Expert: DebiN - 1/5/2010

Question
QUESTION: My contract is up with AT&T.  I was on the plan of $39.99 plus 200 messages for $5.00 more. I am now on a month to month.....I have 450 with roll over and 5ooo nights and weekends at this time.

My question is.  Is there a better plan out there for less the money and a good phone to get for texting.  Thank You

RD

ANSWER: AT&T's lowest plan is what you have today ($39.99 for 450 rollover minutes) and the 200 text messages are still $5.00. In the 2 years since you started this contract, they have not changed their plans, so there is no lower cost plan. If you want to get a new phone for free or low cost, you would of course sign up for a new 2 year contract likely with the same plan and features (or perhaps more text messages if you need more than 200). There are a lot of great phones for texting. Any of the new phones that have full keyboards would be my recommendation. If you like a certain brand, like LG, for example, then you might want to look at the new LG phones. What do you have today and what brands do you typically like? Also, what price are you looking for? If you let me know that, I can make a few suggestions for you. Thanks. DebiN

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QUESTION: If you let me know that, I can make a few suggestions for you. Thanks. DebiN....

Would love that...I have just a cheap nokia...I would buy one if I knew what would give me a great picture if I took one and the voice and loud volume control is a plus. Also to understand someone at the other end of the phone and where they tell me that I don't sound like I am talking into a tin can....I like the month the month with AT&T..I would more than likely stand with that...don't want to go back on a two end plan...So if you have so recommendations I would be interested in them...On the phones...Thank You

RD

ANSWER: So the problem is that if you want a new phone for a low cost, you will have to sign up for a new 2 year agreement. AT&T (and all the carriers in the US) subsidize the cost of the phones by signing you up for a new agreement term. If you look at this way, if the cost of a new phone is less than $175.00, it doesn't make sense to buy it from a third party. And as each month goes by, that $175.00 Early Termination Fee is reduced by $5.00, so after you have had a phone for 12 months, if you wanted to leave AT&T, the cost of termination would be only $115.00. The cost of a new phone is not the amount that AT&T charges you, it is the MSRP which ranges between $200.00 and $800.00 depending upon this phone. This isn't a made up price, it is legitimately the cost of a new phone. If you absolutely do not want to buy a new phone from AT&T with a new 2 year agreement, then your options are buying the phone from a third party. You won't get a warranty (you get a 12 month warranty from your carrier) and you will be paying for the phone. I would never recommend a used phone and would always prefer a brand new warranteed phone.

There are a couple of new Nokia phones (the 6350 is one), but the phones with full keypads are mostly LG and Samsung. Let me know. Thanks. DebiN

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QUESTION: give me some names and let me go looking

Answer
Go onto the AT&T Web Site and look at the phones. Check mark that you are looking for text phones and it will display all the current phones that are best for texting. You can then either get one from AT&T or find the same one on-line (without a contract). Once you see a couple of them and look at their features and functionality, let me know and I can tell you which ones I think are better than the others. Honestly though, there are not a lot of differences between the phones and any one that you choose that has the look and feel that you like will be good. All of the phones that are certified to be sold all meet pretty high standards for their ability to work on the network, their features and functionality and durability. You can't really go wrong with any of the LG or Samsung phones or the Nokias. Let me know what you think once you check them out. Thanks. DebiN