I begged, pleaded, and cried for a mobile at 15, when i got my first job. I got one, mainly because I had a job, and might need to call to be picked up from work etc, and was so excited I managed to run up a bill worth $300. In the first month. It was taken away from me (fair enough) and I had to pay the bill (again, fair enough).
Of course, had we all known a bit more about pre-paid it would have been so much easier...
My parents then bought a cheapo mobile, $40, and put $30 credit on it, and only ever gave it to us when we went out somewhere (friends house, movies, etc), as an "emergency or calling home only" phone. They would check the credit before we left. And if we were stupid and used all the credit, we weren't allowed out again until WE put more credit on it.
I go another chance in 2004. I was about to start uni. It was prepaid, and I paid it, and never spent more than $30 a month on it. My parents were happy that I had a mobile, because I was travelling via public trasnport into the city almost everyday, and sometimes at night, and there is such a lack of WORKING pay phones anywhere.
I don't know that there is a dire need for a 15yo to have a phone. It might seem like their world is ending, but they see each other every day at school anyway really... My sister (graduated in 2005) got a mobile when she graduated school. It seems to be a tradition now, as a kind of "maturation, you've grown up, heres a mobile". We both survived without it on a day-to-day basis, but there were times when that "emergency, call home only phone" came in real handy.
Mainly my warning is... prepaid, if you're going to get your DD a mobie, definately ever only prepaid until they realise how quick they can run up a $300 bill!
Side note: since then, my bills have never gone over $50, and I'm now on a cap and VERY aware of my spending!!!! lol
Last edited by Indadhanu; August 29th, 2007 at 02:27 PM.
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