A Mobile Resolution

~ beetleypete

Earlier this week, I wrote about the frustrating issues with my mobile phone. (Cellphone)

Telephonic frustration

The post attracted a lot of interest and comments, as well as some much-appreciated advice.

I thought I had found a solution, when my wife gave me her old phone. It was reset to ‘Factory Reset’, and my SIM card put in. I would now have a more modern and hopefully more reliable phone, and not have to pay anything.

I should have known it was not that easy. The Android-operating device required a Google log on. But when I tried to do this, it would not recognise my password. Turns out that it has to be the original owner logging on, with their details. If we had done that, then my wife’s details would have been stored on the phone, not mine, and we had no idea what problems that might cause later.

So on Tuesday I drove to the outskirts of Norwich, to a retail park where the network provider has a dedicated shop. I was served by a very helpful man, and fortunately for me, he was over 40 years of age. He confirmed my fears about using my wife’s phone. Apparently, her details had been ‘synched’ to the phone, and it wasn’t about to let me use it. I could just let her log in, type in all my contacts, and carry on paying my regular monthly amount. But he also thought that wouldn’t work, as the phone would not let me proceed to recognising my number.

At a loss what to do next, I asked for his suggestion. Being a salesman, he naturally suggested selling me a two-year phone contract on a shiny new smartphone. He showed me some, and after my old HTC, they seemed enormous. Remember when phones were getting smaller? Now they are getting bigger again. “It’s to watch films and You Tube”, he told me. As I was resisting his sales pitch and considering going back in time to a cheap, ‘basic phone’ option, he recommended a deal that got my interest.

Choosing one of the new huge phones, he told me that he could do a deal for only £4 a month more than I am currently paying for SIM-only. Not only that, but I would get unlimited minutes to most networks and landlines, unlimited text messages, and a monthly allowance of 1GB of Internet data. That was tempting, but I told him that after the days of grief with the previous two phones, I was reluctant to even attempt to try to work out how to use an all-singing-and-dancing modern phone.

Then he said the magic words.

“But I will do all of that for you sir. Set the phone up, import your contacts, show you the basic controls. You get a gel case, as well as a solid glass screen protector. No money up front, and no increase in the basic cost of the contract for two years”.

I told him that if I could leave the shop with a working phone that had all my contacts and photos on it, and keep the same number I have had ever since getting a mobile, then he had a deal.

Forty minutes later, I was holding this.

He regaled me with its impressive specifications. Dolby stereo, three lens options on a camera that takes (ridiculously large) 48 MP photos. A 5000 amh battery that will last longer than most other phones on the market. All that tech stuff meant little to me. But it was working as promised, and had a lot to offer for only £4 a month more. It is made in China, but that doesn’t bother me in the least as so many are now, even when people don’t think they are. And now I am back on contract, any issues with this phone will be down to the network provider, not me.

All I have to do now is to work out how to use it.

82 thoughts on “A Mobile Resolution”

  1. When my iPhone SE of three years broke and the out of warranty was $250, I upgraded to an iPhone 11. Didn’t like it at all, too big. Eventually upgraded to s10e instead and traded in my iPad for store credit to buy accessories.. why? My s10e has something called DeX, which allows my s10e to hook to to any monitor and literally transform into a desktop setup. Now I truly have one universal device. 😍

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  2. Old Pete trying to cope up with the mobile phone??? 😂😂😂 ouch. I hope you did cope up with it. I couldn’t read the whole article. I have 5 mins before my break is over. DO YOU REMEMBER ME??? I AM SUZAN THE GIRL WHO TORTURED YOU!!!!! 🥺🥺😋

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  3. Great news! All you wanted was a new reliable phone where you could keep your number and contacts. I’m glad you had success. All the best to you, Pete. It looks mighty fancy!

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    1. I have been with EE since it was T-Mobile. Before that, I was with Mercury-One-To-One, which became T-Mobile. We have the home phone contract and broadband with EE too. (It was much cheaper than BT, which considering BT owns EE is rather strange…)
      So, we are 100% EE! (My wife has a £40-odd quid contract with them too)
      Thanks again, Abbi. You’re a star!
      Best wishes, Pete.

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          1. She might just be data gifting. If you email me her number I can pop it through friends and family. It can do no harm but if it does qualify then she’ll get 30% off from now on. My email address is my full first name (Abigail) dot lastname at gmail.

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  12. I started using all Apple products a few years ago purely for the customer service. How they manage to hire young people with infinite patience is beyond me, but they do. A store full of help is close as is their phone help. I am so glad you found a shop with a man who could do all the transfer for you.

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      2. I’m tech savvy so I don’t need a store or ecosystem that allows a company to hire “geniuses” to do the stuff for me. I’ve switched between iOS and Android for years so usually familiar with both. Just a hassle to have download all the newer apps I’ve acquired over the years… And sometimes have to repurchase. They each for their pluses and minuses, I don’t adhere to brand nor ecosystem loyalty. My friends who are blue bubbles just hate it when I switch and become one of the green bubbles again. 🤣

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  13. Trust me when I say that learning to use the newer electronic devices is not all that complicated and you will be using it like a pro in no time, wondering why you hadn’t made the switch years before. I know this is how I approached buying and learning to use my new Chrome Operating System computer. It allows me to escape the complexity and buggy nature of the “Windows 10” garbage and it is lightning fast, totally dependable and does everything that I want it to do … and I learned to use it in about an hour.

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  18. Congratulations on your new phone, Pete. I don’t mind paying a little extra as long as the darn thing doesn’t become obsolete in a few years.

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  20. Nice Pete! I’m glad you were able to find something at a reasonable price to meet your needs. They seem to be making the upgrade process easier and easier. And if you get an experienced sales person they will work with you to get your business.

    I had to get a new phone a few months ago and they had an app to automatically transfer everything from the old to the new. Contacts, documents, pictures, etc.. There was literally nothing else I needed to do.

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    1. Yes, it certainly went smoothly yesterday. I keep expecting something to go wrong though! After so many things breaking down last year, I have become a terrible pessimist.
      Thanks, Susanne.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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    2. I read a text, and made a call. Anything else I work out is a bonus for sure, Shaily.
      As I am back on contract, if the battery develops a fault, the shop will have to change it for me.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  23. It looks good, Pete! I’m sure it’s just a matter of time, and most people only know how to use a few things on their phones, so as long as it works for what you need it, that should be fine. Well done!

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  24. All you have to do if stuck is say “Help” and one of Mr. Xi Jinping’s assistants, or in the case your esteemed self the man himself, will come to your aid.

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  25. Good job! I wanted to stick my tongue in my cheek and say,”Welcome to the 21st century!” but since I have had some of the same situations, I will instead say, “Congratulations and happy new year!”

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  29. Best of luck, Pete. It’s always good when the salesperson actually tries to help you as an individual, as well as making the sales pitch, which we have to accept is inevitable, as that’s what they are paid to do, whether they like it or not. Cheers, Jon.

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  30. I hope you have better luck than I did! I was talked into one that the salesman swore a child could use, then spend two days trying to switch it on! I gave up in the end, but always wish my brain could have figured it out!

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