A New Year - A New Look!

Hello again and Happy 2014. I'm back, ready to start the New Year with a new look.

I added the column to the left to display post information, including a place to subscribe by email. When an email address is entered, a notification will be sent anytime a new post is published - until I know how well this works I'll continue to send out the emails. The labels list, below the popular posts, has replaced the blog archives and should make it easier to find an old post in any one of the categories. The hodgepodge category is for stuff like this that doesn't really belong with any of the others.

The centre column is for the current post and the comment section, while the right-hand column is for extra information including links to Richters, Smartsource Coupons and blogs I follow. At the very bottom of the page I've added links to other sites I like and find useful.

The most challenging change was correcting my name from Lenie Douglas which showed up in everything connected to this blog. I had used that name for my e-book because, while I had written it, my husband Doug had done the editing and I thought it would be nice to acknowledge his contribution by using both our names on the cover. I just didn't realize that google would take and run away with it. Anyway, that has now been changed to Lenie Hokansson, Lenie being my dutch name, one I have always liked better than Lena.

I'm now working on becoming an Amazon.ca associate. I often buy from there, including all my print cartridges at one-third the price anywhere else. I can vouch that the service is great, in most cases shipping on orders of $25.00 or more is free, most items are shipped by UPS and received within a week or less. Returns are easy and at no cost and financial transactions are very secure. I hope to have this completed within the next couple of weeks.

Here's something I'm really pleased about and want to share - I send emails about the new posts to 14 people and from there it travels to others. The number of readers of the post "Target vs Walmart" has surpassed the 100 mark, with the other three popular posts, shown at left, following right behind. That means people are continuing to find, read and forward the posts which I find really exciting and encouraging, enough so to keep me blogging away for another year.

Last minute "good-to-know". I had some over-ripe bananas so decided to make banana bread yesterday (Sunday) and I couldn't find any baking powder. I have never been out of baking powder and the only thing I can think of is that I threw it out during the pre-Christmas rush. Anyway, I remembered the following substitute - 2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part baking soda and 1 part cornstarch. I needed 2 tsp. baking powder so used 1 tsp. cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp. baking soda and 1/2 tsp. cornstarch. Worked like a charm.

Talk to you again next week,
Lenie

Holiday Time

This will be my last post until after the holidays. I'm stopping a bit sooner than originally planned but I was starting to get panicky thinking about all the things left to do before Christmas.

Current Scams To Watch Out For!!

After last week's post, when I alerted readers to the scam targeting Shopper's Drugmart customers, I decided this was an area that needed further discussion.

Right now there is a phone scam happening where someone will call and tell you there is something wrong with your computer and they have been authorized to fix it, all they need now is access. This happened to my friend (who doesn't even have a computer), but as soon as her husband identified himself as a member of Police Services, the caller hung up.

Another scam that recently happened to me was a message left on my cell phone telling me I had won a  $1,000.00 gift card from Walmart. That sent up a couple of red flags. First of all, I don't give my cell phone number out to anyone, so obviously this was a random, probably computerized, call; secondly, I had not entered a contest so I failed to see how I could win. I notified our local Walmart but they were already aware of this and confirmed that indeed it was a scam.

And then there was an email from my daughter-in-law with contents, including a link, that was so unlike her that I emailed her back asking if she really had sent it to me. Good thing I did check and hadn't just clicked on the link because I found out - by phone - that her email account had been hijacked and the email definitely hadn't come from her.

Those are just some of the problems I know about personally, so the scammers and hackers are out there, we just have to know what they're up to so we don't get caught.

One of the main points I've read about scamming is they want people to act NOW. You may hear statements like "This offer is good for this week only", "My manager has authorized me to offer you...., but you must act now" and more along that line. They know that if you take the time to think about the offer or, worse for them, take the time to check them out, they have no deal. Its therefore important never to act right away, but to wait a few days and do some research. If the offer is legit, it will most likely still be available.

