Had a good experience in a cell phone store today... a rarity. Most cell phone store visits either…read moreend with me spending, being redirected to dealing with the carrier online, being talked into a new phone, or swearing to never set foot in one again. This, of course, is much the same as going to the procto-doctor. Different set of tools, mind you, but the same level of apprehension and ultimately, discomfort.
Today, we went in with one simple goal: to change my mother's cell phone account (which, I'm ashamed to say, I still was under, at age 42) and bring it under my auspices. It was family vacation that this came up two weeks ago, and in many ways my manhood was bruised by the ambush I experienced...so, hence, the day of reckoning. No new phones, no more money, no fancy-smanchey plans. Just like my coffee, please..black...no frappachino-framily shamily with a twist of mocha caramel. Just let me stay cheap, and put the stinking account in my name and send me the bill...so my manhood can heal.
Well, I came close to meeting my goal. Jim, a quite affable fella of 24 or so, answered questions, and calmed my over-aggressive fears...and when the time was right, dialed Verizon and put me on the phone with a customer-service rep who pretended to be on my side, but in the end, bilked me for an extra $10 a month to keep my unlimited-data plan. "Bunch of savages in this town", to quote Randall from "Clerks". There must be a quota for these people, for "upgrades" squeezed from the innocent. Anyway, midway through the call, Jim pulled the phone from my hand, and in a very official voice, tried to reason with the kindly thief on the other end, to no avail. When all was said and done, we used his computer to finalize the changes to the account. Quite helpful, this chap is.
Through it all- the 30-some minutes on the phone, he engaged my son in tech-talk and tried to fix his ipod home button; he kept my quite friendly septuagenarian mother entertained by letting her ask his life story, and he even made her happy by changing the settings on her phone to keep the screen illuminated for the duration of a call, a oft-lamented inconvenience. And, to boot, after everyone told him how much I truly hate my LG Spectrum from 2007-vintage, he didn't even offer to ram one down my throat after I told him I wasn't getting anything new. Kudos for listening to a customer, Jim!
So, the man earned his stripes for 45 minutes on a slow summer afternoon. He learned our family's life story, I got a cell phone bill to pay, and my mother and kids were entertained. Most importantly, I now have a cell phone bill, like every good patriotic American should!