The day my BB broke...(or the day the law of sod descended on me)

Pathetic, isn't it...I mean I remember life before I had a mobile phone and life still happened.  But today my BB got knocked out of my hand in the supermarket and it broke and to be honest I have practically had a nervous breakdown.

I once thought I'd lost my phone and my OH's reaction was "oh well, it's gone, never mind".  He learnt his lesson in saying this kind of idiotic thing when I started having a panic attack and screaming in the car.  Today he was sympathetic, tried to assist and understood the problem.  But unfortunately he could not fix my Blackberry.

My life is on that thing.  As a mum with 2 children and a job my life is organised through that phone.  I manage work when I'm not in the office.  When I'm at work and there's a problem with childcare I can organise solving the problem from it.  I use it to look up stuff on the internet, to find directions, to tweet, to check arrangements and my husband and I have our calendars co-ordinated through google calendar so my life is mapped out on my phone.  Not to mention the fact that all my contacts are on there.

Utterly, utterly stupidly I had not backed it up.  You cannot say anything to me about this that I have not said to myself.  If something's that important why in the world would you not.  Lesson learned on that front.

So having tried to sort the thing out I tried to use an old Blackberry and couldn't get that to work either.  So time for some expert help.  I rang O2 who said not a lot we can do, take it to a store and they'll charge you to repair it because you don't have our insurance (I have a policy of never taking out those insurances as I work on the basis you'll lose out sometimes but mainly you'll pay and never use it).

So off I went to find an O2 store.  Nice way to spend a Saturday.  Not.  I got to the town and found a car park.  It was pay and display and I had only bronze coins in my purse.  I did keep change in the car but used it all up and didn't replace it.  Apparently you could pay by phone for the parking but MY BLOODY PHONE WAS WHAT I HAD COME TO FIX.  Grrrrrr.

So I drove off and found a garage and paid £1.92 to get money out of my account (I never use cash machines that charge either).  This was once I had got in the bloody garage it was so busy and the woman in front of me would not move forward a fraction so I could turn in.  Once I had money I got change (top tip here if you need change at a garage don't buy orange and lime tic tacs - they're disgusting).

Went back to the car park and finally paid to park feeling somewhat fed up and stressed.  Got to the O2 store and the illiterate, inarticulate yoof in the store basically said I can't do anything.  If we send it away to be repaired it'll take 14 days (cue hyperventilating in the store) and we'll charge you.  OK I said I'm on a 24 month contract and it's only got 5 months left to run, can I get an early upgrade?  We can't sort that out.  I'm sorry I thought I was an O2 customer in an O2 store.  Yes but you have to ring them.  Why can't you ring them.  OK I'll ring them.  But even if they'll upgrade you we can't give you a phone now because our stock wouldn't balance. At this point he looks at me like I know what'll happen if their stock doesn't balance and how awful it will be.  I don't actually give a shit if their stock never balances.

So he rings them and mumbles down the phone and tells me they won't upgrade me.  At this point it is clear I am going to get no help whatsoever.  So I leave.  But not before I've pointed out that I've been an O2 customer for over 10 years and their customer service is shocking.  He says "10 years, wow" and looks utterly amazed.  Presumably because 10 years ago he was only a foetus or something.

So I go out to the guys on the mobile phone stall who tell me that I need a new screen and they can do it in 30 minutes for £45.  This is my only option and I take it.  Bastard phone companies I think can the day get any worse?  Then as I wander along to get a coffee I come face to face with a giant poster of Justin Bieber.  So the answer to the earlier question is yes much worse.  Anyone who follows me on twitter will know I think Justin Bieber is an odious little shit and I try to avoid any contact with him.  This includes watching adverts on the TV, hearing his music and coming face to face with massive bloody posters.

My phone is then fixed but it's not my phone any more.  The icons are different and I've lost all my downloads and it's in a different order and well I just don't like change.  Least of all with my most important bit of kit.  I am slowly putting it back the way I like it as much as I can.

So what have I learnt from today:

1.  I am addicted to my phone.
2. I need to regularly back up my phone.
3. I must stop spending the change I keep in the car and not replacing it.
4. Lime and orange tic tacs are disgusting and to be avoided.
5.  O2 have shit customer service and I should really register my protest and move when my contract is up.
6.  This kind of day is exactly why I am a drinker of alcohol.