Basic Communication Solutions

Basic Communication Solutions Kalkaska's 100% locally-owned tech and telecom advocate. We fix your devices, secure your data, and lower your carrier bills.

Now an Authorized AT&T Dealer offering honest, quota-free network setups.

09/01/2026

IS YOUR COMPUTER DROWNING IN POP-UPS? 🛑💻

If your screen is constantly hijacked by fake warnings, annoying ads, or slow load times, bring the device to the shop.

When you get the A/V with the removal service I heavily discount the device overhaul service designed to completely eliminate the spam and get your machine running like new again!

Here is exactly what I do on the bench:
✔️ The Purge: I track down and remove all adware, sketchy browser extensions, and pop-up generators.
✔️ Full Diagnostic: I run a complete hardware and software check to make sure your system is healthy, fully updated, and free of underlying issues.
✔️ Performance Optimization: I go through your startup options to stop background programs from slowing down your boot time, and I strip out bloated, unneeded apps (goodbye, Norton and McAfee! 👋).
✔️ Deep Security Sweep: A full, deep-dive virus and malware scan to ensure the system is 100% clean.
✔️ Pro-Grade Shield Setup: Once the device is up to par and happy, I install and fully configure Malwarebytes, including Browser Guard.

🤫 The Best Part?
I manually go into the software settings and turn off all of their marketing and promotional notifications. Your new security will run silently in the background and only alert you if there is an actual, legitimate threat to your device.

Stop dealing with a slow, spammy computer. Bring your device by Basic Communication Solutions on Maple St. and let's get it dialed in! 📍🙌

09/01/2026

Following up on my last post about switching carriers—there is one major thing we didn't talk about today. 📱🚩

In the end, I truly believe the vast majority of complaints and horror stories about the big carriers don’t just come from the network itself. They come from the sales rep sitting across the counter and a complete lack of honesty when they prioritize their own monthly quotas over what you actually need.

A house call I went on yesterday shined a spotlight on this exact issue.

A customer was trying to bring a line over to her existing account. There was a simple, affordable option to bring that line over as a second number for just $10/month plus tax. Instead, the rep signed her up for an entire separate, full-priced phone line. Why? Because a full new line counts as a "new line sale" toward the rep's commission target, while the add-on feature does not. (Dont worry. Im gonna fix this for her!)

That is completely unacceptable, and it leaves the customer stuck overpaying every single month.

When you are choosing a provider or buying a phone, you have to factor in the person sitting in front of you. If you feel pressured, rushed, or confused at any point: just walk away.

Cellular plans and device agreements are long-term financial obligations. The mild inconvenience of walking out, taking an extra day, and doing a little research far outweighs the cost of being locked into a bloated, multi-year contract just so a salesman doesn't get his hand slapped for missing quota.

Take your time, ask the hard questions, and protect your wallet. Stay safe out there! 🤝✨

09/01/2026

I have a confession to make. After 22 years of using Verizon and telling everyone it was the best service around, my foot is officially in my mouth. 🍽️🤐

It has been exactly one week since I switched my shop and family lines over to AT&T. I wanted to put the network through the wringer before I made any promises to you guys.

Here is my honest, unfiltered one-week review:

📶 Around Kalkaska: I went from 1 bar to 3 bars sitting right at my desk inside the shop. Step outside the building, and I am consistently pulling 4 to 5 bars throughout town.
🚗 Northern MI House Calls: I had a house call in Mancelona (4 bars the whole drive) and two house calls in Grayling (never dropped below 3 bars).
🛣️ The South Haven Run: I drive down to South Haven every other weekend to pick up my kids. For the last 3 years on Verizon, I would completely lose service in three specific spots on that route. This weekend with AT&T? 3 bars minimum the entire trip. Zero dead zones.
⚡ The Valley Rd Speed Test: I was out on Valley Rd fixing a printer for a customer who has Verizon. We did a side-by-side test. Her Verizon phone pulled 40 Mbps (which is totally fine), but my AT&T phone pulled 60 Mbps on just 3 bars.

Here is WHY this is happening. These are the facts:
As your local tech guy, I didn't just want to tell you the service was better; I wanted to know why.

The AT&T Infrastructure Push: A few years ago, AT&T won a massive federal contract to build "FirstNet" for first responders. This forced them to rapidly build and upgrade towers in rural and heavily wooded areas like Northern Michigan. When they upgrade those towers for first responders, all of their standard commercial bands get upgraded right alongside them.

