3 posts tagged “iphone”

if such a thing is possible...

As some of our mutual neighbors know, Yod bought his iPhone yesterday, completely disregarding my input and using up any and all good will he has built up since we started dating in late July 2004.  In addition, one of three conditions had to be met:  Yod had to do his chores, Yod had to wait until he saved the cost of the phone +tax +activation, or members of the Yod Hunt had to post the secret picture.  None of these conditions were met.

I'm not a mean person (really, I swear!), and some new rumors were flying around about the ablity to use the 999-99-9999 social security number and the pay-per-use plan at AT&T

Karma balance on Nov 3, 2007: 85,000 (low after 3.5 years due to much whining and many other karma expenses)
Early iPhone purchase: (100,000 karma) (due to level of problems caused to Jody)
Karma balance as of Nov 6, 2007: -15,000

So, I devised the following list of karma-building actions and items that Yod can do to work himself out of (Jody-specific) Karma debt.  If you think of any that I've missed, please post!!!

Low +Karma Activities (may be repeated)

¥      Take Jody clothes shopping, with absolutely no tude and no sighing (+300 karma)

¥      Make Jody a complete meal, including a protein AND vegetables, starches, and drink (+400 karma). If meal is DUCK or LAMB, add 100 karma

¥      Take Jody miniature golfing (+500 karma)

¥      Take Jody dancing (+500 karma)

¥      Take Jody to Apple Hill to pick apples (+ 500 karma)

¥      Do (censored) for/to Jody, as applicable (+500 karma)

Medium +Karma Activities

¥      Take Jody wine tasting in Napa Valley (+1000 karma) repeatable

¥      Introduce Jody to a new food or good eating establishment that she likes (+1000 karma)  repeatable

¥      Buff out the paint transfer on the front bumper of Jody’s car caused by Yod’s little “kiss” of the parking structure support (+1000 karma)

¥      Go to the dentist without being forcibly dragged (including making his own appointment) (+2000 karma)

High +Karma Activities (not repeatable)

¥      Clean the kitchen, including stove, microwave, floor, and oven (+2500 karma)

¥      Learn how to drive in California traffic so Jody doesn’t have drive everywhere all the time (+2500 karma)

¥      Clean, dust, and vacuum the living room & recycle all bottles/cans (+4500 karma)

¥      Clean the home office & recycle all bottles/cans (+4500 karma)

A few days ago, I posted a comment to Yod's blog regarding the iPhone and why I don't want one anywhere near me. 

...and 5) I hate Cingular/AT&T so much that I would require a full frontal lobotomy before going back to them.

I'm going to try to find my post detailing exactly why Cingular/AT&T can kiss my big white arse...

So the following letter was sent to Cingular detailing why I was cancelling service and refusing to pay any buyout amount on my contract (which they broke).  I ask, gentle reader, why Yod would want me to go through something similar with the "new" AT&T...

December 21, 2006

Cingular Wireless
PO BOX 60017
Los Angeles, CA 90060

RE: Account # X

Dear Cingular Wireless:

Let me preface this letter by stating that I was a customer of SBC, Cingular Wireless, and AT&T for many, many years.  I was a customer when SBC became Cingular Wireless in 2001.  During those years, I have had good service and not-so-good service... until recently, when Cingular Wireless failed to deliver on their promised services. 

First off, my name is not “Judy”.  Even though I signed up as “Jody” and everything I was given in the retail store was typed and printed as “Jody”, there are still references to a mysterious “Judy” on my account to this day.  My name is not “Judy”.  It has taken 3 trips to the store and 2 hours with customer service to get *most* references removed from my account, yet there is still a reference to “Judy” on my account.  If for no other reason, billing the incorrect name voided the contract I had with Cingular Wireless.  If you would like to go after “Judy” then you are welcome to since that is who you seem to think you entered into a contract with.  However, that problem is just the tip of the iceberg.

I added a second line to my account in November of 2004, through AT&T.  This was an area code 972 (Dallas, TX) number.  For simplicity, I will refer to this line as the “TX” line, or “old TX” line, while the (916) xxx-xxxx number will be the “CA” line, or main line, or the (916) line.  Now, when Cingular bought AT&T and offered to roll my account from AT&T just a month and a half later (for a nominal fee, mind you), I accepted the inevitable.  However, my account was unable to migrate due to being a family plan and the second line being in TX.  I was told that I could split the account and migrate each individually, then re-join the accounts.  This sounded fine to me, and we initiated the split.  After my main phone number was split and migrated to Cingular, I was informed that Dallas was not yet approved for migration from the FCC.  I would have to keep two accounts until FCC approval allowed the migration, paying nearly 50% more to have two lines since I couldn't un-roll the migration.

In March, 2005, I was in Dallas and went to a Cingular Wireless store to see what could be done in TX (versus CA).  I was told – nothing.  I spent another 2 hours on the phone while sitting in the TX Cingular Wireless store, while the employees did not offer to help.  Matter of fact, I started to explain my situation to the store employee and she rolled her eyes at me and just pointed to the Customer Service "white" phone.  After sitting on the phone for nearly two hours, I found out that the old TX line could be migrated and merged, and approved that action.  Once the second line was migrated, I was told that I still could not merge it because it was a TX number and my account was a CA number.  Since that phone was coming back to CA with me, I no longer needed the TX number.  I changed the number to a CA number, and then re-merged the accounts. 

