I know y'all can identify many 'worst feelings in the world.' Today I'm thinking of the helpless feeling, watching your phone's battery icon grow smaller and smaller and....
It all began Tuesday night. Tom went to plug in his charger and the phone began making obnoxious noises. A tear-drop icon, together with a warning: "Moisture detected. UNPLUG CABLE! NOW!"
I went to Google and learned, this is not an uncommon issue with Samsung phones. Do it yourself remedies? Wrap a toothpick with tissue paper and stick up the port ..... use a blow-dryer ..... put the phone in a bag of rice.
Did it all -- to no avail. "Bleep! Bleep! Bleep: Unplug cable. NOW!"
Off to our provider Wednesday morning. (Not naming names, but it rhymes with horizon.) The associate was polite, but not so sympathetic. He blamed the ambient humidity.
"Um, excuse me. This phone is only 8 months old! Aren't we eligible for a warranty replacement?"
That would be a no. "That's for a manufacturer defect, ma'am." What to do? "You can call Samsung." (I don't know about y'all, but that's like someone suggesting I call General Motors.)
😫
Thankfully(!!!) someone suggested we stop at Batteries Plus Bulbs.
I'd barely begun to explain our situation when they started nodding. They've been dealing with this issue for months now and knew exactly what to do.
Said one: "Yes, you can call Samsung -- but pack your patience and get ready to yell a lot."
In the end, we bought a wireless charger and paid $99 to have a new port installed.
The part arrived yesterday morning, and in less than 2 hours Tom had his phone back in perfect working order. I'm not happy about spending the money, but neither was I in the mood to get into a spitting contest with the manufacturer, wherever in the world they are.
Tom was so pleased, he suggested lunch at Longhorn. Woot! Not sure what makes me happier -- their salmon or the awesome tableware. THIS is the kind of knife I've been coveting.
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| "We believe in strong, solid teeth. Whether they're your own or adopted." 😃 But wait, there's more! Guess what? I was sitting here at the computer when my phone rang. Unknown number. Ignore. But something made me Google the area code. Lubbock, Texas. (*goosebumps*) It rang again. Just in case, I hit the Screen Call feature: "State your name and the reason for your call ..." Well, what I heard next spiraled me back to 1975. I recognized Sheri's voice immediately. She'd just received the letter I sent and was so excited. "How on earth did you find me?" |
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We would up yakking for almost two hours, ending with "I love you's" and a heartfelt promise to keep in touch. (Tricky, as she only has a flip phone -- no internet nor computer.) There's more to tell next time. This is already becoming too long. 'Til then, sleep tight ... don't let the bed bugs bite! Hugs, Myra |
The very good news is that you made contact with an old friend. The good news is the phone got fixed. The excellent news is going to the restaurant. What else can I say? Well done and congrats for all your great news. I'm so happy for you.
ReplyDeleteHere in the UK when a product is faulty, by law, the seller is responsible and NOT the manufacturer. It is up to the seller to either fix, or replace, at his cost if within a year of purchase.
Also, if bought by CREDIT card then the credit card company is legally bound to take up the dispute for you with the seller. They have managed to get my money back from the seller on a couple of occasions when I was not successful.
God bless, Mevely.
Thanks, Victor! Interesting info you've cited. Now, if I just could convince Tom to use his credit card v. the debit.
DeleteThe credit card protection applies in the UK. Check the legal position where you are, Mevely.
DeleteGod bless.
Yea!!!! That letter worked!! Sounded like you had a great reconnection with your friend!! Happy for you!
ReplyDeleteOh wow about Tom's phone. Glad it was able to be fixed but that's interesting about the humidity causing the problem. It seems like the phone company (which we also use lol) should be able to remedy the problem because your area is not the only area with high humidity. I'm going to remember that though about Samsung phones should we ever live in high humidity.
Yum on eating at Longhorn!! Definitely a win-win situation!
betty
Thanks, Betty! Isn't that crazy? The people at Batteries and Bulbs don't have much good to say about Samsung. Who's to know anymore!?
DeleteI have a love/hate relationship with cellphones. Sometimes I wish mine would die but then I would be paying for a phone that I couldn't use. Anyhow, I am so happy you got to connect with your old friend. How exciting!
ReplyDeleteGrace & Peace,
Pam
Thanks so much! Ya, I was pretty jazzed. 😀
DeleteA lot of eventful stuff happening in your post, fixing your phone, thank goodness, and answering that phone call to find your friend Sheri was calling. How good to connect.
ReplyDeleteLots to be grateful for, yes!
DeletePhone problems are the worst, glad you were able to solve the problem without ridiculous expense. We just got notification that our phones are outdated for our service and wouldn't work after December 31st. Our phones aren't even that old and are in perfect condition - ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad your friend Sheri called and you had a nice phone reunion, that's really fantastic and so much fun! With her situation maybe you could keep in touch with good old snail mail?
Oh my! If you don't mind my asking, who is your provider? The rising costs to maintain are prompting me to research other carriers.
DeleteThat's too bad about the phone. Years ago a friend bought a super expensive camcorder because she was going to the Galapagos Islands to see an eclipse and wanted good videos. The camcorder didn't work because it was too humid and she had no recourse because the instructions explicitly said keep it away from high humidity. That sucks.
ReplyDeleteYikes, what a disappointment! I hope she still enjoyed her experience.
