My Cell My Terms? No Probs

My first cell phone would’ve been a perfect fit for a thug who wanted to pitch something through the nearest store window prior to making a no-cash, no-credit “purchase” of a TV or stereo. The phone was big and grey and doubled the weight of my purse every time I carried it. I hated the phone but it came with my job of the day so I wasn’t concerned with the fees and paper blizzard that comes with cell phone service.

I left that job, and the clunky phone, years ago but I didn’t turn my back on cell technology. I had a Bell cell for a while but when Ma changed the terms of her contract without discussing it with me their phone ended up on a yard sale table. Good riddance.

The Bell phone disappeared but the need for a cell remained so Karen and I researched the market and quickly realized that the no contract, pay-as-you-go package was right for us. Our decision was driven home when we watched a woman in a Rogers store burst into tears as the clerk explained the terms of her crackberry contract and insisted that she did indeed owe hundreds of dollars for a month’s use. She had not done her homework, thereby setting herself up for a first-rate screwing.

People are among the laziest creatures on the planet and cell phone service providers take advantage of this characteristic by pitching their phones on the basis of appearance, relatively useless features and totally useless aps (who wants to search the ‘net or watch TV on a screen the size of a match book?) instead of straight forward contracts and reasonable rates. They know the average sucker ain’t gonna read the fine print to find out how badly she’s going to get fleeced.

There are deals out there but if you’re overwhelmed by flashy ads and double speak or don’t have the inclination to research the market there are people who’ll do it for you. MyCELLmyTERMS is a consumer advocacy business that allows cell phone users to design their dream service plan, including how much they’re willing to pay each month, and then they shop the offer to all the cell service carriers in Canada so the customer gets the best deal. This clever crew not only does your homework, they do your legwork.

If you’d like to check out mCmT watch The Dragon’s Den, a suits-and-sarcasm game show, tonight on CBC and see whether the moneylenders toss the entrepreneurs out of the temple. Or you could simply visit their site or read The Cell Phone Blog; this amount of research is painless.

Research: Angelina Pieros

Sources: CBC, myCELLmyTERMS

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