Forbes Profiles kajeet Mom Sales Team
July 21, 2009
by Carol Politi
“A Phone For Kids And Moms” is an article by Forbes highlighting our very own Mom Sales Team here at kajeet! When we found that many of our customers had come to us because they were referred by other customers, and that most of our purchasers are moms, it occured to us that we should be tapping into this moms network more formally. Since November we have been testing a program where moms that like the kajeet service go out and sell our phones to other moms. This has worked out well for both kajeet and many of the moms, who are able to provide a highly personalized introduction to kajeet for potential customers through their personal relationships, school and church relationships, and social networking channels. Now that we are starting to slowly expand the team, our experienced salespeople will act as mentors to those that are new. We hope this will help jump start the sales process for the new moms as they will be able to take advantage of the hard work we have done over the past 8 months.
Great Deals This Weekend!
July 14, 2009
by Carol Politi
Yes, it is mid-July. Just after graduation and just before the big back to school selling season.
This means it is an opportunity for those that like deals! We have two handsets on sale right now:
- kajeet Samsung m300 (certified refurbished) is now available for $19.99. This is $20 off the regular price of $39.99!
- kajeet Motorola C290 is now available for $16.99. This is $8 off the regular price of $24.99!
Tell your friends and colleagues that might be thinking about a phone for their kids for back to school that this is a great time to buy kajeet. The sale will be ongoing through the end of this weekend (i.e., through Sunday the 19th!).
Texting while Driving
July 13, 2009
By Carol Politi
More and more kajeet customers are getting drivers licenses as it turns out a good number of them are between 15 and 17. Our Qwerty phones and texting package options appeal to parents that want the safety and budgeting features of the kajeet service and along with devices and plans that meet the needs of these older kids.
As a result, I have been drawn into many conversations about texting while driving. (Thanks to BabyCenter for the diagram to the left). An update from the Governors Highway Safety Association many states have recently passed laws that ban or otherwise limit texting while driving. Fourteen states and Washington DC ban text messaging while driving entirely. Nine states ban texting by “novice” drivers.
While this is great progress, many of these laws have little in the way of teeth in that the penalties are limited and police are often limited in their ability to pull someone over for texting (it often must be on conjunction with another penalty). And most of us want to make sure that our kids are safe in the car regardless of penalties and tickets (though higher penalties and better enforceability might deliver better results).
What can we do to protect our kids (from those they drive with and from themselves)? Here are some ideas:
1. Demonstrate that texting while driving is unacceptable. Don’t pick up the phone to read your email while at a stop light. Some states obviously think that mature drivers can deal with this kind of juggle but we are most likely sending a message to our kids that staring at a screen while driving is OK. If we do that for 16 years it will become pretty difficult to communicate a different message to our own kids when they turn 16.
2. Talk with your kids about the topic of texting while driving. Point out that accidents happen and people die because they are taking their eyes off the road. Have them read some articles about kids that have injured others or been hurt themselves.
3. Check your kids Account Activity when they go out – and have a conversation with your kids if you discover they might be texting while driving. We could advocate for eliminating text messaging or shutting it off during certain timeframes. And perhaps some kids need us to go that far. However, others might just need continuous reinforcement. We love them and don’t want them to get hurt. kajeet posts Account Activity on the kajeet website in near real-time (it is updated no less than every 15 minutes).
4. Talk with your kids about their friend’s driving, and about how they should deal with friends that persist in texting while driving. This is no less a hazard to them than drinking while driving so we (and they) need to take it seriously. If they are not comfortable driving with someone, discuss how they might avoid it. Jointly come up with a plan for ensuring they have a ride home in case they find they are not comfortable with the driving of any friend for any reason (texting, drinking, etc.).
Vail Christian High School went as far as bringing in a driving simulator to show kids what could happen when they were texting while driving. Nothing beats experience so perhaps this should be a part of all our kid’s driver’s education instruction?
How are you making sure your kids drive safely? Please comment with your ideas.
Weekend Sale!
July 10, 2009
by Carol Politi
The kajeet Motorola C290 is on sale this weekend. The phone will be $19.99 until Monday (regular price is $24.99). Please tell your friends that might be thinking about kajeet for back to school that this is a good time to buy!
The C290 is a black flip phone with a speaker & kajeet parental controls. It is part of the kajeet certified refurbished program. Every time we sell a refurbished phone it means we don’t have to produce a new one – much better on both your pocketbook and the environment!
Testing New Plans!
July 2, 2009
By Carol Politi
We have been listening to our customer’s feedback on our rate plans and as a result are testing customer interest in two new plans. These are not available generally on our website while we are testing; however, we are happy to make them available to any current kajeet customer that might be interested. Here are the details:
1. Unlimited Talk N’ Text! We have heard from many parents of older teens that their kids need unlimited talk and text, and have heard from parents that are interested in taking advantage of our service themselves that they would be interested in this offer.
2. 30 Minute Plan – for only $6.99/month! We have also heard that many customers want a basic starter plan that includes about a minute a day – just enough to call on the way home from the bus stop for those kids walking solo for the first time. We have packaged this into a $6.99/month plan.
Please feedback and let us know what you think! As usual, if these plans turn out to be popular with our customers we will work to find a way to incorporate them into our standard rate plan options.
If you already have a kajeet phone (or if you are purchasing a phone through one of our mom sales team consultants), just call kajeet customer care after you activate and they will be happy to put you on one of these plans.
(Plans are being tested through September 30th and customers that select one of these plans can remain on the plan they selected even if we do not make it a standard rate plan option).
kajeet Wins iParenting Media Safety Award
June 30, 2009
by Carol Politi
kajeet has been awarded the iParenting Media Award for 2009 Excellent Products in the Safety category. This is the third parenting award kajeet has won in the last eight months!
