Or be careful what you wish for
When we last left our hero he was embroiled in a battle to unlock
his phone and get decent cell service from his provider Freedom Mobile.
Much later than the promised (but not expected) 10 days
later, someone did get back to me and the gist of the communication was that I
needed to go to one of their stores and their tech support could help with the
unlocking.
I wentThey couldn’t
In fact they said I had to go to their store
in another city. Only 20 or 30 minutes away but another city all the same.
I
went
The tech guy said he couldn’t do it due to confidentiality and security reasons
but he could tell me how to get the information I needed and then I could
unlock the phone myself.
At this point I forget all the convoluted steps he said I had to do to open the secret specific hidden screen on my phone. It may have involved a bag full of chicken feathers and standing on one leg.
I have the bag of feathers but my
balance is not so good so I just Googled YouTube for instructions on how to get
to the secret specific hidden screen. Two minutes later I was the proud owner
of my own unlocked phone. The service was still lousy but it was unlocked and
lousy.
Back to the coverage issue
Tenacious as I was in unlocking the phone, I decided to let
things slide for a while. Then I heard that there was a 700MHz band that some
cell providers have.
This band, for some reason, can penetrate trees, walls and
neighbours more easily than whatever Freedom is using so I inquired of their
helpdesk if and when they would be using that band. Their answer was a less
than satisfying, “We don’t know”
I was seriously thinking that I would start looking at which
of the mobile providers was the lesser of several evils when my phone rang. At
my home
I checked the cell towers with an app called OpenSignal.
There was a new tower near my home.
Not only could I now hear from recruiters but I
could order pizza without walking to the field across the street.
The end of my cell phone woes?
Remember the beginning of this post when I said be careful
what you wish for?
I am receiving calls. According to one caller, if I don’t contact
a certain number within a short time, Revenue Canada will issue a warrant for
my arrest. I talked to the real Revenue Canada. They said they couldn’t be
bothered. Not sure if I am relieved or insulted.
The other call I get might be in Mandarin. I recorded the
lady who calls and talks to me in Chinese, ran it through Google Translate and
I may be in trouble with the Chinese Embassy. Or there is a two for one on
General Tao Chicken. I’m hoping for the latter.
After all that a drink might be in order. I'm more of a Bacardi guy but...
This Might Be Wine
