A poll on cell-phone ownership.

[NightTrain]

Poll question: A poll on cell-phone ownership.

I don't have a cell phone, nor do I want one. Just wanted to see if any of the good folks at DU agree with me!

[Shoeempress]

1. I have two cell phones and hate both. Work forced me into them,

and they are handy if you break down, but I hate talking on the phone and leave them off more than on.

[NC_Nurse]

2. I have succumbed to the cell phone

I need them to keep up with my teens...

I also have my own business on the side. I use it for that too.

I used to hate them, finally caved...:shrug:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

3. What about have one, would gladly toss it in the ocean or

some other deep, dark, irretrievable hole or another?

I have one because I work on-call and have to be gettable, or starve.

[tedoll78]

5. I don't have one.. yet.

But once I graduate and get a job at a hospital, I'm sure that I'll need one once on-call. The money will make-up for the inconveniece.. at least, that's what I tell myself..

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

9. No amount of money makes up for that

I believe.
I would rather live off-grid north of Calgary sometimes.

[TroubleMan]

4. I don't have one and don't want one

My job and my wife are pressuring me to get one. Hell, even my 13 year old step-son has one.

To me it's like a chain...they can get to you anytime, anyplace. If you turn it off or don't answer, it looks like you're trying to hide something or intentionally avoiding someone.

Sure, it's very handy in an emergency and in other situations, but I like my freedom better.

Being married with two kids and working 50-60 hours per week, I don't get much freedom or time to myself. If I had a cell phone, I probably would never have any of both.

[VOX]

6. I had to get one when my mom was ailing, but I keep the thing in the car..

It only comes inside to be recharged. It's strictly a car-phone, there primarily for emergency. I will use it though, for example, if I'm running late to a dental appointment -- I'll call and let them know I'm late, etc.

But that's it. I will NOT walk down the street, or wander into a market with that thing mindlessly plastered to my ear. Car use only.

[Rowdyboy]

7. No cell phone and no plans to change

They intrude everywhere. I can wait until I get home to get a message. Anyway, my partner has one so I'm covered in case of emergency.

[djeseru]

8. Don't like them, but have one.

Moved to a new city and it became the "just in case" excuse for my SO. I hardly ever use it.

[greatauntoftriplets]

10. I have had one for 12 years (actually three over that time period).

I think they are a good thing for women to have if their car breaks down or some other kind of situation where you should have contact with the outside world. Also, to keep in touch with my 92-year-old mother when I leave her alone for a period of time (she lives with me) to make certain she is all right on her own.

I use mine very occasionally (6 minutes over the last month), but I see it as a safety tool. Donated my last one to a group that reconditions old cell phones and give them to women victims of domestic violence. The phone is pre-programmed so the women can call for help in an emergency. A very worthy cause.

[MercutioATC]

11. I own one and use it all of the time.

I'm considering getting rid of my land line, in fact.

[Gryffindor_Bookworm]

24. Do it. I ditched my landline and have never missed it for a second. Also

if you keep your landline plugged into the jack, it will still call 911, and they'll still have your location instantly if you call from it.

[MercutioATC]

32. Good tip. Thanks.

:)

[Courtesy Flush]

12. I pay $100 per year for cell service.

If you've seen my other money threads, you know we are frugal people.

We have a TracFone account. It's a pre-paid deal and we use it sparingly. There are no monthly fees. We just pay for our minutes.

The minutes are expensive, but it is cheap for us, because we don't use very many of them. Really, who spends less than $100 per year?

Disclaimer: We don't have kids, nor do we run a business. Don't get excited if you think your teens can spend as little as we do. It ain't gonna happen. We're disciplined adults.

[shanti]

18. ooh, this is a sore spot right now!

i originally got a cellphone to keep in touch with my (then) 12 year old. well, it's been an expen$ive two years with them. one has been lost, one stolen, one washed in the washer. it's easy for a kid to lose them when you first get them one, so it's best to stick to purchasing the phone outright and then joining a month to month unlimited LD, answering service, call waiting, etc.

let me stress UNLIMITED MINUTES! the kids talk on them constantly. since i signed a one year contract and it's cost me much more than intended. my son has 3000 minutes but last month he managed to go over them by 1000 minutes. well, the cellphone bill (T=MOBILE) was $400 more than usual!!! they jack you bigtime if you go over your minutes!

however, i really like having a cellphone now and it really brings peace of mind with a teen.

