Holy. Shit.

[reyd reid reed]

Girly-poo wanted a cell phone for Christmas. Her older brother is on the same plan that we are and we haven't had any problems, so we added her.

DAY-UM.

First month...everything's fine. Get a text message in late January that the limit on that account has been exceeded and they need a payment.

WTF? The limit on that account is 800.00. The bill runs about 95.00 for two phones.

The balance was over 900.00. Seems that phone didn't have unlimited text messages and, while she hadn't been SENDING any, she'd been reading every one that came down the pike.

Shit. Added unlimited text messaging.

Start paying that off to the tune of 450.00 in the past month, give or take...get another text today. Exceeded the limit again.

Ringtones and calltones that she'd listened to and didn't realized she was buying. Screensaves. Web messaging.

CHRIST.

And she's asking to be able to keep the phone?

She's NUTZ!!!!!

:crazy:

[KitchenWitch]

1. Damn!

This is why I got my son a pay as you go phone...

[reyd reid reed]

8. When we got Bonehead's for his 17th birthday,

that's what we got him. He bought the minutes after the first 50.00 card. He was doing pretty well with it, though, so we went ahead and put him on my plan and it's worked out fine. No surprises.

Girly-poo, though...day-um.

:wow:

[Shine]

2. Jeezus.

that's a lotta dough. All that shit adds up, doesn't it?

:hug:

[reyd reid reed]

9. Amazingly fast.

It's like a perpetual door...

Shit.

x(

[ScreamingMeemie]

3. Ooooo gosh!

That's what I was afraid of when we got WannaB a cell. I paid extra to get a text message lockout.

[reyd reid reed]

10. First month it was the text messaging...

this month, she's found new and expensive ways to play.

Sheeeeeeesh.

:eyes:

[Little Wing]

4. Someone's gonna be mowing a lot of lawns

[reyd reid reed]

12. Ain't enough lawns in town to pay this sucker off.

I'll come up with something suitably....ick....for her to do, though.

I'm evil that way.


:evilgrin:

[bicentennial_baby]

5. How old is she?

:o

[reyd reid reed]

13. Fourteen.

:eyes:

[Strawman]

6. Wow

I'd find $900 worth of chores if she is too young to get a job to pay you back.

That's ridiculous.

[reyd reid reed]

14. Isn't it?

I think I'm going to wind up with the fewest weeds and the cleanest car on the block.

:eyes:

[KitchenWitch]

16. She would be washing my car every day for 3 months at least!

:7

[reyd reid reed]

19. And I finally found someone to clean the bathroom floors

:D

[redqueen]

7. Jiminy Christmas

I hate when those surprise expenses pop up... someone should invent a thingy that prevents underage phone users from making those kidna purchases without some kind of approval from the person who has to pay the bill... cause damn.

[reyd reid reed]

15. Someone really should...

but I think that the cell phone companies bank on kids like girly-poo to keep 'em afloat.

Still...

:nuke:

[ScreamingMeemie]

17. We were able to get text lockout through Cingular.

She can't text out and texts in get locked out. This is the girl who just racked up 5623 minutes of usage (in network, thank God!) with her boyfriend...because they fall asleep on the phone...isn't that sweet? :eyes:

[reyd reid reed]

20. Heh.

Yeah. Sweet.

:eyes:

[reyd reid reed]

21. Heh.

Yeah. Sweet.

:eyes:

[redqueen]

22. Aww... well... it is sweet!

It wouldn't be so sweet if it wasn't in-network, though. Sheesh...

[ScreamingMeemie]

23. You should have seen her little red face when I showed it to her.

I told her, "No out of network boyfriends". Because I'm a tough mom.

[redqueen]

24. Oh yes... she must have been so embarassed...

hehehehehehe... that's so cute. :P

[swag]

11. I'm glad I had a vasectomy.

[reyd reid reed]

18. Heh...

right about now, I'm wishing someone else had had one.

:eyes:

[BlueIris]

35. You. Are. MY. HERO.

:-)

[Burma Jones]

25. That's it, when my kids ask for a cell phone they're getting this:

[reyd reid reed]

26. Muahahahahahaha...

I like the way you think. That might be girly-poo's birthday present.