I have found a terrific information booklet from the Competition Bureau Canada called "The Canadian Edition, THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF SCAMS, Your Guide to Protection Against Fraud".
The Table of Contents include:
1. Lotteries, Sweepstakes and Contests - 2. Pyramid Schemes - 3. Money Transfer Requests - 4. Internet Scams - 5. Mobile Phone Scams - 6. Health and Medical Scams - 7. Emergency Scams - 8. Dating and Romance Scams - 9. Charity Scams - 10. Job and Employment Scams - 11. Small Business Scams - 12. Service Scams - 13. Handy Hints to Protect Yourself - 14. Scams and You: What to do if you get scammed - 15. Getting Help and Reporting a Scam.
This booklet may be copied and reproduced without permission as long as accuracy is maintained. To download this booklet, just click on the link: THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK OF SCAMS.

I'm not connected to any social media sites so have no actual first-hand knowledge of the social media scams. From the research I've done I do know they are happening with increasing frequency and that everyone who has a Facebook, Twitter or other Social Media account should always be on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary, paying particular attention to things like spelling or grammar errors.
A couple of links that cover this topic and which I found to be informative are:
SOCIAL MEDIA SCAMS TO WATCH OUT FOR 
and from Scambusters:
THE 5 MOST COMMON SOCIAL NETWORKING SCAMS

During my research, I discovered that:
1. Anyone can become a victim of scams or identity-theft;
2. No one should be embarrassed if they have been scammed;
3. It's important to report any fraudulent activity so that it can be stopped.

If you have been scammed or spot a scam, you can contact:
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
www.antifraudcentre.ca  or 1-888-495-8501
or
The Competition Bureau Information Centre
www.competitionbureau.gc.ca  or 1-800-348-5358

"The Little Black Book of Scams" lists more places and numbers for reporting purposes.

We know we live in an age where scamming is a way of life for thousands of people so the more we know about current scams, the better we can protect ourselves. I hope the information presented here will help accomplish exactly that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smart Source Coupons Now Available:
Food Products: Any Fruittella Product ($0.50) - Rexall Meal Replacement Original or HP 6pack ($0.50)
Child/Infant: Rexall Jumbo Diapers or Unisex Training Pants ($1.00) - Goodnites Underwear ($2.00)
Personal/Health Care: Arm & Hammer Spinbrush ($1.50) - Arm & Hammer Toothpaste ($1.00) - Gold Bond Ultimate Product ($5.00) - A535 Rub ($1.50) -  Phillips GoStyler Trimmer ($3.00) - Phillips Body Groomer ($10.00) - TRESemme Hair Care ($1.00) - Revlon Nail Enamel or Lip Purchase ($2.00) - Rexall Kit Make up Brush ($1.00)
Cleaners/Detergents: Lysol Fabric Mist ($1.00) - Any 2 Lysol Products ($1.00) - Bissell Carpet Cleaning Powder of Carpet Foam ($2.00) - Any 2 Finish Quantum, Powerball or Gelpacs ($3.00) - Air Wick Infusions or Colour Changing Candle ($3.00)
Pet Care: Pedigree Dry Food (Buy 2 Get 1 Free)
For any of these coupons, simply click on GetCoupons and follow the instructions.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emergency Disaster - Are You Prepared?

Because of the recent disasters in Calgary, High River and the horrific event in Lac-Megantic, Disaster Response Teams across the country will be reviewing their procedures to make sure they are prepared to respond at a moment's notice. But that made me think.  We aren't guaranteed immunity so just how prepared are we to handle an emergency situation?

Before I retired, I was Executive Director of a St. John Ambulance Branch, an organization that's a member of Municipal Disaster Response. While the SJA Emergency Responders have the active role during emergency situations, my position demanded I be in the know as to procedure in order to provide the necessary support. I decided this would be a good time to put this background to practical use by presenting an overview of some of the things we can do to prepare for emergencies.

While I'm only providing an overview, the links below will take you to Federal/Provincial Emergency Preparedness sites which have excellent, more detailed emergency planning information.

