(43-37) Roseannadanna Vs. Verizon

In the famous words of Roseanne Roseannadanna "There's always something; if it's not one thing it's another;" and tonight; it's VERIZON!!

I don't think that I've ever met anyone who was thrilled with their cell phone company.  If I'm mistaken, and I've met you and you're thrilled with your cell phone company; please, by all means tell me which company and why.  I had been with Alltel for 12 years until they merged with Verizon; and I was transferred over.  Did I like Alltel?  Heck no!  Whenever I would call Alltel; I would always have to call back 1 to 2 times after my initial call to make sure that what I'd discussed with their rep was accurate or that they'd documented my account appropriately.  It was a pain in the neck; but I'd been grandfathered in on a calling plan and I couldn't find anything nearly as good with any other company; so I stayed with them.

The transition from Alltel to Verizon was not an easy one for me because I had gotten a new phone about a month before the merger and the phone turned out to be faulty and needed to be replaced.  As Verizon was unable to provide me with the same model, I had to trade it in for something of theirs; including THEIR calling plan which cost me more money for less minutes.  I'm not going to go into all of the gory details of the new phone procurement; because I'm fairly confident that you have all endured your share of problems with cell phone companies.  Let's just suffice it to say that I could have started blogging about Verizon long ago; but this is one of those stories that I saved up until the time was just right.

So I had gotten the phone from Verizon in October and in July I noticed that the phone kept turning off randomly; even when it was fully charged.  I called Verizon and as the phone was still under warranty, they agreed to replace it; the only hitch was, that they replace it with a refurbished phone.  A "like new" phone, not a "NEW" phone.  Well, I wasn't very happy when I heard this but I felt that I had no choice but to agree to try one out, because my phone that kept turning off was doing me no good and they agreed to stand by the refurbished phone at least until my warranty ran out.  I received "like new" phone #1 and shortly after receiving it, I found that it had a little glitch in it's audio, because from time to time it would sound as if I'd dropped a call but I hadn't.  I was never sure if during these segments the person on the other end could hear me; but they assured me that they could.  It was a bizarre occurrence and not one that I wanted to repeat for another 15 months; so again I called Verizon for a replacement.  Phone # 2 arrived and it seemed to work fine, but after one week, I started having the same exact problem as with replacement #1.  I called Verizon again and they sent replacement #3.   I was a little taken a back with replacement #3 because as soon as I plugged it in to charge it, the message read "This cable is not recommended for this phone."  OK, so I thought it was a fluke and I charged the phone.  Everything seemed to be working just fine until the next time that I had to charge the phone and I received the same message.  I emailed customer service because I found it highly unusual that the cable that came with the phone and was able to charge all 3 previous phones was now not compatible with this phone; even though it was the same model.  So guess what?  Yup, replacement #4 is ON ITS WAY.

It's at this point where I need you to read this in your best Roseanne Roseannadanna accent;  " Hey Verizon, CLEARLY there is a problem with the "Like new" models of my phone.   Now granted, I don't have a top of the line phone.  I have no need for a Blackberry or an iphone.  (OK, I'll admit it; I don't even really know what an iphone is.)  I just have my lower end phone with my little keyboard and I love it.!!  But you know what Verizon; it doesn't matter, because you sold me THIS phone and you're  supposed to stand by your product and it's supposed to work.  So my big question for you Verizon is, after Fedexing me 4 phones and paying for me to Fedex back 4 phones wouldn't it have just been cheaper and or better customer service to just give me a "New" new phone?  So I said Hey, Verizon; you're making me sick!"

Now for those of you who don't know who Roseanne Roseanna was; I'm sure I know sound like a raving loon and I beg your indulgence; and respectfully suggest that you watch a Gilda Radner / Roseanne Roseannadanna video on Youtube and then, with her and her accent in your head; come back and give this another read.

So sure, I could have told you this story when I first started having problems with Verizon;  but I thought it best to wait.  I could have shared this with you after replacement phone #2 perhaps; but the time just didn't seem right.  But 4; yes 4, seemed the proper time to call Verizon out.  I know that my story is not unique and that many of you can probably tell similar ones; and in the big scheme of things, I'm not sweating this AT ALL.  It's just a small annoyance and I'll take small annoyance over a big problem any day.  I just thought that the time was finally right to tell this tale, so that we can all see how this plays out together.  Maybe I should have a contest....  Leave me a comment and tell me how many phones you think I'm going to have to go through before they A) Send me one that works or B) They send me a "New" new phone.  I'll have to think of a prize but trust me I WILL.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

70's Flashback Moment

I just got a call from my friend Lisa B and we were laughing because she was calling me in response to an email that I sent her, in response to an email that she sent me; in order to try and make some plans. She said that she thought it would be quicker to give me a call rather than go back and forth with emails, and she was right. We were laughing because sometimes it can be so much quicker to make that call instead of responding by text or email, (even if that's how you received the original message); and yet so many of us are now prone to send 10 texts back and forth, just to arrange a meeting time; or send 6 emails back and forth to make some plans; and I'm not quite sure what that says about the future of human communication.

Yesterday I called my friend Lesa G, and when she answered her cell and asked me what was going on , I replied "I just had a 70's flashback moment." Of course she asked why; and I said "I called your house and spoke to your husband and I even left a message." OMG, we laughed so hard. I told her that I was having visions of satin shorts and the roller disco rink. Think about it; how long has it been since you've actually left a message with a person? Now I'm not talking about business related calls, because even though most companies have voice mail, I do come across many who do not; and some how this doesn't phase me. But in my personal experience I typically reach an answering machine if a friend isn't home; regardless of if the significant other is home or not. I know my husband for one doesn't usually answer the phone if I'm not home; because he knows that the answering machine will just pick up if he doesn't and I am more likely to receive an accurate message from the answering machine than I am from him. Now when I reach an answering machine, most often I leave a message, but the message usually consists of me saying "I'll try you on your cell, but if we haven't spoken by the time you get this message; call me back." So after I left a message with her husband, which was " Please tell her that Paige called;" I immediately thought to myself "WOW! Why did I leave a message? I could have just said that I would try her on her cell and then leave a message on her cell if I didn't reach her;" but I think I was SO thrown off by the fact there was an actual person, other than my friend on the other end; that I felt compelled to be polite, and just like riding a bike, I left a message and it felt WEIRD!.

Remember back in the day when you would try to call someone and you would get a busy signal or just no answer and you just HAD TO accept it, keep trying or call back later? And then, answering machines became popular, followed by call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, beepers or pagers (whatever you want to call them,) then cell phones, texting, cameras on phones and Iphones and what does all of this lead to? OK, I'll say it, a lack of personal space and time. Why has it suddenly become so important to be accessible to everyone, ALL THE TIME? How many times do you get a call on your cell when you're food shopping or with your family; and even though it might not be an opportune time to answer a call, you do? Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my cell and I feel naked without it, BUT I do recognize that sometimes it can interfere with the important things and I think that we have to remember that as much as something can be a blessing, it can also be a curse and that everything has its time and place. Now don't misunderstand; this is not an essay on the evils of cell phones and technology, but a reflection on simpler times gone by and a commentary on our need for instant gratification. Am I guilty? YOU BETCHA; but I thought I would share these thoughts with you as they're something that I plan to give more consideration and I'm merely suggesting that you might like to as well; in the interest of THE GREATER GOOD, of course. So gimme a call and we can talk about it - LOL; just kidding.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING