Momma Told Me: Cheap Wireless Plan

***I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Walmart Family Mobile® #FamilyMobileSaves #cbias #SocialFabric All images and photos are original content copyrighted to Momma Told Me Blog, 2013.

Momma Told Me: Electronics should make life easier.

Exactly one month ago I made the big switch.

After one year of giving my current cheap wireless plan 'another chance,' I threw my arms in the air and proclaimed "Something has to change!" Month after month I was spending time calling in to customer service, even just to complete the simplest tasks. My automatic payments weren't going through 'automatically,' and the wait time to speak to a physical human was exorbitant. Then, when I found my way to a human assistant I was shuffled from department to department. The month before my big switch I spent 6 hours on the phone with customer service, and that wasn't even to address the 90% missed call rate on my phone line. I was fed up of spending my hard earned money on sub par service, and my family's time with me, on the phone.

I'd heard a lot about the Walmart Family Mobile plans offered at my local Walmart, and decided to swing by the mobile department on a recent grocery shopping trip. I knew Walmart offered several no-contract phones and wireless carriers; but I knew little about their in house Family Mobile Plan for individual and shared service plans. It turns out I could get the same wireless service, with potentially stronger signal strength, and faster connection speeds (4G on capable devices) for $5 less a month than I was currently paying. In addition, if I enjoyed the service and decided to switch our family over, I could save even more money adding additional lines for just $35 more/line a month. I wasn't quite sold on the switch just yet, so I asked to speak to an electronics department employee to learn a little more. It turned out that particular employee used the service himself, and for his entire family, with high praise; and that was all I needed to convince me to give it a shot.

One of my favorite things about choosing a cheap wireless plan is the extra room in my budget to invest in a top of the line device. Walmart Family Mobile has many specially packaged devices ready for instant activation on their T-Mobile based network. But they're also a 'bring your own' ready plan, which means most SIM enabled devices can easily be ported to their affordable monthly pay-as-you-go service. Bring your smartphone from an existing plan, or purchase a new or used handset and start-up the phone with a simple Walmart Family Mobile activation kit. In our case, I was due for an 'upgrade,' and was happy to find the latest LG Optimus (L9) handset ready for activation with my new plan. Setup was extremely easy, and done all online, though my old carrier was not available for number transfer, so I did have to accept a new phone number. Read more about our Unlimited Plans shopping experience and Walmart's mobile center in our Google+ Album.

Photo taken with LG Optimus L9, on Walmart Family Mobile Plan

Not only does my new Optimus L9 smartphone have 4G capabilities, an upgrade from my previous 3G, but a built in 5MP camera, with smaller capacity front facing camera options. You may recall I had initially worried about making the 1GB top-tier 3G data speed cap stretch the entire month. My previous plan hadn't had a cap, but was extremely unreliable; so the trade off was worth the gamble initially. Now, a month later, I've yet to use the entire 1GB of 3G speed; and am continually impressed by the connection speed and consistency. Of course, when I am at home I rely primarily on the device's WiFi connection to surf the internet; but I am a heavy user when it comes to Google searches and map guidance on the go. Not only have I had no reason to contact customer service, but I can track all of my call and data usage easily through the online My Family Mobile account management portal. A week before my billing cycle was over I received a simple reminder text through my mobile device with the option to pay online or through the phone.

A good cell phone plan is nice, but can it really change your family? This humble blogger says "Yes!" Not only have I had an entirely hassle free month of strong, reliable, service, but I've shaved $5 off my monthly cell phone service bill. It may not seem like an overwhelming amount of money up front, but those savings easily grow when you consider the average American family household has 3 or more mobile lines. (And I know we'll be adding Jay onto my plan next month). For me, however, the true 'savings' has been the extra time I have to spend with my family. With Summer here, and the 90F+ temperatures in Southern California, we've been transitioning into Summer with some frugal heat beating activities.

