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I called up all my utilities to get them set up to move with me to my new place next week. The gas and electric companies’ activation/transfer fees are reasonable. The cable company seems a bit high, but they do actually have to send someone out to hook things up.
Verizon, though, pisses me off. It’s $46 to “transfer” my service. And by transfer, I mean not let me keep my old number and just flip a switch somewhere to activate the line in the apartment. I’ve been debating calling them back and just cancelling the line altogether. I never call out from my landline, and the only calls I get on it are telemarketers. I do, however, want a phone number other than my cell number to give out to companies that ask for my phone number. I don’t want them to start telemarketing my cell phone.
So, I was looking around for an alternative. One option is to buy a phone from Amazon that is -$99.99 after rebates with service signup. If I sign up for the cheapest plan, the monthly cost is the same as my Verizon bill now, lower activation fee, and I get $100 back. It’s a possibility. It does lock me in for a year, though.
The other option is to get a voicemail box. I came across VoiceNation while Googling for options. They offer a local number in Santa Barbara, the activation fee is a third of Verizon’s, and the monthly fee is half. Plus, telemarketers will always have to leave a voicemail. They’ll also e-mail me when I get a new message, and for another $5/month actually e-mail me the message itself.
So… does anyone have any experience with VoiceNation, and with not having a landline in general? Let me know if I have any other options. There’s that whole comment thing below that you can use…
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Having no landline is great until there are problems with your cell (cellular network issues, etc..). Make sure you get good cellular reception in your new apartment before you decide to use it as your “primary” phone. I lived without a land line for a year and a half. It was agony. Then again I lived in an area with marginal cellular coverage at best.
I don’t know anything about Voicenation, but that does sound like a good idea if you’re firm about dumping the land line.
Have you considered Vonage?
http://www.vonage.com/
You are going to have broadband, so you can use your broadband for your landline phone and tell Verizon to stick it.
http://www.ureach.com
For a small monthly fee you get your own Toll Free number and you can use it to receive voice & fax and email,…, make outgoing calls like a phone card or forward it to your cell phone and many more other portal features i.e. calendar etc.. I have been using them as my primary bussiness portal for 5 years now and I love it.
This amazing website will clean your floors, feed your dog, and put away your leftovers.