I continue to be billed for service on the disconnected old TX number.  I continue to get email reminders and statements on this account.  Each time I call, I am told that the account is not active, and the representative is not sure why I am being billed.  I have spoken to no less than 5 agents on different occasions to get this billing issue fixed, to no avail.  Why would I continue to be billed for a line that is not active and was migrated nearly a year ago?! 

Another issue happened when I was in Texas in March 2005.  With the newly migrated Cingular Wireless account, I was able to purchase a new phone.  I chose an upgrade from the base model, added MEdia Net upgraded service on the old TX line, and put insurance on both phone lines.  However, my main (916) number mysteriously lost the ability to send text or picture messages at all.  When I called to correct this, I found out that my phone had been put on text and media block.  I asked to have my phone put back on a per-use charge, but instead, both phones went to pay-per-use – even though the old TX phone was still being charged for MEdia Net.  So, I was getting billed for pay-per-use AND MEdia Net on the TX line.  I called again to get it corrected and my bill credited.  The (916) phone was able to send pay-per-use, but the old TX line was not able to send anything at all.  I called again, removed MEdia Net, and put both phones to pay-per-use since it was obvious that Cingular Wireless was unable to set up the phones or bill them correctly.  Then, when I lost my phone in August of 2005, I was informed that the insurance I purchased was never applied to my account, and thus had to purchase a new phone completely out of pocket.  At this point, I was extremely unhappy with Cingular Wireless.  I wanted out of my contract since it was obvious that Cingular Wireless was unable to provide the service I paid for and bill me correctly for that service.  However, I wanted to keep my number and would have had to wait out the contract to do so.  I somehow convinced myself that it wasn’t “that bad”.

But the final straw was December, when my payment was applied to my account 3 days late and my service was interrupted.  I was current before December 16^th, 2005 (the due date for December), and my service was interrupted on December 19^th, 2005.  On December 20^th, 2005, I received a letter stating that if I did not pay $108.00 within 10 days, my service would be interrupted.  It had already been interrupted! 

My time with Cingular Wireless has ended up being unbearable.  Not only has the service degraded significantly since Cingular Wireless was formed from SBC, and then when Cingular Wireless and AT&T merged, but the billing department has rarely had a correct billing month in the nearly three years of me being a customer.  I have enclosed check #1179 for $108 to zero out the balance due on my account, at which time you will close my account and I will be done with Cingular Wireless.  Cingular Wireless has had ample opportunity to show me good service and good customer service.  Keeping a phone number I’ve had for 3 years is not worth staying with your company.  It is time to take my business elsewhere - for multiple contract violations, incorrect billing, the wrong name on my bill, and interrupting my service 13 days before the deadline you set.  I will dispute any disconnection or early termination charges that you try to charge to me.  Cingular Wireless broke my contract a long time ago when they couldn’t get even my name – let alone my bill – correct for months on end.  Since Cingular Wireless is already in non-compliance with their part of the contractual obligations, I have no reason to adhere to the terms of this now-defunct contract.  I do not owe you, Cingular Wireless, or anyone any money whatsoever.

Thank you and goodbye,

Jody X

Account #X

If you're a technology junkie, you may have heard about Apple's new gadget, the iPhone.  It was released this morning amid much fanfare and ooohing and aaaaahing.

"This is a day I've been looking forward to for two and a half years," said [Steve] Jobs. "Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything."

Why is the iPhone so revolutionary?  I'm not sure.  Features:

• True touch screen (no keyboard, no stylus) - meh... touch screen isn't "revolutionary".
• Widescreen iPod - meh... wider screen isn't "revolutionary".
• Thin - meh... it's thinner, whoopie.
• Safari web browser - meh... it's another browser, whoopie.
• Runs Mac OS X - meh... big frickin deal.  I love my non-Windows BBerry, thankyouverymuch.
• 2MP camera - meh... why is this revolutionary?
• It syncs specific folders and whatnot when you dock it to your computer - meh... BBerries have done that forever.
• Turn the phone sideways and it re-orients the screen to landscape, back and it switches back to portrait - ok this feature is neato, but I don't think it is revolutionary.
• It can run Yahoo IM - meh... so can my BBerry, even when I get severely intermittent reception at my desk.

So, Apple, it is admittedly a very cool phone, but you haven't shown me anything revolutionary about it.  It is an MP3 player that runs an OS and has a camera, with the ability to surf the web.  Why is this revolutionary?  I can get that with numerous phones on the market.

Yod wants to get one.  I say no phone is worth getting back in bed with Cingular (aka Satan incarnate), and it doesn't sound like the iPhone is going to be available on any other carriers.  Cingular is the epitome of poor customer service and a lying and cheating corporation that saying they are "filled with avarice" would only scratch the surface.

The new iPhone is nice, and I'd probably want one if I didn't already have my eye on the Crimson, but it is definitely NOT sponge-worthy!