I had the old Jitterbug, made by Samsung, for about 7 years without a problem. I could probably have used it for several more years if Rocky hadn't chewed it and lost the battery.
The new one is made by Alcatel and is a total piece of crap. If you are thinking about getting the Jitterbug, my advice would be "DON'T". It is a bit larger than the Samsung, which fit so nicely in my jeans or jacket pockets, was easy to hold as it wasn't an exact rectangle but curved a bit which made it simple to hold and use it. One of my sons helped me get the new one set up and he recognized right away that the voice quality wasn't very good.
I used to put the Samsung on the charger overnight about every other night, and take it off when I got up in the morning. This one makes an annoying ring every few seconds when it has finished charging, about 2 hrs or so. That means if I put it on charge when I go to bed at night it is going to wake me up just after I get to sleep. I don't understand why Great Call discontinued a very usable and trouble-free phone to carry this one which has no new features and nothing I would consider better.
I am going to look into other phones with the same features and that have a pay-as-you-go system. I pay for a certain number of minutes each month and have never gone over, although I don't use my phone all that much to begin with. To be truthful, I don't want or need a lot of features - I just want a phone that I can make and receive calls with. I do use the camera from time to time but don't really need it and that wouldn't be a deciding factor to get this phone.
I really don't like to criticize a product, especially to an audience of the size I blog to. I might tell one of you individually that I don't care for my phone and this is why, but going on a public forum lets you know that I truly dislike it.
The days go by with stormy skies and then bright sunshine, but the dark clouds are always coming up on the western horizon. Rocky and I just got back from a walk of about 1 mile while we had the chance.
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I wish I knew why companies do this stuff. Take a perfectly good item then come out with some junk taht isn't worth a darn. Yesterday I kept hearing a phone ring and couldn't figure out where it was coming from, I finally realize it was coming from my pocket. When I was putting the phone in my pocket it dialed my daughter. I quickly stopped the call A little while later she called and wanted to know if something was wrong and that she had been driving and couldn't answer. I want a flip phone so this kind of stuff doesn't happen. To me those were the best phones
ReplyDeleteThat is what I hate about smart phones, mine used to do the same thing and would dial my best friend. She called them "butt calls"...I thought it was just a name she made up and almost died laughing when I heard that same term on a TV show.
DeleteNow I only have my telephone ON when I leave the house and I usually leave the phone in my car. At home it is usually OFF. We still have a landline that we use all the time.
The problem phone is still a flip phone, Jo, so I guess it is the problem of the mfr which I hadn't heard of before - Alcatel. It is a cheap version of the previous one I had, a Samsung.
DeleteI'm going to get rid of it as soon as I can get out to look at other models, but I definitely don't want a smart phone. My son offered to get me a smart phone on his plan, but I don't want a smart phone, and I know if I had all those features available to me I would start to use them, one by one, and I would eventuslly be walking around with a phone in my hand all the time; then I would start glancing at it while talking face to face with people, and it's all downhill from there!
The first cellphone I got was at the suggestion of Big Foot one of my readers. It was a simple 2G phone from Tracfone where I prepaid for my service and could carry over my minutes year to year. They updated their network to 4G and sent me a free but this time Smart phone.
ReplyDeleteEven though I later went on to buy another one but this time with a monthly plan from another company I still kept it because the Tracfone network does not differentiate national minutes from foreign minutes and I could call my uncle in Mexico City at the same rate.
Saw all the rains in your area in the news and thought of you having to walk Rocky in those conditions. Hope it clears up soon.
I'm definnitely going to try to find a phone and service I like. I shouldn't care as I use the phon so seldom, but it bugs me, and the charging issue bugs me even more. I was so used to charging it overnight and never had to worry - now I have to unplug it when charging is complete or it will bug me all night long to unplug it! I wonder who was the developer with that bright idea.
DeleteCan you not turn off the sound on your phone? That’s what I do every night or charge it in a different room?
ReplyDeleteYes, I could turn the sound off so I wouldn't have to listen to it, but I don't see why it keeps beeping for hours after being charged. I never minded the little light turning on because I always turned the phone upside down so I wouldn't have to look at light that might come from the screen. I just don't see the need for the constant beeping for hours on end once it has been charged. A time or two would be more than enough to wake me up!
DeleteWow, did time fly! I remember when you got that phone! My Old Man has a semi smart phone. It was the least expensive phone at the AT&T store.
ReplyDeleteIt costs $27 a month for service, which is really expensive given how rarely it is used. (To let me know he is on the way home from the doctor's office, or to check on me if I'm gone too long to Walmart.) The text messages from AT&T drive him crazy. I was seriously considering following your
example and getting him a Jitterbug. Guess that idea is gone!
I sent Jitterbug a copy of my blog where I complained about the phone. I just wish they would have stuck to Samsung. I have been researching inexpensive phones online but my head is swimming and I really can't figure out what I should get.
Delete