I'm tired of phone bills.

[countrygirl]

Is anyone else out there tired of ATT and their associates? I use ATT for my home phone because they are the only folks that offer high speed internet way out here in the country. I think what I am most upset about is trying to understand their bill and their "options". I have decided that I really don't need the $50 home phone service, but I pay it in order to get the internet service. I saw briefly on the att site that you could get internet without the home service, but it disappeared when I had time to go back to the site to investigate. When I call, the folks I talk to seem to know less than I do.
Any suggestions....??

[Fotno]

I turned mine off.
My wife and I use our cell phones.

[countrygirl]

ATT is the only option here for high speed internet. Can I turn the phone off and still get the internet service?

[Fotno]

I don't know about that.I use Satellite Broadband Internet.

[carsalesguy]

megagate offers dsl w/o phone svc

[countrygirl]

Megagate rents their lines from ATT/Bellsouth and therefore gets the slower lines. We cannot get high speed internet from megagate.

[bpitt]

Since AT&T has purchased Bellsouth, customer service has dropped even lower than before. I'm not sure about the dsl without phone service, as every one that I've seen has had a telephone number tacked onto it, whether a phone was actually connected or not.

[Queen Mother]

I turned off my land line 3 years ago and haven't regretted it once.

[maggie-doodle]

I did the same QM...after we lost service during Katrina I found I did not need a home phone...no need paying two bills when I could do with one. We get internet via Comcast and have been pleased so far with there service.

[pooker]

Have you looked into voip?

[Echo Four Bravo]

I would love to get rid of my land line and just use cell phones. The only problem is I also use ATT for dsl service. I could go through comcast for internet, but I prefer Directv for television service.

[Wayward]

Is anyone else out there tired of ATT and their associates? I use ATT for my home phone because they are the only folks that offer high speed internet way out here in the country. I think what I am most upset about is trying to understand their bill and their "options". I have decided that I really don't need the $50 home phone service, but I pay it in order to get the internet service. I saw briefly on the att site that you could get internet without the home service, but it disappeared when I had time to go back to the site to investigate. When I call, the folks I talk to seem to know less than I do.
Any suggestions....??
countrygirl ... what you're talking about is a service option known as Naked DSL. Here's the brief concept:
Naked DSL is the trendy name for DSL without phone service, and it’s good news for many Web surfers who have cancelled their landline telephone services in favor of mobile phones. However, don’t assume that you’ll reduce your monthly bill by simply removing your phone service. Naked DSL may actually end up costing the same as or more than your standard DSL-landline bundle.
A full discussion is here (http://www.smartcomputing.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2F2006%2Fs1710%2F14s1 0%2F14s10.asp).

The article is from October 2006 ... so the information might be a little dated but it would be a good idea to check with AT&T on their current options. In my situation, I have Comcast for high speed Internet and use a cell phone. No land line in sight. :thumbsup:

[countrygirl]

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. What is VOIP? Is that the one that works off cell phone towers? My daughter has that for her work computer and it works pretty quickly. (Wish I had a job before I retired that would provide me with stuff like that!). It would work on my laptop but I think I would have to upgrade the home computer for that.

[pooker]

voip is voice over ip , its going to be the new thing most people will tell you that, its what will be replacing all of our current phone systems. All you need is an ip phone, which are relatively inexpensive. Voip is free to everyone else who has voip, and it only costs a little bit more to make calls to people who are still on regular phone lines.

[Wayward]

Thanks everybody for your suggestions. What is VOIP? Is that the one that works off cell phone towers? My daughter has that for her work computer and it works pretty quickly. (Wish I had a job before I retired that would provide me with stuff like that!). It would work on my laptop but I think I would have to upgrade the home computer for that.
countrygirl ...

As pooker said, VOIP is Voice Over IP or Voice Over Internet Protocol. Internet Protocol (IP) is the standard method for Internet connections. Very basically, your telephone calls are routed over your Internet connection. A number of companies offer VOIP service. Probably more than you want to know is here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP).

Vonage is one of the big players in VOIP. Their basic information is here (http://www.vonage.com/lp/US/get1monthfreegoogle/).

Back to your original question, you would still need a high speed Internet connection without a land line component. Easy to do with cable, like Comcast ... not sure about AT&T with their DSL service.

[Guru]

Wayward, I'm glad you found your voice again after a vacation. Your input is greatly appreciated here.

[countrygirl]

Okay...looks like VOIP is out. You would think I lived way out in Perry County somewhere instead of 10 minutes from 98....I can't get Comcast or any decent cable company. The cable I get at my house is basically unwatchable. Another question, don't you have to have a land line for satellite internet and tv reception? I'm not sure I want to go satellite with my internet yet as it can sometimes be slow...

