You all know how much I love my phone, right? In case you didn't know - I love my phone A LOT. A very lot.
A few days before I left for Singapore, I decided I would hand my Blackberry in at the Vodashop for a software upgrade and to fix the camera that hadn't ever really worked since I got this handset a few months ago. I figured that 10 days should be enough time to get that sorted out.
After waiting for THREE very long, very painful weeks, I still hadn't got my Blackberry back. I was not amused, to put it very politely. After a few pointed emails (read: lots and lots of angry emails and phone calls) to the kind people at Vodacom*, I eventually went to pick up my replacement handset at the store on Wednesday. Imagine if it only took a week to make a decision to replace the handset instead of three! But anyway, I eventually had a phone again - a real phone, not a wussy, small-buttoned pathetic attempt at a smartphone that I was using in the meantime. I restored all my settings and spent the rest of Wednesday night caressing my phone.
On Thursday I went to the pharmacyto pick up a few things. As I drove home from the pharmacy with my 17 children, I suddenly realized that something very, very important was missing. Not something trivial like one of my children, no... something MUCH more important than that... my phone! My bloody phone was missing. I threw all the children out the car and frantically looked under the seats and between the piles of shoes, school bags and old peanut butter sandwiches in my car.
Nothing.
The effing phone was gone.
Back into the car go the kids, race back to the pharmacy we go. I run inside asking everyone in a high-pitched, panicked voice whether they had seen my phone. No one had.
I looked in the car park, under the counter, everywhere. Gone.
I was in a state, I even prayed to St Anthony, the patron saint of lost cellphones.... "Please St Anthony, help me find my darling phone". Drove home, called my phone about a hundred time from my home phone, no answer. Just ringing. It was like my phone was out there, crying for me, but I couldn't save her.
I dropped the kids off with Rose, went back again. Went to all the stores around the pharmacy, handing out my business card with my home number on it. I asked all the car park attendants whether they had seen it.
Nothing.
My brand new, one-day-old phone, the one I had waited three weeks for, was gone. Fuuuuuuck.
I call the service provider, blacklist the handset, put a block on the line and resign myself to paying for a new handset. My faith in humanity is shattered. How can someone have taken my phone!
An hour later the home phone rings, and it is a little old lady on the line. She picked up my phone in the car park outside the pharmacy and would like to give it back to me.
Hallelujah and praise St Anthony! My faith in humanity is restored!
We met this morning outside the pharmacy and I gave her a huge bunch of flowers. We even hugged. (Me and the little old lady. The phone and I hugged as well later on when we were in private)
All joy and happiness and light. Except, there wasn't much light. In fact, there was nothing going on at all. When the phone fell out of my car in the car park, it had fallen on the side of the LCD and the entire screen was dark. Broken. Just like me.
Fuckity fuck fuck fuck. STILL NO PHONE!!!
I drove straight to the cell phone shop and got a new Blackberry. I actually can't possibly go another day without a Blackberry. I can't and I wont.
I handed the brand-new old phone to be repaired. They told me it would take 10-14 days to repair. I told them they were lying cockteasing bastards and I knew all about their 10-14 days but it was fine because I HAD ANOTHER PHONE, MOTHERFUCKERS. Ok, I didn't really say that. I just sighed quietly and said 'whatever. just fix the phone'. I want to give the phone to Rose when it comes back. She is very excited.
So anyway, that has been the drama of my phone. It has been traumatic, but it ends on a happy note.
*Vodacom experience: After some pretty intensive interaction with Vodacom I can tell you this much:
- The Tygervalley Vodashop staff at the repair counter are absolutely terrible when it comes to customer service. No matter who I deal with (and I have dealt with at least 10 different staff members), they are all the same. It seems to be a culture behind the counter. They never make eye contact. They carry on with their own conversations and you have to stand there like an idiot until they are ready to help you. They are sulky, they act as if they absolutely hate their lives, their jobs and mostly, they absolutely hate you. They can't tell you how long, how much, when or why. They just shrug their shoulders and say "I can't tell you that ma'am". Seriously, seriously shocking attitude there. They should fire the 8 useless sulky staff they have behind that tiny counter (who do nothing except sulk and slope around) and replace them with 4 energetic, professional people. It would cost less and their customer service would improve dramatically
- The staff at the Vodashop side are marginally better, however some of the sulky, 'I hate my life/job/you' attitude prevails. After standing in front of two staff members who were chatting to each other about something on their screen for a few minutes, I eventually asked politely if I could dare take some of their precious time by investing some of my hard earned cash with them. The one shouted at another chap standing a few feet away "Neville (or whatever he was called), you help the customer". Neville dropped his lip and hissed back "can't you see I am busy!". Neville was busy filing some documents and was clearly unimpressed to have to be helping an actual customer. Interestingly enough, when I casually mentioned that I had been corresponding with the manager about an existing complaint, suddenly Neville perked up tremendously and found a new lease on life.
- The staff at the Vodacom 3G store are completely different. Helpful, friendly, energetic, knowledgable, they were a pleasure to deal with. I bought my ipad micro sim there and despite the ipad not being out in SA yet, they knew all about it and were only too happy to help out. PLUS I had the three kids with me and they patient and friendly to my kids too. What a pleasure.
- The people at Vodacom customer service email centre and Jaseme at the Vodashop email support were both really helpful and friendly.
- In summary, Vodacom on a whole are excellent, its just a pity that they are let down by some of their front line staff.
This has been the longest post of my life. I am exhausted and I am going to go lie down now. With my new phone.