Nov 18, 2008

Any way you slice it, cell phones are a pain in my ass. If it's not some ninny sharing the intimate details of his or her life with me against my will, it's some customer in the store trying to play hardware charades with me, because he or she won't hang up long enough to actually tell me what they want. The latest woe of me involves the cell phone companies, or as I like to think of them, the scum of the Earth. There was a time when owning a cell phone was the big deal. Anyone who needed to, could reach you practically anywhere. And of course, they did. The evil cell phone empires used this technology to send powerful rays through the network, which has rendered a sizable portion of the population nearly brain dead and left to wander the streets, cell phone pressed to their ear. Many of us are completely in the grips of Verizon, AT&T, Alltel or the other one...T-Mobile. Just as radio lead the way to television, the cell phone is morphing into the all purpose personal communicator. Email, text, internet and movies all in the palm of your hand. Can a built-in taser be far behind? Merle Wayne Sneed doe not need a cell phone, but I have one. Mrs. Sneed and I have a family plan, where we share 500 minutes per month. That's about 350 minutes more a month than we need. What I have to say on the cell phone involves few words to a few people. I value my friends, the few that I have, precisely because they understand that I have little to say to them that can't wait until the next time I see them. Blabbing on the phone is not for me. Internet, email, texting, movies, music on my phone, no thanks, that's why I have a home. Which brings me to my current problem. Our present cell phone company is Qwest Communications. Qwest doesn't actually operate a cell phone company, they resell Sprint service, or at least they did. Now they have decided to sell Verizon service instead. This is a big pain because they want us to change our service to Verizon, which would be fine, except the new Verizon service is not the 500 minutes for $59.95 per month that we have been paying. It is now $69.95 for 700 minutes a month. Instead of not using 350 minutes a month, we will not be using 550 minute a month and paying ten bucks more for the privilege. Some might suggest just shopping around and finding a better deal. They have planned against this. It seems that I can either switch to Verizon at a higher cost or I can pay Qwest $400 bucks to break our contract. That is until Qwest kicks us out for ignoring them. One day next spring, Qwest will turn off the Sprint system and violate our agreement with them. Then and only then are we free to find a better deal. What a pain in the butt. Things in this blog represented to be fact, may or may not actually be true. The writer is frequently wrong, sometimes just full of it, but always judgmental and cranky

8 comments:

Coffee Messiah said...

"cell phones are a pain in my ass. "

er, these aren't supposed to go there ya know......

And yes, they have you coming and going.

I remember way back when , when a land line was a measly $12.00 a month or so

Reya Mellicker said...

Listening to half a conversation is SO annoying! And people in stores who talk on the phone while paying for their purchases are truly beyond rude. I HATE THAT.

Like you, I use a cell phone when I'm supposed to meet someone someplace but I'm there and can't locate them, or when I'm running late to pick up someone at the airport, or if a client hasn't shown up for their appointment. I pay for 300 minutes a month, while I actually use about 15 of those minutes. I don't like it either.

Squirrel said...

Cell phones are here to weed out the weaker of us via brain tumors.
I still have a landline that I use, and I see my cell as an emergency phone. If someone needs a ride or I'm meeting a friend someplace, I charge it up and use it.
I have gotten all kinds of text messages from people I don't know. I thought I figured out how they were, and wasted time trying to decipher strange messages from total strangers.

More and more stores have a note similar to this pasted on the cash register now

NO CELL PHONE USE DURING TRANSACTION if you need to use a cell phone let us take care of the next person in line while you take care of your important call . THANK YOU.

Jams said...

I was forced to get a cell phone when my father had a stroke and I had to travel back and forth over a bit of a distance. I hate them. Now that I have one, I never use it, but our contract isn't up. I'm constantly being scolded because I forget to take it with me everywhere I go, and because I only answer it when I want to.

A woman almost ran me down yesterday while I was taking a peaceful walk, because she was yapping on her phone. I hate them with a passion that is reserved for horrible diseases, untimely deaths of loved ones, and plumbing problems found in a home one has just purchased. Can you tell, you hit a nerve with this one?

Steve Reed said...

I think everyone struggles with how to adapt to cell phones.

I have Verizon service and I generally like it, but I don't have a family plan, so that may be why yours is more complicated. I don't go anywhere near my total allotment of minutes. I'm kind of like you when it comes to talking on the phone. I am not a chatter.

Ten years ago, my phone bill was about $20 a month. Now, with cell and DSL, it's $100 a month.

Megan said...

I never use all my minutes either, but I do text back and forth with Annie quite a bit. I notice that she and her iphone have not yet commented! :)

This option that Qwest is giving you does not sound much like an option to me...

Nan Patience said...

Oh man, they've got you right where they want you.

a. said...

I can't live without my iPhone.

I must say that as frustrating as it can be at times, I do like my mom's whole "If I'm home I answer the phone. If not, you don't get to talk to me. You can't even leave me a message. If I'm talking to someone else on the phone, you don't get to talk to me. You just get a busy signal." Seems... I dunno... freeing...