DeleteI love my smart phone, but I sometimes dream of the time when I had only a phone that plugged in the wall and was at the end of a curly cord. no matter which brand we buy it seems they all do these strange things. thanks for LOL about calling Samsung, like they just have a NUMBER to call. and you can forget trying to find a number to just CALL AMazon..
ReplyDeletethat is great your friend called and that you figured out it was her. now i am off to see if i have that feature you mentioned screen call feature. don't think I do. not all samsung are the same as i have found many times. it is so humid here it is like walking through water, now I am fretting over MY samsung
Unfortunately, I think that's a feature specific to the Google phones. Nevertheless, if there's not an app for it, I'll be surprised if someone doesn't invent one.
DeleteWow! I never heard of that problem with a cell phone before! Thanks for the info! We have very inexpensive reconditioned phones that we only paid $50.00 for through Straight Talk. Now we use Tracfone for our service...monthly fee very cheap gives us all we need. No contracts. When this phone dies, we order another online. But that may not work for everyone, but it sure works for us. My hubby rarely uses his phone, so we have the least amount of service on his for $15.00 a month. Anyway, I am happy you found a reasonable solution for your problem. Now, aren't you glad you wrote that letter to your friend? And aren't you glad you answered the phone? I know, I don't like to answer calls from unknown numbers and we often block the caller because they are just robo calls. But I would have felt terrible if I'd done that and later found out it was a long lost friend! So very happy for you. And guess what, now you have her number, and no matter if she just has a flip phone. You can still call her ever so often and chat. I have some friends like that, and I much prefer real conversations anyway! The important thing is, now that you've found each other, don't stay away too long again!! Have a blessed and wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteYa, us either. I'm going to check into other phone carriers' plans pronto; so fed up with "We're 'horizon' and you're not. Nananana." Tom chats on his for hours, ALL the time, so I have to ensure unlimited calling as well as reliability. Thanks for the info!
DeleteI'd not heard of a wireless charger, but sounds like a good idea to have. Who knew the humidity would effect your phone like that. Good you found someone to help. so glad you were able to make contact with your friend . It really never hurts to try. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday !
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling pretty foolish, because we used to have a wireless charger and sent it to Goodwill a couple years ago. Fortunately, they're not too expensive. I paid $29.99 at Target for this one.
DeleteHow exciting to connect with an old friend, Myra! I've never heard of humidity affecting a phone the way it did Tom's, but I'm so glad you got the issue resolved without having to deal directly with Samsung. Yuck! I hate having to be on the phone with a provider and get the run around. Seems like such a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
I loathe trying to resolve issues over the phone. Sometimes the CSR's don't even try to act like they care. Sad, on account 'horizon' used to have the best.
DeleteOh the stinking horror stories with our phones. Many HURT our soul as well as the pocketbook. Glad y'all found the answer, I love tears and being choked-up when they are sweet, of course I love the name Sherry (Sherri) no matter how you spell it. LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for such a sweet read, and glad there are GOOD answers! GOOD meaning they end well.
Love you guys.
Sherry & jack
Thank you, Jack and Sherry! BTW, do you sing 'Sherry baby' (Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons)? 😍
DeleteWishing y'all a blessed day!
Thank you for the smiles, especially about your friend, Sheri. I hope you have a beautiful day, friend. smiles
ReplyDeleteYou, too, missy! 🤗
DeleteThese devices are so wonderful aren't they - until they are not!
ReplyDeleteYep ... 👍👎
DeleteI never heard of that happening to a cell phone. But, then, the cell phones that I buy are so cheap that they're made by elves from Mattel. When my phone goes kaput, I simply take it outside and bury it.
ReplyDeleteI'm thoroughly disgusted with the endless complications of modern technology. I yearn for the days when phones had party lines and air-mail stamps were eight cents.
It's a warm and wonderful feeling to connect (or reconnect) with old friends.
Elves from Mattel ... funny/sad, but true. Your second paragraph sounds just like what comes out of Tom's mouth. 😆
DeleteSorry you had problems with the phone but so
ReplyDeletehappy for you connecting with your friend.
Have a great Sunday.
https://gloriasretiredlife.blogspot.com/
Thanks, Gloria ... and the same to you!
DeletePhone troubles are so frustrating but hooray for the battery store. We have one of them here and have used them a few times to help with things not working. Love Longhorn too! Fun that you got in touch with your old friend and I look forward to hearing more about her! Love ya dear friend!
ReplyDeleteYes, our first trip to Batteries and Bulbs won't be our last. But hopefully, it won't involve a cell phone! 💛
DeleteTechnology - I love it and hate it! Glad you got the phone fixed. What fun to reconnect with an old friend!!
ReplyDelete😊 Yes!
DeleteHow frustrating with the phone, but so glad you got it fixed. That must have been so fun to connect with your friend. Hope you have a great day.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThank you, Cathy! I hope yours is, too!
DeleteWarning noted: stay away from Samsung phones. And don't move to a high humidity area.
ReplyDelete😁
DeletePhone compnies today are just J U N K ! CS is a dirty phrase. No one cares to help. U G H ! But I am intrigued about your call to an old friend. How wonderful.
ReplyDeleteExactly! They know they have us over a barrel.
DeleteI'm so happy to hear that the phone issue was able to be fixed. How awesome to have that call from Sheri!
ReplyDelete😊
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