DEAR SUN SPOTS: I’d first like to say thank you for all your good advice and great column. I have written to you before and received some great advice. This time could you help me with a problem my daughters and I are having? We’d very much like to get a cell phone for ourselves, but with all the different companies and plans, I’m so confused. We’d like to get good working phones with good range and plans, but just not knowledgeable to the right one. Could you please offer us some advice, if possible, on one that is reasonably priced. Thank you for your column and all your hard work. — Mark, Sabattus

ANSWER: It would not be fair for Sun Spots to recommend a specific company, but she can give you some guidelines as how you might go about looking for a plan. Picking a cell phone isn’t easy, and since it’s a long-term financial obligation, you will want to spend considerable time looking at all the options. There’s no substitute for good research.

One of the most critical issues for a cell phone is coverage. Do you and your daughters all live near each other? Will anyone be traveling with their phone, and if so, to where? To see if a company will have adequate coverage, ask to see a coverage map, or look it up on their Web site.

Reception is a particularly critical issue if you live in or visit rural areas where coverage can be limited or spotty. If you travel widely, you will want to avoid plans that assess roaming charges (this is a higher rate for calls out of an area specified by your plan).

Another issue is who you will be calling. Some companies offer free calls between parties using the same service. Or they may have other discounts, where you designate certain people that you want to call regularly.

Another way to save money is to share the same plan, usually called a family plan. This is where the primary phone is in one party’s name, then additional phones are activated for a smaller fee, say $10 to $20, as opposed to each individual signing up for a separate plan for several times that amount.

The prices among the different companies are quite competitive, and there are many plan choices. Cost is based on the number of minutes used each month.

The actual phones come in a wide variety of styles and prices. Depending on the carrier, the plan you sign up for and any available
rebates, you might even be able to get an inexpensive model for free. 

One of the best ways to compare prices is online. This allows you to see all the different plans available for your zip code and compare prices. They also have the actual phones available. In fact, with some companies you can sign up for your plan and buy a phone without ever going to the store. They will bill your credit card and mail you a phone.

If you need more personal assistance, you may want to visit the storefront for each of the companies and talk to a salesperson. Try to plan your visit for a time of day when they are not busy, so they will be willing to take more time to explain all the ins and outs to you.

Don’t feel pressured to sign up at that moment. Prices are more likely to go down than up as the cell companies compete for the few remaining potential customers.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I want to thank all the good people who donated Plexiglas to me. I was able to make my frame and put up the Plexiglas. I had enough to enclose my porch, so I don’t have to shovel it anymore. We see clear outside, and it helps when it’s cold. Thank you to all the good people who made this possible for me. I couldn’t have done it without your help. Thanks a lot. Sun Spots is a big help to all. — Mary Ann Michaud, Lewiston

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