Old cell phone might be active

[Dartful Dodger]

Yesterday I needed a phone number that was on my old cell phone.  I got a new phone and number so I cancelled the old one two years ago.

After I cancelled the phone the phone it displayed a no service message whenever I turned it on.  When I started it yesterday it acted like it found a signal. I didn't try calling anyone with it because I didn't want anything to be traced back to me, but I thought it was weird.

Would the phone company be recycling the frequency on my old phone?

If I called a random 800 number would I be charged some high connection fee from my old company?

[ChadTower]

There are laws now that even inactive phones should be able to call 911.  That might be it.

[Chris G]

Ya, you should be able to make emergency calls on it.  You won't be able to connect to any other numbers so feel free to dial away - you won't be charged, probably just hear the triad beeps.

[shmokes]

You canceled your service.  Seems to me that would almost be like the Cable company leaving your cable hooked up after you canceled cable and then claiming they can charge you because you watched TV.

[ChadTower]

TV isn't reaching out to use a service, though, it's just coming in.  A cell phone is something you have to actively dial out and use of your own accord.

[Dartful Dodger]

You canceled your service.  Seems to me that would almost be like the Cable company leaving your cable hooked up after you canceled cable and then claiming they can charge you because you watched TV.

That's what I'm afraid of.  I don't want to give them another reason to take more of my money.

Canalling the cell phone was a pain in the butt.  I couldn't do it at the shop where I signed up. I had to call a special number wait for a half an hour to get a live person and then listen to a song and dance about why I shouldn't cancel.

I was then told because I had already paid for the month it would be cancelled at the end of the month.  At the time I thought that was really nice of them.  The phone was cancelled at the end of the month(the phone displayed a "no service" message).

A week after it was canceled I received another phone bill from them.

I tried calling them but it was turning into a big hassle, so I just paid it.

If anyone is wondering, it was through Cingular.

I had great service when I had them.  I canceled my phone because I moved to a different area code and I wanted my cell to match my address and the place I work for had this package deal with another company.

[Chris G]

Uh oh, that's my company.     Fortunately I'm in IT, not customer service.

My guess is that the final bill was for some left-over charges?  Either way, there should be no risk of being charged any more without reactivating the phone.

[leapinlew]

Cancelling the cell phone was a pain in the butt. 

Amen to that.

[ChadTower]

Considering he tried to cancel before the prepaid month was even over, there shouldn't have been any leftover charges.  They talked him into more time and thus the likely usage of more charges.

[Chris G]

Just because he cancelled prior to the month being up doesn't mean he couldn't have incurred any additional charges like downloading ringtones, LD, etc.  That stuff can't be prepaid.  I'm just talking outta ---my bottom--- right now - I have no idea on the specifics of his situation.

Regardless, I feel for everyone who has a cell phone.  I've heard lots of stories of what a pain in the ass it is to cancel, switch, etc.  I'm very fortunate to have free service as a job perk.

Chris

[ChadTower]

Just because he cancelled prior to the month being up doesn't mean he couldn't have incurred any additional charges like downloading ringtones, LD, etc.

Yes, it would have, if they shut the thing off when he asked them to shut it off.  What he said is that he called, said "shut it off", and they said "no, not until the end of your prepaid period".

If it's off, as he wanted, there is no downloading of ringtones or metered calls.

[Chris G]

That's not how service billing works.

Day 1: cell active, account current
Day 2: download ringtone
Day 3: cancel service
Day 30: service actually canceled, bill generated, owe $1.99 +tax for ringtone
Day 30+: receive bill, get pissed off

Again, this is all theoretical.   

[ChadTower]

That is theoretically possible.  He didn't say "I downloaded a ringtone", though, so that hypothetical has things added he didn't mention.

[Dartful Dodger]

The bill I got in the mail was a typical monthly bill.

When I canceled I gave them a credit card number to pay off the month I was in. I figured the paper bill may have been in circulation before I made the call, so I ignored the bill, the next month they sent me another bill with late fees tagged on, that's when I called.
 
I didn't do anything with the phone after I made the cancellation call.