:P

[Burma Jones]

27. I think it's a good weapon for self defense as well.....

[SeattleGirl]

28. Been there, done that.

Gave daughter a cell phone for her high school graduation present. Told her how many minutes she had (it was a good amount), but she had to agree to pay the excess. Well, she went way over the minutes, didn't pay the excess, so good ol' mom had to pay. Plus, my mom was ill at the time, and I was making tons of long distance calls (had a land line with long distance at the time). Seemed for awhile my whole freakin' paycheck was going to the two phone bills. GRRR! Daughter finally got her own phone, and once she had to pay for it every month, including over-limit charges, she learned very fast to pay more attention to what she was doing.

[reyd reid reed]

29. It's frustrating, isn't it?

[seemunkee]

30. And here I was pissed about an additional $25

First the boy, who is on his own plan so he can have a MA number. Then the next month munkeegirl went over.

[reyd reid reed]

39. Why does he want/need a MA number?

Heh...and count your blessings.

:eyes:

[seemunkee]

56. Going to school there and doesn't come home on break anymore

[reyd reid reed]

57. Ah...that makes sense

What school?

[seemunkee]

58. Northeastern

he loves being in the city and coming back to DC just emphasizes how damn conservative this area is. Our daughter is looking at schools up there for the fall. We'll be empty nesters and making a lot of trips to Boston.

[reyd reid reed]

60. That's a good school

what's he studying?

When #2 son goes to college in the fall, we'll be left with just the three at home. That's going to feel awfully strange. I can't imagine it.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

31. Ouch!

I hope she's paying you back...

We gave our older son a pay-as-you-go phone. I think it has helped him keep things in check. But even though he's 19, I'm not switching plans. I figure if he wants it badly enough, he can set up his own account and handle the bill.

Pay as you go is perfect for my purposes. I've never used text messages, and couldn't care less about them. I'm required to spend $15 every 3 months; but I usually buy time every 2 months. It's still a lot cheaper than the wireless plans.

[wildhorses]

32. if she was my girly-poo

she would have just lost her phone...

[reyd reid reed]

40. Jup.

She did.

She's devastated...but not as devastated as the bank account.

:eyes:

[Left Is Write]

33. Gah! That's some scary bill!

I actually have no idea what my daughter's bill ever was - her dad paid it.

[northzax]

34. shame a good spanking is child abuse

you know?

[reyd reid reed]

41. Oh, I know.

Boy, do I know.

Besides...last time she got spanked, I got the worst of it.

:eyes:

[SoCalDem]

36. Which is precisely why I am SOOO glad my three sons used these phones

Yes.. we had dial phones until we HAD to change to push buttons.. and we still have two phones in this house with CORDS (cue spooky music)

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. That is my grandma's phone...down to the color even.

:D

[reyd reid reed]

43. I'm considering going to these phones:

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

66. Don't get rid of ALL your corded phones

My cordless phones don't work when the power's out.

I guess if I didn't have a corded phone, I could plug into the computers UPS battery thing.

[Zavulon]

37. OMFG.

I feel for you. I really do. I don't know how I'd handle it. I wouldn';t resort to violence, of course, but Jesus fucking CHRIST.

Ouch. Ugh. Man.

[reyd reid reed]

51. You take several deep breaths...

and then go in a room and close the door. And take the phone with you.

:shrug:

[Zavulon]

38. OMFG.

I feel for you. I really do. I don't know how I'd handle it. I wouldn't resort to violence, of course, but Jesus fucking CHRIST.

Ouch. Ugh. Man.

My brother's kids have Verizon prepaid. When the money runs out, so does their phone. I suggest that as the way to go.

[Chan790]

44. My brother's ex-girlfriend and her sister were on the same plan...

and the little sister rang up $2000 in overage in a month. Bullshit you say? Just under 17,000 minutes (283 hours, 20 minutes). In a 31-day month, there is a grand total of 44,640 minutes...744 hours. She spent 38% of the month on the phone. Think about that...15 year old girl, so she has 6 hours a day at school 5 days a week (132 hours or 18% of the month) and let's assume she sleeps 8 hours a night (248 hours or 33% of the month).This means she spent 77% of her non-waking, non-school hours on the phone. Thank g-d for free nights and weekends.

Lesson learned: NEVER LET A TEENAGE GIRL HAVE A CELL PHONE.

[Katherine Brengle]

46. How is that even freaking possible?????????

My husband and I have a family plan and in the past few months we've racked up like 3,000 rollover minutes.

We're trying to see if we can get a plan with less than 700 minutes a month...

[northzax]

53. probably three way calling

get three teenage girls on two lines gabbing, and the minutes are doubled.

[Katherine Brengle]

45. Hmm... shut her down.

[reyd reid reed]

50. Oh, she is.

Tears and recriminations ain't working...I'm immune.

