It's a Sunday. It was supposed to be a day of rest. We were getting ready for church. T. had his shower and dressed but hadn't combed his hair or put on his shoes and socks. I was sitting at the computer (the slow clunky dial up model that doesn't always want to cooperate any more) trying to follow the on-screen instructions to update an error in T's new cell phone programming. When I logged onto his account and saw the words Programming Error, fear struck me right in the brain. It trickled down to my fingertips so that I couldn't quite follow directions. It took me two tries per screen to get things fixed.
Now, considering that I just bought this marvel of a TracFone yesterday at the local Wally-world and after purchase, the salesman had offered to activate the phone while I finished shopping -would you expect to see a programming error? He told me he only needed about 10 minutes to complete the procedure. I thought that sounded good and the guy seemed to know what he was doing so, entrusting the little silver phone to his keeping, I went off to find T. and run the checkout gauntlet. Groceries purchased and packed in the basket, we wound our way back to the phone section and I could see the salesman yonder at the register. He sort of ignored us as we approached and as we drew closer, I heard him tell the other person at the register that a lady was coming back to get her phone and for the other salesperson to make sure she gave the customer her the phone and card for minutes. Then the salesman sort of half turned on his way out of the register area, spotted us and said, There She Is! He kept walking away while he told the other salesperson the phone was on the counter and to be sure to finish the entry. (What? I guess it time for his break or something?) The remaining salesperson sidled over and asked me what was it I was supposed to pick up. I indicated the phone lying behind her. She bundled it into the packaging and bagged it up and thrust it towards me when I dangled the receipt in front of her. I told her I had also purchased a card for 200 minutes and it was probably still in the shopping bag on the counter behind her. She turned and took the card out of the bag and started to scratch off the silver area over the numbers. I told her the salesman had told me I didn't need to add minutes until after we were sure the phone would fit our needs. That way the card for 200 minutes could be returned if the phone wasn't what we needed. She bagged and handed me the phone and minutes card.
Once home, T. agreed he could use the phone and went and put it in the bedroom where he could locate it again. That evening the minutes card was pulled out of the bag and used, by my visiting daughter - to add 200 extra minutes to the 10 minutes the phone came with. We noticed right away that the silvered area had already been scratched off by the saleslady, therefore rendering the minutes non-returnable as the salesman had said they could be. That may have been the first inkling the phone setup wasn't as promised by the salesman. But, since all seemed well, we put the phone away again and I went to bed with a clear mind. No worries, mate.
This morning I went to the TracFone website and entered the passwords to magically get me in - and was notified there was a programming error (see above passage re: fear strikes brain) and I would need to turn on the phone before clicking Continue. Seems that the somebody who originally programmed the phone used the wrong codes and hadn't set the phone up to receive the new minutes we had entered the evening before. I was able to overcome trembling fingers and after the two tries got the proper codes entered so that the additional minutes showed up.
One feature the salesman had touted was that the phone will automatically double whatever minutes are installed. And, now it does.
We put in our card for 200 minutes last night. When the programming problem was finally corrected this morning, the phone showed 400 minutes. Oh, wow, this thing is a durn genius! It also announces on-screen that the minutes expire in February of 2010. Next year!
What a wonderful little phone. I just hope we can find it when we need to add some more time. We're currently searching for a little red AT&T flip phone that has about 100 minutes on it. We turned it off and T. said he'd put it away so we would know where it was.
That was the last time either of us saw it!
3 comments:
Customer service should be at its highest due to the economy. At least one would think so. Once the clerk made his sale; his mind seemed to have wondered somewhere else. Maybe his lunch or candy bar sitting in the fridge. Your little red AT&T flip phone will show up when you least expect to see it laying on a flat service. The phone will be a found treasure token.
Maybe that's why we can't find it, we've been looking in corner spaces. We need to concentrate on flat surfaces!
You might also try the refrigerator. Just sayin . . .
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