Laura and the many phone fiascos

At this point in time it is known to many the fate that has befallen my Iphone 5, namely that I got quite drunk one night a year and a half ago and unwittingly had my very expensive, new and uninsured phone stolen from me and I am still paying for it. I mean that in the literal sense that I am still in contract until March next year. This is without a doubt the worst thing I have done to a phone and in the past I have broken screens, lost phones and even had one die when it fell out of my back pocket (alcohol may have been involved ) and into the toilet. The joy of my previous experience working for a mobile phone provider meant that I knew there was nothing I could do about my contract on a phone I didn't have so I got a bigger sim card and wound up the back of my iPhone 3GS, a virtual dinosaur by comparison and soldiered on.

The plan at the time was that I wait out my contract or at least until December of this year and then opt for early upgrade to get a better phone but this time insure it like any smart person would do.
This would have been an excellent plan if it didn't seem as though Apple make their older models so as to self destruct after a certain point in time, or at least that's how it felt. My phone was crap and it was falling apart. I had to pay to get the screen replaced twice (my fault admittedly, it didn't drop itself) and there was also one unfortunate incident where I was showing a friend a photo on it and she accidentally dunked it in her cup of tea. There was much panic and I put it in rice overnight and much to my relief it pulled through but it just got more glitchy as time went on. The screen would go black mid phone call, it would randomly turn off, apps would close several times before loading. It was awful and an absolute pain to use but I wasn't exactly in a position to buy a new phone so I made do.

Then my boyfriend gave me his old iPhone 4 which I had thought was locked and planned to use like a ipod touch, it wasn't like I could use my other iPhone to browse the internet at home. It turned out that it would accept an o2 sim but I can't put my Three one in there. By now I had guessed my iPhone might be coming to its final days so I started to prepare by downloading all of my apps on the phone and adding all my contacts and it seems like I did it just in time because just days later my old iPhone died randomly and wouldn't turn back on again. So I had a working phone which was great but I was still paying for my broken phone and putting credit on my o2 one. Certainly less than ideal.

I went through a lot of hassle to see if I could get the o2 phone unlocked because that would simplify things no end but had no luck so I was left with only one option. I had to phone Three. I know people generally don't like calling call centres but I think as someone who had worked many years in the industry my dislike of  it was a lot stronger. They are not nice places work and they are even worse to call, mind you my time there has given me certain working knowledge of these places that has served me well. I put it off for a few days until I couldn't any more and to my surprise the whole experience was a lot more pleasant than I was expecting. The cancellations department was based in Ireland so there was no miscommunication and when I cited my reasons for cancelling, i.e. no phone, I was told there would be the option of upgrading now.

The thing is the iPhone 4 I'm using at the moment is great and it does so much, all of the shiny new features are on it. I have great fun with it altogether so I don't actually need another phone, nor do I need to be starting a contract now that wont end until March 2017 but my only other option is keep paying my bills  till March or pay a one off cancellation fee (€113 on my January bill, not so bad when you think about it) so I think I might go for it. I am still waiting to find out if my upgrade has been approved. Some sort of systems issue from what I can gather. I am strangely jumping ship and not going for the new improved iPhone as I haven't heard great things about it and I think if I am going to be stuck in a contract for more than two years then I want something really different and impressive so I think I'll go for the HTC M8. Now maybe they will tell me I can't have it or want a crazy one off fee for the upgrade and then I'll have to rethink it but it looks like soon instead of being the woman with no phone, I'll be a woman with two but I swear I'll take better care of both of them.

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