We recently hit the local dollar store with our Family Mobile Savings and everyone got to pick out an affordable water toy. Since we live in a condominium complex without a pool we're forced to find creative ways to beat the heat. This means weekly water balloon, bubble, and water gun sessions. In the past I've often had to sit fun activities like this out because I've been strapped for time and on the phone solving service issues or trying to process non-recurring recurring payments. I'm happy to report, last month, we got in an entire Summer's worth of fun! (And the Summer's just beginning.) I'm thrilled to be able to bring back the tickle monster and arm myself in our family's water fights, and I think it's fair to say the entire family appreciates the extra time too. Okay, well, everyone except for Nora, who seems to be target practice :)

In summary, Walmart #FamilyMobileSaves me money, but more important to me, time and hassle. The fuss free set up is simple enough for even smartphone newbies to navigate, and the interactive customer portal gives an in-depth account overview at any time during the month. I can't be more pleased with the speed of our data, or the connection quality of my calls, and the new LG Optimus L9 is a wonderful upgrade from my previous device (a much older Optimus). Having reliable and affordable smartphone service is so much more than an electronic luxury. Affordable smartphone service can help keep the family connected and capture priceless moments with instant sharing capabilities. It's a necessity in my mind. I'm simply thankful Walmart Family Mobile has provided me with a fuss free no-contract service that keeps our device options open, and my time free for what really matters, my family.

What Daughter Says: Stop chasing after your wireless company. Walmart Family Mobile works for you, while saving money.

Momma Told Me: Don't let technology take over your life.

Have you ever stopped to watch someone lost in their technology? No, I don't mean the early adopters who seem to have 4+ electronic devices on their person at any given time; I'm referring to those overwhelmed by the devices that seemingly have wormed their way into everyday life. I could say it's generational, but the truth is there are just as many 20 somethings who own devices with capabilities they'll never grasp, as there are 50 somethings. The simple truth is that technology moves much to fast for the average consumer to keep up. When I was a young girl Momma adopted the pager fad as part of her 'personal security' initiative. If I had a dollar for every time little 5'8, 90lb, Momma had to pull off the road in an unknown town to find a payphone, I'd be rich. But isn't it amazing how society learns to accept these little inconveniences, in exchange for the social status these devices offer? The truth is, we shouldn't have to choose between empty wallets and over-complicated devices; there is a phone and cheap wireless plan for everyone!

For me, my mobile phone has been a love-hate relationship since my first pixelated handset in high school. Machines, or technology, cannot hear our angst when data goes missing, or an important call is dropped. Smartphones, despite the name, cannot walk us through troubleshooting, or negotiate contracts; for that, a human is still required. Unfortunately, about 50% of the frustrations that come along with modern technology are due to user error or lack of operations understanding. I'll be the first to admit I've spend ample time yelling at my handset, wondering why the caller on the other end couldn't hear me, only to discover my Bluetooth device had been left on. Technology and services seem to change so quickly, I can only imagine the classes I'll need to take to learn the next generation- 'Genius phones' here we come!

If you're like me, you've probably been thinking about upgrading your handset for months, maybe even years; but have been afraid to invest in a high end handset while still swallowing the never-ending surcharges, contract fees, and monthly service plans. I have been with my current provider for almost 3 years now. Thought I recently upgraded my father to a new Windows Phone, and switched him to a T-Mobile No Contract plan, I was still hesitant to make the switch myself. My current provider and I have a love-hate relationship that's been increasingly tipping towards the later as of late. Just last month I called to update my billing information only to be billed, twice, on my old card the very next day. I then spent over 6 hours on the phone with customer support trying to rectify the issue; which included no compensation for the time or inconvenience. Sadly, this has become a monthly event in our home; every month I have to physically call the provider and 're-opt' back into the unlimited no-contract plan. I have to verify my billing information again, and often speak to 4-5 individuals before my call is done.

