Hold The Line

About a year ago, I geeked out on mobile phones and bought an O2 XDAII. It was a thing of beauty – a large touch screen and countless useful features that essentially made it a small computer. “Now I don’t have to spend hours in front of the computer!” I announced to Michelle’s obvious glee. Add to that the fact that a friend’s boyfriend had got me a Friends and Family discount for life, and I was a happy bunny. I remember picking it up in Slough, sitting in a lay-by, firing it up for the first time and phoning Michelle, unable to hide my glee.
Times have moved on, of course. The initial glee has given way to slight inconveniences. For example, when I go out on the town, where should I put it? It fills an entire jeans pocket, and if you accidently drop the thing in a drunken haze it’ll no doubt reward you by springing into a thousand pieces. Add to that the constant crashing (it’s a Microsoft system, you know what they’re like), and the fact that loading applications onto it usually caused something else equally useful to stop working and the joy has faded. So, three months ago, my eyes rested pleasingly on the new Nokia 6680. Techy advances mean that it can do almost everything my XDAII can do, but without looking as though you’ve got a laptop stuck to your ear. My recent trip to a conference in London had only whetted my appetite further – the Nokia representative there had one, and was salivating almost as much as I was.
So, naturally, I phone O2 on the day the phone is launched. “I’m afraid, sir, that the phone has been delayed a week. Phone back next week.” So I did. “I’m afraid, sir, that the phone has been put back another week. Sorry. Try phoning next Monday.” So – again – I did. And I think you may be able to notice a pattern here. In fact, for the next 14 weeks they advised me to phone back the following week, and I had no option. I was aware that there was a huge demand for the phone and if I missed the boat by even a day they would be sold out. Finally, yesterday, £9.52 later – I’ve worked out the exact figure for a nice little complaint letter I’m drawing up – I was allowed to order it.
It’s taken 14 phone calls, around an hour of waiting on hold and countless swear words, but it’s arriving tomorrow. The little bugger better be worth it.