Wednesday, June 22, 2011

When it rains, it pours...

Well, since January I have been living at home...where I have had close to zero cell phone coverage. I have been with ATT for 11 years (well, Bell South, Cingular, etc.) and have never had a desire to change until now. When I was in highschool, of course there was no cellular coverage anywhere I was (read boondocks)...school, work/pool, home and never on the road to those places or on the road to those places...(which totally defeats the purpose of a mobile phone, guys, I know...)....just not great, but cell phones were new and there was no other networks, no Verizon.

When Verizon was invented ;) my mom switched over and has been satisfied ever since, but I was in Athens and SSI so ATT was still fine with me. I went to the iPhone, and there was no Verizon option for that either...so when I moved back, I was just trying to deal with it--and I have for 5 months. BUT it has become ridiculous to be paying $100/mo. for a phone I can use about 45% of the time... Now that Verizon has an iPhone option and the same plan I had at ATT...it seemed like something to consider. But nothing is every really that easy.

I contacted ATT first to see how much it was going to cost me to break my contract, which is not up until January...$90...ok. Not the worst news, not a deal breaker... New iPhone (because my iPhone is an ATT phone, I cannot use it at Verizon if I WANTED to...) Data plan, minutes plan, prorates and other things I don't care to understand...accessories and case that aren't compatible with my old phone's accessories and case... $250. Alright...again, not ideal...but might turn out to be worth it if I can use my phone now.

So I have no contacts, pictures, songs, nothing until I sync it to my computer...and wouldn't you know...things get more complicated. Error...we can't sync this iPhone with this version of iTunes...you need to go to this site and download our new and improved--but FREE version. Ooookkkkkk. Minor [free] setback.

Error...ohhh we can't down the newest version of iTunes on this computer because your operating system is too old. You need to download the newest version of Snow Leopard [which you should have done when it came out...several years ago...] Ok, I get it, I'm behind...I've been meaning to do the whole Snow Leopard thing anyway...sign me up...where can I download THAT.

Ohhh, it's not a downloadable thing, you have to buy it in a store or have it shipped to you. No thanks. I went to bed. I carried 2 phones all day, one for contacts, the other for use.

So I get renewed resolve to make this all work, plan on buying the OS, all that jazz and when I pull out my computer to do some work I notice my power cord isn't lighting up. It isn't charging the computer at all...it seems like it too is a piece. I checked several outlets on several different walls and alas it was the charger. SO I carried it in to Peach Mac and had them just confirm that the cord was the only problem. Yes, and no, of course. The cord is the problem, but I "really need to replace the battery as well." Oh really? You know what I will not be replacing? The battery. Well, it will run if it plugged in but... yeah, I'm usually never in a place where I need to use it that I can't plug it in, so maybe next month...or better yet, never.

SO power adapter $80. New operating system $29.99--ohhhhh, wait. "What OS are you running now?" Tiger, 10.4... Yeah, you are going to need the boxed set... Good. Fine, please ring me up now... But it's not $29.99...it's...$170. Oh yeah. [Expletive] $270, heading home. To cry about how stupid I am to even think I need a phone that is worth all of this trouble and money, when people have lived for centuries with out them...and I don't even have a friend to my damn name to call anyway.

$270+$250+$90+$610. NOT COUNTING the monthly bill to ATT that will be at least $95 and the first one to Verizon that "looks like it will be somewhere in the neighborhood of $170." That's the phone/computer. Now let's talk about the car.

Due for an oil change, needs it's "90,000 mile check up"... (though Honda probably uses the word diagnostic test rather than check up...) probably needs new tires... [I'm prepared to pay $400 for the diagnostic thing...but I'm probably putting off new tires (again).] "wait, it's at 105,000 miles?" Clearly. Well it needs new spark plugs and valve replacements. Ok, how much are those? (Surely not enough to make my already over $400 check much more, right?) $230. Ugh! alright.

"Ohhhhhh...." [long pause] "Have you had your timing belt replaced?" Um, you can guess... Well above ALL ELSE he would say that the timing belt needs to be replaced at 105,000 miles. BECAUSE if the timing belt breaks your car DIES...and there is no telling how much damage it will cause WHEN it breaks. HEAD damage. [Oh. NOW it all makes sense...so again] "Fine, do that too, how much is it?" [A belt won't be more than what like $18...] $975. The belt itself.

I just had to walk out of the place and cry. And call my mom. Who says we can get it done cheaper elsewhere to leave. I walked back in and told him to change the oil and that's it. Then I went to lunch. Which was as equally pleasant an experience as the car dealership...and returned to pick up my car a couple of hours later.

I was greeted by a rather sheepish looking man, the same one from earlier in the day who promptly asked me to pardon him but, "You don't need a new timing belt after all, your car doesn't even HAVE a timing belt." [It has a timing chain...]

WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE TRYING TO DO TO ME?!? I AM SERIOUSLY HAVING A MASSIVE STROKE-HEART-ATTACK-ANXIETY ATTACK-EMBOLISM and could you please just GET IT OVER WITH MORE QUICKLY AND JUST RUN OVER ME OR SHOOT ME OR SOMETHING ELSE LESS PAINFUL.