Waiting For The Knock On The Door

Yep, I’m at home on the morning of the 14th of October 2011 and I’m waiting for the knock on the door…from the courier delivering my new iPhone. A few days ago I went online and preordered the new iPhone through the Telstra website in the belief I would be out on the road. Well, I’m home and wishing I had just decided to go to the Telstra shop to get my new phone because there is no guarantee it will be delivered to me today (release day) anyway.

When I purchased my current iPhone, the 3GS, I and one other person showed up at the Telstra shop in Carousel Cannington just before opening time and had our latest and greatest in hand in double quick time. It’s not that I’m impatient to get my hands on it, well ok-just a little, but I want time to set it up and make sure it syncs properly with all of my music and apps intact and to make sure my non-standard data plan transfers across undiminished. More importantly, I need to resize my SIM card to the smaller size used in the 4 and 4S with a device that looks like a stapler. If I stuff this up and damage the SIM card I have to be able to get to a Telstra shop pronto and get a new one-a feat next to impossible if I’m up the road in the truck. That would leave me without a phone, email or podcasts until I got home in five or six days time-hell on earth?

Ok, I can upgrade my 3GS to iOS5 as a consolation prize if the 4S doesn’t show up but I’m not sure some of the apps I use will work with the new OS yet. What I’ve got right now works and I don’t want to break it.

So I sit here twiddling my thumbs. If I go and do some food shopping the courier might turn up while I’m away. Who needs food anyway. If I go into work to wash the truck the courier will definitely turn up. Clean truck or new, shiny iPhone? That’s a hard one!

Cheers, Mike.

What Is It With Bigpond!?

Ever since I bought my Bigpond aircard, so I could access the ‘net with my laptop while I was on the road, I have had trouble viewing my useage on the “My Bigpond” accounts page. For the last few days I have been getting the “Technical Error” page (above), whereas, in the past, the page used to eventually load.
I have tried viewing the page using two different computers on two different internet connections and tried two different browsers on both.
I have tried contacting Bigpond by telephone but I gave up after I became so frustrated with their automated phone system that I nearly threw the phone through an LCD monitor.
I tried their online chat available on the webpage, but after sitting there looking at the screen telling me I was second in the queue and had 11 seconds to wait for about an hour I came to the conclusion that Bigpond doesn’t really give a shit about their customers. Their website seems more geared towards getting new customers, not servicing the needs of existing customers. I mean, the ads on the page load quicker than anything else I’ve seen. I can load overseas websites (constantly refreshed pages-not cached pages) quicker than I can load the Bigpond website using the Bigpond/Telstra network!
Now that Bigpond has introduced shaping for the plan I’m using I don’t have to worry about going over my monthly download limit and getting charged huge excess fees, but, to regulate my useage for the whole month to ensure I don’t end up at 64kbs down speed half way through that month I have to be able to access my useage meter on Bigpond’s site.
I resorted to sending an email complaining about the matter, using a link on their page. I’m not really expecting a reply – given the content of the email (not obscene-just prickly). Probably my email will be “water off a ducks back”, just like everything else “Bigpond” related.

On the edge, Mike.