A Comment about Comments

As I mentioned in a previous post, I the H1N1 virus struck my family and me earlier this month. That set me back in many areas of my life, including my plans for this blog. As a result of that illness, along with some traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I’ve fallen VERY far behind on comments.

I’d previously tried to make sure that all I followed up on all comments at least within a week (unless someone else already had responded). For most of the month of November, however, I’ve been unable to do that.

I’ve given priority to keeping up with writing new posts which reach many people, rather than responding to comments, which are often of interest only to the person posting the comment. This is especially true of comments specifically asking questions of me.

For comments, I’m going to wipe the slate clean and start over – I’m not going to answer anything from the last three weeks (prior to November 26th or so) that I haven’t already answered. If you’ve asked a question via the comments section during that time, you probably haven’t gotten a response from me. I assume that by this time, any answer that I could provide would no longer be helpful to you. If you posted a question and you’re still wondering about it, please feel free to post it again.

I’m also making a few changes to how I handle the comments. First, I’m going to lock comments on all phone-specific pages except for one page on each phone – in most cases, the review summary page.

Secondly, I’ve always offered the option of reaching me directly by posting a message in the form on my “about” page, and subscribers can reach me by replying to any of my posts that get to their email. However, in the future I’m going to respectfully request that if possible, people post their comments in the comments section of one of the posts/pages, which allows for other readers to answer the question and/or benefit from reading the questions and answers.

Finally, I will, at some point in the future, set up a “Frequently asked questions” page so that people can use it as a reference prior to posting questions that may have already been answered.

Before I wrap this up, I’m also going to add in what I plan to make a regular feature in my posts: a preview of upcoming posts. Here’s what’s on tap for the next week: a first look (finally) at the new LG CDMA phones for TracFone, Net10, and Straight Talk; News of yet another new Straight Talk phone; Updates (finally) to the bonus code database.

Jitterbug Phone Questions?

EDIT 7/29/08 – After finding very little worthwhile information on this topic, I finally decided to do my own research. In doing so, I found a great deal of helpful information. I put it all together in an analytical article. You can find my Jitterbug phone review by clicking here.

If you’ve been following my blog or other publications for a while now, you know that I maintain TracFone service for several of my older relatives. Well, a phone company called Jitterbug has come on strong lately offering simple prepaid phones targeted toward older folks that might not otherwise choose to own a wireless phone. They claim to offer super simple phones and excellent, easy-to-use customer service.

Here’s a link to their website Jitterbug.com.

I’m wondering if any readers have had any experience with this company. If you have, I would be absolutely delighted to have you share your experience in the comments section of this post. Or, maybe you’ve considered their services and decided against it, or will look into the company in the future. I’d love to hear about that, too. Any and all input will be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

Save on landline calls with Skype

According to the results of the survey on my Tracfone squidoo page, by far the most popular reason that people gave for using prepaid wireless service was that it is cheaper per minute that other options. For those of you that fall into this category, you might also be interested to know that Skype is now offering unlimited calls to ANY US or Canadian phones for only $3 per month.

AND, through May 31, you can save another 33% off that price when you buy a 3 or 12-month subscription. That’s a pretty good deal, especially for people with prepaid phones, who don’t have the luxury of unlimited nights and weekend minutes as many post-paid plans do.

Maybe you’ve used Skype in the past to talk to another Skype user, and you both used your computers to talk to each other. In fact, Skype became famous for their “Talk on your computer” model. However, this is changing drastically as Skype has added 2 important elements. First, as noted above, Skype can now be used to make calls to “regular” phones – you’re no longer limited to talking to other Skype users.

The second important change is the proliferation of devices that are both high-quality and increasingly affordable, which allow Skype users to connect a regular phone to their account. In the past, a big drawback to using Skype was that you had to be sitting in front of your computer in order to use it, and your computer had to be turned on (obviously).

Now you have the option of purchasing a Skype handset, like this one for $90, that is basically a high-end cordless phone that works with Skype. You’ll then be “untethered” from your computer and can still communicate with your Skype contacts and make use of your SkypeOut calling. In fact, you can use this handset while your computer is not even turned on. And, as yet another added bonus, this particular model can also function as a landline handset. So hook up your high-speed internet to one port, and your landline phone cable to another port. Then your new Skype handset will ring whether it’s your landline phone or your Skype account that has an incoming call.

Okay, so maybe $90 is a lot of money to spend on a phone that you’re not even sure you’ll use. So, fist give Skype a try using your computer hardware, and decide whether you like the service. At this price, your risk is low. You might even decide it’s worthwhile to sign up for Skype just to have an extra phone line around the house.

If you decide you like Skype, maybe you’ll want to upgrade to a new handset. Plenty of options are available now, and more are on the way. From bluetooth headsets, to USB adapters, to wireless Skype phones, you’ll be able to take your pick.