[LDS Jock]

21. I spend less than $100 per year.. here is my secret

I work for AT&T Wireless and get free service through them, unlimited airtime too.

[ldf]

13. don't have one, don't plan on getting one.

phones are for MY convenience only, and i am at no one's beck and call.

i have lived all my life without having instant access to everyone else on the planet, and i don't see the need for it now.

phones are for my convenience, not yours. if you want to call me, call me at my work number. there i have to answer the phone.

at home, i never answer the phone. i let the message machine get it, and if i want to talk to someone i will pick up. but i NEVER answer it. and i sure as hell don't have call waiting. if you get a busy signal, you can call back and talk to my answering machine.

and i sure as hell don't want to "chat" while i am walking down the street. i'm not a teenager, with constant mindless drivel that i have to share with someone.

if i had one, i may use it once a month, if that much. it's not worth the money for that little usage.

the annoyance factor greatly outweighs any convenience.

the one exception is during an emergency. and i can't remember the last real emergency where i needed a cell phone.

/rant off

[nuxvomica]

14. I am undecided

I keep thinking I need one and friends and relatives who have them think I need one but I can't seem to justify the expense. I am also confused about the various plans. I still haven't changed my long-distance carrier since they broke up Ma Bell.

[medeak]

15. have cell phone in car

live 300 miles from a major town. It's built into the car so can't take it anywhere ...but it has come in handy when on the highway.

Noone has the number so don't get annoying phone calls from friends disrupting my life.

[scarlet_owl]

16. I don't need one, so I don't have one.

I also think they are over-used.

[bikebloke]

17. Not a Luddite, but...

I don't need a leash. Nothing is so important that I must be rung while I'm out on my bike. Five years ago, I gave in to an answering machine only because I moved to a new city and needed it for the job safari.

I don't even care for instant messaging on my computer. Every time I'd log on to do research or catch up with my foreign news, someone would sling inane chatter at me.

[Tom_Foolery]

19. We have two cell phones...

that are used for quick calls to update our whereabouts and emergencies. I don't care for them, but they do come in handy when we're on the road.

[MissMillie]

20. No longer have a land line

my son and I are both cellular.

[LeftCoast]

23. I clipped the cord too

Have been only cellular for a few years now. Works great for me.

I have my "home phone" with me basically anywhere I travel in the world, though calls in Euroland are a buck a min. In the US, anytime, anywhere all my calls are 'included'.

That having been said, cell phone ettiquite is key. It is impolite to have a long conversation in a restaraunt or theater. Use a headset if you must talk while driving. Etc. :)

[Piltdown13]

22. Finally got one a few months ago

I didn't really want a cell phone, for the reasons mentioned above (do people REALLY need to be able to contact me 24-7?) but went ahead and jumped onto my folks' plan -- $20 a month to add the extra. It's a little weird to have a TX cell number when living in IN, but a much cheaper option than getting my own plan. What pushed me into the cell world at last is the fact that I'll be applying for jobs in the not-too-distant future, and people will need to be able to get in touch with me. Problem is, I spend time at anywhere from 2 to 4 different academic buildings every week, and I've only got access to a message machine at my office in one of those locations...and there's often no one present to take a message at the others, depending on everyone's schedules. Having the cell phone will allow me to be reached by potential employers no matter where I am. And it's nice to have on long car trips too.

[Mizmoon]

25. Thanks for reminding me - mine needs a charge

almost left it in my purse overnight ...

[Happy Eddie]

26. It's my only phone

We got cable modem, so I dumped my landline and only use the cell now. I work from home most of the time and don't use the phone much. Ms. Happy has a chronic illness, so if I go out and it turns out she's having a bad day, it's good to be a call away.

And no, that ring in the middle of the performance of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony wasn't me. I'm very careful about things like that.

