Read the fine, fine, fine, fine, fine Print!

My wonderful husband just bought me a new cell phone. (yea for me) A cute little pink razor phone. A fancy little contraption with more bells and whistles than I will ever need but the opportunity for my phone to ring the theme song to "Fraggle Rock" makes me smile. I decided against using the text messaging feature (no thank you to your expensive little bundle packages) as I am home more often than not and don't think I would use it.

Ok, I may be the last person on the planet that knew this but just in case you are as obviously technologically incompetent as I just found myself to be, I will let you in on a little business scam....

We buy cell phones.
I say "no we don't want text messaging".
They say "well if you decide that you do, it's ten cents for each message.
I say "Thanks" (I'll probably never use it. I never give it another thought.)
By the time I get home I have received three text messages. The key word here is RECEIVED.
I may not WANT text messaging, I may not SEND any text messages but that does not keep complete strangers from text messaging me.

Here is how it played out.

I call dumb cell phone company.
Incompetent customer service rep tells me "just text them back and tell them not to text you."

"WHAT?!? So now, instead of thirty cents, I will pay sixty?" You see, you are charged when they are sent to you and when you send them out.

"Well yes, that is true."

The conversation goes no where and I hang up in disgust. (By the way, the little filter program they have online does not help with them all.)

I have now received two more text messages. Grrrr.... I am being cell phone spammed!!!!! Is there no justice in this world?!? Ok, calm down.

I call dumb cell phone company back.

They say "well if you want to buy our text message bundle for $4.99 a month for EACH line you can cover yourself.

"HAHAHAHA" I am going to have an accident, laughing in hysterics. "So what your telling me is I either PAY unknown monetary amounts because you have no way of blocking the service on the phone OR I PAY you X amount of dollars a month to protect myself. Either way I have to PAY. How convenient. Isn't that kind of like Blackmail? Is this the Giant T Mafia???

"Sorry, I cant help you. I don't know what to tell you about the filter, you will be charged for each text message you receive or you can buy our bundle for $4.99 a month for 400 text and 400 picture messages. That is all I can do."

We go round and round and I hang up in disgust again.

So there you go, there is no justice in the world. There is no magic fix. They have you over a barrel. Why would you make a phone that cant be disabled for the services that you don't want? I can either pay or take my phone back.

SO, if you are one of those people sitting around sending little spam messages all day long (who are probably members of the T Mafia in disguise whose yearly bonus is based on the number of text messages that the company carries in a year.) with advertisements, bad poetry or stupid jokes to people you don't even know, YOU ARE BAD PEOPLE. BAD, BAD, BAD! Those of us who have tight budgets simply can not afford your inconsiderate habits. Go find something better to do. Go make some friends! Buy a dog.

AND to the little teenager that must have had this phone number before me... "Thanks" you have six messages on my phone. Your friends say "WHUZUP?", "Where ya been bro", "R U in the crib?", "Where the party" (nice grammar by the way) and several other things that I am far to lady like to type but I make the recommendation that you call your lady friend back before she tells all your "buds" some things you probably don't want her to say.

And to the T Mafia... I WON'T be recommending you to ANYONE! ((giant raspberry))