Chevron Gas vs Others', Worth It?

Summary

Pros

• Better gas mileage
• Beneficial additives such as Techron
• Generally nicer fuel stations (less lines, cleaner, car maintenance items such as window cleaners, towels, ExtraMile, etc.)

Cons

• More expensive

Sweet, sweet lifeblood of cars.

Introduction

I was raised to seek out the cheapest gas stations, but with gas ~ $4/gal, savings of even ten or twenty cents become negligible on a percentage basis. For that reason, I began looking for the best value rather than the cheapest price when it comes to gas.

Yikes!

Discussion

Chevron's advertising strategy has long been a one of asking drivers' to "care for their car" by filling up at a Chevron, and by pointing out the benefits of using their fuel. This is a smart move; like Apple products, Chevron is not aiming to be the cheapest option for consumers, but does want to present itself as the best option when all things are considered.

Who doesn't love their cars?

I myself was pretty skeptical of Chevron's claims, but because I started working at a location in Walnut Creek with a convenient and fairly cheap Chevron nearby, I decided to try it out to get some of my own empirical data to make a more informed decision.

From a gas mileage perspective, I have definitely noticed a consistent increase of 2-3 mpg for several weeks after switching to Chevron. I cannot speak on the affects of additives such as Techron, but I have definitely noticed that Chevron gas stations generally have shorter lines, are nicer overall then those of their competitors.

So, does it make sense to stick with Chevron? Crunching through an representative example of my experience:

With other gas:
$3.80/gallon * 1/(28 miles/gallon) = $0.1357/mile

With Chevron gas:
$4.00/gallon * 1/(30 miles/gallon) = $0.1333/mile

Here, a $0.20 increase in price ($0.20/$3.80 = 5%) is outweighed by a 2 mpg increase in fuel efficiency (2 mpg/28 mpg = 7.14%). Your results will probably vary from mine, so I encourage you to try switching and calculating whether or not Chevron gas is worth it for you.

The numbers don't lie (I just miscalculate them from time to time).

Conclusion

I have gone over to the dark side, and am now using Chevron gas on a consistent basis. I encourage people to give it a try, and see if their experiences are as beneficial as mine were.

On a related note, this type of positing is representative of what people see in, and turn to, ChartNine for: a new (and seemingly contradictory) way of looking at things, backed by cold, hard, facts. If you have ideas on what we should analyze next, please let me know via comments or private messages.

Time to join the Dark Side...

FreedomPop Freedom Phone? Update from San Francisco Bay Area

Summary

Pros

• Works as advertised
• FreedomPop now has access to both Sprint and Clearwire networks

Cons

• Many extra fees
• Limited options for devices
• Apparent contrast between advertised philosophy and actual practices
• Company still does not seem to be at same level as competitors

O RLY?

Introduction

I have been using FreedomPop for three months now, and while there are both good and bad things about the devices and company, my overall impression is a negative one. This is true for both the Freedom Hub Burst (home internet) and Freedom Sleeve Rocket (for the 4th Gen iPod). I am therefore skeptical regarding FreedomPop's upcoming offering of a Freedom Phone, and will go over my reasons below.

Free 500 MB, 200 min, and unlimted texts per month; too good to be true?

Discussion

I had really high hopes for FreedomPop. And I will admit, they seem to follow the letter--if not the spirit--of their claims. However, I am generally disappointed with the company and devices.

For example, while they claim to want to revolutionize the mobile internet space, they seem to be using a lot of tactics to nickle and dime users. There are a lot of extra fees associated with FreedomPop that I don't like. Usage alerts for $2.99/month? Speed Plus for $3.99/month? They even had a monthly maintenance fee of $0.99/month if you did not use at least 5MB per month that they only recently removed.

On a related note, mobile devices are refundable for up to a year, but home internet devices are only refundable in the first 30 days. I feel that there is so much advertisement regarding a year-long return policy and FreedomPop's own rebel image, that it's so easy to not check the fine print as you would with 'big bad corporations.'

Also, I have used both FreedomPop's home and mobile internet devices, and while they were OK, they weren't spectacular, and I would hesitate to even call them good. There was just so many problems, with connectivity issues, overheating, short battery life, etc., that I ended up returning what devices I could, and canceling my account

Doesn't seem to be lot of difference from a UI perspective. FreedomPop had a great idea to essentially turn an iPod into an iPhone that unfortunately didn't work for me.

Conclusion

Based on the FreedomPop coverage map, and the fact that I live in a world-class city next to Silicon Valley, I suspect that problems I experienced with FreedomPop products were not strictly due to network or connectivity issues. The company's stated philosophy also seems to clash with many of their practices, and as stated

In the end, I can neither recommend FreedomPop as a company nor as a service provider, and if you get the Freedom Phone, my advice is to be sure to save the packaging in case you need to return it.

I'm a big fan of new ideas and technology, but FreedomPop doesn't seem to be at the level of other similar companies at this time. Stick with traditional home internet offerings, or look into options such as Virgin Mobile, Republic Wireless, or Ting. 

Ting Coupon Code and Update: Coverage, Billing, Customer Service

Click here for coupon code

Summary

Pros

• Fantastic, live customer service via phone and email
• Very accurate and thorough billing reports

Cons

• Sprint network
• Limited number of phones

iPhone on the way!

