Well, that was an adventure. The new Nokia phone finally arrived from T-Mobile. Of course, I knew very well that there’d be no way I could get the thing hooked up to the ambient microwaves, but I didn’t anticipate that I couldn’t even figure out how to open it to insert the sim card. So right off the bat, it was off to the T-Mobile store, which resides in a run-down Albertson’s shopping center just down the way.
They managed to get it open (turns out you need thumbnails…both mine broke off at the quick earlier this week) and set up the sim card and reinsert the battery. Brought it home and charged it up while I went on about my business, which this week has been considerable.
Next, I couldn’t get it to turn on. Kept pressing the “on/power” button to no avail.
Back to the store. Turns out you have to hold the power button down until the phone responds. Hm. How hard would it have been, dear Nokia, to have said so in your instruction booklet?
Now I go to the website to enroll in the plan of my dreams, which is not available through T-Mobile’s stores. It is so not available that live human staffers don’t even know it exists. None too available to customers, either: when I click on the link, nothing happens.
Back to the store. This time I schlepped my laptop, figuring I could attach to their wireless and, if they could just show me how, sign up from there. Well, of course their wireless wouldn’t allow me on, and they are not allowed to sign people up in the store for Internet offers. They try. Doesn’t work.
So, incredibly—hang on to your hats, Consumerism Skeptics!—one of the guys there actually offers to walk over to the next-door Starbucks, where I can get my laptop online, and get me signed up!
Can you believe that?
That is not only consumer service, it’s Consumer Service Above and Beyond the Call of Duty. I was amazed.
Didn’t take very long to get online, with someone who knew what he was doing at hand. So I was able to send a brief text-message to M’hijito, which, as expected, spooked him. Reply: “Is this my mother?”
Well, I hope the service level remains that extraordinary. It’s a refreshing change from 21st-century business as usual!
LOL! Excellent! FYI You-Tube has videos that should help you learn how to use your phone – they do for IPhones anyway. Your story reminded me of P.D. Eastman’s book: “Are you my mother?” Good luck!
LOL! M’hijito is pretty erudite…whaddaya bet it was an allusion and his Ph.D. of a mother didn’t even tumble to it? 😀
LOL, welcome to the world of cell phones! You will now never be able to disconnect yourself from the digital leash again, sorry. But you will be able to literally bug your son at all hours of the day no matter where you are including but not limited to the restroom…you will say you won’t, but we kids hear the flush… 😉
@ Crystal: LOLOL! I try to sneak out of the bathroom without his hearing the plumbing in action. Doesn’t work, huh?
Interestingly, this contraption has an “off” button that works. So I can turn it on when I want to bug him but turn it off when I don’t care to be counter-bugged.
I have T-Mobile and just got a new Samsung Galaxy and that is a smart phone. I love it and it’s got the Android OS so is was easy to learn.
I just downloaded the Tazer app.
I have a coyote cornered in the back chicken coop.
I’m going to try the app.
I’ll let you know how it worked.
😀 Uh-oh…watch out, George! Them coyotes bite!
I’d offer to play words with friends with you but I have a sneaking suspicion you would absolutely kill me! lol Welcome to 2001