Despite the obscure Otis Redding song reference in my post title today (I love Otis Redding), I'm none too please right about now. Don't worry - I'm not going to rant about how we're all trapped in our roles in society or about how we're all stuck in the rut of our daily lives; we're all where we want to be or else we'd change, right? (Thanks to my favorite mentor teacher who taught me that lesson almost 20 years ago.) I'll make this short and sweet: I'm pissed off at Verizon, and the problem is I don't know if I want to change.
We bought our son a new smartphone when he started high school last month and just got our updated bill in the mail. We're paying $285! That's up over $100 from what we were paying monthly before the purchase. Sure, we have four lines (three smartphones - and mine is an outdated piece of crap, by the way), but this seems outrageous (isn't that a Seinfeld quote, Mike?). Our wireless service is now costing as much as our electricity, gas, and water bills combined. What exactly are these smartphones doing for us anyway? Have they become more important to us than the most necessary of basic needs? Clearly. My fear is that if I change providers, I'll lose the excellent coverage that I get with Verizon. We hardly ever drop calls and rarely find ourselves in a mobile dead zone. Looks like Verizon has us by the proverbial balls and knows it! If I threaten to leave, they'll probably scoff without even a departing "it's been nice knowing you these last 10+ years."
This is just another example of how corporate America is anally raping the average middle class consumer. Unfortunately, I don't feel competent enough to argue politics or even to defend my rather helpless position. All I get to say is that I'm pissed off and live with it. Author Chad Kultgen wrote that the worst thing about getting old isn't the getting old part. It's accepting it. I guess the same rule applies here. Thank you for fucking me up the ass, Verizon. Give me some advance notice next time so I can least provide the lube.
One huge thing with these companies is the damned contracts that they tie you into. I know that sprint's contract can extend with the loss/addition of phones and that if you back out of an ongoing contract there can be penalties. I felt that the last paragraph was a little graphic, but it really does drive the point home.
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