Jitterbug phone review: Good idea, but very expensive

Jitterbug has made a splash in the wireless world lately, offering easy-to-use mobile phones aimed at senior citizens who might otherwise choose not to have a cell phone. While I applaud their effort and believe that this service was long overdue, I must admit I am very disappointed with the horribly high costs of Jitterbug’s plans. Further, Jitterbug offers only one model of phone, and the spirit of innovation is only skin deep.

Beyond the large buttons on the phone, everything provided by Jitterbug can be found elsewhere at a fraction of the cost. Clearly, by now you know that I’m not going to recommend Jitterbug service to anyone. But, in the interest of fairness, let’s start with the positives about this service:

1. I’ve already discussed this, but it’s really all they’ve got going, so I’ll mention it again: the simplistic design of the phone is well done. However, there are other prepaid providers out there doing it nearly as well, and at a much lower cost.
2. Jitterbug’s services do not require the user to sign on to a 2-year contract, giving them an advantage over the big players in the postpaid market. Once again, though, there are other prepaid companies that have been doing this for years.
3. Jitterbug’s rate plans are easy to comprehend and don’t include baffling fine print. Ok, say it with me now: other prepaid providers offer similarly simple plans.
4. Jitterbug offers some user-friendly options such as operator assistance and the ability to remotely add contacts to a phone’s speed-dial, without the phone’s owner having to do any of the input work. I’ll admit, these would be very nice options to have, if they weren’t so exorbitantly priced – READ THE FINE PRINT, and you won’t be taking advantage of these options too frequently.

To continue to Page 2 of this Review, and find out what I recommend instead of Jitterbug, click here.