Get Prepared - Canada
Get Prepared - Ontario

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of the best places to start is by asking the "what if" question to get thinking about how to tackle some of the more conmmon concerns, such as:

1. Communication: How would you contact your family members if normal communication was disrupted?
2. Loss of Power: What would you do if you lost power for more than a day, especially in winter?
3. Emergency Escape Plan: What if you couldn't leave the house using normal exits - How would you get your family to safety?
4. Grab and Go Bag: Replacing official documents takes time, work, can cost a lot and adds more stress to an already stressful situation.  If you had to leave your home in a hurry, which documents would you need?
5. In-Home Sheltering: What if it was safer to stay indoors then venture out. What would you need if this lasted for several days or longer? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Communication. Not being able to contact other family members during an emergency is a nightmare, the worry of which can actually lead to lack of necessary action.

Cell phones can be a lifeline during an emergency, but they do have limitations that need to be considered. They need to be charged to work and if you're without power, they can't be. Having a car charger as a backup is a really good idea.
During emergencies cell phone use will be increased which may result in dropped calls, so the better idea is to plan on using text messages rather than voice. Taking that one step further, is it possible to create contact groups so that one text could reach all the members of the group - next consideration: what would the message be?
Finally, cell towers can go down during emergencies, in which case the old fashioned landline and phone can keep the lines of communication open.
                                                  
If necessary to call 911, the landline will show emergency dispatch the location where the call originated, something the cell phone may not do. For emergency use, forget about portables, call display, answering machine or any other feature that needs power, since you can't count on them to work when needed. A simple phone, similar to the one shown, is best.
       
Do you know how the school and/or workplace emergency communication plans work? Are you satisfied the plans are practical? Are parents invited when school emergency plans are practiced? These are just a few of the questions you may want answered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Loss of Power. The most common emergency situation most of us will have to deal with will probably be loss of power. No power means no lights, no A/C in summer or heat in winter, fridges, stoves and other electrical appliances won't work, elevators are out, ATM machines (debit/credit) won't function etc. Considerations:

• Light. You need to be able to see to organize time without power. If there are gas lines where you live, don't light any matches or candles until the cause of the power failure is known. Make things easy on yourself by having one place set aside for flashlights, oil lamps, candles and matches so you always know exactly where they are. What light source will you use if the power is out for several days? 
• Heat in winter. While no A/C in summer makes things very uncomfortable*, no heat in winter is much more serious, especially if it lasts several days. Do you rely on electricity to power your heat source? No power - no heat. What will you do then? Can you set up another safe source of heat? If you plan on using the gas fireplace, do you know how to turn it on manually? *The exception here are people with health problems, the very young and the eldery - there should be a plan in place to keep them safe during extreme heat.                      

• Food is another area. No hydro for several days means any food in the fridge or freezer will go bad. Since we're mostly talking about loss of power in winter, is there a safe way to store food outside if the weather is cold enough? Then there's the matter of preparing food. The question is what to have and how to prepare it. A campstove or barbecue could be used in a sheltered spot outside or in a garage with the door open (don't forget fuel supply).  Never use indoors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Keeping a good supply of non-cook foods like crackers, cereals, energy bars, bread, peanut butter, etc. on hand will also make things easier. If there's a way to boil water, instant hot chocolate, cup-of-soup or bouillon are always comforting. 
• People in rural areas, reliant on wells, will find out their pumps won't work - in more populated areas water may become contaminated so water could become an issue. How much would be needed for drinking, cooking and washing? (Minimum 2L per person per day). In the fall I always buy six of the largest containers of water available and write the year on them. If they're not needed, I use four of them over the following summer and the other two in early fall once I've purchased a new supply. We were once caught in an ice storm when we had no hydro for five days and ended up melting snow to use and let me tell you, you need a lot of snow to get a small amount of water. Not something I want to repeat. 
• People with health problems who rely on electric-powered medical appliances. In that case, loss of power may turn into a medical crisis - transport to hospital or nursing home may be the answer, but this should probably be arranged ahead of time.
• ATM machines won't work and many stores will be closed when there's no power. Be prepared with some cash on hand and enough food and water for a minimum of three days, preferably longer.

Keeping the gas tank topped up is always a good safety idea, just in case.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emergency Escape Plan. This is part of the home fire escape plan but it also applies to other emergency situations. There should be two escape routes from every room, including second story rooms. If that isn't the case, what can be done to change it?

