Monday, January 5, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
HateT&T
You always hear about the guy who got a mouse in his McDonald's order. Sure one in every billion Chicken McNuggets is a mouse head, but what about the other 999,999,999 golden delicious nuggets? Same goes for Verizon. I have had Verizon since I was a tween and I've never had to complaint. You hear the stories about the guy who some how got screwed with a $10,000 bill once in a while, but that's what happens when you're the number one cell carrier in America. I love Verizon.
Over a year ago we moved to Northport where Verizon's service is crap. Even the East Northport Verizon store can't get a signal. The iPhone had just come out and being a designer and a mac guy, I had planned on buying one at some point. At the time it was still $600 so I was okay with waiting but since I needed to switch service anyhow, I got set up with the iPhone provider - AT&T.
The AT&T signal is sufficient in Northport and the little phone I bought was excellent. It was my 60th cell and by far the most durable. I am not exaggerating when I say my girlfriend washed and dried it with the laundry and it still worked. Christen had bought the same phone and one morning after a bender in Key West, we woke up find the screen of her phone looked like a decorative snow globe. Filled with water. You could shake it and it looked like a digit blizzard. But it still worked.
They were solid phones but the rough-houseing got the best of mine after about 6 months. It couldn't have come at a worse time. I was meeting a couple friends at one of the 10 bars in Bay Shore. Which one was unclear because I was going to be there about an hour before everyone else. They could simply call me to see where I was. I'd rather not go into the details of that night but I can say that with out notice my phone had given up on me.
I went to AT&T to get the insurance information on my phone. That's where I learned somehow I didn't have insurance. hm? I have always had insurance. I guess when I switched over to AT&T I had forgotten to set it up. That explains why Christen's bill was always slightly more than mine. Small oversight on my part but not the end of the world. It was time to upgrade to the super phone.
Before I bought the super robot phone, Christen got me a mac gift card for the iPhone price. It had come come down from $600 to $500 new (still overpriced) and $200 with an new AT&T contract. Emphasis on new. Because I was only 6 months into my contract, they wouldn't give me the phone for the $200s (the value of the gift card). If I wanted to set up the iPhone it would be the full $500 regardless of being an AT&T customer. Bull shit. The main reason I switched was for the iPhone down the line. Why didn't the guy I switched with mention this detail. He knew my intentions. Seriously? The $200 deal is for new customers only? People who are switching from a different company or being asked to start a new contract. At Verizon if ever I wanted to buy a new phone I could get it at the contract price and the two years would just start over from that point. Not with AT&T. It was either pay full price or wait until I was up for renewal. F this. I walked out.
Rather than dealing with the problem I just ignored it. I spent the end of the summer without a phone. I felt betrayed and it was to painful to deal with so I just didn't. After about 2 months I heard of the family plan. The family plan: For an additional $9.99 a month you could share minuets with another line. I went to the mac store and told them I wanted to turn my current line into a family plan and the new phone I wanted to add was the iPhone. No problem. That will be $200. Done. I got the phone for the contract price and all I'd be out was the 10 bucks until I can cancel my original line. I win.
This time I asked for insurance but, sadly, they don't do insurance on the iPhone. It is too expensive to insure so... no luck. Well to be safe I planned in getting a case and the screen cover... at some point. About 3 weeks later I am walking into the new Croxley Ales in Farmingdale to meet some friends. I went to stick my new super amazing robot phone in my inside jacket pocket... and missed. Four feet away it hit the sidewalk completely shattering. Piece of shit. In the iPhones defense it still worked flawlessly, I just had to deal with a plate of shattered splinters going into my finger.
When I got back to the Mac store my finger was bleeding. I figured there would be a way to replace the glass for a smaller fee than completely replace the phone. They said sure. $200. Okay, sounds fare. Let's do it. He took out the sim card, threw out the phone and opened a new iPhone package. When you have to fix or replace anything on the iPhone it's $200. They just give you a new one at the new contract price.
