibility when you do have problems. AT&T in particular has a practice of offering better deals on phones and plans upon contract renewal depending on how long you have been a customer, and how much you pay per month.

What to do when your contract ends: In almost all cases, once a contract has been fulfilled, you can keep your service and features for the same monthly price. Congratulations, you are now a "month to month" customer and can quit service at any time without penalty. Should you choose to renew your contract, ask for the same advantages a new customer would get (i.e. discounted price on a new phone) or any other promotions. In some cases the carrier will credit your account a certain amount of money to get you to renew a contract. Ask them what they have to offer you...

Phone Replacement -

Intro: The most basic and perhaps counterintuitive thing is that cell phones are not interchangeable between carriers in most cases.

• Cell Phones Are Often Subsidy Locked - Phones may require a lock code to change the programming settings on the phone. In some cases, it is impossible to re-program an otherwise technology compatible phone for use with another carrier. In most cases you can, however, purchase a used phone designed for the same carrier you are using. i.e. An old AT&T phone should be usable on AT&T (provided it's not too old).
• Replaced Under Warranty - Say you just purchased a shiny new phone, maybe it was expensive. The phone is brand new, but you notice some minor annoyance. You drop by your the cellular carrier's store, describe the problem, and they offer to replace it under warranty. You think, wow, that's nice that they're willing to give me a new phone right away to solve my problem. Not necessarily. In my experience, with several carriers and quite a few phones I have never, never, ever seen a carrier give a customer a new phone as a replacement under any circumstance. You may trade your phone with 20 hours of talk time for one with thousands of hours of talk time. In some cases, problems with a replacement are worse than what you started with. A refurbished phone will look brand new. They typically replace the cover, and possibly the rubber keypad so that the front, by appearance, looks brand new. Refurbish can be fine, but you just never know. If you have a brand new phone, and if it has some minor problem, either live with it, or have the store put the latest firmware on the phone, but don't have it replaced unless you really need to. All modern phones have a call timer, similar to a car's odometer. Check the all-calls timer to see how much use a particular phone has had.

Changing Rate Plan - Most providers let you move up or down a rate plan without any fees, but there are some major possible gotchas to be aware of:

• Be Careful When Changing Rate Plans (it may extend your contract) - Most providers don't charge any fees to change base rate plans, but in many cases, if you accept any promotional minutes or plan features your contract will be extended at least another year, and they may not explicitly tell you this. Note that most any plan that includes free night or weekend minutes is considered a promotional plan of the type that will extend your contract.
• Want a new phone? Unfortunately, some carriers have started requiring you to choose a new rate plan and extend your contract anytime you buy a new phone through them. You will likely be able to avoid this issue by purchasing a used phone (i.e. Through ebay.com).
• When considering a rate plan change, call customer service and ask them directly if the new plan would extend your contract, and for how long. In addition, ask if the new rate plan has any disadvantages compared to your current plan. Hard to recognize disadvantages include later start time for night minutes, fewer holidays, increased fees for overage or early-cancellation, and your original plan may have been "for life" but the new one makes you lose promotional minutes at the end of the contract term.
• No Return? After you make the change, there is no guarantee you can return to your old plan. Ask about this before you do it if you care. In some cases you have a certain number of days (i.e. 30) to return to the old plan.
• Plan Induced Phone Change: Some rate plans make you purchase an updated phone (i.e. Trimode, or different technology like AT&T's GSM plans). While the "new" phone price may seem expensive at $200, that is actually the subsidized price, and you will also get locked into another year or two contract.
• Billing problems only seem to occur after changes that are made to your account. "Oops- I forgot to add back your night and weekend minutes" results in a $400 bill. This has happened to me twice on two different carriers over the years.

Billing Problems

• Even if they make a mistake, all you will get is a credit, not a refund. For this reason, *never* auto-pay your cell phone bill with a credit card, and most especially don't use your debit card! If you prefer an auto-pay type system, visit your bank or credit union and ask about their auto-pay system. Those systems still get you a paper bill, and you control the payments via a web browser. You then have the option to quit paying at any time for any reason. It is much easier to deal with a billing problem by paying the actual amount due, then to beg for a refund after they incorrectly auto-deduct the wrong amount!
• If you do make the mistake of using your credit card, and they make a billing mistake, you can get a refund by calling the business office and asking for one. They will not do this automatically, you have to request it. (They do a credit, but a credit is not the same as a refund).
• Every time they make a mistake on your bill, have the customer service agent note that it occurred in your account. If it happens enough times, this can be cause to get out of your contract early without a fee.

Why Do I See Lots of Conflicting Advice?

• No one person has enough resources to test every provider and every phone so no one has the whole picture. We base our opinions on our personal experience which may or may not be generally accurate. The folks with the most to share are those that have been using services for longer periods of time, having experience with multiple providers and phones, and are able to maintain some degree of objectivity. No provider is perfect, so you'll know someone isn't telling the whole story (or simply doesn't know) when they say X is the best! (In my experience there is no best for all people, all areas, all uses) It all depends.
• Folks are often willing to recommend the provider they use, without ever having used any competitor.
• The best provider will vary from city to city, and state to state. In addition, an otherwise good provider may have a hole in coverage, right where you need it.
• There are many uses of a cellular phone, and many different types of users. The phone and service that works great for me, may not be best for someone else.
• Selecting a cellular provider is a highly personal choice. It has to do with where you use (or want to use) your phone and how you use your phone.
• The selection of the phone itself is the same way, and different people care about different things.
• People get "religious" about cellular the way they do about cars or anything else they really use.