Cellies are IMHO wonderful. In my situation, they beat hell out of having to find a working pay phone to check in with Ms. Happy. But I agree, they do give doinks more opportunities to be doinks.

[Speck Tater]

27. Don't need one, don't want one, don't really need a land line either

I think I made one phone call in the last month and had two or three incoming calls (other than telemarketers). Except for emergencies I don't really have any use for a telephone of any kind. A few times a year I can walk to the corner store and use the pay phone to set up a dental or doctor appointment, or make some other call that simply can't be avoided.

My phone is just a dust collector sitting on the back of my desk under some books and papers. At least that's where I think I saw it last.

I do all my communicating on line.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

28. I have one, but I don't have an account

It's strictly for the kind of emergency where I can't get to a payphone.

I can call the police with it for free. And if I need to phone home, it costs about $15. Since I don't use it more than once a year, I pay much less than I would if I had an account.

[ilovenicepeople]

29. Don't have one,don't want one,never used one.

Kind of like me and cars,don't have one,don't want one(well maybe a Lada Niva),never driven one.:hi:

[Dem2theMax]

30. Only have one due to elderly parents. With their health problems

and the fact that they will tell me they are 'going out for an hour' and five hours later I haven't heard a word from them, I got a cell phone. For them, actually. At least this way I can find out if they are OK.

I'm a firm believer in the fact that growing up, my parents raised two kids without any cell phones, fax machines, VCR players, DVD players, only 13 TV channels (gasp!) no computers or computer games, and somehow we survived. When I get in my car and go somewhere, that is MY PRIVATE TIME and NO ONE is getting in there with me by way of a phone! LOL.

Life is too hectic as it is. I refuse to make it more so by buying into the mindset that we just have to have all these 'toys' to play with. I'm a marketing person's worst nightmare. I don't pay any attention to them and their products. :evilgrin:

[Dogmudgeon]

31. Hearing problems? Don't use a cell phone!

My hearing is lousy. I'm deaf in my left ear and what I hear in my right ear is subject to intense distortion. Using a landline phone is difficult enough.

Since the sound quality in cell phones is still only slightly better than the old string-and-tin-can, I'll wait a while.

--bkl

[LWolf]

33. I have one; it was a "work" decision.

I don't chat on the phone socially, and my family is independent enough that they don't need to hear my voice every hour. I got my cell phone several years back because of the secretary at work; she manages all incoming calls. We (the whole staff) were told that family/personal calls would not be forwarded on to the classroom; fine. Then we were told that she was spending too much time leaving messages from family members. Then a family member called me during a staff meeting before school; I was in the room next door, but they waited for the meeting to end to give me the message. What was the message? My ex had been in an accident, broken his neck, and was in critical condition. I was supposed to communicate that information to my sons, who were in high school at the time.

That was it; if a staff meeting couldn't be interrupted when a family member was in the emergency room, I got my own phone.

Now I use it all the time at work; with 30 or so teachers and 900 kids, we have one phone line out to the real world. If you ever need to make a call, the odds are not good that the line is open. I call parents frequently, and always use my cell phone.

[MrSandman]

34. Want mine?

No more privacy.

[yelladawg]

35. cell phones are great

It's just a matter of time before the copper wire on the telephone poles will be worth nothing. Nobody will be using it or want a land line.

[MrSandman]

36. Until then, I don't want mine.

[supernova]

37. Don't have one and want one

I'll get one as soon as the paychecks start coming in again. Reasons?

1) My car is elderly and I want to be able to call a tow truck.

2) Cell phones seem to have better long distance plans than regular land lines. I could be wrong about this, but my current LD carrier is charging me 9.95/mo just for the priviledge of invoicing me! I want to get rid of this charge. I hardly ever make LD calls to start with. I don't want a hefty invoice fee plus the actual cost of calls.

3) I need an organizer, so I'll probably get a phone/organizer combo.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[onebigbadwulf]

39. I use a cell instead of a homeline.

It's basically free long distance man!

[jonnyblitz]

40. i finally broke down and got one this summer

but I still don't like driving a car and talking on the phone at the same time. Now that I think of it my cell phone hasnt rang in almost 2 weeks!! (NOT COMPLAINING!!)