I'm Angry, I Have NO New Phone, and It's Also Damned COLD

Well, THAT was a disappointment. No new phone. I knew exactly which model of Pixel I wanted, and I was on time for my appointment. I sat down with their representative, who went through the numbers and suddenly things weren't sounding right to me. I had them print everything out, and (hopefully I didn't get so angry that I shredded it). Sure, I could get the phone at a great deal (which I could also get from a number of other sources, including the manufacturer directly). But, in order to use the new phone, I also had to upgrade to a different phone plan - their "Unlimited" package, which would have changed my monthly charges quite a bit. I walked away, and I'm still furious and considering filing a formal complaint with my state Attorney General's office for a "Bait and Switch" con. 

It's sure looking like Verizon was using a bair 
and switch tactic to get me to upgrade to a 
higher-priced plan just because I wanted to upgrade 
my equipment. I might not have a case, but I might 
file paperwork for it nonetheless. 

I do want my new phone, but I might purchase it elsewhere. I did that with the phone I currently have - I purchased it from an outside source and had Verizon put in the SIM chip that allowed it to be used on their network. I'll probably look into that possibility, after my temper has cooled a bit, and when I have a bit more time to web surf. But I'm thoroughly disgusted with the way the entire thing was approached by Verizon. They're reacting to stiff competition, and I might be one more reason why their customer base is shrinking. But they still have the most comprehensive coverage for my area, so I'm between a rock and a hard place. I might still file a case, however, Cases are built one cog at a time. Mine might be the last complaint needed for the State to actually take action against the company. 

Keith Ellison is the Attorney General for my state, 
and his office is very helpful. I filed a case with them 
when AT&T was being ridiculous about already paid 
invoices. They took the case and we were refunded 
over-payments and able to get legal satisfaction. 

But, I was fuming all late afternoon and into the evening, and I'm still not happy. On the other hand, yesterday greeted me with a couple of inches of snow on the ground, so I had to quickly shovel the driveway before I could take the trash and recycling buckets out to the curb and drive over to the swimming pool. I got there on time, but it's a reminder to me that I need to be very aware of the weather. I don't want to be late for swimming, but I still need to do my morning meditation and write my daily blog before leaving the house. So much to do between 3:00 am (for swimming days - my running days give me a bit more sleep) and when I have to leave the house for the gym no later than 4:45 am. That's my time schedule, though. It has been for many years. It works for me - I get my exercise, and then more exercise, and then I'm fit to deal with DH, Chickie and various customers. 

We're into the deep freeze now. We're going to be below 
zero Fahrenheit for several days in a row. The Winter 
that ignored us last year is reminding us that we just got 
a lucky break last year and is returning back to more 
"normal" temperatures. *sigh*

I'm out of here. Maybe I'll take a bit of time to discover an alternative purchase point for my new phone ... or not. I'll check into it some more when I get into the shop later today. Have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

Arrivals - A New Phone and An Old Friend

Today, this afternoon to be more precise, Sharon's plane arrives from Denver, hopefully with her aboard (along with a lot of other people - we're not rich enough to afford a private plane after all). I got her room cleared out yesterday, and will vacuum and set up her bed and such today. In fact, I'll be a vacuuming whirling dervish, although the house might lack some generalized dusting. All will be in readiness when I pick her up from the airport. While we eat dinner at Red Lobster tonight, we'll catch up on all of the State Fair food we want to try as well as what's happened in our lives over the past year.

A big part of the State Fair is food on a stick. Tomorrow,
Sharon and I will be wandering the fairgrounds and
I'm quite sure some of what we eat will be on
a stick. It's tradition! 

Yesterday, I had a bit of extra time and decided to drop by the Verizon store to actually hold and handle the phones I had been considering. I needed a new phone. My Motorola was starting to get more fussy and my contract was up so upgrading was a reasonable thing to think about. I had been researching the new Samsung Galaxy 7's (standard, edge or note) and the two newest Motorolas - the Droid Turbo 2 and the Moto Z.

The Samsung Galazy 7 is a really pretty phone, and
everyone I know who has one has been very
happy with theirs. I was very tempted, but
chose differently. 

I picked them up, handled them, checked their sizing, etc. The Samsung phones were a good width, but longer than I wanted. I was pretty comfortable with the Motorolas, but the Moto Z didn't have a headphone jack and I needed that, so that left the Turbo 2.

Which I liked.

A lot.

I returned home to do some additional research and take a closer look at pricing.

The Motorola Droid Turbo 2 ended up coming home with me.
It has shatter-proof glass, a nice profile, and a textured,
pebbled back for better grip. Just to be on the safer
side, I added an Otter case and a glass screen protector
for it. It's not waterproof, but it's tough. 

I have a strict budget for phones and was thinking if I purchased it outright, my monthly expenses would remain the same. Returning to the store on the way to buy groceries, I asked for clarification on the three prices quoted on-line - $528 purchase, $99 contract, or a monthly payment. That middle item seemed interesting to me, but I wasn't sure exactly what it entailed.

The back of my phone is pebbled grey and the front is
black, not the white in this photo. I'm happy with it,
though. I should pull off the Otter Box and see if it
fit into my Ren phone pouch without it. That
would be an excellent thing, if it does. I'll try that out
later today. 

Curtis (best sales guy ever) drew it all out for me. What my costs would be under each option, what benefits Verizon could offer to me, etc. He made the sale and I was really happy. What I ended up with was a new Turbo 2 phone with increased GB download capability. They cut my line access charges for both DH and me in half and offered me a $200 credit applied to the new phone in exchange for my old phone. That brought my monthly payment to $20 LESS than what I've been paying over the past two years, and all I had to pay was slightly over $100 in sales tax for the phone. SCORE!

I now have a new phone and a new learning curve. I took photos of my old phone's layout and programs, as well as made a listing of everything I had on it. It will take me days to get everything downloaded, upgraded, placed and running on it, but it will be mine, once again. I will probably have to get a new belt pouch at the Renaissance Faire for it because it is a larger phone than my old Motorola, but I'm really happy! Life is good!

I'll be at the pool today and then off from the gym, the pool as well as my blog and computer until the 7th. Everyone be good, and don't do anything I wouldn't do (which leaves you wide open for Mischief Managed).