She's shut down cold.

[lildreamer316]

47. RRR!!!Cricket Communications is your friend.

http://www.mycricket.com/

I pay $59 a month, UNLIMITED min. local and 500 min. long distance; plus caller id and call waiting. 3 calls to directory assistance per month. The coverage area is in my tri-city area and follows the highway south to Charlotte. Does not work outside that area.

Dunno if there is coverage in your area; but if there is it sounds like it might be worth the inital expense of buying a phone through them to get her going. My friend just signed up and bought a razer for about $150 plus the inital sign-up (which I believe was around $50-$60; so you need an initial $200 (less if you get the bottom of the line phone like I have) to get going.

Great deal for those who don't travel much.

ON EDIT: seeing where you were; I took the liberty of checking to see if there was coverage; which there is. http://www.mycricket.com/cricketcoveragemaps/area?hocode=320
AND here is the plan (it seems I need to upgrade MY plan!!)

The $50 plan includes:

UNLIMITED: Local Calls
UNLIMITED: U.S. Long Distance Calls (excluding Alaska)
UNLIMITED: Text, Picture, & IM
UNLIMITED: Voice Mail, Caller ID, Call Waiting & 3-Way Calling
UNLIMITED: Mobile Web UNLIMITED: Coverage in all Cricket markets

[reyd reid reed]

49. I was thinking about that this afternoon.

When (if) she ever gets a phone back, that might be the way to go.

Once this one's paid off.

Which ought to be somewhere around her eighteenth birthday.

:eyes:


Thank you.

[lildreamer316]

52. ;)

I know how that feels--I still owe Alltell OVER $1000.

[Carni]

64. Damn that's what we need

But OF COURSE it is not available in my area!

My 11 year old has a virgin pay as you go phone...$20 lasts her about three days so needless to say the phone is usually not in service!

She and her friends have the most asinine and inane conversations and text messages...they'll text each other when they are standing right in the same room!
(HELLO????)

I cannot even imagine what it will be like in two years! :(

[youthere]

67. Ha ha ha...

It's really funny when they are on the computer IMíng, talking ON THE PHONE to the same people they are IMíng...AND using the cell phone to text the same people they are IMíng and talking to on the phone. Jeebus!:crazy: :crazy: :crazy:

[Carni]

68. I know! What the hell?

I remember being somewhat idiotic in Jr high and HS but I mean come on now...these kids need freaking help lol

[Starbucks Anarchist]

48. Ouch.

:scared:

[Redstone]

54. If you do ANYTHING except confiscate than phone and throw it away, you are

abdicating your position as a parent.

Perhaps not what you wanted to hear, but the truth.

Redstone

[reyd reid reed]

55. Oh, it's gone.

She can cry, she can beg, she can plead...ain't gonna work. It's gone. Kaput. History.

I was fair about it...I took her aside, showed her the bill -- item by item by item. Showed her the total.

Then took the phone.

[Midlodemocrat]

59. Ugh. Been there.

but her bill was 'only $300'. :eyes:

Now she has unlimited texting. The problem I found was that she was sending the limit, but getting them from everyone under the sun.

Cell phones are great, but lordy, it adds up.

[reyd reid reed]

62. That's what got us with girly-poo, initially.

She wasn't sending, but everyone under the sun was sending them to her. And she couldn't resist reading them.

Won't be an issue until this gets paid off, though. Then maybe she'll have learned her lesson. Deprivation can be a great teacher. Works better than all the lectures in the world.

"See this bill? See what made it go that high? Do you have that kind of money?"

"No."

"Give me the phone."

[jobycom]

61. I got my kid a prepaid phone.

She runs it out of money, I decide if it's worth refilling. Right now, it sits unused.

[reyd reid reed]

63. That was the deal with Bonehead...

at least with his first phone. He had to buy his own minutes, though...and he didn't abuse it. He mostly uses it to call for a ride home from work/school/baseball practice/rehearsal.

He's never been a problem.

His sister, though...

:eyes:

[Carni]

65. Yep that's the plan I have too eom

[av8rdave]

69. Went through the text message thing with my daughter

I set up the account after that for something like 250 per month, and showed her how to track how many she's sent/received. Since her allowance goes on a prepaid spending card from my checking account, it's a VERY simple matter to cover an overage on her cell account from her allowance (even if it takes a few months). Once she got that, it hasn't been an issue.

[eyepaddle]

70. D'oh, wrong spot.