Introduction

I have been using Ting for four months now in both San Francisco and Los Angeles, and am ridiculously happy with the company and service thus far.

Ting! No problems with coverage in San Francisco...

...or Los Angeles!

Discussion

Ting's coverage is the same as Sprint, so if you can get Sprint coverage, you are covered with Ting. Billing is straightforward; Ting has simplified things even more, so instead of estimating your usage and getting billed more or getting a refund depending on the month, Ting now just bills everyone at the end of the month based on usage.

The billing aspect is one of the few things I have to complain about--Ting offers a "live" billing view via it's dashboard, which is more of an estimate. Final bills are completely accurate, but just wait for a few days after the end of your billing cycle, and don't worry too much about what is listed on the dashboard. If there is a problem, definitely call to let them know, and they will take care of it right away.

Customer support is awesome: Ting's call center is open M-F from 8 am - 8 pm EST, is based in Canada (so I was able to get my questions answered on 4th of July). Ting prides itself on answering calls with a live person within a few rings, and I have experienced this personally many times. This is in contrast to other similar companies, that only offer support via email, e.g. Republic Wireless or FreedomPop.

The final thing I will mention is that Ting still only carries a limited number of phones, and these phones are of the Sprint variety. This is that is actually important to note, since Sprint disables the SIM slot on many world phones (essentially forcing you to use their service when traveling abroad). This is not true of the iPhone due to Apple's own restrictions on how carriers could modify their devices, but otherwise if you travel abroad, you may be better off getting a cheap phone with a SIM card slot to use.

I personally don't care about the iPhone, but if it's something you want, be aware Ting doesn't carry it yet.

Conclusion

I keep blathering on about how great Ting is, but it is truly a great company. It is refreshing to find a company that is so responsive to their customers, and goes above and beyond what they say they will do. They have fun giveaways and events frequently posted on their blog and Facebook, and I would recommend checking them out for yourselves.

Seems too good to be true, but, from my experience, Ting has gone above and beyond to make my experience with them as great as possible.

Click here for coupon code

Using Virgin Mobile Mobile Broadband in San Francisco

Summary

Pros

• "Unlimited" 4G data usage
• No contract
• Cheap, easy-to-use devices

Cons

• Limited 3G data usage
• Sprint coverage
• Two options for mobile broadband: USB stick, or mobile hotspot

FYI, Virgin America and Virgin Mobile are part of the same company (Virgin Group Ltd.)

Introduction

If you're looking for no contract phone choices, companies like Virgin Mobile and Boost Mobile (and increasingly Ting!) are well-known choices. However, I Virgin Mobile's offer of "unlimited" 4G mobile broadband had me considering if this could be a viable option for my internet requirements both at home and on the move.

A big drawback of most mobile broadband solutions is that there is a limit on how much data you can use each month (vs. unlimited home internet that is available in the San Francisco Bay Area). For Virgin Mobile, you can choose to pay for a variety of options depending on your usage, (200 MB, 2 GB, or 5 GB per month of 3G). However, a nice feature is that you can get unlimited 4G connectivity, with the caveat that usage over 10 GB per month will be throttled.

Virgin Mobile coverage map for San Francisco. 3G/4G WiMAX in blue, 3G alone in orange.

Discussion

After checking to ensure that I lived in a 4G area, I ordered a U600 (a USB mobile hotspot), which came quickly in two days with free shipping. Set-up and activation were easy, and the device has two lights: one for 3G, one for 4G, so you know what network you're connected to.

A USB mobile hotspot, similar to what Virgin Mobile offers.

A big issue right away was that I was not able to connect to the 4G network. After a call to Virgin Mobile, I discovered two things. First, though I knew Virgin Mobile used the Sprint network, cell phones connect to the 4G LTE network, mobile broadband devices connect to the 4G WiMAX network. Secondly, I lived in an area with Fair 4G WiMAX coverage, not Best 4G WiMAX coverage (light blue vs. dark blue). Thus, I was unable to get 4G coverage indoors (and therefore was unable to easily take advantage of Virgin Mobile's unlimited 4G offer.

Note that for 4G data, there is two categories: "Best" and "Fair." If you live in a "Fair" area, you will only get 4G data outside your home/building :(

Everything else worked great--I was able to track my usage through my Virgin Mobile account, the data usage seemed to be in order, and speeds were good. While all the basics worked fine, I ultimately returned the device because I was not able to get unlimted 4G.

Conclusion

If you live in an area with "Best" 4G WiMAX, I recommend looking into Virgin Mobile Mobile Broadband as a supplement (and potential replacement) for your home and mobile internet.

Virgin Mobile didn't work for me where I'm living, but I think it's a great service. I'd also like to acknowledge the work that CEO Richard Branson is doing. Though he's a billionaire, he's no means the richest man around, yet he's developed Virgin Mobile, Virgin America, and a ton of other companies and businesses. Compared to a lot of other wealthy individuals, he seems to be driven to create something of value in the world for the public. I admit I admire the man, and hope he keeps doing what he's doing.

Virgin Mobile CEO, Sir Richard Branson, out on the water.

"Sir" Branson again.