I spend hours on the phone with my cellphone provider each month for technical support or to simply keep my service active. Even worse, I've found my service to be lacking as of late. As you can see in the image of my handset, up above, 90% of the calls I receive show up as 'missed.' Though I spend the majority of my day at home with my handset by my side, I miss call after call. Then I'm forced to dial in to the dreaded voice-mail, listen to messages and call offices back, playing phone tag to reach the initial caller. More of my time, wasted; and that's just the service issues when I'm at home. If my coverage can't be reliable when I'm standing in one spot, how will I be able to rely on it while out and about in an emergency? Even more concerning, our household is paying $10 a month more than some competitors for this spotty service and rotating billing issues. That's right, my family wants to reclaim me from my mobile plan!

Recently it was suggested I make the switch to the new and improved Walmart Family Mobile plan. Currently the other half and I maintain independent providers in a no-contract relationship, simply because our phones were not 'unlocked' to be activated on outside networks. (That tells you how old my smartphone is.) Today, it seems more and more major cell phone brands are producing phones than can surf between networks and be activated across multiple plans. The Walmart Family Mobile plan offers the freedom of buying a new handset in store, or bringing your own handset to their comprehensive no-contract unlimited plans. Operating on the T-Mobile wireless network; my father has trusted for over 10 years; the Walmart Family Mobile plan has extensive coverage nationwide. Prospective customers can easily check their coverage map (our home is in an 'Excellent' zone), to determine if the network is right for them. While I knew our hometown received consistent coverage on the T-Mobile network, it was great to see it in black and green!

While it might sound a little intimidating for those currently in contract plans, or independent no contract relationships, the Walmart Family Mobile plan is actually fairly straight forward. For $40 a month a customer can enjoy unlimited web access, US calls, and texts. While the plans support 4G devices, it does seem the current service caps 3G speeds at 1GB, then proceeds to drop down to 2G for the remainder of the month. Additional lines, for a total up to 5, are $35 more per month, though the 3G data cap is shared among users. How the difference in speed will effect me, remains to be seen but, is my primary concern. Regardless, I journeyed into our local Walmart to learn more about the plans and devices available. As it turns out, the department manager was not only knowledgeable about the Walmart Family Mobile plans, but a user himself! He was more than happy to walk us through the set up process, verbally, and set us up with the one time activation pack ($25/device), which would provide us with our first month of service upon activation.

As it turns out, my new handset is actually a much newer rendition of my old one; the Optimus L9 Walmart Family Mobile smartphone will be replacing my old Optimus Net device. It features 4G capability with a beautiful 4.5" qHD touchscreen, 5MP flash capable camera, with front facing camera, Android 4.0, and more. Setting up my new handset and Family Mobile plan was as simple as following the easy steps outlined in my Walmart Family Mobile Starter Kit. Not only could I port over all of my old contacts and images, etc through Google+, but I was able to keep my old phone number on the new plan! A quick recap of the phone logs from the past 3 months, and I've spent an astounding 9.4 hours on the phone with my old provider, in that quarter year alone! I'm hoping, not only will I be saving time, and stress, by making this switch, but I know I'll be saving an extra $5/month (and more if Jay and I join plans) as well. Just think of all the things I could be doing with that extra time and money!

It's too early to say if the cheap wireless plan will live up to the hype, and my expectations, but the full bars on my new Optimus L9 are a good start! I'm looking forward to having a fresh new contract free plan that works into my lifestyle, not the other way around. Not to mention all the extra time I'll have to spend time with my family doing the things we love; more berry picking at the farm, more girls spa days in, more baking delicious treats- more 'Win' all around. And what will I do with that extra money in my pocket each month? I just might indulge in some ice cream on the boardwalk, after all, we all deserve something a little extra sweet, don't we? Check back in a month to see our update on the Walmart Family Mobile plan, and hear if Jay's going to jump on the savings wagon with me! In the mean time, check out our trip to Walmart and see how we narrowed our new plan down in our #FamilyMobileSaves Google+ album.

What Daughter Says: Modern technology should enhance your life, without making you broke. #FamilyMobileSaves modern families money, while pairing the best handheld devices for every family member with trusted T-Mobile network service.