The link below takes you to the Central York Fire Services site that outlines an excellent escape plan that can be used for all emergencies, not just fires.
Emergency Escape Plan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the event of fire or evacuation, you'll be thankful you had the foresight to prepare a Grab and Go Bag which includes:  

• Cash in small bills, small change and possibly some travellers cheques.
• Contact Information - Family members, school/work contacts, doctor, pharmacy, etc. 
• Copies of: Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificate, Passport, Driver's License, Health Card/Records, Social Insurance Cards and other personal identifcation documents, Credit/Debit Cards, Insurance Information, House Deed, Mortgage Papers, Will, Power of Attorney, Recent Income Tax Return, Computer User Names and Passwords, etc.   Cut down on the paper and scan these documents, then send them to yourself in an email so that you can access them later from any internet-connected computer or mobile device, or you can save copies on one or more CD's or USB drives.
• Extra car and house keys. Safety Deposit Box keys.
• A change of clothes for every family member.
• One week's worth of prescription medicine.
• If there's room, you may want to add small items that have special meaning, such as photos, baby books, etc. Often the loss of those things causes the greatest emotional upset.

Place everything in a small suitcase or duffel bag and store it where its easy to grab if needed. 

Its a good idea to keep original documents that aren't needed on a regular basis in a safe place outside the home, such as in a safety deposit box. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In-Home Sheltering. There may be times when its safer to stay indoors than venture out, such as during severe storms or if toxic chemicals were released in the air. Secure the home to keep all outside air from coming in. Close and lock all windows and doors. For severe storms - settle in a basement or ground floor area, preferaby a spot without windows. For toxic air - shut off all heating/cooling systems and settle in an area above floor level, again without windows.

Emergency Kit at home:

• Food and water as above
• Manual can-opener
• Matches and Candles, possibly some oil lamps
• Flashlights and  battery operated Radio
• Good supply of spare batteries to keep flashlights and radio going
• Well-equipped first-aid kit and the know how to use it. A first-aid course can be a lifesaver.
• One week's worth of prescription medicine.
• Infant formula/powdered milk/diapers. 
• Baby wipes, toilet paper, paper towel.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are so many safety products on the market and at such reasonable prices that everyone should have them in their home. They include:

• Working smoke alarms, at least one on every floor, batteries changed twice a year.
• Fire extinguisher, one on every floor and everyone old enough should know how to use it before its ever needed.
• Carbon-Monoxide detector, as per instructions.
• Emergency lights on every floor - The kind I like are the ones that stay plugged in and normally function as a night light, but when removed can be used as a fully-charged flashlight.
• Battery operated radio to stay informed if the power is out.

If you've ever thought about buying a generator, then this is the time to do it, so that you can become familiar with how its used before its ever needed.

Being prepared removes  a lot of the fear and stress associated with emergencies and provides much needed direction in case of serious disasters. 

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CELL PHONE OR PLAN.

When I started this cell phone thing I really didn't know what I was getting into and I will say I'm glad that this is the last post about it. I have learned more about everything connected with these phones than I ever thought I wanted to know. One really good thing I did learn was that if you go shopping in person prepared with a checklist of what it is you want and how much you want to pay, chances are good that you will find the phone, the plan and the service you're looking for.

There are three kinds of mobile phones to choose from: The basic cell phone which I want, the features phone which Rogers calls Smartphone Lite and the really advanced Smartphone that's basically a mobile computer. The phones are available in all price ranges, starting around $50.00 and go up from there, depending on what's wanted. Even the cheap phones come equipped with a camera. Many, not all, can be purchased outright, while some only work with plans offered by the service provider. Blackberry does not work well on a prepaid plan as it needs the Blackberry Internet Server (BIS) to function properly.

