Ringtones Newsletter
Issue 22, May 2011

In This Issue

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What’s New

  • Mobile Captions ServiceSM Available in 3 More States. Read More »
  • Consumer Cellular Wins "Recycle at Work" Award. Read More »
  • Consumer Cellular Makes List of 100 Best Green Companies. Read More »

We’re Here to Help

In addition to the extensive support you'll find on our website, check out these other information sources:

FacebookTuesday Tip on our Facebook page

YouTubeHow-To videos on our YouTube page

TwitterInteresting tidbits on Twitter

Refer A Friend

Refer a Friend iconPut $10 in your pocket! That's what you'll do every time you refer someone who signs up with Consumer Cellular. You’ll receive a $10 credit on your upcoming bill and your friends will be happy, too. Not only will they get fantastic cell service at great rates, they'll also get a $10 credit on their first bill. Don’t wait to share the wealth! The best gifts don’t require contracts.

Want to tell a friend? Click here to send an email.

Dialing In

by John Marick

It’s the month of May and I’m thinking of Mother’s Day.

The act of keeping in touch with loved ones is dear to my heart and one of the reasons I started Consumer Cellular more than fifteen years ago. With the rise of mobile communication, I saw an opportunity to make it easier and more affordable than ever for friends and family to stay connected. I didn’t think you should have to be a whiz with technology or in the upper tax brackets to use a cell phone. I believed everyone should be able to take advantage of mobile communication, regardless of age or income or technical expertise. My goal was to bring the convenience and safety of cell phone usage to as many people as possible.

That’s why at Consumer Cellular, we constantly strive to improve our service and to find new ways to make mobile communication more practical and meaningful to our customers.

For example, we know lives — and cell phone usage — can be unpredictable. As a result, about one year ago we introduced Usage Alerts, a free service that monitors customer usage and notifies customers when they approach their plan’s minutes. Analysts estimate that our Usage Alerts program saved our customers $5 million in potential overage fees during the first year of this program.

Over the last few years, we introduced and expanded our optional email billing and autopay programs to help save time, worry and paper. We revised our website, making it simple to understand and easy for you to manage your own account. We introduced free online How-To Videos to help you get the most value out of your cell phone investment. And, we joined Facebook, giving you one more outlet through which to exchange ideas with us.

Most recently, we enhanced our rates to make them even more customer-friendly, adding extra voice minutes (up to 40% more) and data (an increase of 33% - 100%) to our plans for the same price. Based on customer feedback, we added a new Anywhere 100 rate plan for $15 per month.

But enough about us. I really want to talk about you — and your special circle of friends and family. If you’re reading this, you are most likely, a customer and are already enjoying the benefits of our service.

Now I invite you to spread the good news and share our service with others through our Refer A Friend program. Recommending Consumer Cellular is a win-win proposition. You help your friends cut their cell phone expenses and enable them to enjoy great U.S.-based customer service. Plus, you both get a $10 referral credit when they sign up.

As co-founder and CEO of Consumer Cellular — and a son — I am proud to be part of an industry that makes it easier than ever to stay in touch with the Moms of the world. Let’s face it… staying connected to those we love is what life is all about.

John

For more comments and industry insights from John, read his latest blog.

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Feature Focus

Nokia C3 - Email Made Easy

Consumer Cellular is always on the look-out for affordable cell phones that meet our customers' mobile communication needs. We recently discovered one in the Nokia C3, a sleek bar-style phone that is customizable, easy to use and small enough to fit in a pocket or purse.

With convenient internet access (using our Connect! plan) and a full keyboard, the Nokia C3 is the ideal phone for keeping in touch through email messages. The phone's display is large and colorful, and you can have up to 1,000 entries in your contacts book — more than enough email addresses for all your friends and family! The phone also includes video and audio recording capability, as well as MP3 music and Bluetooth support.

Truth be told, emailing from your phone has never been easier or more efficient. Priced at only $45*, the Nokia C3 makes messaging a breeze.

Key Features

  • Write and send email with ease using a full keyboard
  • Immediately jump to your favorite sites
  • 2-megapixel digital camera/camcorder with 4x zoom
  • Contact management, including 1000 entries
  • Stereo Bluetooth technology
  • Memory slot expandable to 8 GB
  • Media player, MP3 support

Dimensions and Details

  • W: 2.8" D: 0.53" H: 4.54"
  • Weight: 4.0 oz
  • Display: Size 320 x 240 pixels, 2.4 inches
  • Battery life: up to 7 hours talk time / 20+ days standby

*Requires $35.00 activation fee. Phones are limited to stock on hand.

For more details on the Nokia C3, please visit our Phones page.

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More of Our Favorite Grandparenting Quotes

Another 5 of our favorite quotes from last year's Grandparents Day Contest entries:

"I want to follow in my mother's footsteps and be the most wonderful grandparent that a child can have."

"Whenever I watch my grandchildren play it brings back my own experience of being a parent and raising my children."

"A grandparent's love is the unconditional stuff of fairy tales."

"Each time I see my grandchildren is an occasion for celebration."

