Volunteers are starting to come into the office more and more to phone bank. We only have two phones and one laptop from the DNC. We need to get more resources or we won't be able to utilize the manpower. I called around trying to get some quotes from the phone company. Verizon wanted $1100 for one month, eight lines, unlimited local service. That was just for activation. Tony, a union guy, said he would come in and do all the wiring for free. Tony said to me:
"Just between you and me. Why don't you try Vonnage."
I called them and the problem was that with all of the start-up costs it came out to being only a hundred or two less.
Ron said he had some ideas on donations, but the best he could come up with was $500 from Keith McCall's campaign. Then I was riding down 433 and saw this swirling blow up doll next to a huge sign. FREE PHONES.
I told the lady I only needed service for a month. She said:
"That's OK, as long as you cancel within thirty days you don't have to pay anything."
"Nothing? I can cancel for any reason?"
"Well if its a complaint about service we might try to give you another phone."
"But other than that, If I cancel by November 17th I don't have to pay anything?"
"Right."
"And the phones are free?"
"After the rebate."
"I don't have to return them even if I cancel?"
"No. You own them."
So I got the family plan for 5 phones. I got a plan for 6000 thousand minutes each. Donna and I filled in all of the rebate forms and cut the bar codes off the boxes and photocopied everything and mailed it all in. I had to pay $265 dollars up front for the phones but I get $250 back. Total cost for 5 lines, $15. And the DNC coughed up two more cells for us.
Ron said to me:
"How do you sleep at night?"
"The sign said 'Free Phones' Ron."
"Just between you and me. Why don't you try Vonnage."
I called them and the problem was that with all of the start-up costs it came out to being only a hundred or two less.
Ron said he had some ideas on donations, but the best he could come up with was $500 from Keith McCall's campaign. Then I was riding down 433 and saw this swirling blow up doll next to a huge sign. FREE PHONES.
I told the lady I only needed service for a month. She said:
"That's OK, as long as you cancel within thirty days you don't have to pay anything."
"Nothing? I can cancel for any reason?"
"Well if its a complaint about service we might try to give you another phone."
"But other than that, If I cancel by November 17th I don't have to pay anything?"
"Right."
"And the phones are free?"
"After the rebate."
"I don't have to return them even if I cancel?"
"No. You own them."
So I got the family plan for 5 phones. I got a plan for 6000 thousand minutes each. Donna and I filled in all of the rebate forms and cut the bar codes off the boxes and photocopied everything and mailed it all in. I had to pay $265 dollars up front for the phones but I get $250 back. Total cost for 5 lines, $15. And the DNC coughed up two more cells for us.
Ron said to me:
"How do you sleep at night?"
"The sign said 'Free Phones' Ron."
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