Some month #3

Last month, after a couple weeks putting up with my broken, barely functional Treo, I bought a Motorola Q. I like this phone much better. It has many more and better features, has better call quality, and most importantly, all the buttons work. The only caveat is the low battery life, which can be resolved by upgrading to an extended life battery.

I had a heck of a time activating the phone with Alltel though. Last year, when I activated the Treo, I didn't have much trouble at all. I couldn't activate the phone at the store because they told me I needed a data plan. So I activated the Treo over the phone, no problem. They mentioned that a data plan is not required - just recommended.

So this time, I didn't expect to have any trouble activating the Q over the phone. However, having a data plan is now "required," no exceptions. Apparently they "changed their internal policy" a few months ago. (Thanks for telling us about it).

I didn't want the data plan. I rarely send text messages, and I don't need internet on my phone because I'm almost always near a computer. The customer service rep refused to activate the phone. I asked to talk with the manager and threatened to cancel my service. The guy wouldn't budge.

I hung up on the rep and wasn't sure what I was going to do next. Heather told me I should call back and get someone else, but this time, just tell them I needed to "transfer my service" from one phone to another. So I called back, told the different story, and my phone was activated, no questions asked.