Cell phone companies

Anyone that knows me well knows my phone is almost attached to my body.



I have been going back and forth with T-Mobile about stupid things with my phone. It all started in May when my cell phone started freezing. I received a "new refurbished phone". I had that phone for a few days and had to call back since it was worse than the one I just sent back. Out comes another refurbished phone to me. This time the sync function won't work. Out comes the third refurbished phone to me. This phone actually syncs but the problem with it is the "OK" button does not work - try texting or taking pics without the OK button. They send me out a 4th refurbished phone that is where the dilemma really begins.



I received the phone June 19th. I put my SIM card in. Copied the contacts to the phone and tried to sync with my address book off T-Mobile.com. It did not work. I called lovely tech support. I was on the phone for 78 minutes that night and was basically told call back tomorrow - makes you wonder how some of these people get hired. I called back the next day from work. I was on the phone with tech support that day for 90 minutes - got to love call timers. I was told it was a know issue and they would send it on to the next level and the issue should be fixed with 7 days and someone would contact me.



On June 27th, I had to call them back. The response I got from the tech support person was they are working on it and should have it working by morning. This took another 14 minutes of my time.



I try again on the 28th of June. Still not fixed. I call tech support back. This time I am on the phone for 33 minutes. Still no resolution. Hear the same BS line - someone is working on it and will call me back.



I have been really patient since the phone works pretty good - I just don't have half my phone numbers - I could manually enter them but why. I call back on July 5th. I finally get some one who seems to actually care and wants to help me. Shondra stays on the phone with me for 55 minutes. She unfortunately was not able to get any further than anyone else but she did admit that someone dropped the ball. She said she would check with the person on Monday and call me back. I think to myself here we go again but she actually called me back. She did not have good news - they are still working on the issue.



I like to take control of situations - so I had been doing troubleshooting on my own. I went to the local T-Mobile store and compared software versions - they were the same. The store phone would sync but mine would not. When Shondra called me back the second time on July 13, I told her what I had done. She tells me that they do not know how long it is going to take and that they were going to process a warranty exchange. I thought finally it is over. NOT. The section where she needed to process the exchange was down. She said she would call me back on Monday.



I did not hear from her. So I called tech support back. I must have misunderstood what she said because there was a note in the system for a follow up on the 17th. I figure I would wait.



Shondra follows through. I get a call on the 18th to process the warranty exchange. Another problem - they want to send me a phone that I absolutely hate and do not feel it is comparable. Someone had told me if I bitched enough I could get pretty much any phone I wanted. I did not get rude. I told Shondra, that she has been very helpful to me and I will not get rude with her but I did not feel that phone was comparable - one big difference I have a partial QWERTY keyboard and the other phone did not. Maybe that don't matter to some people but to me it does. I told her I wanted the Shadow. She said she could not do that. I said I understand you can't but someone else can. I brought up how long we have been with T-Mobile. She spoke to someone and they wanted me to go to the local T-Mobile store for more trouble shooting. I mention that this issue has been being worked on for a month and I did not think it would make a difference. She said she thought it was strange too so she would call me back.



Less than 2 hours later, she calls. Guess what - I am now getting the Shadow as an upgrade at no charge. The catch I had to extend my contract for one year. So the contact now ends in July 2009 instead of March 2009 - big deal. I still get to keep my other phone - maybe I will sell it on EBay - LOL.



I did tell Shondra she was the only person at 611 that actually followed through with things. I spoke to her supervisor to complement her. The only time a supervisor hears about an employee is when they screw up. I felt Shondra needed to receive recognition for doing her job well.



You don't always have to be a bitch to get what you want. Treating people with respect and kindness does work.

Everyone loves free stuff

One night while I was lying in bed unable to sleep, I heard a commercial about how to get free cleaning products. They mentioned a web site - www.freegreencleaners.com

When I got up the next day, I did not know if I was imagining things or if it was real. Needless to say it is real. I went out to the web site, filled in the information they requested and a few days later I received a 16oz bottle of cleaner. The only catch you have to review the product and then post your review on a blog or web site. I have not done this yet. I guess once you do that they will send you out another product.

