It’s still tough to conduct any kind of business. The bank lobby is closed, companies such as Verizon have long wait times for phone calls, and don’t even get me started on the credit reporting agencies such as Equifax. I’m attempting to help Mom arrange her affairs and every step of the way it’s been a struggle due to Covid.
Mom’s phone died during the Christmas season. Her husband Chuck was an android man–the rest of this family with the exception of my brother are Apple folks. Chuck ordered Mom a brand new Samsung Galaxy S9 and she has struggled to use it. With Chuck gone there is no one to help her understand the new phone and we are all clueless as to how an android operates.
I tried calling the local Verizon store but the stores are accepting no calls. I went online and made an appointment for this past Monday. Off we went into tropical storm winds and rain–seriously it was raining so hard! And, the Verizon store was no help whatsoever. If I had been able to talk to someone I would have realized the Verizon store wouldn’t have an older iPhone, they only sell the latest and greatest. They were kind and accommodating but couldn’t help us.
Back home it was eBay to the rescue. I order Mom a brand new iPhone 7 Plus and it will be delivered Friday. We will have an almost new with very little use Samsung Galaxy S9 for sale–at a great price–if anyone is interested.
And the list went on and on–I was on the phone for most of the day on Tuesday. I wrote this blog in 2017 about freezing your credit with the various credit reporting agencies. Parts of that blog are no longer applicable–for instance Equifax does not use pin numbers now–but the gist of the message is still the same and Chuck paid attention freezing his and Mom’s credit. And the best part–Chuck left a file with all the information! I was attempting to create an account for Mom and to do that, credit must be checked by Verizon.
I detest calling companies such as Verizon and try to do all my business with those type companies online. But for this business I needed a person and I was lucky getting to speak with an awesome woman at Verizon. Except the “awesome woman” made an error which caused so many problems I might still be writing about them when I write the next blog on Sunday. Wednesday’s Verizon person was able to discern the issue but now we must wait at least a WEEK for their IT people to “go into the system and remove the error messages.” You have got to be kidding me! A WEEK???? Wednesday’s Verizon person knew I wasn’t happy and has agreed to call me Friday afternoon to walk me through setting up Mom’s new phone. Then she will call me again once the “error messages” are resolved.
Good grief! So far I’ve wasted three hours of my life talking to Verizon people!
Wednesday was a beautiful day–so nice we turned off the air conditioning and opened the doors and windows. Currently I am in charge of the chickens–I’m not a farm girl even though I grew up on this farm. When I let them out to roam the yard they were nervous nellies–I don’t think they liked me! Now if I just don’t forget to close them in for the night!😁
Restoration Cowboy Style 
Whew.! Really, androids are more like your computer. Not hard. Honest. Sorry about the Verizon problem, though, ack…I had iPhones forever and switched to android a few years back. Love not having to constantly deal wit iTunes. To each their own. Good luck on all that “stuff” horrendous.
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We will just have to disagree about those android devices Sue😁. The Cowboy has an android tablet and we have both struggled to comprehend that thing!
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I have an iPhone 7 plus for over 2 years and love it. Hope your Mom gets hers sorted out. Whenever I have technical problems I ask Mr. Google and most of the time it finds the answer.
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Yes I spend a lot of time asking Mr. Google questions. He usually doesn’t let me down!😁
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I just say, bless your heart for being such a great daughter!
These phone and computer issues can try ones soul.
I’m betting on you, you will conquer!!
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I am not a patient person and yes these issues are very trying! But yes, I will conquer–just not as quickly as I wanted.
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All I’ve ever had is Android phones but really, they’re just Google & not that hard to learn. The manuals are all online if you do a Google search. Anyway, iPhone or Android, if you don’t have your contacts, photos, whatever synced with someplace in the cloud you’d better not drop your phone in the toilet. A friend just did that. In the process she & her husband both switched from Verizon to U.S. Cellular simply because Verizon was such a pain plus their service isn’t the greatest in our area. Good luck getting things straightened out.
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When you are comfortable using one device, it’s hard to switch to a different one. Mom had an android before this one but this S9 has given her fits–we will get her a phone the rest of the family can operate and thus help her.
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Verizon was a nightmare when we used them. I was ever so happy to change to ATT. It was like taking a breath of fresh air instead of standing too near a nasty toilet that couldn’t be flushed. Hang in there and don’t let them get the best of you.
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Everyone has their issues with both companies. My family in Arkansas uses AT&T and have had the same kind of issues I am having with Verizon–both are just large companies making money.
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From cellular phones to chickens, quite the diverse experiences you’re having :-)))) Hope both work out well! My oldest is buying a house and refinancing a car in all of “this” so I understand there are a lot of challenges in dealing with companies and banks!
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Just going to the Verizon store is a challenge–the door is locked, they only let two, to three people in the store at a time. I did make an appointment so we didn’t have to wait long. I’m afraid this is our new normal.
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