Chatty Cathy wants a cell phone this year. Before you head to a store or spring for a discounted model online, read these 10 tips to avoid getting suckered into a bad buy by a persuasive sales rep.
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Don't take text-messaging fees lightly. If you're buying a phone for a teenager or if you have itchy thumbs, make sure you get a service plan with unlimited text messaging. Otherwise, your bill will add up quickly. The same goes for multimedia messages and Web browsing.
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Stay away from roaming fees. Roaming fees have a nasty habit of inflating your cell phone bill. Before you go with one plan over another, find out exactly which areas your home network includes. Then have the carrier set the phone to beep when it begins to roam on another network. Or if you travel a lot, get a nationwide roaming plan.
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Steer clear of online auction scams. Before you make that final bid on a phone from eBay or another auction site, verify that the seller has paid his or her old bill in full. If not, your recipient won't be able to activate the phone until the previous owner's bill is paid. Talk about putting a damper on your holiday spirit!
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Don't forget to do your research. Also, thoroughly check out a phone's features before buying. For example, many mobiles have phone books that don't support multiple entries per contact, which could drive your giftee crazy. If the display models in a store are inoperative, ask for a test model.
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Don't ignore the fine print. All phones come with warranties, but they don't cover everything. For example, we've seen warranties that don't account for the headset jack. If your recipient uses a headset, you might want to insure it. And when you buy an extra charger or accessory, make sure it's made specifically for the mobile in question.
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Test the service and the reception. When signing a contract for service, ask how long you have to cancel the agreement without paying a penalty. If a phone doesn't immediately work the way you want or if you can't get quality reception in your home or workplace, you can void the contract and return the phone for free. You may have to pay for any calls you make in the interim, however.
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If you want a world phone, be sure it has the correct bands. A true world phone is triband (GSM 900/1800/1900) or quad-band (850/800/1800/1900). Despite what some carriers say, GSM phones using the 850 band instead of the 900 band will work in only a few countries. Moreover, CDMA phones will hardly work at all abroad. And if you want to buy a prepaid SIM card overseas, be sure your phone is unlocked.
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Carefully track your minute usage. To avoid a nasty billing surprise, don't go over your allotted monthly minutes. Know exactly how many you have, and remember to ask when nights and weekends begin and if calls to other cell phones are free. Also, ask where you can view (often via the carrier's Web site) how many minutes you're using each month.
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Remember that salespeople don't know everything. When shopping in a carrier store, be skeptical and ask questions. If they can't answer your question, ask someone else. And if your contract has expired but you're shopping for a new phone, you don't need to sign a new contract just to buy a new phone. You may need a new contract to get the rebate, though.
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Don't get suckered into buying features you don't need. You can get a phone with a built-in camera and still share photos without signing up for the carrier's photo service. If you buy a phone with a built-in camera and an IR port, you can beam pics to a PDA or a notebook, then send them to friends and family via e-mail. That'll save you a bundle in service costs.
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