Lost Phone

This week I have endured one of life's most trying times. I lost my cell phone. We just don't realize how addicted we are to being in constant communication until that link fails. I know the phone is either in the house or one of two other places--church or the grocery. It was one of those weeks when I just didn't go anywhere. I had it on Monday then I didn't have it a day later. We have searched everywhere. You know the drill, when you have looked in all the possible places you start on the impossible. To make the search more fun, while it rang one time that evidently was it's last little bit of battery. So now I can't even call it to locate it.

After a week I gave in and decided to buy a new one. Fortunately, my contract was almost up so I qualified for the new contract discount. That was about my only bit of luck. Dealing with phone companies is only rivaled by dealing with satellite television companies for complete frustration. I can't fault the little store in our hometown. They were as helpful and considerate as they could be. They let me play with phones to my heart's content and even encouraged me to take one home to see how I liked it. Then after talking to my daughter I decided that since I already had an ipod, I would splurge and get an iphone. Then I could switch all my apps over to the iphone and as a bonus I would already be familiar with how it worked. So back I go to my local store to make the switch. Wrong. It seems that ATT doesn't allow local stores to sell the iphone. You have to go to a corporate store, a 30 mile trip. My effort to support the local economy just took a big hit.
My local store actually encouraged me to make the trip, since they agreed that it made since for me to combine the two gizmos.

So off I go to make my purchase at the corporate store. I arrive to discover it is take a number and wait your turn. There were people everywhere and three very harried employees trying to keep up. I get my chance and discover that the iphone4 is backordered for 3-4 weeks. Now I am faced with the choice of buying the 3G iphone or living another month without my phone. I chose instant gratification and go with the older model. Good news, it will cost less. Wrong. It used to sell for $100 but since the iphone4 has come out they have raised the price to $200, BUT you get a cover, charger and protection plan thrown in. Two things I would have bought cheaper somewhere else and one thing I wouldn't have bought anyway. Why do I always feel like I have been taken for a fool when I deal with these companies? I feel like the victim of a scam artist.

The good news is that I really like my phone. I'm learning to text to my kids and love having the advantages of the ipod without having to hunt wifi. Now, if I can just figure out how to change everything over to the phone. Maybe one of the grandkids can help me.