I traditionally dislike buying new mobile phones, I find it quite a stressful procedure, and it's one which normally ends up with me feeling like I've had my pants pulled down over the deal I have accepted.
I knew that I had been due a new contract for a while now, but strangely I hadn't had the barrage of phone calls I normally get from phone companies when my contract is running out. So when I found myself in Cardiff centre with a few hours to kill I thought there would be no better time to sort myself with a new phone and contract.
I'd needed a new mobile phone for some time now in truth, in fact I'd needed one about for about 17 months after I had dropped the last one and cracked the screen in the process having owned it for just 4 weeks. Normally when phones are dropped nothing happens to them, they are at worst scratched and you give a sigh of relief and vow to be more careful with it. Not on that occasion though, the glass screen was cracked in three places, but fuck it, I was pissed and it didn't matter as I had taken insurance out on it anyway. Well, I thought i did - I hadn't. Dickhead.
So with my usual scepticism I wandered into the 'Orange' shop, wondering what sort of deal I would come out with in about an hours time. Would I, like the previous few times I had bought a new phone, show it phone to my friends a few days later only to find I was paying twice as much for a phone half as good? Probably.
But to my surprise and with much relief I walked out just 10 minutes later having easily struck up a new deal. The phone I chose was a Samsung galaxy S19000 (based on a quick conversation with Bec's boyfriend Marc), and with it I got what seemed like a fair enough deal and it didn't feel like I had been at all ripped off, or taken advantage of - result. I left the building feeling more happy that it had been an easy 10 minutes or so than I was to pick up a state of the arts mobile phone.
But it wasn't my new phone/contract combination I was thinking about, but the way I was spoken to by the lad who sold me the deal. It wasn't that he was rude to me, or offensive, it's just the manner was, well, different.
After queueing for a couple of minutes I explained to the lad I was due a new contract but no-one had phoned me. 'Don't do that any more, what phone do you want?', 'dunno, Samsung Galaxy? (recalling conversation with Marc) how much will it cost though?' 'up to you, how much do you want to pay.' This seemed too easy, 'erm, £20?' 'ok well take a seat, I'll be over in 2 mins,' shit, why didn't I say a fiver?
This process was new to me, on every other occasion I bought a new phone it had been a case of being offered a phone and a contract and me just accepting it for the sake of it, but was I getting reward for loyalty? did it flash up as VALUED CUSTOMER when they typed my details on the computer I wondered? Possibly.
So he came over with said phone and whilst I had a 'play' with it he informed me it was quicker than the Iphone and that the screen wouldn't scratch even if you put a key on it, fascinating stuff and then he casually said 'you don't give a shit do you?' as if we had been best mates for 15 years. It threw me to be honest and although he had quite correctly observed I didn't give a shit it didn't detract from the fact I was actually a customer. I wasn't bothered, it didn't offend me, it was just odd, a different way of customer service I suppose, I guess he didn't speak to all his potential customers like that, I wish I could, perhaps I will.
In the next few minutes he twice repeated his remark about me not giving a shit, it felt as if he was trying too hard trying not to look like he cared if he got a sale or not. I was going to go with the deal no matter what he told me anyway, I just wanted to get away from the place. I didn't give a shit.
So there it is, I got a new phone. I don't love my phone, I'm not that shallow and don't believe you should become too attached to an inanimate object (unless it's a guitar) but I'll be honest, it is quite sexy, for a phone anyway.
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