Another reasons I was eager to get a new phone was the phone I was using wasn't even able to text message.  It was almost as thick as my fist, my friends said it looked like a second generation brick.

I had it for over 7 years.  Chris G is doing a great job, because I couldn't complain about the 7 years of service.  Leaving is when they stung me.

I had no problems with my old phone, but my Razor needs to be restarted once a week.

Another plus about that other phone, I turned it on after 2 years and it was still charged.  The Razor lost it's charged when I went to Europe for three weeks.

I probably gave me a tumor, but it never dropped a call.

[FrizzleFried]

I just canceled Cingular.  First off,  they are the "New AT&T"...and any company that uses the name AT&T sucks,  be it new or old.  Secondly,  I was paying $92.00 a month for 2 phones,  of which one NEVER got used (mine) and the other,  my wife used somewhat sparingly.  Thirdly,  my wife went in and was "SOLD" a plan that had WAY WAY WAY more anytime minutes, etc than we needed....

I got tired of paying $92.00 for that crap.  I called to see if we could lower our plan.  Sure,  if we wanted to sign a NEW 2 year contract... F' YOU!  I cancelled.  $350 is what they are going to charge me ($175 per phone).  They can ---display unending love for my bottom---.  I will send them $35 a month for the next 10 months.  Much better than $92.00 a month for the next 16.   I will NEVER...I repeat NEVER sign up on another cell phone contract.  HIGHWAY ROBBERY is what it is...period.

Damn cell phones worked GREAT...until  you NEED THEM (IE: stuck out in the middle of NOWHERE...whoops...no service!  Too bad!). 

Here is a little piece of info the sales scumbags at any cell phone shop won't tell you.  YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIGN A CONTRACT TO GET THEIR SERVICE.  Sure,  you may pay a  little more per month,  but you aren't locked in to crap!   The sales scumbag told my wife 2 years was the minimum contract.  Lying bastard.   I wouldn't piss on a Cingular sales scum if they were on fire...

Pissed?  Me?  Nah... 

EDIT: Chris G...nothing personal bro,  being that you are in IT and all...but the company you work for sucks...then again...so does Sprint...and Nextel...and T-Moble...and...

[IG-88]

Here is a little piece of info the sales scumbags at any cell phone shop won't tell you.  YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIGN A CONTRACT TO GET THEIR SERVICE.  Sure,  you may pay a  little more per month,  but you aren't locked in to crap!   The sales scumbag told my wife 2 years was the minimum contract.  Lying bastard.   I wouldn't piss on a Cingular sales scum if they were on fire...

Thats true for any cell phone service? WOW, I didn't know that. They pressured my wife into a 2 yr. with the promise of a certain low bill rate and BAM whatta you know it's $40 more than they quoted with all these extra fees they forgot to explain. Pecker heads.

[ChadTower]

Your wife signed a two year contract in return for a free (or nearly free) cell phone.  Not to get the service, to get a free phone.  If you already have a compatible phone then you don't have to sign a contract.  You don't have to sign a contract even if you don't have one, they just won't give you a discounted phone.  When I got my wife's cell I signed a one year contract instead of the two year they were pushing on me.  With the one year, the phone was $50 more, but it was better than a two year contract at the minimum service level the contract required.

[Chris G]

Chad's got it right - you have to recognize how expensive most cell phones are.  If it makes you feel any better, we employees don't get phones free any more, so I paid $200+ each for my wife's and my last ones.

And for the majority of the 13 years (and 3 name changes) I've worked for the company, it does suck.  However, they give me 6 1/2 weeks vacation and my commute is 5 mins, so it's hard to justify leaving (most days). 

On a marginally relevant note, I've been called about 5 times over the past week by my alma mater looking for donations.  They practically won't let me off the phone.  And I just sent them money in November!  So if colleges are getting vicious, I can't imagine how bad cell phone salespeople are.  Must just be the nature of the biz.   


EDIT: my apologies to any Cingular salespeople who might be reading.  I got a great bonus this year, so keep up the great work!   

[FrizzleFried]

Welp...I paid about $150 total for the 2 phones...

