cinco de phono

So, I did it. I have a new mobile phone. My fifth one ever. In about nineteen years.

I am very excited. But I know I will be very frustrating too.

Moving all my phone numbers and other data and whatnot. Getting the apps I want to use on it. It will take me days.

It is a LG G5, my third LG phone.

When I finally got back to home base, I still took the old gal for a spin on the hike. It has the Google My Tracks app. It no longer exists. (Put it in "H"!)

So, I need to find a new tracking app that I will like for this new beast. I need to get a new pouch probably too. It is larger than the last phone.

What sucks, is that it uses the USB-C plug. The battery packs I bought to charge the old phone in the field use the USB-mini. I have tons of USB-mini cables. Being a cheapskate, I do not want to buy any extra cables. I will have no choice though, as I need one in the truck as well. So, a, hopefully, small expense.

Anyway, how ended up with the phone was pretty sweet.

I got an email from Costco yesterday with one of their mobile phone deals. I looked at it more closely this time. Two-year plan and free phone. Yeah, yeah. There is always a catch. I checked out Bell's website. Similar deal. Still, I know there is a catch.

I knew my phone needed replacing. It has been getting wonkier and wonkier in the last couple of weeks. Today, it ran down to 9% charge over about four hours for no known reason.

I resolved to take a look and see what the catch was. I went to Costco and a nice young lad, who knew his stuff, did the math for me. I would need to upgrade my plan, which I do not need to do for my usage. How much? From about $55.00 to about $90.00. Well, over the time of the contract, I would end up paying more for the phone than if I bought it outright. So, no go. I knew Bell would not do any better either.

Well, I decided to go to another supplier/dealer. I will not name the young man at the counter, I do not know him from Adam. Nor do I want to name the dealer, as the deal is actually way too good to be true, but it is true. I want to make sure this guy does not catch any hell for helping me out.

So, at first, he pretty much lines up the same deal Costco had. I tell him I am a cheapskate, yada, yada. I am about to leave and he asks me to wait a few minutes. He may be able to work out something better. Sure, why not? I have some time to see if he can give me something I want to pay.

After about fifteen minutes, he gets very excited. He tells me he has worked some stuff out, added some promotion codes, forced some other stuff. Good news? Yes, sir!

So, in the end, I am paying about $56.00 a month. Pretty good. An extra dollar. I can live with that surely. How much is the phone. Well, sir, it's free. Pardon? Free? Okay, how did you do that? I don't like Bell and I know my stuff. Well, I am not a great and dear fan of Bell either, and you certainly know your stuff. The Source of his knowledge on how it all works is phenomenal.

Then a pause and a look. Yeeeessss? There is one catch. Okay, there always is; what is it? You need to pay a $15.00 setup fee. Is that it? Yup. Okay; so an extra buck a month for two years, really, nothing in the end; but $15.00 to get an $800.00 phone? Yes, sir. Okay I can live with that. Ring it up! Well, how it actually works is that your current billing cycle is terminated as of now and billed out and the setup charge is added; then your new billing cycle starts right a way for the new plan. So, how much today? Nothing!

Well, is that not sweet? I thank him and his cohort behind the counter and shake hands and on my merry way I go.

Not bad, not bad at all. 

Now I just need to put all my stuff in this new phone. There is the catch! The price to be paid! The frustration of setting up a new phone. At least with this new Android OS, I can back up my phone on to the Cloud and supposedly drop it on to another device when I need too.

So, some time and effort finding the right place and fifteen bucks has sent on my way to a less frustrating mobile experience. (After setting the phone up to do what I want it to.) As a cheapskate, I can live with that.