… and why you might want to, too. Some people call Verizon ‘Big Red’. Up until a few months ago, I was a long time subscriber to their wireless service, for at least five years. I was happy with the coverage, but not happy with the cost of service nor with their tendency to nickel and dime their customers.
When I first contracted with my assistant, Taby, one of her first tasks was to do an analysis of all of our wireless bills over the past year. Big Red had slapped on another nickel and dime charge for something, and I had had enough. The results of her analysis were, shall I say, horrifying. Our average bill, including taxes, for a 1,400 minute shared plan, with two phones, mobile broadband (required), and no text plan was $203.75! That is $2,445 per year, not a small amount for a small business. Maybe ‘Big Red’ stands for ‘big red bill‘.
After recovering from my initial shock, I had Taby do analysis on alternative carriers. Coming out on top was what I affectionately call Little Red, otherwise known as Virgin Mobile. The analysis on minutes used and broadband usage was very helpful in deciding which plan to select. I immediately ordered an LG phone, on sale for $99, and jumped on the $45/month plan. After a few days, we switched over our other phone to a $35/month plan. Our monthly bill for both phones (taxes included): $80. Cha-ching!
The Downside:
- I gave up the wireless hotspot built into my Palm Pre, which I rarely used anyhow
- I gave up my beloved webOS phone for an Android phone
The Upside
- Savings of $120 per month/$1,440 per year (I could conceivably get one new phone every month or two)
- No contract
- Good coverage everywhere I travel
- Unlimited texting, which we have never had before
The is a no brainer for us. We cut our wireless costs by more than 50%, and that money goes straight to our bottom line. Even if we needed to get mobile broadband, that service would only be $35-55, depending on the plan. Virgin Mobile uses Sprint’s network, which has coverage almost as good as Verizon, and good enough in the areas in which I travel. And good enough is just right for us.
I encourage you to do your own 12 month analysis of your current wireless plans and see if you can save money with an alternative carrier.
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