The product reviewers had the following to say about kajeet:
“Kajeet does a great job of giving kids the feelings of self-confidence and respect that come with owning a cell phone,” said one iParenting Media Awards Reviewer. “It also helps parents feel safe and in control, because they can give their kids as much or as little freedom they need.”
“This product is a great way to give parents peace of mind knowing that they can access their children when necessary,” said another iParenting Media Awards Reviewer. “It also allows children to contact their parents in case of an emergency.”
“My favorite feature is the time-out blocks. They allow me to control what hours the phone can be used by my children, but still allow them access to us, their parents, in case of an emergency,” said the third iParenting Media Awards Reviewer.
iParenting Awards, a Disney Interactive Media Group property, is part of the Disney Online network of family-focused Web sites, including Disney Family.com and FamilyFun.com. The iParenting Award provides kajeet with visibility with the array of parents that use these websites to help find solutions to common parenting dilemmas and to find fun things to do with their kids. (If you don’t already use these sites – check them out! Family Fun is profiling great activities for the 4th of July and also has good tips on cost effective family and kid activities).
Thanks to the everyone in the kajeet customer base for your feedback and help in building our service into the one it is today. We would not be a recipient of these parenting awards without you!
kajeet on Parenthood.com
June 3, 2009
by Carol Politi.
“Kajeet is the best phone for tweens, period.” NAPPA Software Judge
Parenthood.com has featured kajeet this month in its profile of award winning products for kids. The above quote is from one of the National Parenting Publication Award’s judges that evaluated the kajeet service.
kajeet has received some great reviews recently – both from our customers and from both NAPPA and PTPA Media independent judges and parent reviewers. Help us spread the word! If you are a kajeet customer, please tell your family and friends about us. When they activate, tell them to input your phone number during activation and you will get a bonus credit to spend on kajeet service.
Parenthood.com has profiled other NAPPA award winners this month as well. There are some great products on the site – and you can use their tool to search for kid products in various categories including books, DVDs, music, parenting resources, software/video games, story telling/audio books, and toys and games. Check them out!
Customer Feedback: “It really was a great decision!”
April 29, 2009
by Carol Politi
We recently queried our customers to find out how they were using kajeet. In doing so we received some amazing reports on how kajeet has been used in unique ways or has otherwise added value to our customers and their relationships with their children. I thought I’d share some of these here (all of these postings have been approved by the customer).
From Kristine:
“I was totally against paying for a cell phone for our 11 year old daughter until I came across kajeet. It was so affordable for her to have for an emergency situation that I broke down & signed up. She was always staying after school for activities, so I was able to contact her if I was running late to pick her up or she could let me know if the activity was running longer than expected. Then one day, there was a situation at her school where there was a shooter running from the police so the school was in lock down. They had no idea where he was & he had already shot the police chief and an officer just a couple blocks from the school. Since most of the students were already on the buses to come home they took them all to the bus garage. She was then able to call us & let us know what was going on and that she and her younger sister were safe. I know the other kids had wished they could call their parents & since there were restrictions on her phone to whom she could call, they couldn’t use hers. I was so glad that I had got it for her & I never regret it for a moment. To have peace and mind for now only $4.99 a month, it’s crazy not too! If she has money that she wants to add to her account so she can use other features, then I am more than happy to add it to her account for her. It has taught her responsiblitly when it comes to her money since she can use the home phone to call most of her friends for free! To be able to be in contact with her in a situation like that was a God send since the school doesn’t call you & you only see what the news is reporting on TV. It really was a great decision!”
Thanks for your feedback Kristine. The team at kajeet is really happy your daughter made it through this situation safely and was inspired to hear that kajeet was able to help keep you and your children connected at this time. While we hope none of our other parents have to go through a situation even remotely like this, the fact is that we all encounter stressful situations with our kids. Whether it be a missed school bus, misunderstood pickup location, or what is in fact a real emergency – we do hope kajeet is able to provide safe link between our customers and their children at all times.
Thank you for being our customer!
April 1, 2009
by Carol Politi
I love getting notes from kajeet parents and, where they approve, thought I’d start posting some of them here for others to share. Here is a note we received from a recent customer about her experience with kajeet:
“I hope this will get into the right department. I want to thank you for such a wonderful service that you provide. I have seen your ads for a long time, but it appeared that your services were geared more for small children. I responded to a search for unlimited texting, and kajeet came up. I soon discovered that the phones are appealing to kids of all ages, even my fussy teen, and the parental controls are a god send. We have been customers for a little less than a month, but I am so happy with the ease of use, and full protection I am getting. Thank you thank you thank you! I am so happy that my teenage daughter and I can both agree on one phone and service. I have been telling all of my friends about you. Please keep up the good work. You have ended one big point of contention and worry in our house. Thank you again. I hope your company lives long, and prospers. You are doing a very good thing, and you may even save a life, by making them safer.” We received this mail from Rhonda, a kajeet parent.
Thanks for your feedback Rhonda, and thank you for being a kajeet customer. Please continue to tell us when we are doing things right and when we make mistakes. Your feedback helps us to improve our service – and feedback like this makes the entire kajeet team feel great about the work we are doing!
by Carol Politi
Some of the best feedback we receive at kajeet is from parents who share with us the details of how they work with their kids to ensure their cell phones are used safely and responsibly. We decided to go out to the experts in the TwitterMoms community to spur more moms to share their tips with other moms. Please join the contest here & share your experience with the community! We look forward to learning from you.
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