So, it’s no secret that technology aggravates way more than it assists me in my daily activities.
However, there are some gadgets that simply cannot be avoided, and one of those happens to be the telephone.
The past few weeks have presented themselves as quite a challenge because, in addition to switching from my lovely daughter’s AT&T cell phone plan, we had to replace the good ol’ land line.
Double whammy in my world.
Let me start off by highly recommending AARP and their Consumer Cellular Plan.
I was able to keep my Smart Phone and they sent me the cutest little thing called a SIM card—out with the old, in with the new (okay, maybe friend Becky had to show me how)—and quite frankly the entire ordeal was relatively painless.
In addition they have a tech support staff that so far has proved to be remarkably patient and knowledgeable.
Let’s face it folks, they have to be because they’re dealing with seniors and we’re not all tech savvy.
Shout out to fellow seniors: It’s not our fault! It’s all the stupid gadgets we have been forced to become friendly with—computers, digital this, blinking that, itsy bitsy buttons we can barely see.
Twice we (my tech friend and I) had to start all over again when re-figuring my data plan, because I inadvertently touched the wrong darn button. But this gal was totally unfazed and very forgiving.
True my messages and pictures do not arrive in an always timely fashion but hey, the monthly bill is one third of the previous plan so ya get what ya pay for.
No complaints here due to my lack of importance in this big world, and the fact that all of my messages are for chit chat purposes only.
I will say, though, that within minutes of being hooked up with my new number the “unknown caller” crap started.
This plan has limited minutes and stuff, so early on I determined that these must be ignored.
How the heck does the number get out there so fast?
Just yesterday, two weeks into the newness, a ring had me picking up because it showed a Utica number.
And lo and behold it was to advise Mr. Chadwick (?) that his new glasses were ready.
Shouldn’t they wait a bit longer to assign new numbers to folks? Just sayin.
Now the land line.
One would think this would be the easier of the two, but that proved to be a falsehood. Kitchen phone…NO POWER TO BASE.
Well okay, the thing’s a few years old and certainly not a top-of-the-line model, so we naturally assume it needs to be replaced.
Yay Staples, order online and usually overnight delivery. Hmmph. Not the case with the phone. It takes a full week to arrive.
And by this time we’ve determined that the problem was solely the fault of the phone jack. Who knew those things can drop dead with no warning?
Watching PR try to connect those barely visible wires was taxing enough, not to mention trying not to snicker when the big old garage spot light had to be brought into the picture.
How we miss the perfect eyesight of our earlier days. Seems we just can’t get accustomed to needing cheaters for virtually everything, and it never ceases to piss us off.
Did I mention that the main reason I kept the new phone was because of a special feature?
It’s not fair that my call waiting will not provide the name of incoming calls when I’m already on the line.
Needless to say I’ve gotten trapped by solicitors countless times due to this shortcoming.
But the new gadget promised Call Waiting Announcement—yay! No more blind answering!
Turns out CWA refers to a voice announcement only when you’re not actually on the phone, and oh boy she’s a beaut!
Seems I got the special deal of Rosie the Robot Maid from the Jetson’s in MY phone…and apparently she has not progressed further than a first grade reading level.
She cannot pronounce ANYthing correctly, and listening to her is really kind of funny.
That’s if one can discount the fact that this is supposed to eliminate the need to physically LOOK at the phone to determine who is calling.
Not so. Rosie is an idiot and even phonetic spelling is beyond her. I find myself shouting “Aww c’MON, Rosie! I KNOW you can say SMITH!!!”
I feel like after the fourth repetition she might catch on, but no, she’s a robot and programmed to fail at the very feature she’s responsible for.
Hopefully all this brand new junk will last a nice long time, because I detest change. Although I can definitely foresee a ton of “can ya hear me nows” in my future.
Patience, folks, is a virtue…and admittedly not one I possess. But I really am trying.