Archive for category Free
Positive Verizon customer service
Posted by WoB in Free, Spending Money, Technology on July 31, 2009
I went to the local mall to buy an over-researched replacement for my old mobile phone. I wound up getting the Verizon enV Touch, which I recommend to anyone who doesn’t want to pay for the Blackberry data package. It is an unbelievable phone that does just about everything that a Smartphone can do. Anyways…
While at the counter waiting for her to ring me out, the lady and I were talking and somehow we got to what phone my wife had. As soon as I told her which phone, she asked is she was having problems with it. I told her that she had been having a few problems with the touch screen and she said that it was a rather common problem. She offered up that if my wife were to come in and explain that to the service department, they would offer her either new firmware, or a replacement to a newer version of the phone. I asked her when the cutoff time would be for them to offer her a new phone and she told me that if she didn’t report the problem by the time the 1 year warrantee ran out, then we’d be out of luck. That deadline is the middle of September.
I thought that was great. My wife had been dealing with the phone for almost a year, having difficulty pushing buttons on a particular section of the screen. She wasn’t making a big deal about it, but I tried to use it a few times and got really frustrated.
She was at the mall at the time and when she wandered back in, I told her to bring the phone to the service counter and ask for the upgraded software. I figured that that might be enough, and if it wasn’t, we could always go back in and trade it in for the newer model in a month or so.
As of right now, she has decided to go back in and get the replacement phone. There was a giant difference between the old and new software, but it still has issues.
I figured that she might as well get as much time out of her old phone as she could before trading it in for the new one. So if anyone has the Samsung Glide, go to Verizon and get a replacement or if it has been a year, at least get the software upgrade. It adds some cool features that I feel you are missing out on.
I’ll post again if she is unable to get the new phone for free, and the article will not be as upbeat.
Best use of an hour
So you’re sitting down reading these words that I put together. Seems like a nice relaxing thing to do, but could there be a better use of this time?
If this article prompts you to spend one of the most beneficial hours you’ve ever had, then no. There are only four things that you will do in this hour. Give it a try.
1) Organize your important papers. Things like deeds, mortgages, leases, life insurance details, warrantees and other things. Put them all in one place and anything new that comes in should be put there directly.
2) Start a tax folder. You need your W2, and you won’t get that until January or February, but there are things that should go together to help you get organized for when you do your taxes. Things like the tax preparer’s bill from last year, educational expenses, and receipts from the home depot. With all of these things together in one folder or box, it’ll be much easier to find a spot to put these types of things when you get them. Here is a more complete list if you need one.
3) Start using bill pay at your bank. For more on this check here.
4) Set up a budget. For more on this check here.
OK, so it might have taken you an hour and ten minutes, but I promise that you will be much more prepared for the future. If you haven’t started this list yet, do it. Don’t hesitate.
Free weekend activities
The art of living below your means gets a lot easier if you are able to find things that you like to do that don’t cost money.
The people at The Simple Dollar have a great list that you should really read through. Some of them are not for me but a few of them are great ideas. They are things that they recommend doing during “money free weekends” which seems like a pretty cool idea. They aim to set aside a weekend or two a month that costs nothing.
In order to start a money free activity, a friend and I have started a weekly softball game. We meet at 2pm every Sunday and play softball for a few hours. I have started a website for it that you can check out here. It has been great. We’ve had a game every Sunday for over two months and we’ve had a great turnout. Each week we’ve had between 18 and 25 people get in on the fun. If you’re not in the area, start one up.
The best way to get one started is to get a bunch of friends that want to play and post it on craigslist.org for a few more. It is a great way to get outside and get some people together. You even get a small amount of exercise, especially if you get solid hits.