Commentary

The Cell Phone Hypocrite

I jinxed myself.

In one of my recent blogs I talked about my love for my little Nokia phone and how awesome it was. How after five years it was still kicking and working just fine. I wouldn't dare replace it until the day it died.

Well, I lied.

Last week was Ball State's spring break and I spent it at home with my family. My sister was at home as well and was complaining about the condition of her phone. It was a Nokia slider and the back was scotch-taped on. I laughed and showed her the condition of my phone. My mom, seeing both of our phones in such poor condition told us to purchase new ones.

That caught my attention because in my family you don't buy new unless you need to. We're with Cincinnati Bell and we were on a plan, so unlike a lot of carriers that let you upgrade to a new phone after two years, you stick with the one you have until you decide you want an upgrade. My parents, the savvy money-savers, don't believe in buying new phones. So when my mom told me it was time I needed to upgrade, I thought of how nice it would be to have a phone that had a back plate to it.

So my sister and I went online and discovered we could get refurbished pink Nokia flip phones for "free." The only cost was a $20 upgrade fee. $20 for a phone? Okay. I can handle that. Sold.

Our phones arrived the next day and I was pleased. There in the box was a shiny pink Nokia phone. I thought, "Okay, I can get to used to this."

Unfortunately I learned that just because they said they fixed the phone doesn't mean they did. I soon discovered that I couldn't hear anything out of the speakers. When calls came in, unless I put them on speaker phone, I heard nothing.

The next day I took my phone to a local Cincinnati Bell store. They gave me a number to call. I called the number. She told me to take it to a local store and exchange it. Well, that would've been fine and dandy but since my phone was purchased online, they actually don't have those phones available in stores. The only Nokia flip phones available were the refurbished ones available on the website.

So I called back. Another lady answered. I explained my dilemma. She told me I'd have to call Nokia. "What?" I remember thinking. "You guys sell me a phone that doesn't work and I have to ship it out to Nokia to get it fixed?" I was confused and frustrated but I took her word. I called Nokia.

Nokia quickly explained what I believed in the first place: the situation had to be settled by Cincinnati Bell. Exasperated I called back a third time, hoping to solve my dilemma.

You know what they say, third time's the charm.

I finally reached a Cincinnati Bell customer service rep who was kind enough to take the time and find a solution appropriate for me. He made adjustments to my account so that I could leave my Nokia cell phone at a Cincinnati Bell store and walk away with one of three phones I told him I was interested in. Not long after he fixed everything, I went back to Cincinnati Bell.

I got lucky. I decided to get a phone that normally costs $120. But the man took the retail price of the Nokia, which was originally $90 had it been brand new, and subtracted the price from the phone I wanted. I walked away with a brand new Motorola phone that looks like a blackberry for the price of $30.

I share this story with you for a few reasons:
1) Don't buy anything refurbished. Not worth it.
2) Don't use Cincinnati Bell.
3) If you do use Cincinnati Bell, and you have troubles, make sure you ask for Angelo at the customer service (he was my lifesaver).
4) I'm a hypocrite and I love my new blackberry-looking Motorola.

I guess when it's all said and done, it is worth it to spend money on phones. In the future I will buy the phone that is going to work, not the cheapest option. I'm still a huge fan of Nokia, so I don't blame them for my troubles. I've also learned how frustrating it is to work with people who don't know their own products (they should've known what phones were sold in stores and how to make online-exchanges, instead of telling me to call up the company. Bleh).

But at the end of the day I have a shiny brand new phone that I love. I don't even miss my Nokia. Shame on me. I guess I'm just the cell phone hypocrite.

Motorola Ex112

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