Verizon’s Congestion Problem: Verizon had a massive early lead in 4G LTE, which is why we all trusted them for 20 years. But as everyone jumped on unlimited data, their rural towers became heavily congested. When 5G rolled out, Verizon focused on big cities and used a tech called "DSS" out here in the country. DSS basically forces 4G and 5G to share the same lane on the highway, which is why your Verizon service has likely felt slower and spottier over the last couple of years.

The Money:
I am still waiting for my very first official bill to generate so I can see the exact final pennies, but on paper, my monthly bill is way cheaper for the exact same number of lines—and almost all of them have brand-new phones.

The Downside:
I promised I would never over-sell you, so here is the bad news: I worked hard for years to get my spam calls down to absolute zero. Since making the switch, I am suddenly getting about 5 a day. AT&T, you have a breach! 🛑📞

Spam calls aside, rocking AT&T in our area has been AMAZING. If you are tired of dropping calls on your normal routes or paying too much for your current plan, stop by the shop. I'll shoot you straight on what to expect! 📍🙌

08/31/2026

iPhone 16 Screen Replacement!

iPhone 18 Pro & Pro Max Upgrades: Secure Your Hardware EarlyPre-orders for the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max open Septem...
08/28/2026

iPhone 18 Pro & Pro Max Upgrades: Secure Your Hardware Early

Pre-orders for the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max open September 12th, and phones hit the streets on September 18th. Get your protection sorted before your device even arrives.

I just ordered a limited shipment of cellhelmet 6-IN-1 ULTIMATE BUNDLE kits for the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, and they will be in stock at Basic Communication Solutions in the next week or so.

The retail MSRP is $129.99, but keep this in mind: my cost to you will be $100 flat for the entire kit. Everything pictured is included. Take a look at the attached photo to see exactly what you are getting:

Clear MagSafe Slim-Protect Case: Crystal-clear back with an eco-friendly 50% recycled TPU bumper.

Black/Smoke MagSafe Slim-Protect Case: Sleek armor with full MagSafe compatibility for maximum functionality.

6ft Braided USB-C Charging Cable: Heavy-duty braided exterior to eliminate fraying, backed by a limited lifetime warranty.

45W GaN Wall Block: High-efficiency, rapid-charging power capable of handling both phones and tablets.

Tempered Glass Screen Protector: 9H hardness scratch resistance, easy-install tray, and up to $100 coverage protection.

Camera Glass Lens Protectors: Ultra-thin, ultra-clear tempered glass to safeguard your lenses without losing optical clarity.

As I am only going to be stocking a few of these at a time, please let me know if you are interested so I can set yours aside. Drop a comment, shoot me a direct message, or stop by the shop at 317 Maple St to claim yours before the launch day rush.

08/28/2026

Day in the life before open!

08/27/2026

I am officially putting my money where my mouth is! 🔵📱

If you try to call the shop right now and can't get through, don't panic! Our phones are temporarily down because I am currently in the process of switching my entire service over to AT&T.

After seeing the incredible results and coverage we’ve been getting for our local customers lately, I knew it was time to make the jump myself.

Here is the crazy part: My previous bill for 9 lines (even with an employee discount) was $385 a month. My new AT&T bill for those exact same 9 lines is only $271 a month—AND that includes brand-new devices for almost every single line!

But because I believe in "honesty always first," I want to be fully transparent with you guys. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows to make the switch. I did have to pay off my old devices with my previous carrier before leaving. Between that and my choice to go with all new phones, it is going to take about 9 months of these new monthly savings to fully recoup what I spent upfront. But I chose to get the new phones, so that’s on me!

The huge silver lining? AT&T is giving me $200 in bill credits for every single line I switched over, so there is that! 😂

I am incredibly curious to test this service out for myself on a daily basis. I want to make sure it lives up to the hype, so stay tuned. I will be completely honest and keep you all posted on exactly how it goes once everything officially ports over!

I apologize for the temporary radio silence—if you need me while the phones are down, just shoot me a message right here on Facebook or drop by the shop! 📍🙌

08/20/2026

Built for Kalkaska. Designed for You. Introducing the BCS Supporter Pack. 💻✨👓

This isn't just another product on the shelf. For years, I’ve listened to you guys complain about generic, leaky cylinder bottles ruining your gear or making a mess in your cars. I wanted a product manufactured for the user, not the seller.

After a long time on the drawing board, I worked directly with one of my vendors to finally fix the problem. The final piece of the puzzle? The bottle itself.

Introducing the brand new, professional-grade BCS Premium Screen Cleaning Kit. It’s the ultimate, on-the-go sanitation station for everything from your smartphone to your glasses.

