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Okay, so a little background first. I'd had a phone that I liked for a while, nearly 18 months, but it was a bit banged around and was starting to have some problems so I was, in fact, planning on replacing it. I'd started saving so I could pay cash for the new one, like I did last time, when I went to an outdoor concert.
It was a deluge. Sudden flooding from the rain, high winds, lightning, large hail. Between the venue and my car, my jean shorts became so wet that they were literally too heavy to stay on. Using my shirt to shield my head ended up with me losing the shirt to the high winds. So, yes, I arrived at my car in my underwear. I also got very, very sick.
As most of you know, cellphones don't do well when they get wet. So, in addition to the doctor's bills, I was going to need to replace the phone.
Off I went to the T-Mobile store near my apartment. I'd spent some time researching. Wrote down what I liked about my phone, what I didn't like and came up with a budget. I also made a list of non-negotiables and things that would be nice but not, ultimately, necessary.
Walked in the door and was told somebody would be with us (I had someone with me) in a moment. Spent the 20 minutes we waited looking at some of the phones they had on display, reading through the specs and so forth. Only made it through the first third of the displays before somebody came over to help us.
I explained how I'd lost the phone and what I was looking for. The first thing she did was check our account. Oh, we had the insurance. We could have the phone replaced for $XX. Yeah, I'd looked into that but I was going out of town tomorrow (last minute trip) and I didn't want to travel without a cellphone. Besides, the replacement phone didn't have a couple of features I wanted so I wanted to buy a new phone.
Okay, what kind of phone did I want?
I went through the list of things that were non-negotiable and what would be nice. The list that I'd gone through with her when we first started talking to her.
Well, she said, the Blackberry has all those but I'm pretty sure it's more than you'd want to pay.
Um, excuse me? Didn't mention a budget yet but maybe she overheard us talking?
Fine, she walks us through a few others, all of which are missing at least one of the things on the non-negotiable list. Finally she gets to one with a qwerty keyboard that slides out. It's got all of my non-negotiables. It's also lime green and gray. Not exactly my colors. I see a purple and white one a couple of displays over.
What's the difference between this one and that one, I asked her.
Oh, that one's got a few more features and it flips up instead of slides out but it's $10 more and your insurance won't cover it.
Um, I already said we weren't going to use the insurance and $10 isn't much for a phone that matches my purse (yes, I'm shallow, sue me) and has everything I wanted plus some things I hadn't even considered wanting. Anyway, I'll take that phone.
She goes back over to her computer and starts telling me that they can overnight me the replacement phone from the insurance if I just pay an extra $XX. Um, no, I'm not using the insurance, I'm leaving at 6am tomorrow and I want that phone tonight.
She suggests that maybe we need to think about it and WALKS AWAY.
WTF?
We leave. We were heading to the mall next anyway so we go. I see the same phone I want at the kiosk between some of the stores we were going to.
Um, can I buy this phone?
Not only is the young man working their cheerful and pleasant, he also sells me $100 of accessories. I bought several Christmas gifts from him this year, too. All told I probably spent almost $1200 with him this year.
It was a deluge. Sudden flooding from the rain, high winds, lightning, large hail. Between the venue and my car, my jean shorts became so wet that they were literally too heavy to stay on. Using my shirt to shield my head ended up with me losing the shirt to the high winds. So, yes, I arrived at my car in my underwear. I also got very, very sick.
As most of you know, cellphones don't do well when they get wet. So, in addition to the doctor's bills, I was going to need to replace the phone.
Off I went to the T-Mobile store near my apartment. I'd spent some time researching. Wrote down what I liked about my phone, what I didn't like and came up with a budget. I also made a list of non-negotiables and things that would be nice but not, ultimately, necessary.
Walked in the door and was told somebody would be with us (I had someone with me) in a moment. Spent the 20 minutes we waited looking at some of the phones they had on display, reading through the specs and so forth. Only made it through the first third of the displays before somebody came over to help us.
I explained how I'd lost the phone and what I was looking for. The first thing she did was check our account. Oh, we had the insurance. We could have the phone replaced for $XX. Yeah, I'd looked into that but I was going out of town tomorrow (last minute trip) and I didn't want to travel without a cellphone. Besides, the replacement phone didn't have a couple of features I wanted so I wanted to buy a new phone.
Okay, what kind of phone did I want?
I went through the list of things that were non-negotiable and what would be nice. The list that I'd gone through with her when we first started talking to her.
Well, she said, the Blackberry has all those but I'm pretty sure it's more than you'd want to pay.
Um, excuse me? Didn't mention a budget yet but maybe she overheard us talking?
Fine, she walks us through a few others, all of which are missing at least one of the things on the non-negotiable list. Finally she gets to one with a qwerty keyboard that slides out. It's got all of my non-negotiables. It's also lime green and gray. Not exactly my colors. I see a purple and white one a couple of displays over.
What's the difference between this one and that one, I asked her.
Oh, that one's got a few more features and it flips up instead of slides out but it's $10 more and your insurance won't cover it.
Um, I already said we weren't going to use the insurance and $10 isn't much for a phone that matches my purse (yes, I'm shallow, sue me) and has everything I wanted plus some things I hadn't even considered wanting. Anyway, I'll take that phone.
She goes back over to her computer and starts telling me that they can overnight me the replacement phone from the insurance if I just pay an extra $XX. Um, no, I'm not using the insurance, I'm leaving at 6am tomorrow and I want that phone tonight.
She suggests that maybe we need to think about it and WALKS AWAY.
WTF?
We leave. We were heading to the mall next anyway so we go. I see the same phone I want at the kiosk between some of the stores we were going to.
Um, can I buy this phone?
Not only is the young man working their cheerful and pleasant, he also sells me $100 of accessories. I bought several Christmas gifts from him this year, too. All told I probably spent almost $1200 with him this year.
a counter demonstration of s/he's siggie:
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