It took two years to pay off my Verizon 4G LTE jetpack, and not 3 months later, it’s dead, worth absolutely nothing. (The jetpack doesn’t say where it was made, but I’m guessing China.)
I cannot recharge the battery because the entrance to the plug is broken. Knowing Verizon, I figured they programmed it to break sometime after the contract was up. But the really nice woman behind the Geek Squad counter at Best Buy says that the wearing down of the plug is an issue with cell phones, too. Good to know. But if I had been warned about this problem when I bought the stupid piece of crap, maybe I would have never unplugged it at all. (That’s what I get for trying to save electricity.)
The salesman at the Verizon store said it was physically damaged. I told him this device sits on a table for 24 hours a day — how could it get damaged?
I said it was a manufacturer’s defect. He said he could show me other options. I asked where the closest Comcast store was. Our short conversation ended like this: “Verizon has been fucking me for over two years, but this is the last straw. Have a nice day.”
And because I don’t have a cell phone, I can’t call Verizon and tell them to immediately cancel my account. (And I only have a minute or two of battery life left, and I’m using it to make this post.) Of course, if there’s no activity, I guess that’s the same thing.
The Geek Squad lady said she has Cable One and it’s $100 a month. I said that’s less than what I’m paying Verizon. But she said a new modem was going to be around $100, even though I don’t have to buy a certain brand, like I do for Century Link. She said she has Cable One because of all the problems with Century Link, which I know are legendary. I don’t know if Century Link sucks more than Verizon — perhaps it’s a tie.
We called Cable One from the Geek Squad help desk, but wouldn’t you know, they’re closed for the holiday. She also suggested a repair shop close by, which (wouldn’t you know) is also closed for the holiday.
And now that I’ve had a little more time to think about the situation, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Looking at all my options, perhaps the best one is just to do without the internet for a couple of months. Try to work on a little financial stability. Maybe I can figure out how to connect to a hot spot at my closest Starbucks, so I can occasionally check my email.
I don’t know how long I’ll last without the internet — boredom is my enemy. But you can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip. (And I’m the turnip.)
Today is not only a holiday, it’s my birthday. So Happy Birthday to me. See ya’ll sometime in the future. 🙂
All Things Chronic 