Why this beats the big-box store generic stuff:

🔒 The Ultra-Portable Bottle: Shaped like a credit card and only about 1/4-inch thick, this 20ml bottle solves the biggest problem with cleaning kits. It slides easily into your pocket, purse, or laptop bag without the awkward bulge or the risk of a leaky nozzle.

🚫 Safe For Everything: We’ve printed the full specs right on the bottle so you know it’s safe. It is 100% Alcohol/Ammonia-free—perfect for oleophobic coatings on phones and expensive anti-glare coatings on glasses and monitors.

❄️ The Streak-Free Formula: Purified using reverse osmosis water, this antibacterial, anti-static, odorless spray repels dust and guarantees a crystal-clear finish.

Custom Microfiber Cloth: A heavy-duty cloth designed to lift smudges without scratching.

👓 Bonus Glasses Case: The entire kit comes in a soft, drawstring pouch that doubles as a high-quality glasses case.

🔥 THE RETAIL OFFER (Tax Included / Out the Door):

$20 Flat standalone at the front counter.

🎁 $15 Flat Special: Add this kit to any other purchase or repair in the store, and it’s yours for only $15 out of pocket.

♻️ The $10 Trade-In: When your spray runs out, bring the empty bottle back to the shop and trade it in for a brand new, complete kit for just $10 flat. (Note: You must hand over the empty bottle to get the discount!)

🤝 LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS:
Want to carry these at your front register? Reach out to me directly. We will work out a wholesale deal so you can offer a premium product to your customers and add a solid profit margin to your own counter.

Stop settling for dirty screens. Drop by the shop at 317 Maple St to grab the last cleaning kit you’ll ever need!

Tired of the corporate runaround? Let's fix that. 🔵📶Earlier, I talked about the problem with the local indirect carrier ...
08/17/2026

Tired of the corporate runaround? Let's fix that. 🔵📶

Earlier, I talked about the problem with the local indirect carrier stores. Today, I am bringing you the solution: We are now officially offering AT&T services right here at the shop!

We are already seeing some great results locally. I just had a customer report strong service all the way from Kalkaska up to Boyne Mountain, and I even got an approval for AT&T Wireless Internet way out on Creighton Rd in the South Boardman / Fife Lake woods!

But I am not going to sit here and make unproven promises to you. My AT&T people: sound off in the comments! Let us know how your service is. Take it from them, not me.

Don't get me wrong, any time you deal with massive telecom companies, things happen. And whether a sideways bill was caused by a new employee making an honest mistake or a greedy salesman trying to pad their commission, the result is the same for you.

But that is exactly my point. I want to be the change locally. I want you to get the benefits of the network without the lies, and I want to be the local guy in your corner to handle the mess when things do go wrong.

Plus, if I am the one who sets you up and sells you the phone, you won't ever pay my normal in-store IT rates to have me work on your account later. That support is completely included.

Let's see what you qualify for. Shoot me a message with your address, and I will run a quick availability check for home internet, or stop by the shop to talk about upgrading your phones! 🤝✨

08/17/2026

It shouldn’t be this hard to just do what’s right. 📱🛑

Did you know there are basically no actual Verizon corporate stores left around us? Recently, Verizon has been quietly selling them off to "indirect" franchise retailers. Because these indirect stores are purely driven by sales, the new rule seems to be: If you aren't buying, they aren't helping.

I just helped a local customer process what should have been an easy warranty claim. Before coming to me, they went to both the Kalkaska and Traverse City stores. Because there was no commission to be made, both stores brushed them off, said "nothing could be done," and told them to just contact Apple.

So, they came to me, and I sat down and called customer service with them. You won't believe this, but the rep lied right to our faces over the phone. They told us the customer was on a prepaid plan and had absolutely no warranty.

I wasn't going to accept that. We tracked down the original store in Florida where the phone was purchased and had them pull the receipt. Sure enough: it was a Post-Paid account with a full 1-year warranty. After showing them the hard proof that we were lied to, they finally (and reluctantly) replaced the device for free.

It shouldn’t take hours of fighting to get a massive company to do the right thing, but that is exactly why I am here.

I run my shop a little differently. I do things the right way, for the right reasons. I can’t promise you the world, and I can't guarantee every situation will end perfectly. But I can promise you my effort. Always. 🤝

If you are tired of the runaround and just want someone in your corner, come see me right here in Kalkaska. Let’s get you taken care of! 📍🙌

Address

317 Maple Street
Kalkaska, MI
49646

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Basic Communication Solutions posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category