So here’s the thing.
Daughter has an LG Cookie touch screen phone. Very nice and does the job. Not looked after well (she is 12 after all) and screen bit scratched. Phone is on an O2 simplicity monthly contract for £20 a month.
Daughters birthday next month. Has been saying she wanted a decent digital SLR as she likes using my Finepix S200EXR (which I cannot get a dedicated external flash for – but thats another story). Recently decided she’d rather have a new mobile and wants a Nokia N8.
Okay. I look at O2 contracts. £30 a month for 24 months free phone. Seems okay. Only £10 a month more than currently. If she gets a new phone then the lad can have her old Cookie.
I’m in town earlier so I look in the O2 shop and the phones4u shop. Look at the phone. Go away. Eat a pasty. Think a bit. Go back and start the process of getting one for her.
As she was on an O2 simplicity contract that’ll be easy sir – we can jsut upggrade the account and she keeps the sim card and number and just puts it in the new phone when she gets it for her birthday. Can it still be used in the old phone till then, says I. Oh yes, that’ll be fine says she.
So. After the O2 sim is upgraded to the 24 monthly contract the sales girl starts talking about insurance. That’ll be another £9.99 a month sir as the insurance value is over a grand. Okay – I hadn’t thought of that – I haven’t had a contract phone before. The comment ‘ blimey you are getting an N8 for a 12 year old’ sort of rattled me too. By this time I was getting cold feet and decided I’d think about it a bit more.
Oh – and we don’t do a cooling off period anymore says she – look, there’s a sign by the door.
But of course the O2 account has been upgraded by now so I cannot think about it, I’m lumbered. Okay, suppose it’ll all be fine.
So off I toddle home. Slightly seething but it will all work out good in the end thinks I.
At home short period of shouting as daughter thinks she is getting it straight away. Oh no says I – you have it for your birthday in a months time. After stamping about abit and a bit of a sulk she accepts the situation.
Oh, Daddy – she says. I got loads of texts on my mobile saying about the new phone and stuff to install or setup. Okay don’t do anything with them honey – I’ll sort it later.
Later. Daddy – my phone isn’t working properly. It switches on but the touch screen doesn’t work. And as it is a touch screen only phone there ain’t much you can do if the touch screen doesn’t work.
Either a million to one coincidence or something has happened to the phone as a result of the account upgrade / texts etc.
Getting really pee’d off by this time.
I search the web. Some references to touch screen not working after software upgrades but nothing much. I download the manual for the LG phone to see if that helps (not before downloading the LG software that permits me to download the manual – Why ffs?). I speak to O2 customer services – Oh no, nothing about upgrading the account or the texts will affect how the phone works – says the man.
So I try everything. battery in, battery out, battery in and shake it all about. Sim in, sim out. do a chuffing phone please work dance – but no. Phone is dead.
I want to go shout – and loudly – at phones4u but I don’t think it is going to get me anywhere so frankly I cannot be bothered. But it looks like daughter will get the thing before her birthday anyway as she needs the phone for school (where no doubt the bloomin thing will get knicked anyway).
And we have no old phone to give to the boy.
Just bloomin brilliant
I really really hate buying anything these days as it is never without some bloody problem (sorry for the expletive but I am annoyed – very)
It has not been a good day.
andrew kenyon photography 