My Cell Phone

After owning a cell phone for the past 20 years, I finally found a phone that I really like. My Sprint 3G-powered Instinct, with i-phone capabilities, provides me with more than enough services. I can make/receive phone and text messages, read my e-mail, check the local weather forecast and find out how my favorite sports team is doing. After thre years, I am into a routine and my cell phone is one of the few technological devices that I am able to manage.

I have never used the camera on my phone, nor have I played any games or tried to obtain web access other than e-mail. In fact, my phone model that was launched only a few years ago is way beyond my knowledge.

The first two Sprint Instinct phones that I owned each lasted no more than a year because the keypad stopped recognizing my touch. Each time, I was able to have a new phone delivered to me free of charge the next day via UPS.

Last Wednesday, I decided to go out and take a few casts for largemouth bass on the pond. I thought it would be fun to bring one of the puppies along for the ride. She was on a leash, but when I caught a small bass, the dog jumped up just enough for me to fall back into the small amount of rainwater that I was too lazy to extract from the boat. That was when my cell phone found water. Even though I pay $7 per month for insurance, I still had to pay $100 to receive my replacement phone.

So, after waiting a day to receive my replacement phone (Sprint's insurance company does a great job getting you the phone within one business day), I plugged in my new cell phone only to find out it was defective. This meant that I had to call the insurance company again to ask for a new phone.

After a lengthy phone call and trying to decipher what the foreign customer service representative was saying, I was able to request a second replacement phone that was amazingly again delivered within less than one business day - despite the fact that I ordered the second replacement phone on a Saturday afternoon.

I spent more than three hours on the phone or in person with Sprint representatives last week to solve my cell phone issue. I went for nearly five days without cell phone service and now realize how much I rely on the only technological gadget that I like.

I think we are all a bit spoiled by technology, even when we may not know how to utilize all of its capabilities.