OFF TOPIC! Telephone Service

Hi Folks!

Just a note to tell you that I accidentally fell into something really great!  I can SAVE a bunch of money on my phone service.  I'm about 3 weeks into the new service, and according to the estimates, my bill went from $227/mo for three phones to $45 so far.  Worst case estimate will be about $80, but I don't think it will be that high.  I'll keep you posted on the results when the months billing is in.

I know some of you are already asking HOW CAN YOU DO THAT!?  Here is the long story . . .

Years ago, when NetScape 1.0 was the new and exciting thing on the internet (I was doing GEnie then and Compu$erve at 2400 baud), I ran into a site called TUCOWS.  I visited it a few times for grins and then promptly forgot about TUCOWS.  However, the name stuck with me and recently I was curious about if TUCOWS existed any longer, and if so, what they were doing.

So, I went to the site and sure enough, TUCOWS still exists.  That in itself is quite a feat.  Most of the early websites are long gone and only a very few are still working.

While perusing their site, I found a reference to TING  https://zdshts1bnm4.ting.com/  relating to phone service.  Since I've been paying Sprint for several years a monthly fee of $227 for three lines with Galaxy 2 phones, I was interested in CAN I SAVE ANY $$$ WITH THESE GUYS?!

I went to their site and read everything that I could about it.  I did a Yahoo! search and did some reading.  Some bad, a lot of good.  I pondered my dilemma and calculated my Early Termination Fees, which would be $600 smackers!  To sweeten the deal, https://zdshts1bnm4.ting.com/  offered to pay 25% of the ETF if I should decide to switch.  I calculated that and figured that would be $150.  Would they really pay???  Or is that just a come on?

The only way to find out was to take the plunge.  So, after a short conversation with my XYL, I decided to go ahead and give it a try.  After all, I've done dumber things before . . . this wouldn't be the first time if it didn't work out.

Not having to buy new phones was refreshing.  I just used the phones that I already had previously bought from Sprint.  Most popular phones seem to work with  https://zdshts1bnm4.ting.com/  .  If by chance you don't have a phone that is compatible with  https://zdshts1bnm4.ting.com/  , then you can buy a new or used phone from  https://zdshts1bnm4.ting.com/.  You will pay full retail price for the phone, but NO CONTRACT! And you save a bunch of $$$ on the service!  Really!  Samsung Galaxy 2's and one Galaxy Nexus were able to be transferred without any hitch.  Look on their site for a listing of  https://zdshts1bnm4.ting.com/  compatible phones.  I filled out the forms for all the phones (3), and personal and billing information.  The next day, I got an email saying that everything was set up on their end and to enter some codes on each phone to make the switch official and functional.  That was a bit of a pain, but everything did work as advertised.  You just have to  be careful to enter each code EXACTLY and follow the directions EXACTLY.  The directions for different phone makes and models are different.  Take your time and be careful with this.  I tested each phone and everything functioned as it did before.  Now I was in trouble with Sprint, and I knew it.  As expected, Sprint billed me $882 for all EFT's and a $100 deductible for a repair done to my grandsons phone that he broke.  The rest was taxes and government fees of some sort.  I didn't argue, cause I knew it would happen.  I'll just pay it on the first of the month and that will be the end of that.

So, now that I've made the switch, I'm more than a bit apprehensive about the future with a new phone company.  So, using their web site, I'm checking every day to see if the charges are as advertised.

I'm just amazed at this point as to the billing method they use.  Of course there are no 'free' minutes for calling TING customers or other cell phone lines or anything else.  You pay for ALL INcoming or OUTgoing minutes, messages and megabytes of data used.  Ok.  I got it.  Even with that, my bill at three weeks is only $45 smackerz!  I am having a hard time believing it!

Another big surprise is the 25% credit on the EFT's.  When I got my last Sprint bill, like I said, it is $822.  That is HUGE!  I made a .PDF copy of it and then sent it to TING.COM and uploaded it to their site.  They even sent me an email reminding me of this offer.  Within ONE DAY, there was the $150 credit showing on my new  https://zdshts1bnm4.ting.com/  account.  Imagine that!  These guys do exactly what they say they will do, and they do it quickly!  Very refreshing.  And, they keep you informed of the progress of every procedure every time.

So, for quick estimating, it appears that if my bill is indeed around $50 this month, I'll be SAVING around $177 per month.  At that rate, the payback for switching will be around 5 1/2 months.  Then we can count on saving about $1500 or so a YEAR.  That is HUGE!  Think of what you could do with an extra $1500 each year!  Heck, you can buy some GAS, or buy a drivable car, or maybe some tools . . . or pay off another bill.  It is your money . . . spend it any way you like!

I don't often recommend vendors to other folks, but this is too good to not pass along.  Give them a try.  They work real hard to make a phone company that MAKES CENT$!    https://zdshts1bnm4.ting.com/

Ok, I'm stepping off my soapbox and returning to MUSIC!