Customer Disservice #VirginMobile

So I signed up for cell phone service with this company called Zact. Don’t get excited, though. They had a new kind of service, where you could choose how much data, how many talk minutes, and how many texts you wanted to send in a month. At any time during the month, you could adjust any of those up or down.

I was paying $16.01 a month, once I bought the phone for about $150.00.

Good, eh? Trouble is, though, they weren’t a real carrier. They were fronting for Virgin Mobile. So, okay, now I was with Virgin Mobile. Kind of. My plan was called Data Done Right, but Virgin Mobile treated it like a red-headed stepchild. I couldn’t get to it through their web site. Their help line wasn’t helpful.

When my cell phone started to go wonky, as cell phones will, I called about getting a new one. They’d be delighted. But I couldn’t get the Data Done Right plan, because it was Data Done Gone. The plan was grandfathered to the phone. New phone, new plan.

So I stuck with my doddering old phone because: cheap.

Finally, the phone died. Rather, it froze up. Here’s what I emailed Virgin Mobile, on the only contact form I could find:

Last night, my phone stopped working. Now, I get a message 
saying ENCRYPTION UNSUCCESSFUL ... YOU NEED TO PERFORM A FACTORY RESET. 
I went online and found how to do that. I did that, rebooted the system,
and still get the same message. Help?

And got this:

Upon reviewing the information that you have provided, we have been able
to confirm that you currently have a Virgin Mobile Data Done Right 
account. Since we cannot access Data Done Right accounts, we recommend 
that you either dial *611 from your handset or call 844-326-1261 in 
order to receive assistance from a Data Done Right specialist.

Now, what part of “My phone stopped working” is difficult to understand?

Okay, yeah, I could call the number from my land line — since we’re among the odd ducks who have land lines AND a cell phone, but why? What would make me think I would get any satisfaction out of that?

So I bit the bullet and accepted the fact that I would have to pay heavy for a new phone and plan. But guess what? Not from Virgin Mobile.

I’m a Progressive — or not, depending on your definition of the term. Let’s say I disagree with some of the people and causes the ACLU defends, but I heartily approve of standing up for people it irritates me to stand up for. CREDO MOBILE donates part of each bill to fund progressive social action. I tried to sign up with them before, but I didn’t have a credit card. Now I do, though I pay it off at the end of every month.

IT WAS EASY. I COULD FIND MY WAY AROUND. I COULD ORDER WITH NO PROBLEM.

Here’s a picture of my snazzy new phone, which hasn’t arrived yet.

Rose gold. How slick is that?

It kills me to pay real money for a device I hardly use, except as a camera. Maybe if it isn’t wonky as fuck I’ll use it more like other people use their smartphones.

It’s an iPhone SE, whatever that means. I like my iPad, so I expect to like this device, too.

Any of you have a iPhone? What are the bestest apps? What’s the bestest camera app, since that’s mostly what I use my phone for? Do I need a protective case, or are they tough enough these days to not need them? Hate to cover up that purty rose gold finish, you know?

I’m posting at Fatal Foodies today about frittomelets.

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character deserts something or someone they intended to never desert because the something or someone betrays them in some way.

MA

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About

I was born in Louisville, Kentucky, but now live in the woods in southern Indiana. Though I only write fiction, I love to read non-fiction. The more I learn about this world, the more fantastic I see it is.

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One thought on “Customer Disservice #VirginMobile

  1. Dan Antion

    January 17, 2017 at 7:57am

    Oh my – what’s the best app? That’s a lot to ask. I hope you aren’t soon buried in recommendations. Most of my goto apps are app versions of stuff I use elsewhre/everywhere – like Evernote, Trello and Box. I use Photogene, but not all that often. I don’t try editing photos on my phone.

    Permalink  ⋅ Reply
    • Author

      Marian Allen

      January 17, 2017 at 3:56pm

      I can’t stand to type on the phone. I can do texts, but I don’t enjoy it. I sure couldn’t write a post or a story on it. People who can amaze me!

      Permalink  ⋅ Reply
  2. Jane

    January 17, 2017 at 8:14am

    Hi. Great pix on the food site

    I keep running across links to: iPhone apps free right now, but not usually!
    So I’d google best free iphone apps occasionally until something appeals to you!

    Permalink  ⋅ Reply
    • Author

      Marian Allen

      January 17, 2017 at 3:56pm

      Sounds good! My phone still hasn’t arrived, but I’ll take a gander at that when it comes!

      Permalink  ⋅ Reply
  3. A.C.Flory

    January 17, 2017 at 3:48pm

    Ugh…feel your pain. We have only 2 real mobile phone carriers – i.e. companies that actually own the infrastructure – the big daddy of them all, Telstra, and smaller daddy, Optus. Every other company basically sublets service from these two. I’m currently with Virgin Australia, but when my phone finally dies, I’ll be moving on as well, probably back to Tweedledum or Tweedledee. Good luck with your new carrier.

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  4. Joey

    January 17, 2017 at 7:48pm

    I don’t use my phone for half of what other people do, so I’m a basic iBitch. Instagram is phenomenal and low-key and 0 drama. WP is okay for checking comments or replying when you’re away from your PC, but otherwise, I don’t use it. I like Layout and Photo Editor by Axiems for collages and cropping and whatnot. The weather app works great — when you program the right city. Who knew?! Scrabble? I dunno, you’ll figure it out. I have pearl white or whatever. I was kinda pissy WHITE WHITE wasn’t an option. Rose gold is so pretty πŸ™‚ but I LIKE WHITE.
    Also, eggs, nom.

    Permalink  ⋅ Reply
    • Author

      Marian Allen

      January 18, 2017 at 8:46am

      ” I LIKE WHITE.
      Also, eggs, nom.”

      Just the whites, or the whole egg? πŸ˜‰

      What’s WP for an iPhone? I had Instagram on my old phone, and I plan to get it again, although I don’t like it for editing. ‘Course, I did hardly anything on my old phone. Sent texts, made the occasional call, took calls from Mom’s doctors. I mostly used it as a camera, then emailed the pictures to myself or transferred them by data cable and edited them on my laptop. Thinking about getting the Picmonkey app. Oh, yeah, and weather. What weather app do you use? I used Weather Kitty because: pictures of kittens along with the weather.

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      • Joey

        January 18, 2017 at 7:25pm

        Yolks are the best.
        WordPress.
        The weather app is Apple’s, comes with phone. No kittens, though. πŸ™

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  5. Sarah

    January 18, 2017 at 10:23am

    Virgin Mobile makes it very hard to end services, too. I wound up a) calling customer service to alert them to my quitting, b) sent an email to their online help, and c) removed my credit card information from their files. I still get emails a year later, telling me that I need to add a cc to make a payment.

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    • Author

      Marian Allen

      January 18, 2017 at 11:48am

      Yeah, I’m going through that hell now. I got a customer service representative who was genuinely helpful, though, so I’m hopeful it won’t take MANY MORE DAYS before my number is ported to the new carrier.

      Permalink  ⋅ Reply

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