I had made up a checklist with all the questions I wanted answers to before I went shopping and that worked well because there really is an amazing amount of stuff to know and it would be easy to forget to ask some important questions.The phone questions centered first on the features: Keypad (easy to see and use), Screen (easy to read indoors or out), the Camera, Camcorder, GPS and Hands Free Capability (yes to this, but in different ways). Then followed questions about durability and how well the phone would stand up to normal use. Next were the questions about Battery performance in terms of talk time, standby time, hours between recharging and how long before the battery needed to be replaced. The final phone questions covered the warranty – return policy, Manufacturer’s Warranty, coverage, procedure to return defective phone, any associated costs, loaner phone and cost, what would void warranty and finally anything not covered by warranty.

Once I had all the phone information I asked about what I would need in a plan if I used so many minutes at different times (day, evening, weekends), made long distance calls Canada-wide, sent out text messages, emailed, wanted Internet access, downloaded some stuff and wanted call display, voice mail, etc.

The more Data needed, the greater the cost. The Data Usage Estimator calculates how much data will be needed so no more is purchased than required - no sense paying for something not used.  

The final section covered Issue Resolution as this should definitely be known before signing on.

Having this checklist in hand, I started with the Bell store and this certainly supported my theory of dealing locally so that you’re able to rate the service before signing on. The lady that assisted me answered every question as I went down the checklist (and waited patiently while I wrote in the answers). Once she caught on to what I was doing, she started suggesting ideas and giving advice as to what she thought would work best for me. This was a friendly, informative 45 minute discussion, exactly the kind of service I was hoping for. When I asked about Issue Resolution, she told me that if a problem did come up, either with the phone or with Bell administration, just to come to the store and they would support the customer in trying to solve it. She even went as far as to say that they would know better who to talk to in those situations than the customer would. I was super impressed with the service, especially when I had told her upfront that I was only there for information and wouldn’t be buying that day.

Its probably obvious by now that I'm a stickler for good customer service. To me its a key element when deciding where to buy a product or service. After all, if service is the core of their business and they can't get that basic thing right, then don't expect them to be able to do more difficult things like solving problems.

I then went to The Source, which was right next-door to the Bell store. There I just went to check out phones I could buy outright but that went nowhere. The only thing the salesman wanted to do was sign me up to a month-by-month plan with VirginMobile, through which I could buy a smartphone on the Tab, even though I had said I didn’t want a smartphone. I simply don’t want – or have use for – anything that complicated.  It didn't take long to rate the service as poor and I was out of there in no time at all as it certainly wasn't a place where I wanted do business. If they won't listen to me when I'm buying, you can imagine how well they would listen if I brought them a problem.

I then went to Rogers where I received good service. Since for the past six years I’ve had the $100.00 a year plan with Rogers, I needed different information from them than I did from Bell. I was interested in the Doro phone sold through Rogers. This is a phone geared to seniors. It comes equipped with an emergency contact button, large keyboard, flashlight, daily reminder, etc. The lady at the local store was very helpful but then there was one question that she couldn’t answer (I wanted to know if I could take the money from my pay-as-you-go balance of $172.00 to pay the $99.00 cost of the phone). I fully understood where store staff wouldn’t have the authority to deal with that. Unfortunately, that meant I had to call their customer service at the 1-800 number and that was impossible – I never did get through and finally just hung up. So that’s a bit of a problem – a phone I like a lot, very good local service, terrible support service. I’ll need to think more about that.

Finally, I went to Telus and I hate to say that by this time I was really too tired to ask the right questions, even with the checklist, so I don’t really think I was able to judge them fairly. The service I received was ok – not outstanding – and I had to ask all the questions as nothing was volunteered so that was definitely work, but like I said, that could have been contributed to me. The jury is still out on that one.

There were other providers who had a kiosk at the mall but these seemed to me to be more sell spots then “I can provide the service you want” spots. I may be wrong but that was my impression so I didn't bother to stop in. 

Anyway, visiting the stores with a checklist is definitely the way to go. List everything you want but also what you don't want. Buying the right phone, with or without a plan, is a big consideration. Having all your questions answered and rating the service before signing should definitely make the buying decision easier. Anyone wanting a copy of my checklist can just email me at Lenie5860@gmail.com and I’ll forward it as an MS Word 10 Doc.

