I am so annoyed. Our friends have dial up and I cannot get through on their phone. They also don't have cell phones and they are not answering their front door. I'm not going to ring the door bell because it's 8:30pm and I'm sure their kids are in bed.
AAUUUURRRRGGGHHH! I need to confirm that they are watching Connor tomorrow and I'm stressed enough as it is.
WHY do PEOPLE have DIAL UP??

Vent...vent...vent...

By Sunny on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 09:05 pm:

Because they have never experienced anything better.

I will NEVER go back to dial-up! I'm spoiled now. LOL

By Missbookworm on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 09:18 pm:

Awwwwww Heidi! I can relate...my gf still uses dial up and I can NEVER get a hold of her.

I so wish I was close enough I'd watch connor for you and well I don't use dial up, I have a cell phone and no doorbell so you'd have to knock and my children aren't sleeping yet (it's earlier here) so it wouldn't be a problem...

Sorry but I thought it might make you smile a little
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{ Heidi }}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

By Mia on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 09:21 pm:

I HAVE to use dial-up. Nothing else is available where I live. But I do have a 2nd phone line just for the pc.

I hope you find out about the babysitting!

By Crystal915 on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 09:27 pm:

My parents HAVE to have dial-up, and hate it. The town where they live is out in the country, and there is no cable on their road. They have a satellite, but don't have a clear view for the sat internet. Comcast and Verizon are fighting over DSL lines, so that's not available. So, they're stuck on dial-up. However, they do have an extra line, solely for internet. Then again, they usually aren't home to answer the freaking phone (it's a running joke that I think they've up and moved after a week or so of not answering calls) so it doesn't help.

By Mrsheidi on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 09:38 pm:

LOL! You guys DID make me laugh!! I needed that...

By Ginny~moderator on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 10:02 pm:

I have dialup because it is a whole lot cheaper. And it's my decision and no one else's. I'm sorry you can't confirm your babysitting arrangements, and I understand that you are stressed, Heidi (and you have one of the best reasons I know of to be stressed). And I understand that under stress, people can get a little carried away. But honestly, don't you think it is their right to decide whether to have dialup or DSL, whether or not to pay for a cell phone on top of a landline, and whether or not to answer their front door?

By Tink on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 10:11 pm:

I have dialup, also. DSL isn't available here and I'm not paying four times as much for cable plus the hundreds of dollars for set-up. I'm sorry their choice is such an inconvenience for you.

By Shann on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 10:18 pm:

I have dialup would love to change but cant afford to go dsl. as with many people who have dial up you might want to take that in to consideration as it is a little expensive.

By Mommyof5 on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 10:43 pm:

I have dial up because I tried to call Alltel once to see about getting dsl and I was on the phone with them for 40 minutes while they tried to sell me on different "bundles" and refused to just quote me a price for hookup and monthly cost until I had heard their entire sales speech...I finally just hung up and said forget it I will stick with dial up.

By Crystal915 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:17 am:

Oh, Heidi, this will make you laugh, too. In addition to the problems getting anything but dial-ip for my parents, Verizon told them "We'll run the lines down for you, but it is $X per foot." My parent's driveway is about 250ft, and it would have cost them about $3K. Umm, yeah... I'll pass!!

By Bea on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:22 am:

I second Ginny's answer. I refuse to be a slave to my phone or doorbell. I choose to answer or not. It's my right. I have DSL, but certainly not because it allows others to call me. I have voice mail to handle calls that I'm not able or not inclined to take. I prefer DSL because it is faster. I have a cell phone, but rarely use it and give my number to only my family. I'm sorry if this sounds haughty, but maybe it's my age. I don't want anyone able to reach me any time they care to. I think it's my right to turn it off and tune out.

By Paulas on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:41 am:

Maybe the kids are asleep or out for the night and they are having sex and don't want to answer the door

By Crystal915 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:44 am:

Bea and Ginny, I don't think that's a bad thing. My generation is such a slave to electronics. Ignoring the phone or doorbell is like a cardinal sin to some. I have a very hard time ignoring things, although I've gotten better about ignoring my cell, and I'm notoriously bad about checking my voice mail. On the flip side, I'm obsessive about email, and other online communications. Most of us could take a few pages from your book.