Here’s just a quick story on my personal use of Skype: my sister-in-law recently moved to Peru, but took with her a laptop computer. In Peru she was able to get high-speed internet in her home, and we frequently use Skype to communicate via the webcams attached to each of our computers. In this case, our calls were completely free, since we were both on our computers. And my kids loved being able to talk to and wave, smile, and make funny faces at their beloved aunt, oblivious to the fact that she was thousands of miles away.

In our case, Skype really is making the world seem like a smaller place, and I encourage you to give it a try. It’s a great service, and yet another way you can save money on your communications expenses.

Another note to my loyal Tracfone readers: the new Motorola w175g is available in limited retail outlets, and I hope to find one over the holiday weekend so I can review it and report back to you. Stay tuned . . .

Update 2 – Tracfone Motorola W370 with Double Minute for Life

* * * Updated July 13, 2008 * * *
Some information in this post is outdated. To find the best price on the W370, you may want to check out this page.

Also, you may wish to receive email updates automatically whenever I publish a new post on this site. To receive these free updates, click here. It’s free to sign up, you’ll never receive spam as a result of this signup, and you can cancel at any time.

* * * End update July 13, 2008* * *

Ok, sorry to keep posting updates on the same topic, but the best price keeps moving around. This week it, since they changed to free shipping on orders over $35, the deal happens to be at TracFone’s Website.

Actually, Amazon is a dollar cheaper, but there it seems to go in and out of stock, and Tracfone’s shipping will probably end up being a little faster. Both sites are currently offering free shipping.

I’ve never tried this phone and I’m trying to resist the temptation to spend $50 replacing my perfectly functional current phone, but it’s getting tough. It gets pretty solid reviews everywhere that I’ve seen, and I’ve been getting sick of my old single-color screen on my Nokia 1100. I’d be very appreicative if anyone wants to weigh in on the comments section with their own review of the W370.

How eBay is costing its users money

My selling of Tracfone ebooks on eBay has gone over pretty well, although early in 2008 and 6 months into my time selling the ebook, the powers that be at eBay decided that some of my main advertising strategies were against eBay policies. Specifically, it’s apparently not kosher to list an auction that includes information on how to find items on websites other than eBay. They claim that it negatively affects the ability of buyers to find the specific item that they are seeking, but clearly the only thing that it might possibly negatively affect is eBay’s bottom line. Here are some of the problems I have with this:

• at any given time, eBay lists THOUSANDS of coupon and store gift cards. Doesn’t each of these items result in the auction buyer going to a store other than eBay to make the ultimate purchase?
• eBay themselves display ads leading to outside websites, and these ads are targeted toward the search terms of the buyer. How’s this for helping ebayers find a bargain within ebay?
• most importantly, in the 6 months I’ve been selling this information, I’ve sold over 1000 copies, received 800 feedback with 99.6% positive, and, estimating conservatively, saved my customers $20,000.

Remember when eBay used to be about finding deals and shopping from the comfort and convenience of your computer chair? Well, my items are delivered instantly and help my buyers find the best possible deal on Tracfone products, which are then delivered to their home. Seems to me I fit all of these criteria. Too bad for me – eBay interprets my listings to negatively affect their bottom line (never mind that I routinely pay $100 per month in eBay fees). Interestingly, their decision to cancel some of my listings came about the same time that they announced a new pricing structure that will result in lower fees for high-volume, low price per item sellers like me, and higher fees for sellers that are selling bigger items. Hmmm…..

Anyway, I had to revise my approach to selling some of the information I had been dispensing. I won’t go into detail on this, but let’s just say that eBay can regulate what I put into my listings, but they can’t regulate the info that I communicate to my buyers. So, those that buy from me are still getting the same information, but it’s now harder for me to convince people to buy since I can’t fully explain all the benefits they’ll receive. That’s brings me here, to this blog. I decided to add this as a means of reaching more people and spreading the word about the best Tracfone deals. Please check out some of my other posts for more specifics.

Tracfone Double Minutes for Life Deal

This is my first post, and my first ever attempt at publishing a blog. This post has a very specific purpose – to share with other Tracfone users valuable information that can help them save 50%-70% off the normal price of a Tracfone Double Minutes for Life card.

Over the past three months I’ve helped hundreds of eBay members find this same information, for a small fee. I’ve now found out that selling this information was actually prohibited by eBay. So, I’m sharing it for free here.

The deal has become a little more complicated in the last few days, but it is still available. Follow the steps at the link below, and you’ll be able to find the Double Minutes for life card for only $15 plus shipping. Plus, for a limited time, you’ll get $10 cash back on your purchase if you follow the steps I recommend. I also explain in this link how to get 100 bonus minutes when you add your Double Minute card to your Tracfone. Here’s the L I N K !

There’s also a great deal going on for the 60-minute cards, using similar steps. You can get two 60-minute cards for only $19.99. That’s 50% off the regular price! For my step-by-step instructions on how to find the deal and save ANOTHER $10 in the process, click h e r e .