Get Rid Of Cell Phone. Get Skype

My engagement is over, I found a better provider.

All relationships, in one way or another follow the same milestones: Courtship, Discovery, Obstacles, Negotiation, Commitment, Obstacles, Promises, Delivery of said Promises, Obstacles, Payoff.

I just got off the phone with SprintPCS.  The cancellation department at that. I was scared to actually break up with them but now I’m saving over $180/month in exchange for a $3/mo Skype phone number and a $3/month ($2.95 with taxes) unlimited USA and CANADA calling plan including voicemail.  My courtship with SprintPCS lasted eight and a half YEARS (May 2001 to Nov 25th, 2009) and was full of the typical relationship ups and downs.

• Performance was lacking
• Original promises didn’t get fulfilled
• Sacrificing was my job, not theirs

PERFORMANCE in any relationship is importance for both parties to be satisfied.  As my friend says all the time: “You gotta bring some to get some.” From the moment I joined the smart phone revolution (maybe four years ago?) I was having trouble with my phones.  After a year of complaining and buying my own phones, I resolved the matter myself.  The next milestone in my relationship with Sprint was to try out their Air Card since I need to run my business from the road.  Immediately upon receiving and setting up my Sprint Pantech PX500 it’s related software, I was stuck.  My connection timed out after 30 seconds, 10 minutes, 30 minutes etc and advanced tech support would continuously apply the same failed process of uninstalling and installing both the original software and the new Smart View software.  They would login, try for hours, tell me they would call me back and eventually just stop calling.  I did manage to get my last 2 months of air card costs reversed; something I should have done from day 1 about two years ago.

PROMISES, PROMISES During the first few years of frustration, I had finally had it with Sprint and was on the verge of going with another carrier (T-Mobile I think). While on the phone with the cancellation department, they offered me a 25% discount on the LIFETIME of my account.  WOW!  Sign me up!  That got my attention and softened the headaches from years gone by.  There I went off into “preferred customer” discount status for the lifetime of my relationship with Sprint.

SACRIFICE Tomorrow Muslims around the world will fast on the very day that most of us are celebrating Thanksgiving with a big feast.  That’s a sacrifice that has a pay off.  I was sacrificing $180/month plus the very internet connectivity that I was paying for to run my virtual businesses.

HE WHO CARES THE LEAST HAS THE MOST POWER (another saying by my wise friend) and SprintPCS showed me today that they cared the least.  They just let a 8 and a half year relationship go down the tubes because they could right what they wronged (with a nice fat credit on the account).  I’ve had $1000 months with Sprint and must have spent well over $10,000 with them over the years and probably closer to $13,000.

TYPICAL QUESTIONS

When I told everyone that I had finally decided to just “let the cell phone go” my mother said “HOW WILL I GET AHOLD OF YOU?!!?!” as the question mark on her blank face quickly turned to panic.  I said, “uh, another phone.  Skype.”

My friends said “how will you talk on the road?”  I replied “uh, I think I’d prefer to focus on driving when I’m on the road and when I pull over, I’ll use Skype.”

I’m trying to UNPLUG from the system, not plug in MORE so that the tinnitus in my ears gets so strong I can’t hear the birds chirping, the trees swaying, the wind blowing etc.

Oprah doesn’t have a cell phone.  Larry King doesn’t have a cell phone. Jennifer Goodwin (latest Cell Phone Refusenik) does NOT have a cell phone.  Woo Hoo!

p.s. I will be placing 2 Blackberries,  1 Air Card and a bunch of accessories on my Ebay account this week :) If you are in the New York area and want them, come find me. OR, I might live out a long desired dream of walking up to some lake or ocean beach front like in the commercials and giving them a toss.

Mom, I’ll give you my Skype number. It will forward to voicemail if I’m busy.  I won’t hear your voicemail until the next time I sit at my computer and hit PLAY. Please don’t call the police to come look for me, again.