Samples, samples, samples - the mail lady has to be loving me - NOT. I have been frequenting http://instoresnow.walmart.com/In-Stores-Now-Free-Samples-And-Trials.aspx and signing up for all their free samples. I figure if I can't use it someone else surely can. Just by filling out a simple form, you get a trial size of what ever the product is and normally a coupon for future purchases. We will see how much junk mail I start getting after this. They also have a spot to download free mp3s. They change the samples out pretty regularly so it does not hurt to check back once a week or so. It is not like the other websites where you have to complete a zillion offers to save a nickel.

The coupons in the local paper seem to be getting less and less so while surfing one night I came across www.coupons.com and www.redplum.com both a decent places to print your own coupons at home.

Lack of sleep

Today the hubby and the youngest return home. The oldest came home last night. My alone time is over.

This past week I realized that I sleep less, cook less, clean less, text more and drink about the same when I have no one home with me.

The less sleeping relates to going to bed Wednesday night or should I say Thursday morning at 3 am and getting up late for work - ended up only being about five minutes late and to staying up Thursday night or techincally Friday morning until about 4 am and getting up around 7 am in Cripple Creek. Lack of sleep mixed with alcohol not a good thing.

Cooking lets see you can cook one night and make it last for a couple nights. - half the dishes, less time but also less choice.

Text more - how can I possibly text anymore than usual. Can't be because the hubby would start texting when he was ready for bed and would text for awhile. Or that it is a lot easier to try to track people down by texting versus calling when you are in a noisy casino. My main communication with the kids is texting. Plus when you are in public everyone around you does not want to hear your conversations or at least I don't want to.

Drinking - don't get me wrong - I am not a heavy drinker - I just drink a few now and then. More than I used to but not as much as some people.

Women can do anything

This week for the first time in along time, I have time to myself. No husband or kids to have to come home and cook for or clean up after.

My very possessive husband and our youngest son went to visit relatives in Arkansas. Our oldest son is staying in Avondale with grampa.

The vehicle I normally drive is the vehicle that was taken on the trip, so I am driving the youngests car. It is a 1998 Chevy Cavalier. Not a bad car especially for what he paid for it. I was on the way home from work and noticed the battery light was on. It is an idiot light and not a true indicator as to whether or not the system is charging. After I got home, I called WalMart to see if they would test the battery. They would. So I headed there.

I get there and one of the techs comes out and hooks up his machine to it. He can't get anything to read. He says battery must have some bad cells in it and takes me back inside to price batteries. I think, hmm the car starts fine and runs ok so I think not on the battery. I called my oldest brother and asked how to make sure it was the battery. He walked me through how to test it. Guess what the guy at WalMart was wrong. It was the altenator.

Decision - do I park the car that has AC and drive the other truck that doesn't or do I brave it and change it myself. I decide to go for it only after calling Checker to make sure they have the part before I take apart the car. I call my brother and tell him what my plan is. He says he will come do it for me. I said I will call if I get stuck.

I get all the bolts out but am having issues with the belt. I decide I better go get the other part. I come back and fight the belt some more. I give in and call my husband and tell him what I am doing and ask if we have a certain tool at home. His response - just leave it and I will fix it when I get home - NOT. The youngest calls and is trying to explain to my how to get the belt loose. I keep fighting it. I decide I better call my brother.

I go in the house, eat a little dinner, fold some clothes and venture back outside. I get the tool where the youngest said and call him back. He tells me again what to do. I try and off comes the belt and a big shout for joy from me. My brother had not shown up yet. Yeah for me. I get the altenator off as he pulls in the drive. I am still excited. I put the old one in place. He helped start the bolts. I tightened them up, connected the wiring back and now the hard part putting the belt back on. I crawl under the car, release the tension on the belts and run the lower part, my brother ran the upper part. The belt is on. The car starts and the battery light is off.

I think thats pretty good. There are a few men I know that would not even attempt it and not many women I know would either.

If we set our minds to it, we can do anything.