IMPORTANT: On the local news on Friday evening, there was a story about the great increase in the number of phones that are stolen everyday. Thieves are brazen enough to grab the phone you just placed on the table beside you or as you're returning it to your purse or backpack. The police want the public to be more aware of this and to have a locked code on their phone and keep their GPS turned on. Just thought I'd pass the information along.

Well, that's it for this week. I hope this information will come in handy next time you're considering another phone or plan.

TALK, TEXT AND DATA PLANS

I think the whole cellphone thing should be called planned confusion because it really is totally overwhelming. It would be much easier to choose a plan if there were fewer, more meaningful options available. To simplify things a little bit I decided to stay with plans offered by the six major providers. We know they all have service problems, but since we're aware of what the problems are we can take steps to minimize them. Also, these six have all been around long enough to provide good national coverage which, from everything I've discovered, is an major factor affecting both service and cost.

Because there is so much to cover this is a really long post, but I didn't want to skimp on any of the information.  I believe knowing what to look for and which questions to ask before signing will prevent many problems, which will in turn cut down on expense and frustration.

A cellphone plan is a legal contract and signing this, without fully understanding it, is probably the single most cause of disagreement and the reason why consumers seldom win in an argument with the provider. Before signing any contract, it’s important to read and understand the Service Terms. However, these terms are written in legalese which means not in plain English so being handed a copy while standing at the counter isn't good enough. It will be almost impossible to read and understand this document under those conditions. The better way is to print off a copy from the provider's website and really take the time to read and understand it. Any parts that aren't clear should be noted and be explained by the provider before any signing takes place. This protects the customer by letting them know exactly what they're getting and if  they're not comfortable with the contract, they simply don't sign.

The different Service Terms can be found at:

Koodo - Service Terms

Fido - Service Terms

VirginMobile - Service Terms

Telus - Service Terms

Rogers - Service Terms

Bell - Service Terms

TYPES OF PLANS AVAILABLE.

• Service Contracts. These normally run anywhere from 1-3 years – Committed even if service proves to be less than satisfactory – Early termination of contract usually expensive. Most often a phone is included. 
• Service Contracts with a Monthly Plan. A flat monthly rate is charged for specific services which must be clearly defined. If there is a cost for  cancelling or changing a plan, this should be known. Phone may be included.
• Prepaid Cards and Plans. This may be a good option for the once-in-a-while cellphone user. Cards and plans have an expiry date, usually 30-90 days. In order to carry balance forward, it must be topped up before the expiry date – ask provider for details. Phone not supplied.
• Month-to-Month Plans. A monthly rate is charged for a set amount of minutes each month. No long-term contract required. Phone not supplied

      Seniors Plan:

Rogers - $18.00 month for 100 local minutes or $100.00 pay as you go, valid for one year. Balance carried forward if topped up before expiry date.

Bell - $25.00 month for 100 local minutes or $100.00 pay as you go, valid for one year. Balance carried forward if topped up before expiry date.

      

      Knowing exactly what's needed in a plan makes it easier to find one that fits. Before going shopping, listing all the requirements and other nittty-gritty, like what costs to look for, makes the job much easier. 

What’s the reason for getting a cellphone?

This can range anywhere from the extreme basics where the phone is used only in case of emergencies when driving or away from home to where the phone is the main source of communication (voice, text, email, Internet access and downloads). 

How much can be comfortably spent each month? 

Is getting a phone with the plan important? This has pros and cons. Pro - its one way of getting a more expensive phone. Con - if the phone plan provider fails to deliver promised service or the phone itself doesn't measure up, it may be more difficult to resolve issues when tied in this way.

How much time is required? Rule of thumb – daily use requires 550-600 minutes per month; a few times a week requires 300-400 minutes per month; and occasional use, less than 100 minutes per month.

How much of this time will be used for: 
Voice Minutes - Will this be local or long distance? 
Text messages (Text, Picture and Video Messages) - Messages use up airtime minutes in addition to per text cost. 
Long Distance  - LD uses up airtime minutes in addition to any LD charges.
When will this time be used?