[Wayward]

Okay...looks like VOIP is out. You would think I lived way out in Perry County somewhere instead of 10 minutes from 98....I can't get Comcast or any decent cable company. The cable I get at my house is basically unwatchable. Another question, don't you have to have a land line for satellite internet and tv reception? I'm not sure I want to go satellite with my internet yet as it can sometimes be slow...
country girl ...

No land line of any kind would be needed for satellite TV or satellite Internet connection. The satellite dish takes you right to the satellite. The cost for both are pretty high but in some areas there's not much choice. I think the connection speed varies greatly depending on several factors ... the weather included.

I've never messed with satellite and don't know whether a single company can provide both TV and Internet reception on the same service. I also don't know anything about the possibility of Voice Over IP combined the satellite. Might be a good research project. :D

[bpitt]

VOIP is what I work on on a daily basis. When it first came out, the quality of service was no where near that of copper line based telephones. But, it has gotten a LOT better now that network admin has realised that VOIP packets MUST have priority over data packets on and over networks, including the internet. Skype offers a service where you can call other Skype users for free, and regular service is cheap, as is Vonage, etc. The thing is, you gotta have DSL modem, cable modem, or satellite broadband for it to work.

[Wayward]

VOIP is what I work on on a daily basis. When it first came out, the quality of service was no where near that of copper line based telephones. But, it has gotten a LOT better now that network admin has realised that VOIP packets MUST have priority over data packets on and over networks, including the internet. Skype offers a service where you can call other Skype users for free, and regular service is cheap, as is Vonage, etc. The thing is, you gotta have DSL modem, cable modem, or satellite broadband for it to work.
Good information. I appreciate your confirmation that VOIP will work with satellite broadband.

[Fotno]

We utilize both Satellite Broadband and VOIP Technology on my rig and it does have it's glitches,but it does a really good job for the harsh environment that we are in.

[countrygirl]

I was just thinking about the cost of all of our phone bills, land lines and cells for the family, internet connections, and cable/satellite compared to our health insurance. I love to save a buck here and there, but I guess I'm like everyone else. I complain about the high cost of health insurance, when I pay so much for things that are not really necessary.

[Wayward]

I was just thinking about the cost of all of our phone bills, land lines and cells for the family, internet connections, and cable/satellite compared to our health insurance. I love to save a buck here and there, but I guess I'm like everyone else. I complain about the high cost of health insurance, when I pay so much for things that are not really necessary.
Good point, countrygirl. From time to time, it's good to bring stuff into perspective. ;)

[jojobeans1120]

I've used cellphones for years, rather than having a land line, that is. I thought this thread was about the cost of your cellphone bill. I recently changed from Cellular South, to AT&T... if it hadn't been for the customer service experience at CS, I wouldn't have, but man.... I'm totally regretting it!!!! My bill was 254 for one month!!!! It wasn't that high for four lines at CS! :rolleyes:

I'm going to change to the minimum plan at at&t, and get back to CS... this is insane....



BTW, love the look and things here guys. It is great to see some of you again.... you've been missed!!!

[SoMissTV]

We've missed you, too.

[Goobersmooch]

i have a data only line for my DSL through ATT

i have a phone number assigned but no working number....

this turns out to be more than the support people can handle at times though...so beware that....

but they DO have a DATA ONLY LINE...you just probably have to use the right language...

the CEO of ATT has stated that very thing (use the right language) in reference to buying cell phones without a contract

[CupcakeChic]

Is anyone else out there tired of ATT and their associates? I use ATT for my home phone because they are the only folks that offer high speed internet way out here in the country. I think what I am most upset about is trying to understand their bill and their "options". I have decided that I really don't need the $50 home phone service, but I pay it in order to get the internet service. I saw briefly on the att site that you could get internet without the home service, but it disappeared when I had time to go back to the site to investigate. When I call, the folks I talk to seem to know less than I do.
Any suggestions....??

they finally gave us just dsl and no home phone service... at&t is the only internet option in moselle... i had to call until i got the right person... good luck! they have a miserable customer service system and i will get rid of them the very first chance i get!

[Artee]

Countrygirl......I had the same problem as you and I live about a quarter of a mile north of Donandelle's on the same side of the road. I finally broke down and got an Aircard from Sprint. It plugs into your USB port. It's about $70 a month, but being in the graphics business I got tired of waiting an hour for a .jpg, etc. to download. It works on cell technology and it zooms compared to dialup. I'd never go back.

