Karen’s Corner
By Karen Barkstrom
In November, I wrote that I had finally decided it was time to have my own cellphone.
Let’s just say it’s been an interesting journey.
When I started shopping around for phones, sticker shock immediately set in. $400 for a phone? You’ve got to be kidding!
I remember the days when I worked in Centralia as a customer service representative for Pacific Northwest Bell, and one of my jobs was setting people up with new phone service. The installation fee was less than $10, the monthly charge was about $3.95 and the person got to pick up a black desk or wall phone. Of course, if they wanted different color or a Trimline phone or touch-tone dialing, there was an extra charge — but it was so worth it.
That was then, this is now.
As I was complaining about the cost for a cellphone at dinner club, my friend Kathy said, “But Karen, it’s not just a phone. Think of it as a computer in your pocket.”
That made me feel a little better. I could justify that much for a phone and a computer.
And as I continued to research my options, I found a place that would offer me a $250 Visa gift card if I bought their phone and kept their service for at least three months. What a deal, I said. Sign me up.
They said the phone would arrive at our home in less than a week.
Four days later, Thursday afternoon, we got home to find a tag on the door that said the driver had tried to deliver the package, but they needed a signature. They indicated they would try to deliver the package again the next day between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., but since we weren’t going to be home that day my husband called the 800 number on the tag to see what other arrangements he could make.
After three different calls to the delivery company, talking to one person in India, one in the Philippines and one in eastern Canada, it was determined that because of the contract they had with the cellphone distributor, they had to try to deliver it for three consecutive business days. If that didn’t work, they would hold it in their facility (in Olympia) for two days before returning it to the supplier.
Mike explained to them that we would be driving through Olympia on Monday and could pick it up then if they could hold it there.
But no, that was not allowed. They had to try to deliver it for three days (Thursday, Friday and Monday), and then they could hold it at their facility.
Mike called the supplier back and explained the situation again. Could we have the phone delivered to my work? I would have photo ID and the door tag they had left on Thursday (and another one on Friday!) so they would know I was the intended recipient.
Nope, they had to deliver to the address where our service was.
OK, then could they have the delivery people leave it at the cellphone provider’s satellite store here in Aberdeen?
Nope, no one at the 800 number we called was authorized to do that.
At that point (five different phone calls to two 800 numbers, each call lasting 45-60 minutes), I was ready to throw in the towel and admit defeat. But Mike wasn’t willing to give up. It was the principle of the thing. He wasn’t going to let the system win.
So Monday morning, on our way through Olympia, we stopped at the local headquarters for the delivery service on the off chance they might be able to help us. After listening to the Readers’ Digest version of our delivery woes — with me sounding very whiny, I’m sure — the person behind the counter said they could work something out.
She contacted the driver — who, of course, had our phone on his truck for the third attempt to deliver it to our house — and made arrangements for us to meet up with him on his way back to Olympia. And it worked!
So now I have a cellphone. Not using it much yet — but I have it. And I also have a very long story about how talking to people face to face (rather than through an 800 phone number) often works out for the best and alleviates a lot of frustration.
Karen Barkstrom, The Daily World’s editorial assistant, can be reached at 360-537-3925 or kbarkstrom@thedailyworld.com.