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 06:47 am:

How I learned this lesson is when my oldest was about 4 weeks old. I was giving him a bath and the phone rang and kept ringing, so I picked him up, wrapped him in a towel, and answered the phone - only to find a "heavy breather" on the other end. That was when I decided it was my phone, I paid the bill, and I would answer it or not as I chose. This was pre home answering machine, so the family had a code - ring 3 times, hang up, and call back - so that we'd know it was family at the other end. It was also pre-telemarketers - their advent gave a lot of us a different attitude toward the ringing phone.

When my parents moved in with me my mom was frustrated because she couldn't always get to the phone while she was taking care of my dad. I finally convinced her to just let the answering machine pick it up, and she could call back if it wasn't a telemarketer.

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 06:49 am:

Tammie, check Alltel's web site. That will probably give you the price without the sales pitch. If you like it, when you call you can say "I know what I want and what it costs. Either sell it to me without the sales pitch or I'll hang up and write a letter to your supervisor." If I were Alltel's managers, I'd surely be sorry to have missed a customer because of someone who didn't know when to deviate from the canned sales pitch.

By Karen~moderator on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 07:39 am:

My two cents - some people cannot afford DSL or cable. And then there are some who can, but think it's a waste of money. Services aren't available in some areas. The service providers in certain areas suck. I'm sure there are a number of reasons why many people use dial-up.

Personally, I was never so glad to get rid of something. LOL I have NO patience with downloads or web pages opening using dial-up. But that's *me* - others don't necessarily feel the same.

BTW - did you ever get in touch with your friend??

By Reds9298 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 08:22 am:

Haven't read all the posts but....it's cheaper! A LOT cheaper. I know it's frustrating, but really I still can't believe how much we pay "to communicate" every month. It's ridiculous really! (And I LOVE my broadband and can't imagine going back, but it still is too expensive!)

By Babysitbarb on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 09:54 am:

I have dial up because we can't get anything else out here in the country. I don't like it but, don't have much of a choice.

I also have callwave and I pay $3.95 a month for it. If someone calls it comes up on the screen and they can leave a message and then I can call back at my convenience.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 10:29 am:

I have a friend who isn't on the internet that much. It's just not that important to her. She can't see paying for broadband, when she is hardly ever on the internet!

My family, on the other hand, would die, if we had to go back to dial-up. LOL! When we had dial-up, we eventually got a second phone line, though, that we cancelled, when we got cable.

I loved missing out on telemarketers, though, but it was frustrating when real people wanted to call.

By Conni on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 10:38 am:

Mrs. Heidi,

my parents, 2- sis/bil's, and mil, all have dial up because it is all that is available in there rural areas. They'd rather live on 100 acres and enjoy their cattle and horses and peace and quiet... then too live in close where they can get faster internet service. I just call them on their cell phone when they are on the internet. (which isnt very often) They do have callwave as well... But I just hangup and call on their cell.

We are seriously considering building a home in the next 2-3 yrs on our farm (30 min from town) and we will not have cable TV and will only have dial up internet. If it means my kids spend more time using their body outdoors and reading more books or studying harder inside--- PTL!!!

I am very burned out on the expensive modern conveniences we pay for each month... I am considering letting my cell phone contract run out and not having a cell anymore until I go back to work. We'd have so much money left over at the end of the month if we didnt pay for all this crap! lol

By Kaye on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 10:39 am:

This is truely a generational thing. The younger you are the more important elec communications seem to be, because we have never had a life without them really.

On a funny note though, I have a cell, most of the time, it isn't huge to me. I want it specifically so my kid's schools can call if a kid gets sick. Pretty simple. But when I travel I do give the number to where we are going, etc. And i do use the phone when it is convienient. WELL my grandmother (age 80) seems to think that it means I should be accessible at all times, she will call my home, then my cell, then my home and finally start leaving messages. I try to tell her that really I don't take calls when I am out, and if my kids are with me I don't usually have the phone on, but she still keeps calling.

By Cat on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:30 pm:

Some people don't have a choice. That's the only thing available to my mom. That's why I didn't get on here much while I was at her house this summer! lol I love my dsl.

By Missmudd on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:33 pm:

I live in the boonies. I feel like we moved back to the 70's in some ways and I like it. Only a little amount of drugs and sex at the highschool, no gangs, kids are safe on the street, everybody knows me, I know them. So I deal with SLOW internet, no biggie.

