I have been involved in trying to straighten out a phone problem.
I've had this Assurance Wireless smartphone for about 6 years now. It replaced an older type of cellphone also provided by Assurance Wireless. Also known as an Obamaphone, these phones are provided free if you qualify. I use it only to make occasional outgoing calls about transportation and don't know much about its other features. If I used it to text a lot, I'd have to pay for that but I'm allowed a certain amount of texting every month (which I never use).
They sent out an offer of a new phone because they were switching to TMobil. I had the impression I was expected to take that offer, and so I did. Cellphones typically don't last more than a few years, I've heard, and I probably needed a new one. The phone they gave me 6 years ago has always used up its battery charge pretty fast and nowadays it's been even faster.
The new phone came but I couldn't get it to charge up. I was on the (landline) phone with Assurance Wireless a couple of times with lengthy discussions about how to fix it. I had to do some swapping of cords and so on while on the phone. This type of tech support call tends to unhinge me for quite a while.
Having to tinker with phones and cords while someone is waiting on the phone is unsettling, and the "someone" they provide was always someone who said he couldn't hear me (and so I had to shout) and who had a thick foreign accent so I couldn't understand him.
Lots of numbers (IDEM number, PIN number, phone number, etc.) had to be disclosed. I shouted them slowly and distinctly into the phone until he understood them. He told me that I should change the settings on my phone because he couldn't understand me.
So I ended up calling the Caption Call people, who are responsible for the phone I was using, and asking what settings I needed to change. I was told that everything was fine and that the problem would have been at the other end of the line.
I suspected that.
The outcome? They're sending me a new battery, which I will have to install myself. I'm not sure I can do this but I plan to try hard, without any more calls to Assurance Wireless.
Meanwhile, I took a closer look at an advertising flyer I'd recently received about a phone called Lively, a new version of the Jitterbug phone that is often advertised in the AARP magazine. I don't know anyone who has one of these phones (Jitterbug or Lively) but have noticed that it looks as if it's a no-frills phone that even I might be able to operate--buttons large and easy to press, large print, not too complicated.
I do wonder about a phone that is as often advertised as the Jitterbug and now the Lively are. Does that mean that the company is desperately trying to sell its product? Or is it just a very good product that the company is interested in promoting by a continuous advertising blitz, reaching as many seniors as possible?
If anyone has any information on the Jitterbug or Lively phone, I'd like to know. Here's their Website info (there's a Lively Flipphone and a Lively Smartphone):
Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...
One problem is that I know nothing about the type of plan that would be involved. Before Assurance Wireless, where I never see a bill, never pay a cent, I had a TracFone, which I first heard about through none other than Cat Dancer, who highly recommended it.
I was quite happy with the way it worked. Every 3 months I paid about $18 for basic service, whatever the minimum number of units was, and I never had to pay any extra on it because I just didn't use it much. But these other plans involve a monthly bill that would always be different based on your usage that month. That sounds like one more thing to keep track of.
The Lively phone offers 24/7 contact with emergency help if needed. So I wonder if that could replace the Medical Guardian system I now pay $35/month for. I'd be interested in knowing how well that works for people.
So I've been busy weighing the pros and cons. I'll probably stick with the free phone if I can get it to work. It looks enough like the phone I've had for the last 6 years, and to make the change I'd have to cancel the Medical Guardian, return their equipment, order the Lively phone and get used to it--and its billing. That's more adjusting than I really want to do.
There! If anyone has waded through all of this, there should be a reward. A trophy of some kind!
I've had this Assurance Wireless smartphone for about 6 years now. It replaced an older type of cellphone also provided by Assurance Wireless. Also known as an Obamaphone, these phones are provided free if you qualify. I use it only to make occasional outgoing calls about transportation and don't know much about its other features. If I used it to text a lot, I'd have to pay for that but I'm allowed a certain amount of texting every month (which I never use).
They sent out an offer of a new phone because they were switching to TMobil. I had the impression I was expected to take that offer, and so I did. Cellphones typically don't last more than a few years, I've heard, and I probably needed a new one. The phone they gave me 6 years ago has always used up its battery charge pretty fast and nowadays it's been even faster.
The new phone came but I couldn't get it to charge up. I was on the (landline) phone with Assurance Wireless a couple of times with lengthy discussions about how to fix it. I had to do some swapping of cords and so on while on the phone. This type of tech support call tends to unhinge me for quite a while.
Having to tinker with phones and cords while someone is waiting on the phone is unsettling, and the "someone" they provide was always someone who said he couldn't hear me (and so I had to shout) and who had a thick foreign accent so I couldn't understand him.
Lots of numbers (IDEM number, PIN number, phone number, etc.) had to be disclosed. I shouted them slowly and distinctly into the phone until he understood them. He told me that I should change the settings on my phone because he couldn't understand me.
So I ended up calling the Caption Call people, who are responsible for the phone I was using, and asking what settings I needed to change. I was told that everything was fine and that the problem would have been at the other end of the line.
I suspected that.
The outcome? They're sending me a new battery, which I will have to install myself. I'm not sure I can do this but I plan to try hard, without any more calls to Assurance Wireless.
Meanwhile, I took a closer look at an advertising flyer I'd recently received about a phone called Lively, a new version of the Jitterbug phone that is often advertised in the AARP magazine. I don't know anyone who has one of these phones (Jitterbug or Lively) but have noticed that it looks as if it's a no-frills phone that even I might be able to operate--buttons large and easy to press, large print, not too complicated.
I do wonder about a phone that is as often advertised as the Jitterbug and now the Lively are. Does that mean that the company is desperately trying to sell its product? Or is it just a very good product that the company is interested in promoting by a continuous advertising blitz, reaching as many seniors as possible?
If anyone has any information on the Jitterbug or Lively phone, I'd like to know. Here's their Website info (there's a Lively Flipphone and a Lively Smartphone):
Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...
One problem is that I know nothing about the type of plan that would be involved. Before Assurance Wireless, where I never see a bill, never pay a cent, I had a TracFone, which I first heard about through none other than Cat Dancer, who highly recommended it.
I was quite happy with the way it worked. Every 3 months I paid about $18 for basic service, whatever the minimum number of units was, and I never had to pay any extra on it because I just didn't use it much. But these other plans involve a monthly bill that would always be different based on your usage that month. That sounds like one more thing to keep track of.
The Lively phone offers 24/7 contact with emergency help if needed. So I wonder if that could replace the Medical Guardian system I now pay $35/month for. I'd be interested in knowing how well that works for people.
So I've been busy weighing the pros and cons. I'll probably stick with the free phone if I can get it to work. It looks enough like the phone I've had for the last 6 years, and to make the change I'd have to cancel the Medical Guardian, return their equipment, order the Lively phone and get used to it--and its billing. That's more adjusting than I really want to do.
There! If anyone has waded through all of this, there should be a reward. A trophy of some kind!
So sounds like he may not be trying to move as much as I thought. I would kind of hate to be in SIL's place right now because he probably will get ill natured when the pain gets a little better.
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