...anyone want 2 Cingular flip phones?  Cheap!

[SirPeale]

Cell phones will search for a tower by default.  I've found several phones that were outdated models, and tossed out.  These phones were never activated.  But when powered up they got full signal.  If I tried to make a call, however, I'd get a message stating I needed to activate service.

[vader]

Just because he cancelled prior to the month being up doesn't mean he couldn't have incurred any additional charges like downloading ringtones, LD, etc.

Yes, it would have, if they shut the thing off when he asked them to shut it off.  What he said is that he called, said "shut it off", and they said "no, not until the end of your prepaid period".

If it's off, as he wanted, there is no downloading of ringtones or metered calls.

I can chime in here.  Charges for things such as ringtones, wallpapers, games can be billed as late as 3 months afterward especially if he got those apps from a 3rd party company.

[vader]

I just canceled Cingular.  First off,  they are the "New AT&T"...and any company that uses the name AT&T sucks,  be it new or old.  Secondly,  I was paying $92.00 a month for 2 phones,  of which one NEVER got used (mine) and the other,  my wife used somewhat sparingly.  Thirdly,  my wife went in and was "SOLD" a plan that had WAY WAY WAY more anytime minutes, etc than we needed....

I got tired of paying $92.00 for that crap.  I called to see if we could lower our plan.  Sure,  if we wanted to sign a NEW 2 year contract... F' YOU!  I cancelled.  $350 is what they are going to charge me ($175 per phone).  They can ---display unending love for my bottom---.  I will send them $35 a month for the next 10 months.  Much better than $92.00 a month for the next 16.   I will NEVER...I repeat NEVER sign up on another cell phone contract.  HIGHWAY ROBBERY is what it is...period.

Damn cell phones worked GREAT...until  you NEED THEM (IE: stuck out in the middle of NOWHERE...whoops...no service!  Too bad!). 

Here is a little piece of info the sales scumbags at any cell phone shop won't tell you.  YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIGN A CONTRACT TO GET THEIR SERVICE.  Sure,  you may pay a  little more per month,  but you aren't locked in to crap!   The sales scumbag told my wife 2 years was the minimum contract.  Lying bastard.   I wouldn't piss on a Cingular sales scum if they were on fire...

Pissed?  Me?  Nah... 

EDIT: Chris G...nothing personal bro,  being that you are in IT and all...but the company you work for sucks...then again...so does Sprint...and Nextel...and T-Moble...and...

Signing a contract only holds you the company, not to the plan.  The only exception to this is if you are opting to take a promotional plan at the time you change plans, at that point you are agreen to a contract extension.  Take a standard plan ( no promo ) and your contract remains the same

[ChadTower]

Many, if not most, contracts stipulate a minimum service level.  You usually cannot sign the contract and then lower your service plan to the cheapest thing they have.  Sometimes you can move down a bit but usually not very far.  The contract usually calls for a few things:

1)  how long you must maintain the service
2)  minumum level of service
3)  a cancellation penalty paid to the service provider for failing #1 or #2
4)  often, but not always, a second penalty paid to the vendor if #3 occurs

In return, you get a free or nearly free cell phone and maybe a short term promotional rate.

[AlanS17]

I've been with Sprint for nearly 8 years now. I've certainly had my ups and downs with them, but most of that was admittedly me pushing my luck.

I had a contract expire last year, and I called them up to tell them that I was considering moving to another provider. They flat-out told me they were prepared to just about anything to keep me as a customer.

I got a free phone that was worth over $300, and I'm paying $40 per month for a contract that is probably worth twice that amount. I signed up for the 2 year contract, but I'm not overly concerned.

[ChadTower]

I find that "worth" is rarely related to actual cost when it comes to services like cell phone plans.  Do you really make use of $80 worth of cell phone activity every month?

[NiN^_^NiN]

My last phone bill was $2.25

Only sms'ed that month gotta love the no plans vodafone has in australia

Im quite surprised contracts are still in use they are almost exstinct in australia atleast

Why dont u use the old phone and call ur new mobile if it rings cancel the call that way they can't charge u cause u didn't make a phone call connect just ring