Landline Discussion

My husband and I have been discussing this whole landline issue for the last couple of days.  He has done some research looking for different options.  It seems that the services available to us either take something away we really want/need or are more expensive.  Or they are not available at all to us as of yet.

Our conclusion?  We're going to stick it out for a little bit with what we have.  

You see our small city is starting to really grow.  All kinds of new things are going on: a new town center is being built with shops, offices, medical facilities, a movie theatre, townhouses, etc.; new developments (business and home) will be happening over the next 20 years out on U.S. 1 (though we won't wait 20 years to change phone service); new roads are being built.  

All this growth means, hopefully, better services and more competition.  We'll be holding out with the hope that the infrastructure will improve drastically over the next couple of years along with the prices/services available.  

In the meantime, we'll keep an eye out on anything interesting that can replace our landline (re: extra unnecessary expense), while still providing us with the internet services we require.  And we'll even look into replacing our paid security system with a homemade system to cut those costs--though that really is an entire other issue all together.  Maybe I'll touch on that issue later along with the costs associated with setting it up (*makes note to self*).

Landline and Internet Service

I'm a little frustrated--OK, I'm A LOT frustrated with AT&T.  Just because they are becoming a monopoly again, they are able to do whatever they want with what they charge for their services.

We currently pay $37.95 for our DSL service with a voice line which we currently pay $12.45 for the basic residential service.  It was $11.25 last month, but I just found out they raised it without telling me first.  Nice!  Then they charge various fees and surcharges that total $10.07 for a total of $22.52 for the landline.

So we decided to look into naked DSL figuring we'll save a bunch of money by getting rid of our landline.  We'll also save because we'd have to get rid of our security system, too, which we would replace with our own self-made system.  The problem is that AT&T in an effort to continue earning as much as possible charges for the same DSL package $42.95 or $5.00 more since they'd be losing out on the landline charges. 

Talk about a rip off!

I know I'll still be saving money, but I'm so frustrated with them that I really don't know if I want to go through the hassle to get it all done.  I wish we had other options, but even if we went with another company we would still be paying AT&T because they own the lines.  So they would charge the other company to use them, who in turn would pass it on to us.

Then they try to shove their bundle packages down your throat.  I've figured it out before and we pay a lot less without the bundle package.  Our internet and landline was bundled automatically when we signed up, but they are not part of the bundled packages they try to sell.  Our dish plan is billed separately and I have it automatically deducted.  And our cell phones are separate with a family plan (used to be Cingular, but that also got bought out by AT&T like our BellSouth service) plus we get a discount with my husband's work.  I wonder how many people actually save money with a bundled service.  I suppose if you downgrade a service you would save.  We already have the minimum services other than the dish plan and internet.

They were stopped from becoming a monopoly in the past and now because of deregulation they are able to go right back to where they came from and become a monopoly again.  I guess history does repeat itself!