Phone fiasco - Part 4 (final)

So apparently, some water got into my phone and some of the keys stopped working. My first reaction was to turn the phone off and then turn it back on. That was the stupidest thing I could have done! When I had first gotten the phone, I set up a security code when the phone turns on. The buttons I needed for the code were either not working or typing in two characters for my one press. And the worst part was that the numbers were displayed as “*” so I couldn’t tell which of the numbers I had typed in and which were being doubled. I was now locked out of my own phone. With desperation, I got out a hair dryer and hoped that it would help. After two hours of trying, I finally was able to “hack” into my own phone.

Looking back on all of it, I’m glad AT&T was being too restrictive on their credit checks.

The next day at work, my boss knew I was looking for a cell phone plan and informed me of a Sprint Exclusive Referral Offer (SERO). His wife used to be an employee and if she referred other people to Sprint, they would get significant discounts on their cell phone plan. I remembered that Sprint had accepted my application without deposit back when I was in college, so I checked them out. I couldn’t believe the plans that they were offering! The one that looked the best was a 500 min, unlimited text and data for $30 a month. For $60 a month, 2 phones, 1000min and unlimited text and data is better than the other family plans being offered by AT&T. We picked out our phones and placed the order. Within a couple of days, we had our phones delivered and activated. All without any hassle, even with my "inadequate credit history."

Additionally with getting access to the discounted deals, Sprint was offering $25 certificates to the new customer and the person who refers the new customer. So for our two plans, we would get another $50 off. There was also some phone rebates that let us get the phones for free. Also by being a government employee, an additional monthly discount is applied. The end result, $62 monthly bill including taxes, fees, etc and a rebate check for $200.

So AT&T, how do you like dem apples? You lost a loyal customer because he wouldn't play your stupid credit game.

(And just to clarify...the Phone fiasco happened in the span of a couple weeks back in Aug 2007)