By Sue3 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:39 pm:

I would love dsl.It isn`t offered here though.Cable isn`t either.They think maybe another 2 years it will be.
We got rid of our dish a while ago,it was way to expensive.The childen have survived with out it too !!! Lol.
We do have a service that when we are on line all calls go through my cell phone.
It was only .75 cents extra a month.
I always have my cell by me when I am on line.
To bad your friends don`t have that or maybe they forgot?
Hope you get in contact with them.
Hey , how much is internet service othe rthan dial up any way?
We may not switch when it is offered if it is expensive.Thanks,Sue

By Cat on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:44 pm:

Sue, my mom forwards her home line to her cell when she's online. Especially when she knows she's getting an email with pictures because she knows it will take at least a half hour to download. It's a pain, but it's what she's used to and she doesn't spend a lot of time online anyway.

By Brandy on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:52 pm:

Well we have dial up for now because that's all we can afford = ) but we do have cell phones so you could still get ahold of us and well if i didn't live in Indiana i would watch him for you too lol = )

By Mrsheidi on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 12:53 pm:

You actually shoot yourself in the foot, if you can afford the $40/month cable, and especially if you're on the internet for hours at a time. (I called for 1 1/2 hours last night.)
The reason being, I had to call at 8:15 this morning and the phone woke them up. If they had cable, I could have called while they were awake already and the kids were already in bed last night.
And, if you're expecting an important phone call (and, yes, I would like to think of her expecting me to call yesterday as important) then it puts out both parties.
I say, if you're going to use the computer for more than a half hour a day, you should do a cable set up if you can afford it.
And, with the opt-out programs around for telemarketers and caller ID now, you don't feel that you have to answer your phone anyway. We don't feel slaves to our phones...at all.
BUT, if I knew a neighbor needed to contact me, I would at least have called before anyone got online too.

By Paulas on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 01:09 pm:

I have dsl but I wanted to make a comment about cable. We purchased our home 2.5 years ago. The previous owners, like us, used a satelite for the television, not cable. If we wanted to go cable we would have the expense of cable PLUS the expense and hassle of digging up our yard to put in cable lines. I don't think so.

By Cocoabutter on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 01:10 pm:

Sorry, duplicate posts!

By Cocoabutter on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 01:11 pm:

http://www.internetcallmanager.com/

I used to use this service when I had dial-up. You pay like $5-10 per month, and you download software that signs in to the website service center when you go online. They also give you a toll free number. Then, you call your phone company and get call forwarding when busy service, which is usually like 50 cents a month, and give the phone company that toll free number. When you are online and someone calls you, the call will be transferred to the toll-free number which goes to the service center and then to your computer and lets you know that someone is trying to call you. It even has caller ID and gives you the option of accepting the call, which would terminate your internet connection, or of sending it to voice mail.

Of course, if your can get DSL, it would be just as much money as you would pay to have dial-up plus Internet Call Manager.

By Cocoabutter on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 01:24 pm:

And I agree with Heidi. While I respect others' rights to be left alone, you can't shut yourself off from the world when you have certain commitments pending. What would her neighbor have done if there was a family emergency and no one could get a hold of them?

By Mommmie on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 01:32 pm:

We have neighbors and my son has friends that don't answer the phone or the door and it has nothing to do with having dial up. They just don't answer the phone or the door and it gets frustrating when my child is there playing and I need him to come home. I'm getting him a cell phone so I have some control over the situation.

On the other side of the issue a few years ago (when we had dial up) a neighbor kid was over and my brother was visiting and he plugged in his computer to our main phone line instead of the kid's line because it was closer and this kid's mother apparently was trying to call over and over. She finally walked over (she lives next door) and she was LIVID. I said I was sorry and I told her I guess my brother had plugged into the internet on that line and she said, "And so I have no way to contact you?!?!" Shrug, guess not. Walking 30 feet didn't kill you. What was I supposed to do?

By Sunny on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 01:51 pm:

Is it just me or did this thread strike a nerve with some people?

I switched to cable a few years after it was offered in my area. I was very reluctant to make the switch and then I figured out the expense of an internet connection and a second phone line was nearly the same as the cable. The only extra money I put out was buying the modem. I wonder if expense (or in some cases, location) wasn't an issue if some wouldn't be more willing to switch to a broadband connection?