Daytime
Evenings (from what time to what time).
Weekends (from what time to what time).
Data Usage -How many MB or GB is needed? Is wireless capability important?
Incoming Calls – How many can reasonably be expected? Will this include incoming text, picture and/or video messages?
Long Distance: How much and to who (family calling may be free).
Phone Features: What features are important - Voice mail, call display, call waiting, conference calling, call forwarding? (Forward calls to a landline. When you forward calls to another cellphone both phones will be charged the airtime).

When looking for a plan, many look for 'Unlimited, Included and Canada-Wide'. But what exactly does this mean?

Unlimited (not all unlimited is the same - what are the exceptions?):
Data - when is unlimited not unlimited – have this explained in detail (example - tethering).
Incoming Calls – Does this apply to incoming calls originating outside coverage area?.
Unlimited Calling Canada-Wide -Needs to be explained in detail - not everywhere in Canada is covered by all the providers.
Included: What is included and for how long? If this is a promotion, certain things may be included for a short time, for instance, nationwide family calling may be offered free for three months, but after that it will cost extra. - Get the details in writing.
Canada Wide: Clear map of coverage area required.
Under what conditions do exceptions apply to any of the above.
All of the above features should be included in the plan cost, but to avoid surprises, get the answers before signing.

Hidden or Other Costs.
First Month Cost - What's the first month's amount to be paid -What is included - Itemize.

      Activation Fee - Is there a charge and how much?

Monthly Bill - What costs are added each month (911 service, taxes, regulatory fees, anything else) so the exact amount of the monthly withdrawal is known. Is there a possibility of additional charges showing up on occassion?
Termination - What's the procedure and how much will this cost? How about early termination?
Coverage Area - This needs to be clearly defined and, if this is a national plan, 'national' must also be defined, otherwise expensive roaming charges could be applied.

The following costs should also be checked out before signing:

Overage Cost - Additional minute rate

Overage Cost - Additional data rate

USA roaming costs – minutes 

USA roaming costs – data

Directory Assistance - 411

Voicemail - need details - under some circumstances there could be a charge for this.

Call Display – need details - under some circumstances there could be a charge for this.

All other costs - described in detail.

Plan Considerations:
Term - Which plan works best - Pay as you go, A monthly Plan or an Extended Term Contract.
The no-contract plan is of course the easiest to terminate but may not offer everything that's required.
Monthly Fees - Compare all the plans to find one that best matches your budget. Its no fun being overextended each month.
What's Included - If you're a travelling business person, you obviously need more inclusions than the stay-at-home grandma. 

Once all the needs have been listed, its time to match the requirements to a plan. A good starting point for this is to go to http://www.comparemyrate.ca/compare-cell-phone-plans. Another place to check are the websites for the different plan providers.

Once one or two plans have been decided on and you sort of know what you want, its time to go shopping to confirm your answers, clarify anything not understood and check out the service. Before signing with anyone, remember, you're signing a legal document (which protects the provider) where everything is listed and written down. Protect yourself the same way - by getting all your answers in writing and signed by the provider.

As mentioned last week, I feel its important to visit a local supplier to get a feel for the kind of service you could expect to get during and after the sale. Receiving friendly, courteous service while asking a bunch of questions is a good test of what can be expected. Receiving anything less means you need to go somewhere else. 

ROAMING: The high cost of roaming was mentioned a lot and since I had no idea what roaming meant I looked it up at www.ehow.com and found out that 'cellphone roaming charges are fees paid by cellphone users when they use their phones outside their home service area as the carrier determines it." These roaming charges are added to the regular plan's costs and are usually higher than costs outlined in the plan. It is possible for customers to be charged for calls routed to them in a foreign country while their phones are turned off. When a customer turns on his device in another country, the local carrier will register the device on its network. This means that even if the customer keeps his phone turned off or chooses not to answer calls, the customer's home carrier will still route to the local carrier who then forwards the calls back to the home carrier. The local carrier charges to route calls. If the caller leaves voice mail messages (or emails), the customer pays. For this reason, it’s important to know the plan's coverage area. Don't just accept nationwide, but have nationwide clearly defined. It’s also important to know what to do when traveling outside the coverage area - www.ehow.com has further information on what to do to avoid roaming costs.

