A friend of mine from my years in Shreveport, Louisiana posted this on his Facebook page. I just laughed. It so fits my week.
Last week I posted about a week without my cellphone camera. Now, with company gone, it was time to remedy my life without a cellphone camera. Monday morning, March 29, 2021, Claude and I went into Georgetown. We would deliver a treat to Papa and fill that birdfeeder the birds enjoy so much. Then we would go to the AT&T store to check on new cellphones for both Claude and I. Claude's cellphone was working fine. We decided we would both get new ones at the same time. We perused the cellphone offerings now available. I settled on a nice Phantom Violet Samsung Galaxy S21 5G with 256GB. This would give me the latest in technology as they had only been on the market for a few months. Claude picked out a Mystic Bronze (it looks pink to me!!) Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G with 256GB. His phone had only been on the market a few weeks. Neither of these phones was in stock. We went across the store to the young man who would place our order and set up our contracts for these new phones. Then we finished our Georgetown chores with a stop at Walmart, CVS Pharmacy and a walk at Moss Park.
When we got home, I sent a text to Jake because he also got a new phone in the past few weeks. I asked him what kind his was and if he was still using Verizon. He replied and asked me what we got. I looked at the texts on my phone about the orders placed. Our phones were each ordered separately and each had its own text with a link to the order. I opened up the first one and found my phone. That is when I realized the phone ordered for me was 128GB, not 256GB. In my mind I remembered when we bought our Samsung 7 phones and they came with 32GB and how blown away we were with that amount of memory. Now, we each have little of that left. I wanted the 256GB because I fully expect technology to change and we will need all that memory in the future. When you place your order at the AT&T store now, you are not given any paperwork. You sign nothing. You just agreed to the new charges and they tweek what your monthly bill will be. I am sure this is due to Covid-19. This is the third time we will have purchased phones at this particular store. Always in the past, we have had a stack of papers to review and sign, they have taken our old phones and transferred data to the new phones from the old phones. Not this time. Hence, it was only in sharing our purchase with Jake that I realized the young man ordered my phone with the incorrect amount of memory. Not a big problem, I would call in the morning and get that corrected.
Then, that evening, Claude received an eMail for each phone stating the phones were ordered and shipped. Okay, still not a concern. They could order me another phone and I would return the one currently on its way.
Tuesday, March 30th, I spent my morning trying to call the Georgetown AT&T store. My phone kept ringing Ashley whose message box was full. I was not getting through with the number in my contact list. I checked the website and called that number. It was the same one in my contact list and Ashley's message box was still full.
I had my second appoint for an in person visit with Papa at 1pm. Claude had an ophthalmologist appointment an hour before my visit with Papa. We took two cars. I went in early and stopped at the AT&T store first. I was told by the sales person this would not be a problem. When the box with the new cellphone arrived, I was to bring the unopened box to the AT&T store in Georgetown. They would reverse the order and get a shipping label for me to return the 1st new cellphone. Then they would place an order for the 2nd new cellphone. Great. I finished up in Georgetown about the time Claude was getting ready for his walk. He waited and we did our walk together.
Once home, I received the box with the 1st new cellphone. I did not open it. I realized the AT&T store in Georgetown closed at 8pm. I could get in and return this phone and then order the correct phone. Claude drove me in. This was a very fortunate move.
The sales person took the unopened package from me. She tried to refund the original order. Nope, that wouldn't work. She tried to exchange the original order. Nope, that wouldn't work. She tried one other thing and that wouldn't work either. She asked me to dial 611 and explain my problem and have the AT&T Customer Service department figure this out. I did this and explained to the first person what had happened and what I was trying to do. She asked me to get the sales person on the phone. It seems they couldn't reverse the charge without putting the sim card in the new phone and working from it. I went back in the store assuring them that I only had a little bit of battery left on my old phone and didn't want to be dropped on this call.
The sales person changed the sim car and started up the 1st new phone. Then I went out to the Jeep and plugged in while talking with AT&T Customer Service. It seems she could not find the phone I wanted in 256GB. I assured her that the display in the store showed the option. Turns out this customer service rep couldn't help so she transferred my called to someone with more authority. Hmmm. This person couldn't get the phone and said there was no such phone for sale. I assured her the sign in the store said there was. I went back inside the Georgetown store and checked the sign to be sure. The sales clerk assured me there was a phone in Phantom Violet in 256GB. Back to the Jeep I went so, while on hold with this customer service person doing research, I could charge my phone . Eventually I got a message stating my hold would be two minutes...hmmm....I had been on my old phone for 1 hour now.
After a while another customer service person came on the phone who had no clue what I was calling about. I'm not sure if the call dropped and picked up as a new call or what. Ugh...I went through my explanation about what I was trying to do and what had been done so far. Again, I was told they could not exchange or reverse because there was no Phantom Violet phone in 256GB. I assured her I looked at one in the store. She told me there just must not be any in stock in that color and I would have to get a Phantom Gray version. I could get that in 256GB. Okay...let's go with that. I'll look for a purple cover.
Back in the store I went to have the sales clerk help me get the 1st new phone set up so they could then exchange or refund or reverse or whatever it took to get me a mailing label to mail this phone back. By now it was closing time for the Georgetown store. I knew the three people working there were ready to leave. I knew I was ready to be finished. We ended with me saying I would use my old cellphone till the 2nd new cellphone arrived in the mail. I was given my old cellphone back with no sim card. I would not be able to use the telephone on the old phone but I could do all things I needed an Internet connection for with the old phone. I was given the 1st new cellphone which had a sim card and I could use it to make telephone calls. Oh My Heck!! A return address label was eMailed to Claude's eMail.
