#BlogLife840 - I am buzzing, new Samsung A16 phone incoming :) updated

I am so happy I could do a cartwheel! I'm trying to get things done one by one.

It still seems like there is a lot to do, but the one major thing was getting a new phone and contract as soon as possible.

EE was shafting me on the deals though. I was really annoyed by that, a loyal customer not getting any bargains.

It is ridiculous so as I was on hold waiting to connect, I thought I would be polite but sassy saying EE is not that friendly with upgrades like BT is and they were more prone to good deals.

Well he took mock offence and he said Well you're paying £17, I think it was £19 before but they reduced it.

Anyway I mentioned Samsung phones but not wanting to pay a lot more and he said alright because you're already with us for Broadband, that's a discount for you.

It's going to be a challenge but I'll see what I can do. I had low to zero expectations because every time I called they wanted me to pay double, no way!

Then he didn't mention the A15 and I said wouldn't that be cheaper?

And he said that's now gone, so it's the Samsung A16 and I thought Oh no, that's new, I googlied it and it was released last November.

But then he said Good news, I can give it to you for £20!! Arghh, I know it's not less money but it's not a huge hike either.

Plus he said the yearly cost does not apply or maybe he added it already? I don't know.

Maybe it was £16 before? As that was the charge for the other networks, actually no, that was the A15...

But I know for next year it will be a £4 hike, although who knows maybe another offer will reduce it.

I have no clue but I am over the moon, to finally have a new phone.

I should mention that I did have to pay the delivery fee upfront which was £7 ouch and I did make that sound to him haha.

He said he can't give me a discount and reduce the delivery charge, I mean it is next day tracked but still hefty.

Phones used to be delivered free but it probably took a week lol.

Ha, I want next day and no charge but it is, what it is. I cannot believe for the first time ever, I got to pick colours, it was blue-black yuck, grey, yuck or green yummy.

I just chose the green and he said that was really popular. Why they don't have pink, purple or reds is beyond me.

As though women don't purchase phones pfffft!! I should have asked if it was a smart charge phone.

The rules have changed again, now they send you the contract via a sharing screen and you read and accept it.

Plus they or the courier, dpd, sends a pin and you show that to the delivery person and that's how you get the phone, luckily it's not passports, mines expired.

I used to cover up the date lol. I have to be crafty sometimes. There will be pictures and a review coming or maybe a setup or all of the above..

Sometimes delays turn out to be the best thing, if I had called sooner or upgraded earlier I would have gotten an older phone.

Stress made me wait and because of that I am getting a newer phone, a nicer colour and a cheaper deal.

It was worth the wait. Oh and Mama has begun her holiday abroad, she just texted me, if she had let me know I wouldn't have called her and raised her rates.

I just emailed instead. I don't know what the cost of calling or texting abroad is and I'm trying not to have huge expenses.

Last thing, everything is basically the same. I have a feeling I was getting 6gb of data that I don't use, I have no need for it.

But now I'm getting 5gb it's not significant. I just wanted to mention it.

I only use mobile data for power cuts and outdoor gaming, checking the bus timetables and maybe emails.

I have unlimited wifi at home so need for anything else. It's a nice safety net though for emergencies, in case the router breaks or the laptop dies..

I thought they were going to reduce it to be honest, back ages ago, you were lucky to get even 1gb.

It was horrendously expensive. You know what else is funny? When I won that OnePlus phone and they said pick anyone you want, but be prepared to pay the extra if it's not covered by the £150 I think it was voucher..

I wanted to get that green phone, it was dark green gorgeousness but pricey so no chance.

This green one is light and less pretty. It will be uniqueish though I hope.

Unfortunately a bit bigger too, so even more awkward to hold. He said I should be sent a text with the tracking details which is good as on the website the order page has crashed ugh.

Oh and I had to tell him that I had been trying to upgrade since October and this was the first decent offer I received, he seemed astounded but it's the truth.

EE suck for upgrades unless you have endless patience to hound them for an offer that's semi decent.

Hmm they haven't sent me the pin yet, maybe I am supposed to get it on the day of the delivery or when it's with the courier?

I'm still nervous about this pin code. I've now gotten the 1 hour window from 3.50pm - 4.50pm but no code.

I contacted EE and they said it's nothing to do with them, it's DPD and she gave me the wrong contact number for them.

I tried downloading the app but they have a registration section saying leave the parcel with a neighbour and I don't want to do that, I would never get the phone.