I'm not a big cellphone user and really just like to have it with me when I'm driving in case something happens. I've had a $100.00 pay as you go plan with Rogers for the past 6 years with absolutely no hassle. Because I don't use the phone very much and have it topped up before the expiry date, the balance keeps growing. Last November I had a balance of $387.00 and received a nice letter from Rogers suggesting I use $100.00 from the balance to pay this year's fee, which I did, so this year I am using my phone for free. At this point I still show a balance of $172.42.

This whole cellphone project started because I had thought I would like a voice and data plan, but after all the research I realize I have exactly what I need so I'm sticking with what I have.  I'll use my computer for emails and any other Internet use. All I need to do now is buy a phone and I'll talk about that next week.

So there you have it. A lot of reading, a lot of questions to be answered, but hopefully it will all be worth it by helping identify a plan that meets all the needs at a reasonable cost and in a way that prevents most provider service problems. 

What follows are examples of different plans. I'm not recommending these plans - I just wanted to show examples of very different plans like the very simple Text and Talk Plans vs. the more inclusive Talk, Text and Internet Plans.

       Comparison  - Text & Talk Plans – Koodo, Fido, Virgin Mobile

Monthly Fees	Koodo - $35.00	Fido - $35.00	Virgin Mobile - $35.00
Anytime Minutes	200	400	150
Text, Picture & Video Messages From Canada to Canadian, US, and Int’l wireless numbers	Unlimited	Unlimited	Canada & US Text Unlimited sent from Canada
Evenings and Weekends ²	Unlimited 5pm-8am Weekends 5pm Fri. to 8am Monday	Unlimited 6pm-7am Weekends 6pm Fri. to 7am Monday	Unlimited 7pm–7am Weekends 7pm Friday to 7am Monday
Incoming Calls	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Call Display & VoiceMail	Included	Included	Included
Canada-Wide Long Distance Canada-Wide Family Calling	Included	Included	--
Circle Calling Local Calls Between Subscribers on the Same Account		Unlimited	--
First Month Fees – Other Fees Coverage areas need to be clearly defined or this could become a problem. Roaming Charges – When and how much Cancellation Fee

      Comparison - Talk, Text and Internet Plans – Telus, Rogers, Bell

Monthly Fees	TELUS  $60.00	ROGERS  $60.00		BELL  $60.00
	Promo Voice & Data 60	Talk, Text & Internet 500MB	Voice & Data  60
Term	Monthly, 1,2, or 3 yr.	Monthly, 2 or 3-year	Monthly, 1,2, or 3 yr.
First Month Costs	$120.00*	$120.00*	$155.00*
Anytime Minutes Included	1000 Local Minutes Unlimited Nationwide Family Calling.	1000 Local Change to nationwide for + $10.00/month	1000 Local Minutes Change to nationwide for + $10.00/month
Evenings and Weekends	Unlimited 6pm-7am Fri.6pm-Mon.7am	Unlimited 6pm-7am Fri.6pm-Mon.7am	Unlimited 6pm -7am Fri.6pm-Mon.7am
Additional Airtime Rate	50cents/minute	45cents/minute	50cents/minutes
Data Included	500MB  Shared	500MB	500MB
Additional Data Usage Rate	2cents per MB	$15 per 500MB	$15 per 500MB
WiFi		500MB Overage $15/500MB	Unlimited access at participating locations
Text, Picture & Video Messaging	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Call Display, Call Waiting, Conference Calling	Included	Included +Enhanced Voicemail	Included +Message Centre Lite
Activation Fee	Not stated	One time – up to $35. Varies by Province	One time - $35.00
*First bill may vary from this. The amount shown includes initial setup cost…plus one FULL month’s service fees (which will be pro-rated depending on your billing cycle). First bill will also include any airtime usage and 911 Emergency Service Access Provincial Fee may apply. Define Canada – Wide Coverage Roaming Charges – Canada, USA, International – Cost & When do they apply. Early Cancellation Fee – How much and how is this handled? 911 Emergency Service Access Fee – Provincial Fee may apply 411 Directory Assistance Fee - $2.49 or $2.50 per call plus airtime