Monday, March 26, 2007

I Hate Cell Phones

Yes, I have a cell phone. Only out of necessity. Tilly and I have tried several different plans, and for our budget, a "pay-as-you-go" plan works the best. We don't use the thing much. I take it with me while driving the transit bus, because our dispatcher goes home at 4 and I drive until 6:30 (not a good plan, but I don't run the show there) so I have the phone incase I have a problem and need to call someone.
Yesterday, I decided to buy more minutes for the phone. The company I am with has this web site where you can buy minutes on line. And, if you buy on line, you get a better deal than if you call their toll free number. So, I (or rather, Tilly) goes thru the whole buying process, and alas...the darn thing sends me confirmation, and a reciept that I can print out. But...I never got my minutes added on the phone. I tried calling the customer service number and got a series of recordings, asking me to press 1 for this or press 2 for that. Oh crap! I just got frustrated and hung up, never getting to customer service, or getting my minutes.
So, today, the mighty Tilly tackles the problem. She got on the phone and persevered until she got a "real" person. Would you believe that that "real" person is actually in Venzuela? They did speak English and were helpful, but I marvel that we have to deal with people in ANOTHER COUNTRY!! (Are those types of jobs so menial that an American won't do them?) But I digress...Tilly got her point across and I got my minutes, but I wonder if it is really worth the hassle. Do I really need this phone?
Nothing makes me madder while driving either transit, or my personal auto than to see someone talking on their phone. Or to be sitting next to someone in a restaurant and have them spend the whole time on their phone. The other day someone's phone rang in CHURCH! Now, I ask you, is anything that important?
I have caught students text messaging in class, too. I confisgate the phones, turn them in at the office, and the student has to deal with the assistant principal to get it back, which usually involves a call home to Mom, tears, and needless to say, lost minutes on ones plan. We tried outlawing cells at school, but parents had a fit. Yes parents! What if my child needs me? What if they need a ride home? And so it goes. Whatever did we do without cell phones? I know, we called from a pay phone, or walked to a friends and called Mom. Or, horrors of horrors, just waited until we got home to call our friends.
I suppose CP's do have a place. They are convenient, but I wonder just how people who are on the welfare rolls, and free lunch program at school can really justify owning them.
I am seriously considering giving my CP up when my new minutes are gone, but then again, when Tilly and I are out on the road taking a run to our fav mall or just bumming around on a nice afternoon, it does offer a way to call AAA if we have a car problem. Maybe it's worth having just to be safe at our age. Maybe I will keep it a while longer. Did I just talk myself into something here?

1 comment:

A said...

I feel that cell phones are a neccessity. It's the only phone I talk on. It's the phone number I give out to my students to call me if they need me.

I think if people would just have basic manners when it came to them, the world would be a better place. Such as:
1.) Turn it on vibrate when in a place of worship or resturant.
2.) If you must take the call, leave the room quietly.

Simple things like that would save a lot of stress!