When I paid my last cell phone bill, I thought it looked pretty steep. Why not check in with the company to see if they could offer me a better rate? This is how it went:
After I dial, I have no patience to listen to all the choices, so I just keep pressing ‘0’ and hope that eventually a person will pick up the phone. After several attempts to have me ‘choose from the following options,’ a live voice comes on.
Ahmed: Hello, this is Ahmed. May I have your name, telephone number and password please?
I can manage the first two because it’s been a pretty good day. The last one has me stumped. I ask if he can give me a hint. That is met with a long pause. I try a few possible passwords and finally get the right one.
Ahmed: How may I help you today?
Me: I need to know if I’m on the right plan. My last bill was really high, and I’m sure you have a better plan for me.
Ahmed: Okay, let’s have a look at that. Oh, I see that you are on the “Your Choice 25.” It includes 100 minutes and costs only 25 dollars.
Me: Yes, but my last bill was over 60 dollars. I must have gone over my minutes.
Ahmed: Well, it includes free evenings and weekends.
Me: I use the phone only to call my husband for advice when I’m feeding animals or checking that the waterers aren’t frozen. I’m pretty sure I don’t use the phone in the evenings because it gets dark around 4 o’clock, and I can’t feed after dark. What I really need is more daytime minutes.
Ahmed: Yes, I see that you have not used your evening minutes. Well, let’s see if we have a plan that would be better for you. How about this one: It costs 25 dollars, has 100 minutes and also has free weekends and free texting.
Me: Free weekends won’t help me out much, Ahmed. That’s the trouble with animals – you can’t wait ‘til the weekend to feed them or you’ll have the SPCA come callin’. (I’m having some fun, now) And about the texting, I don’t know how to do that. And I’m pretty sure my husband doesn’t either. Besides, I need to actually talk to him when things go wrong. It would be hard for him to text me directions for thawing out a frozen waterer. What I really need is more daytime minutes.
Long pause.
Ahmed: I see. Well, what about this one: It costs $25, comes with 100 minutes and free internet.
Now it’s my turn to pause…
Me: That sounds interesting, Ahmed. But I just don’t think that I’ll be online while I’m in the corrals. (More fun – Ahmed needs something to talk about at coffee time!) We’ve got one really mean cow who is likely to put me over the fence if I stop to check my email. It’s okay, Ahmed, really. I’ll just try to make this plan work for now. Thanks anyway.
After I dial, I have no patience to listen to all the choices, so I just keep pressing ‘0’ and hope that eventually a person will pick up the phone. After several attempts to have me ‘choose from the following options,’ a live voice comes on.
Ahmed: Hello, this is Ahmed. May I have your name, telephone number and password please?
I can manage the first two because it’s been a pretty good day. The last one has me stumped. I ask if he can give me a hint. That is met with a long pause. I try a few possible passwords and finally get the right one.
Ahmed: How may I help you today?
Me: I need to know if I’m on the right plan. My last bill was really high, and I’m sure you have a better plan for me.
Ahmed: Okay, let’s have a look at that. Oh, I see that you are on the “Your Choice 25.” It includes 100 minutes and costs only 25 dollars.
Me: Yes, but my last bill was over 60 dollars. I must have gone over my minutes.
Ahmed: Well, it includes free evenings and weekends.
Me: I use the phone only to call my husband for advice when I’m feeding animals or checking that the waterers aren’t frozen. I’m pretty sure I don’t use the phone in the evenings because it gets dark around 4 o’clock, and I can’t feed after dark. What I really need is more daytime minutes.
Ahmed: Yes, I see that you have not used your evening minutes. Well, let’s see if we have a plan that would be better for you. How about this one: It costs 25 dollars, has 100 minutes and also has free weekends and free texting.
Me: Free weekends won’t help me out much, Ahmed. That’s the trouble with animals – you can’t wait ‘til the weekend to feed them or you’ll have the SPCA come callin’. (I’m having some fun, now) And about the texting, I don’t know how to do that. And I’m pretty sure my husband doesn’t either. Besides, I need to actually talk to him when things go wrong. It would be hard for him to text me directions for thawing out a frozen waterer. What I really need is more daytime minutes.
Long pause.
Ahmed: I see. Well, what about this one: It costs $25, comes with 100 minutes and free internet.
Now it’s my turn to pause…
Me: That sounds interesting, Ahmed. But I just don’t think that I’ll be online while I’m in the corrals. (More fun – Ahmed needs something to talk about at coffee time!) We’ve got one really mean cow who is likely to put me over the fence if I stop to check my email. It’s okay, Ahmed, really. I’ll just try to make this plan work for now. Thanks anyway.
Ahmed: Thank you for calling. Have a good day.
Many years ago, I heard this great little poem:
Use it up.
Wear it out.
Make do --
Or do without.
"Bigger, better, faster, more"-- seems to be the way of this world. Maybe I need to think of ways I can make do -- or do without.
Ecc. 6:9 says,
“Being satisfied with what you have is better than always wanting more.”
I’m pretty sure that I can manage with my current cell phone plan. Especially since my husband tells me he has fixed the blessed waterers!
“Being satisfied with what you have is better than always wanting more.”
I’m pretty sure that I can manage with my current cell phone plan. Especially since my husband tells me he has fixed the blessed waterers!
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