I guess when all was said and done I ended up paying $500 for the phone anyway. The first $200 plus the second $200 plus the $100 for the case and screen cover that I did purchased with my replacement. I don't really blame or hate AT&T. But they're no Verizon, that's for sure.
Oh, and there was a fried mouse in my phones box—spread the word.
Over a year ago we moved to Northport where Verizon's service is crap. Even the East Northport Verizon store can't get a signal. The iPhone had just come out and being a designer and a mac guy, I had planned on buying one at some point. At the time it was still $600 so I was okay with waiting but since I needed to switch service anyhow, I got set up with the iPhone provider - AT&T.
The AT&T signal is sufficient in Northport and the little phone I bought was excellent. It was my 60th cell and by far the most durable. I am not exaggerating when I say my girlfriend washed and dried it with the laundry and it still worked. Christen had bought the same phone and one morning after a bender in Key West, we woke up find the screen of her phone looked like a decorative snow globe. Filled with water. You could shake it and it looked like a digit blizzard. But it still worked.
They were solid phones but the rough-houseing got the best of mine after about 6 months. It couldn't have come at a worse time. I was meeting a couple friends at one of the 10 bars in Bay Shore. Which one was unclear because I was going to be there about an hour before everyone else. They could simply call me to see where I was. I'd rather not go into the details of that night but I can say that with out notice my phone had given up on me.
I went to AT&T to get the insurance information on my phone. That's where I learned somehow I didn't have insurance. hm? I have always had insurance. I guess when I switched over to AT&T I had forgotten to set it up. That explains why Christen's bill was always slightly more than mine. Small oversight on my part but not the end of the world. It was time to upgrade to the super phone.
Before I bought the super robot phone, Christen got me a mac gift card for the iPhone price. It had come come down from $600 to $500 new (still overpriced) and $200 with an new AT&T contract. Emphasis on new. Because I was only 6 months into my contract, they wouldn't give me the phone for the $200s (the value of the gift card). If I wanted to set up the iPhone it would be the full $500 regardless of being an AT&T customer. Bull shit. The main reason I switched was for the iPhone down the line. Why didn't the guy I switched with mention this detail. He knew my intentions. Seriously? The $200 deal is for new customers only? People who are switching from a different company or being asked to start a new contract. At Verizon if ever I wanted to buy a new phone I could get it at the contract price and the two years would just start over from that point. Not with AT&T. It was either pay full price or wait until I was up for renewal. F this. I walked out.
Rather than dealing with the problem I just ignored it. I spent the end of the summer without a phone. I felt betrayed and it was to painful to deal with so I just didn't. After about 2 months I heard of the family plan. The family plan: For an additional $9.99 a month you could share minuets with another line. I went to the mac store and told them I wanted to turn my current line into a family plan and the new phone I wanted to add was the iPhone. No problem. That will be $200. Done. I got the phone for the contract price and all I'd be out was the 10 bucks until I can cancel my original line. I win.
This time I asked for insurance but, sadly, they don't do insurance on the iPhone. It is too expensive to insure so... no luck. Well to be safe I planned in getting a case and the screen cover... at some point. About 3 weeks later I am walking into the new Croxley Ales in Farmingdale to meet some friends. I went to stick my new super amazing robot phone in my inside jacket pocket... and missed. Four feet away it hit the sidewalk completely shattering. Piece of shit. In the iPhones defense it still worked flawlessly, I just had to deal with a plate of shattered splinters going into my finger.
When I got back to the Mac store my finger was bleeding. I figured there would be a way to replace the glass for a smaller fee than completely replace the phone. They said sure. $200. Okay, sounds fare. Let's do it. He took out the sim card, threw out the phone and opened a new iPhone package. When you have to fix or replace anything on the iPhone it's $200. They just give you a new one at the new contract price.
I guess when all was said and done I ended up paying $500 for the phone anyway. The first $200 plus the second $200 plus the $100 for the case and screen cover that I did purchased with my replacement. I don't really blame or hate AT&T. But they're no Verizon, that's for sure.
Oh, and there was a fried mouse in my phones box—spread the word.
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