After having a crazy week, and having a penchant for scripted, zombie-like ‘customer service’ personnel, I was forced to ring Verizon Wireless.  Usually, I don’t mind calling them, they have almost always been courteous, prompt, and responsive.  Usually.  But, since I had to return my original [...]]]> I finally had it.  I could not take it anymore.

After having a crazy week, and having a penchant for scripted, zombie-like ‘customer service’ personnel, I was forced to ring Verizon Wireless.  Usually, I don’t mind calling them, they have almost always been courteous, prompt, and responsive.  Usually.  But, since I had to return my original Motorola Droid after having it for a few days (touchscreen had lagging response) after the November launch, it would appear that Verizon was hesitant to sent another one.

Many know that Google’s Android operating system runs on the Motorola Droid.  As such, GMail is completely integrated with the OS and phone.  So, when if I’m not getting notifications of new email, this is a huge problem.  Huge.  I’d already missed countless emails from customers requiring my attention. With a bit of reluctance, I phoned customer service at 7:30pm.

After an unusually long wait time, 15 minutes, I spoke with a very nice lady in customer service.  Gave her the low down with all the phones problems, and most recently how the phone said that the last message I had was from 11:08am.  Utterly impossible.  When I logged in GMail via PC, there were over a dozen message waiting to be read.

Predicatably, she said, “let’s do a soft reboot.”  As we waited for my Droid to power back up, I pointed out to her that while rebooting may fix problem, I’m not going to be spending my day powering my phone on and off to get my emails, what would be the point of having a smartphone in the first place?

Opened GMail, and there, for the first time, it didn’t fix itself.  I reported my findings to her.  I gleefully offered to take my phone, right then and there, to any Verizon Wireless store to ‘prove’ my findings.  She said she would need to transfer me to tech.  Of course.

Off I go.  Wait, I do.  To be required to tell my entire story,yet again.  Sigh.

Mr Tech Guy seemed nice enough.  He read over my account and I recanted my end of this day’s phone issues.  By the end of it, I was exasperated and finished.  I need a working phone.  Must have a working phone.

He said he send one out, right away!  YAY!  Goodbye old phone, hello new DDrrroooiiiidddd.

Check out the whole review of the Audi R8 at CNET.com

it’s starts at a measly $118,000, gets a global warming good 15 miles per gallon (thank god it’s not diesel) with it’s all-wheel drive goodness.  But at least it beat the pants off a damn Landrover Discovery I know (50% better, to be exact)