Mommmie - if you get your son a cell phone, be sure to tell him to have the ringer on whenever he is with friends. I just spent the past 30 minutes trying to get ahold of my 13 yr old. He's staying at a friend's house (who lives 5 miles away) and I couldn't get anyone to answer the phone when i called! His friend's cell phone was off, the house phone went right to voicemail and my 13 yr old had his phone on silent! He's very lucky he called me back! LOL

By Shann on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 02:23 pm:

maybe they just didn't want you to contact them. If I couldnt get them by phone nor by knocking on there door I would of taken the hint as they just didn't want to see or speak to me or anyone else kids in bed alone time for the couple. I can pretty much bet that all parents would do that and would love to do that.especailly after a holiday

By Mrsheidi on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 03:03 pm:

This couple is the kindest couple I know, and I am very thankful for them. They weren't sending any hints, but rather the husband said he was on the phone and/or internet. (He was saying this on the phone when I woke them up this morning, in an apologetic tone.)
The wife probably didn't know he was on either one and the husband probably didn't know we had tentative plans the next day.
I'm just running into problems communicating with them sometimes at night and just venting. I'm Italian and I like to be efficient...what can I say. LOL

By Janet on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 03:40 pm:

COST!!!!! I pay $20 per month for my dial-up, and if I were to go to high-speed, I'd have to come up with $300 for start up costs, and then $40 per month after. I just don't have the extra $$ laying around.

By Luvn29 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 03:52 pm:

We wouldn't have it, but we got a great deal on our cable internet service. Since we already have a digital cable package through adelphia, we get our internet service through them for only 31.00 a month. If it weren't for this, I'd still be on dial up because DSL doesn't run to my house yet.

By Breann on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 03:56 pm:

How do you know they were online? Maybe they were on the phone with an old friend or a relative.

We didn't have dsl until about a year ago. Mostly because of the cost. My biggest pet peeve was when my inlaws would call and say "we've been trying to call for an hour, have you been on the internet???". That would drive me bonkers, lol.

We have caller id, and lots of times I just let the phone ring, or turn it off. Sometimes I just don't want to talk to the person calling. For instance, my very sweet friend from our old neighborhood tends to use me frequently to babysit. Her daughter is a doll, and I love her dearly, but I don't always want to watch her. So, if her name pops up and I'm feeling a bit crabby about it, I just ignore the call.

By Reds9298 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 05:00 pm:

We had dial-up until about a year ago and voice mail. We couldn't receive calls while online, but we could see that someone had called so we could get off the computer or whatever. AOL for us was only $5/mth through DH's company, and voice mail is $9.95/mth so it was quite a bit cheaper for us with dial-up.
If they knew they were expecting to watch Connor for you, maybe they didn't think you'd even be trying to get a hold of them, you know?

In addition, cable is really a security pain and involves lots more security precautions that have to be taken on your computer. All in all it *is* quite expensive IMO and when in need, cable internet will be the first thing that goes in our house.

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 06:33 pm:

Why would it cost hundreds of dollars to get set up for cable. Do you not have cable to your house at all?

We already had cable to our house, and DH set up the computers for cable internet. We bought our own cable modem and it wasn't very expensive.

We pay 34.95/month for cable internet and about $17 or so for basic cable tv. (don't get most cable channels.) We don't watch that much tv, so doesn't seem worth it to pay $50 or so, for expanded basic.

For us, dial-up with an extra phone line was just about the same as just having cable, without the extra phone line.

My SIL just has dial-up, but uses callwave, so we can usually get ahold of her.

By Reds9298 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 07:20 pm:

Cable internet for us is about $50/mth.
They've only run cable to our area in the last few years. Before that, and before we had Directv, if we wanted more than local channels from cable or cable internet it would have cost us a TON because it would have just been for our home, see?

We never had an extra phone line when we had dial-up. That would have been an extra $35/mth for us, so we used voice mail.

By Mrsheidi on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 07:24 pm:

Breann...read my post above yours. That should answer your question?
And, Deanna, I told her I would call her to confirm that evening. It might have slipped her memory.

I can't believe the costs of cable in some places! Geesh!

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, December 29, 2005 - 07:58 pm:

Oh, if it was just for your house, then I see where that would have been expensive. I live right in the city, so our house already had cable, when we moved in, 9 years ago.