Consumer Cellular Grandparents Day 2011"Grandparents are the luckiest people on earth."

Consumer Cellular’s Grandparent’s Day Contest 2011 opens June 1, so stay tuned for details. To find out more about this year’s contest, visit the Grandparents Day page.

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Customer Star

Linda Bostic

As an administrative assistant for a Fortune 500 retail business, Linda Bostic knows how important it is to meet each retail customer's expectations. And as a 10-year user of cell phones and a Consumer Cellular client for the last four, she has a pretty good idea of what she wants out of her cell phone. Mostly, she wants a phone that meets her mobile conversation needs. She's not interested in having one try to replace her work computer or home stereo system.

After shopping around for a cell phone provider that could give her exactly what she wanted and needed, instead of loading her down with high-tech gewgaws she would never use, Linda discovered Consumer Cellular.

"Cost was a huge factor," recalled Linda. "For years, I was forced (by other providers) to pay more for a phone that had features I neither needed nor used and Consumer Cellular does not do that. Simply put, their phones and plans fit my needs."

A177With two daughters and eight grandchildren, Linda is a recent convert to the ways of texting. She's using a Samsung A177 and prefers the model for its sleek appearance and full keyboard. At this point, Linda only exchanges text messages with immediate family and a few local friends, especially when she needs a simple answer to a simple question.

"I am comfortable texting, but I would still rather talk to the person than text," said Linda. "However, I do enjoy it. As time goes on and I text more and more people, I may increase my number of messages per month. Which with Consumer Cellular I can do and not be penalized or hit with a special change fee."

Linda uses the Connect! Ready plan which includes 500 text messages per month. As she gets more involved in texting, she expects to move up to the next plan and increase her number of messages per month.

"I tell someone they should switch to Consumer Cellular at least once a week," concluded Linda. "When they see my phone and I tell them how much, or how little, I pay each month, they are amazed!"

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Your Questions Answered

In each issue we ask our Support team to recommend — and answer — commonly asked questions about our products or services.

What is the process for referring others to your company?

One way to refer your friends and relatives is just tell them about us. Then, point them to our website: www.ConsumerCellular.com or ask them to call us at 1-888-345-5509. You can also send an automated email from the Referral Program page on our website. Simply fill out the form at the bottom of the page and send it on its way.  Your friends will then receive an email with a custom link allowing them to start service.  If that person signs up for our service — and they let us know you referred them — your account and their account will each receive a $10 credit.

Other questions?

We can help you learn how to get the most value out of your phone and plan. Just call us at 1-888-345-5509 or visit us online and view our How-To Videos or see the answers to our most frequently asked questions.

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What’s New…

Mobile Captions ServiceSM Available In 3 More States

Consumer Cellular is pleased to announce that Mobile Captions ServiceSM (MCS) has been implemented in three additional states: Maryland, Maine and Rhode Island.

Our Mobile Captions Service, introduced in November 2010, is a free service for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing; customers pay for the Nokia E5 phone and monthly plan, and the captioning service is free. To help celebrate the addition of the new states we’re offering $20 off the regular price of a Nokia E5 through June 15, 2011!

Consumer Cellular’s Mobile Captions Service leverages the advanced technology of the Nokia E5 Smartphone and combines it with a telecommunications relay service offering called Voice Carry Over, where a Communications Assistant types what the other party says. MCS customers read the typed captions of their conversation on their cell phone display as the conversation takes place and speak directly back to the other party. With MCS, cell phone users who are deaf or hard of hearing can fully experience — and benefit from — wireless conversations. 

Provided in partnership with Hamilton Relay and Mobile Captions Company, the captioning service is currently available in: Arizona, District of Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah and Wyoming.

The Nokia E5 comes pre-configured for the service and is ready to begin receiving captions right out of the box. For more information about this innovative service, go to: Mobile Captions Service.

Trouble hearing on your cell phone? Ready to order? Call 1-888-345-5509 or visit Mobile Captions Service.

 

Consumer Cellular Wins "Recycle at Work" Award

Consumer Cellular was recognized by Washington County, the second largest county in the State of Oregon, as one of only 50 local companies producing less waste, recycling more, and buying more recycled products. Presented on April 19th, the "Recycle at Work" award identifies companies that help make their local community a healthier place at home, work and play. We want to give a special shout out to the Consumer Cellular Green Team members: Jill L., Jonathan H., Mary C., Melba H., Sharon S., Linda G., and Tami M. for keeping us focused on finding ways to reduce, reuse and recycle.

 

Consumer Cellular Makes List of 100 Best Green Companies

100 Best Green Companies 2011 - Oregon BusinessFor the second year in a row, Consumer Cellular has been singled out as one of the 100 Best Green Companies to Work For in the state of Oregon by Oregon Business magazine, recognized as one of the top business publications in the country. From recycling our paper products and shipping materials, to cutting our SIM cards in half, to encouraging customers to recycle their phones and so much more — we are all involved in helping to reduce our carbon footprint. Results of the final ranking will be announced in the next issue of our newsletter.

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