Wednesday, March 31st, I spent my morning being sure I had everything off the old cellphone that I might need in case the transfer of data didn't go well on the 2nd new cellphone when it arrived. Claude received his new cellphone and was able to transfer his data very smoothly. He needed to have his sim card installed and would do that on Thursday at the Georgetown store.
Thursday, April 1st, was a real April Fool's Day for me. Claude received a FedEx tracking number in an eMail regarding the 2nd new cellphone delivery. The eMail stated the cellphone would be to Sadieville by 4:30pn that day. That would give me time to get back to Georgetown to set these phone up correctly. The eMail also contained a shipping label to mail back the 1st new cellphone. In the late afternoon, Claude got another eMail and that tracking information said the 2nd new cellphone would now be delivered by the end of the day.
We were taking dinner to a family who lived way out in the country. That needed to be delivered between 5pm and 6pm. We left at 5:15 to deliver this meal with no new 2nd cellphone received. After delivering the meal, we drove on into Georgetown and stopped at the AT&T store where they cheerfully put the sim card in Claude's new cellphone. He is set and ready to go on his new phone. He will keep his old phone in case he needs to reference the things on it as he learns to use the new phone. Once he is comfortable that he has everything right on the new cellphone, we'll take the old one back and they will erase everything on it.
We turned on the front porch light and stayed up until 11:30pm and no cellphone was delivered. If this was an April Fool's Day trick, it was not funny at all.
Friday, April 2nd, we again checked the tracking in the morning. We had errands to run and wanted to take the 2nd new cellphone in while in Georgetown. The delivery time would help us know when to go to Georgetown. Guess what the new tracking message said? No scheduled deliver date available!! It seems the package was sent to the FedEx main location at 4:57am on Wednesday, March 31st. It was picked up in Indianapolis at 1:10pm. Then it left the FedEx origin facility in Plainfield, Indiana at 3:00pm. At 3:20pm it arrived at the Indianapolis facility. All this was Wednesday, March 31st. The next record was for Friday, April 2nd, showing it departed the Indianapolis FedEx facility at 9:59am. Does not say where it went. The tracking record just said "No scheduled delivery date available at this time. I also learned that this day was Good Friday and that could affect delivery of items by FedEx.
I made another call to AT&T's Customer Service number. A rude voice recording gave me a website to get a virtual assistant to help me. I tried that and got absolutely no where. I called the 611 number again and gave a fake need which got me to a real person. I explained the entire situation...again...and they checked all their records. She was able to tell me that FedEx had assured them the latest this new 2nd cellphone would be delivered was Friday at 8pm. Ugh!!
We waited until 2:30pm to do our errands. Then we left Sadieville fully expecting to pass a FedEx truck trying to deliver my 2nd new cellphone. Alas, that did not happen. We took Papa a treat. Ate a nice dinner at Sonic. Then we headed back to Sadieville. We would again wait until 11:30pm with no delivery of any cellphone. Nope. Not any delivery at all.
Saturday, April 3rd, we still had the same message of No scheduled delivery date available at this time. We would be home to watch General Conference on television.
Sunday, April 4th, we still had the same message of No scheduled delivery date available at this time. We would be home to watch General Conference on television. We were not expecting any delivery now until Monday.
Monday, April 5th, I grabbed my old cellphone as soon as I woke up and ran the FedEx tracking number. Imagine my delight when the message said the new 2nd cellphone would be deliver by 4:30pm Monday!! I hoped this would be right. I had a doctor's appointment at 10:40am. I was ready to leave our home at 10:15am. I thought I would just look on the front doorstep before I left. I opened that front door and there was a FedEx truck and the driver was walking up to my front door. I blurted out "My cellphone!!". The driver grinned really big and handed me the package. I went inside and gathered the box for the 1st new cellphone and put my original cellphone and the 1st new cellphone in my purse. I took care of my doctor visit and leaving a treat for Papa. Then I treated myself to a Bojangles biscuit to munch on as I drove to the AT&T store.
I entered the AT&T store and found two men working. One I was sure was the one who placed our original order the previous Monday. The other I didn't know from Adam. I was hoping the sales girl would be there so I didn't have explain all the story to her. Alas, she was not working. There were two other people waiting their turn. A third employee came in and helped one of those people. As I sat, I pondered which employee I hoped would be the one to help me. Sure enough, it was the young man who originally placed our order. He was very helpful and set up my new phone and transferred the data. It took me about an hour in the store with all the waiting for my turn and the waiting for the download. But I left so very happy.
Once home I spent some time learning my new phone. I tried the camera since that was the piece that didn't work on the original phone. The picture screen was all blurry. I couldn't get it to show a clear picture to take. I opted to work on other things and come back to the camera. Claude came in from getting the tractor ready for mowing this year. I explained the blurriness of my camera. He said, "Is there something covering it?" I love this man. Of course there was. I had not removed the plastic shipping cover over the lens.
I now have a functional phone. I have found and updated most of my data. A couple of things to work on then it is just getting used to a new phone. What a roller coaster of an experience. It all worked out. Now I will research for a cover for the phone. Maybe something with a purple bent to it. Grateful this is one area of our lives that is working!!
No comments:
Post a Comment