Prize Pigs and Minute Munchers

In the radio industry, we have a term called "prize pigs". These are people who play every contest, that have the studio line on speed dial, that know exactly when 30 days pass between prize winnings... Basically, people who consume so much of the prize inventory, they don't leave much for anyone else.

I suppose, when you're on a family plan with your cell phone, the equivalent of a "prize pig" would be a "minute muncher".

See the graph below...

Yeah, this is bad. See, we get 700 shared minutes every month for our family to share. Yep, that's my minute total in the middle there. I used 420 of our 644 consumed minutes this month (that's about 65%), and to make matters worse, no one else even came close... not even using an amount that requires three digits to spell out.

Worse yet, add up their minutes... 224 for the four of them combined. You could double that total, and it would barely add up to more than mine.

And to rub it in, we all pay the same amount. We split the cost of the family plan three ways, and the two other parties refuse to let us pay more (we have asked). This makes me feel very guilty (yet in a weird way, also very clever). We don't get charged for anyone we talk to on Verizon cell phones, so all these minutes are to land lines and non-Verizon customers.

Gee, when I was on Cingular, it used to drop my calls all the time... that's why I switched to Verizon. How come now, when I need help getting off the phone, does it not drop my friends on Cingular lines?

Yep, when you're on a family plan, everyone can see your business 'cause you get one bill. So the next time you need to call me, maybe email me instead... or don't be surprised if I fake sounds of the call breaking up.

--BRENT