Cell Phone Rant

This isn't about anything but my own disgust. I have had the same cell phone carrier since I broke down and got one eight years ago. I had been putting off renewing my contract with my carrier because the phone I have is about to reach the end of its lifespan and I wanted to see what they would offer.

They have all kinds of phone gadget things that elude me. I want a cell phone that takes and receives calls with a minimum of fuss and bother. I'm not a big phone talker to begin with.

Anyway, I get this letter from my carrier. It tells me that they have noticed my long and loyal customer status. They offer $150 discount on the phone of my choice and a whole raft of bells and whistles (most of which I could care less about but the upshot the letter is that I can get a decent new phone for free and renew my contract).

I go into the phone store thing and talk to the kid working there. I show him my letter and he putzes around on the computer and tells me that I qualify for a $70 discount, not the full on free ride that the letter promised. I talk to the store manager and she pulls out a yellow highlighter and highlights up to $150 and tells me that $70 is all I get.

I am stunned. I tell her that this is ridiculous. I could get a better deal from a company I have dealt with for seven years if I was just walking in off the street. Bait and switch bullshit. I tell her that since this is the case I intend to walk off the street somewhere else. Screw all ya'll. I'm outta here.

The upshot is that I now have a new phone. It has all the bells and whistles stuff. It's supposed to even take videos and stuff. I promise to learn to use the camera feature if only for the "big dog blogging" I intend to do.

Abbie's going to accompany on my trip back to mom's. Expect pictures and stuff.