A Contract Sickness - There is a problem in the American Cell Phone Industry

I'm calling you to scream: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

Take a good look at the following photo. This is a shot of all the phones my wife and myself have collected and used over the last three years.

If you are a crunchy granola, "save the earth," carbon footprint counter, this is pretty sick. I am not and it is pretty sickening to me.

Two of these phones have been collected from when AT&T switched to Cingular (which is now AT&T again. Never understood that.) But each phone represents a new lock-in, or extension to a, contract that has been signed by Christel or myself in the last 4 years. For me, it started with the first contract and the first phone. I needed a cell carrier and AT&T seemed like the obvious choice for this area because of the good coverage. So I signed up. Yippee! Free phone? Worked OK. I'm happy.

Then AT&T Cellular was swallowed by Cingular. And If I wanted to save $10 per month over my old AT&T contract, Cingular would send me a new phone and re-up my contract. Fine. I liked the $10 per month savings and since I was already in, what does the new contract matter? Right? My lovely bride, who already had the same notion, jumps on the same deal. Another new contract and she saves 10 bucks per month and gets a new phone.

So we were then up to 5 phones. Two of them were actually in use. Three were not. One phone that Christi had from an old AT&T contract is so old that it doesn't take SIM cards - this makes default trash. Not very granola.

But there was the yelp some time last year of "Oh, look" while seeing an ad in the paper. "We could get new Razrs for $50 off." Sounds like a great deal. So we got the Razrs, and again extended the contract so we could get the $50 off per phone. At this point in the story, I have nothing to complain about. It was was the spirit of "want" that got the best of me. I blame only my stupidity and lack of forethought on getting the Razrs.

Now we are up to 7 phones, and again, only two of them are in use.

Since we were engaged (and now totally, like, married), why don't we see if we can combine phone bills? Yes, we can. And save about $10 per month. But, another re-upped contract must be signed to seal that deal. So, now, we have a little over one year left on this contract.

All along the way, it was AT&T's efforts to keep us locked in a contract with "switching networks" and "better phones" that kept me on the sharecropping farm, selling my soul to the company store.

And I am so mother-effing done with this shit.

If you have been dealing with cell carriers for 5 years or more and have this gaggle of phones sitting in a drawer somewhere, call it quits when you get the chance.

This is a sickness. It needs to stop. And if we just quietly and compliantly re-up the contracts, for new phones, and, like me, get an extra $10.00 in savings per month on occasion, while not looking for alternatives, this cycle of phones filling up the landfills and good people being bilked out of good money for less than stellar service will just continue.

So I started playing. And thinking. If you have ever unlocked a cell phone the following is old hat for you. But for the rest of you, go to www.peters1.dk. This guy rocks! Using this site, I was able to unlock 3 of the Nokia phones in the picture. I was able to take the SIM card out of my Razr and put them in the unlocked phones. And they worked. I got better stinking signal on the older phones!

Then I got really indignant. I am able to use the older phones just fine. So, why the hell did I have to get a new phone (and a new contract) when they went from AT&T to Cingular. I could have just kept the old phone. I am sure there is some good, corporate, B.S. reason, but then they would not have a new contract. Right? Sickness, I say.

Now I have three old, unlocked phones. I have reverted one of them as my main phone because I never did like the Razr's reception. Come rain or shine, I have to be out on the back porch to use the Razr.

I feel it is time for cell phone service providers to start competing based solely on service and price. At least they will have to with me - one angry little man with a blog.

Over the next couple months I am going to attack stupidity with indignity, with the following 4 steps...

Step 1 - Wait, patiently, for my Grand Central sign up to come online. "One phone number to rule them all."

Step 2 - Get a Skype-in number. I already have Skype-out. You need both, and it is cheap.

Step 3 - Get a pre-paid SIM card for the U.S (these links are NOT recommendations - Caveat Emptor). The SIMs are out there. Note: In Europe, SIMs flow like water from a faucet. In America, not so much. But they are out there from T-Mobile, AT&T, and others. But they really don't want you to know that.

Step 4 - Attach all numbers under the Grand Central number and start handing out the Grand Central number only. When a call comes in, both services will ring. I will pick up Skype first whenever possible, then the cell.

Need a new SIM card? Fine - I'll get one. Get a new number? Fine - plug it into Grand Central. No more contracts.

And if I have done my calculations correctly, this should cost about $27 per month for 2 phones as apposed to the $80 we are paying now.

Assholes.