cell phones

Anyone that knows me well has been aware of my on going battle with Verizon. The short version for those of you that don't is this. I have been due a upgrade for about a month now with Verizon, my cell phone provider. Now the phone that I have been using is a old flip-phone I had two or three contracts ago. That is because I gave the phone that I had to my daughter Emily after her's fell apart due to texting and heavy usage. I called Verizon and begged them to allow me to upgrade early but their answer was no. So, I was faced with either buying her a new phone at full retail price (wasn't happening) or give her my old clamshell (flip-phone) or give her my current phone and I use the old flip-phone. I weighed the choice's and I just couldn't bring myself to say "Here's your new phone Em until we can upgrade you in six months" and give her the clamshell. She would have been taunted in school. Teased everytime she had to pull it out. Ashamed to use it in public. Her friends would be texting on full qwerty keypads and Emily would have been tapping out T9. As a parent you don't want to think of your kids being at a disadvantage and being "behind" their peers. My other choice, give her mine and I use the flip-phone. Now let me tell ya friends, that was a struggle! I loved my phone. Everything about it. It was my friend, my companion. I didn't leave the house without it. It was always in my hand or within close reach. It did everything and I loved it. There was NO way I could part with my friend!! But then the image of Emily on the playground at school trying to text a friend with my old flip-phone would pop in my head. Emily struggling to tap out a basic message and all the other kids laughing and pointing at her while Emily's face flushed with embarrasment. As her father I just could not allow myself to subject my girl to that so I did what any father (I think) would have done. I gave her my Samsung Rogue. I was sick! I was losing my friend. As I boxed it up to send to her I think I cried. My hands were shaking! I was in total dismay and shock. My phone had become like a drug and I was giving it up cold turkey. Needless to say, Emily was VERY happy. She had always loved my phone and wanted one just like it. Now she was getting it! She did feel bad about taking it and didn't want to at first. She said "Dad, I can't take your phone, you love your phone". I swallowed the lump in my throat and said "Thanks Em, but it's yours". So I got the flip-phone that should not have been in my closet stored away but instead on display somewhere in a early cell phone exhibit. My face was the one flushing with shame whenever I pulled it out to make a call or tap out a T9 text. Friends at work laughed at me, teased me about it, some felt sorry for me and tried to give me older but not THAT old phones they had (Thanks Mike :). I was back to the basics. Anyway, back to the point I'm at today. I became eligible to upgrade my phone a few weeks back and I was looking at the Verizon website oogling and drooling over the newest phones they offered. But looking at the phones, I noticed that all they nicer phones REQUIRED the customer to purchase a data plan with the cheapest one offered at 9.99. I called and spoke to a company rep and they said that was the new Verizon policy now. Any "smartphone" required that you buy a data plan to go along with it. Well, the Whaley temper flew into me and I let that girl have it. I told her exactly what I thought of that decision and my days with Verizon were over! I calmed down some after we hung up and did some research. She was correct, that was indeed Verizon's new policy. I emailed corporate, I called back and spoke with other customer service reps. But that was the new policy and I could only complain. I looked at other companies and Verizon was the only one that had coverage up where my kids are so I was stuck. But something funny had happened during the months I had been using my old phone. Once I had gotten over the shock and pain of losing my phone that did it all I discovered that I didn't really NEED a phone that did it all. My old phone did exactly what a phone should do. Great reception, didn't drop calls and other then taking a little while longer to text, it did that okay too. I'll admit, I'm the first one drooling when the new phones come out that "do everything". I went to a Verizon store a couple of weeks ago and was getting the sales pitch for the new Droid X. As I held it I started getting that old feeling back, kinda like reuniting with a old flame. I gotta say, it's a nice phone but do I really NEED a phone that does all that? No, I don't. Using my old flipper got me to thinking back before I had a cell phone. Man I cursed those things. I cursed people that used them out in public. I would tailgate and blow the horn at someone driving in front of me that was talking on one. I swore I would never have one and I held out for along time. I remember when I got my first one my kids were in shock. Dad has a cell phone! Can you believe that? I had rallied so against them and then I joined the ranks of the cell phone owners. I'm the guy now riding down the road talking or texting. Well, anyway, I finally ordered my new one yesterday from the Verizon website. It was free with a two year upgrade. No bells or whistles but it does what it's suppose to do I guess. And whats better, no data plan!! And who knows, maybe after this one I can quit completely.