[countrygirl]

they finally gave us just dsl and no home phone service... at&t is the only internet option in moselle... i had to call until i got the right person... good luck! they have a miserable customer service system and i will get rid of them the very first chance i get!

Oh, the stories I could tell you about ATT/Bellsouth customer service. When we first got online here at this location we had SLOW dialup. Couldn't get anything else. Then Bellsouth switched us to a different line that was even slower. Couldn't even download a picture without the thing locking up. I would have to call and have them delete the e-mail. We finally switched to Megagate....but it seems that Megagate rents their lines from ATT....and of course they get the slower lines. We finally called Bellsouth back and told them that we would reconnect with them IF they would not put us back on the slow line...after much miscommunication with them we did finally get the faster landline but then they switched our neighbor over to the slower one we were on.:banghead: We were finally able to get dsl through them and it does pretty good. I just get disgusted because their bills are not understandable and if I have a problem it's hard to get anyone that knows what they are talking about....and that's after you've been on hold for 30 minutes waiting to talk to someone. I have learned that it works well if you ask for the person's badge number or station number FIRST and then ask to speak to a supervisor if you get some idiot trying to help you....

[BotanyBabe]

I dropped my land line and switched to cable internet and cell phone almost a year ago. Like others have already said, it was the best thing I ever did. After doing a price comparison, I'm now saving $85/month. :bouncy:

Of course, ATT tried to coax me into not dropping my service. They said, "You do know 911 does not work from a cell phone, don't you?" I said, "I do understand that 911 dispatchers will not be able to pick up my home address." :rolleyes: They make phones with GPS transmitters in them. Hello? Of course, I'm not sure how a 911 dispatcher would be able to pin your location if you haven't registered the phone somehow.:shrug:

[countrygirl]

I cannot get cable internet service...I WISH I could get comcast. The cable service at my house is basically nonexistant.

[BotanyBabe]

I know someone who got this http://www.mybluedish.com/?gclid=CKLFl8OAtpECFQOllgodz0U8eA but they went from dial up, so I don't know what the difference is in speed between this and DSL. They live in the sticks...no twigs. lol

[Artee]

I don't know how much the blue dish costs, but my "aircard" downloads as fast (sometimes) and all it is is a cellphone. Of course, I'm not very far from a cell tower here and I've heard that signals will vary with distance , etc. But I'm extremely happy with it and all it has is a USB plug that goes right into a port of the front of any computer. I can run a lil software on a computer anywhere and be online on THAT computer in a matter of minutes. CG I will let you test it out if you want. I can bring the software and aircard to you and we can hook it up to see if it will work for you. If you are interested you can call me at my business phone 601-584-1000. And no.....I don't have a damn thing to do with Sprint. Just like my service :).

[countrygirl]

Thanks Artee. I'll probably just try my daughter's the next time she visits. She always has her's with her. I have used her aircard before and liked it. The only problem right now is that I think we would have to upgrade our home computer. One question. Can you hook up 2 computers from one air card, or would you have to pay for 2 complete services? We regularly use 2 different computers...a laptop and our home computer.

[Baloo]

Thanks for all of the info on here gang! I am also sick of paying a huge landline bill for a phone that I never use. It is literally unplugged because the only people who ever called it were telemarketers. I only keep it for the internet and the only thing that they have available is slow dial up. I have been wondering if there was a way to get the internet through satellite service. I am out in the sticks too and cable is just strung that far out. Does anyone have any idea who the best provider would be for a satellite/internet service?

[Artee]

Do you use the computers at the same time CG? If not, then you can use it on as many as you like as long as you run the software on them. Otherwise you should be able to make a network and use one computer for any and all on the network to hookup through.

[IGID]

i have a data only line for my DSL through ATT

i have a phone number assigned but no working number....

this turns out to be more than the support people can handle at times though...so beware that....

but they DO have a DATA ONLY LINE...you just probably have to use the right language...

the CEO of ATT has stated that very thing (use the right language) in reference to buying cell phones without a contractHow much is data only service and what do I tell them? That's what I need. I never use my phone....ever.

[Rollinthunder]

Thanks for all of the info on here gang! I am also sick of paying a huge landline bill for a phone that I never use. It is literally unplugged because the only people who ever called it were telemarketers. I only keep it for the internet and the only thing that they have available is slow dial up. I have been wondering if there was a way to get the internet through satellite service. I am out in the sticks too and cable is just strung that far out. Does anyone have any idea who the best provider would be for a satellite/internet service?

We don't have a land line anymore. WE use our cell phones and everyone calls us on them. I couldn't see paying for cell phones and landline too if we never used the landline. I know other people that are doing the same thing. The only problem I ran into was pay perview and internet...we have satellite internet service now with Wild Blue...