Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
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bromley mum
- Posts: 1061
- Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:04 pm
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
My DD has my old one which isn't worth much at all. She is pay as you go with V***phone which has the best reception in our area.
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
you need to get one that can withstand being dropped on the pavement, or in puddles! Being sat on, getting sticky and if they are not careful being dropped in the loo! So best advice is CHEAP!
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
Just a cautionary tale for those thinking of putting DC on a contract agreement with a set number of texts / calls. I did it for both my boys with the very strict and clear instructions it was not to be used as a social tool but for contact with us and 'occasional' messages to friends.
DS2 was on his phone one evening, I thought on a call where his friend had rung him. Over an hour later we were going out and DS3 came to tell me DS2 was still on the phone
He was 12 and told me the friend had called him. I lectured him on radio waves to his brain, if in doubt I find fear tactics are brilliant. Anyway, something niggled at me so I decided to log on to his phone account online. I had been doing this for both boys at the end of each month to keep an eye on them. In the space of 2 weeks (since I had last checked) he had used up the remaining £70 credit on the account and run up a bill of almost £400.00.
The whole thing was a complete nightmare. He had met a girl through a friend who had 'needed to talk to him' for several hours at a time!?!?!?!?!
I cancelled his school trips, got back the money, and made him sell anything he had which was valuable to pay for it. The phone company were not in the slightest bit interested and who can blame them? They must make a fortune out of this kind of situation!
It was all very much out of character and a lesson learned. He now has a pay as you go and DS3 is suffering the consequences as he has the same treatment.
Am sure many of you would read this and think that it would not happen because your DC is far more sensible and you would have noticed. I thought I was stupid for quite a while and felt guilty but now have the view that it was far too much to give at such a young age. After all, I was checking monthly and had regular conversations about responsibility with it so how could it possibly go wrong......
DS2 was on his phone one evening, I thought on a call where his friend had rung him. Over an hour later we were going out and DS3 came to tell me DS2 was still on the phone
He was 12 and told me the friend had called him. I lectured him on radio waves to his brain, if in doubt I find fear tactics are brilliant. Anyway, something niggled at me so I decided to log on to his phone account online. I had been doing this for both boys at the end of each month to keep an eye on them. In the space of 2 weeks (since I had last checked) he had used up the remaining £70 credit on the account and run up a bill of almost £400.00. The whole thing was a complete nightmare. He had met a girl through a friend who had 'needed to talk to him' for several hours at a time!?!?!?!?!
I cancelled his school trips, got back the money, and made him sell anything he had which was valuable to pay for it. The phone company were not in the slightest bit interested and who can blame them? They must make a fortune out of this kind of situation!
It was all very much out of character and a lesson learned. He now has a pay as you go and DS3 is suffering the consequences as he has the same treatment.
Am sure many of you would read this and think that it would not happen because your DC is far more sensible and you would have noticed. I thought I was stupid for quite a while and felt guilty but now have the view that it was far too much to give at such a young age. After all, I was checking monthly and had regular conversations about responsibility with it so how could it possibly go wrong......
Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
Oh T12ACY, there but for the grace of God.........
I don`t think its stupidity on your part at all.....they just don`t think at that age.......DD has managed to use her PAYG credit for this month over half term..... "but I didn`t think" she cried when I said she was paying for the next lot.....
If I was you I`d be more worried about the female of the species he`s ringing
I don`t think its stupidity on your part at all.....they just don`t think at that age.......DD has managed to use her PAYG credit for this month over half term..... "but I didn`t think" she cried when I said she was paying for the next lot.....
If I was you I`d be more worried about the female of the species he`s ringing
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
same thing happened to my dd1's friend -think it was nearer £600- her mum canceled the school holiday skiing! So she really missed out. Would NEVER give a child a contract eitherT12ACY wrote:. Anyway, something niggled at me so I decided to log on to his phone account online. I had been doing this for both boys at the end of each month to keep an eye on them. In the space of 2 weeks (since I had last checked) he had used up the remaining £70 credit on the account and run up a bill of almost £400.00.
I cancelled his school trips, got back the money, and made him sell anything he had which was valuable to pay for it. The phone company were not in the slightest bit interested and who can blame them? They must make a fortune out of this kind of situation!
It was all very much out of character and a lesson learned. He now has a pay as you go and DS3 is suffering the consequences as he has the same treatment.
:
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
EEEEK! My son has i t*nes set up to debit my bank account... Up to now he asks each time and its only a couple, but think I will just remind him.....
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Midget Man
- Posts: 950
- Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:28 pm
- Location: Bucks
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
Oh no, how awful T12ACY 
I shall remember to never give my Midget a contract phone, couldn't have been nice for you to deal with.
My Midget has one of our old phones which is atleast 7yrs old! I don't want him having anything decent, just something he can contact us on and to enable us to contact him, what more do they need? He also seem's to be the only one without a FB account aswell!
I shall remember to never give my Midget a contract phone, couldn't have been nice for you to deal with.My Midget has one of our old phones which is atleast 7yrs old! I don't want him having anything decent, just something he can contact us on and to enable us to contact him, what more do they need? He also seem's to be the only one without a FB account aswell!
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
PERLEASE don`t get me started on FB.......they`re meant to be 13 and my 8 year old has friends on there.....
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
U400JB9 - Trust me the female of the species was the next major problem. He isn't 16 yet and we have had all manor of problems over the past 2 years to deal with on that front. Very tough for me to say but he is just like his father........ There is clearly something in the 'nature not nurture' thing imoU400JB9 wrote:Oh T12ACY, there but for the grace of God.........
I don`t think its stupidity on your part at all.....they just don`t think at that age.......DD has managed to use her PAYG credit for this month over half term..... "but I didn`t think" she cried when I said she was paying for the next lot.....
If I was you I`d be more worried about the female of the species he`s ringing
DS3 will no doubt grow up to hate his brother for making me so over protective!!!
Money can't buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery.
Re: Which phone for a newbie secondary school kid?
Pleased to say my son has no interest in FB, as I have been utterly horrified at some of the conduct of his friends on there. I can only assume that their parents don't read some of it....