I'm just going to hope that they send it nearer the time. It's only just before 11am now.

The other thing which made me laugh is that they cancelled that complimentary 10% out of contract discount, I was getting every month for some unknown reason.

It makes sense as I have just renewed and then today, they said Oh for staying with us, here's a 10% offer.

Ha, so it's returned the £2 off my bill, I wonder how long it lasts? Instead of paying £20 it should be £18. Strange but helpful.

After all that negotiating and endlessly calling then I did eventually get a double money off multi promotional deal.

I might update this when it's arrived or let you know what happened with the pin drama.

The dpd driver didn't send the pin code, it came just now about 4pmish, 15 minutes earlier than the tracker predicted.

He didn't even ask for the flipping code, goodness me. I was stressing so much he wouldn't hand it over.

But he just said there you go lol. Now there is another issue, I don't know if they craftily charged me for accessories, there is a £25 amount in the invoice.

Sneaky, I will definitely chase that up. I hope not. When I asked him what was included he just said the usb wire, no plug and the phone.

I see a plastic phone cover and this £10 gift voucher for I don't know what.

I'll figure it out later. I even looked for my passport to show him some ID, I was ready to plead.

I was going to show the phone with the texts and the invoice proof but again thankfully, none of that was needed.

Maybe they only make the fuss for the fancy pants phones, like iphones and the newest galaxies...

I just wanted to add to this for a reference when I upgrade again in 2 years.

At least I will know not to panic. I'm definitely ready for a brighter display and better battery life.

I have so many posts stored for later. I'll experiment with the phone a bit and then put a review post out.

It might be next week, I'm not sure.

#BlogLife765 - Thinking of leaving? Upgrade haggle

It's been a productive morning, I got some answers about something I was supposed to do and it turns out, nothing extra was needed ha.

I was so confused and now that is out of the way. Now all that is left to do is to get a decent phone contract deal, yet again.

Unfortunately EE doesn't have a specific retentions path, it's upgrades and retentions.

So I will ask about when my contract is officially up, which should be soon in October and looking at the website Uswitch..

I can see that there are cheaper deals, I don't think they do a price match but it's a good thing to point out.

Vodafone, 02 and 3, plus ID, which runs on 3 are all significantly cheaper than EE's upgrade deals.

Why would I stay? Well personally, I like EE, the network is the smoothest for me in a bad reception area.

But they don't need to know that. I'm supposed to be disgruntled and fed up, which I kinda am.

I wonder if they really talk to their managers for permission to offer a better deal?

He put me on hold for ages. The price does keep dropping but not enough.

I didn't realise my contract isn't officially up yet. It closes on the 24th October.

From googling advice, one option was to say you've found a cheaper deal elsewhere, which I did.

On Uswitch, they were offering £12/13 a month on Vodafone, 3 and 02 was £16 a month.

Plus these were all with no upfront handset costs. He wanted me to pay £50 to get it down to £20 a month??

It doesn't compare. I knew they wouldn't go that low, so I am realistic.

I was hoping it would be knocked down to £17 at least. I said that when my contract ends, what's the procedure to leave?

And he said just request a PAC code, but if you use it before the 24th, you get charged an early cancellation fee.

(Plus using the PAC terminates your contract, which I don't want to do).

So I told him, I would just call back nearer the end of October to do that.

This is the time, they used to call back and offer me a satisfactory price but maybe they don't care about loyalty?

He did seem noticeably disappointed. I really want a new phone already, I've settled on the Samsung A15 in blue.

Oh as a reminder, the price quotes went from £44 to £37 and finally £31.

It's still not anywhere near the amount I'm willing to pay. I was polite but determined to leave.

Unfortunately it seems like I will have to do this sorry dance all over again at the end of the month.

Ugh!! Why can't they just be nice and give me a reasonable contract??

They are just gouging people on prices and they hike the prices up automatically each year anyway, that's another reason I want it as low as possible.

I have 4gb of data I don't use, unlimited calls and texts, which I fluctuate with.

The only reason to be on contract is for the free phones. I refuse to spend a couple hundred pounds on a phone.

Nope! Pay As You Go is a better option but there is no phone attached.

I am going to forget about phones for a while and have breakfast.

#BlogLife734 - Down with naps

It's kinda unusual, every since I've been back home, everyday I've been napping, it's healthy but normally I can't manage it.

Plus I've been sleeping fairly well. Today I was up early to get the groceries though and I still just woke up from a glorious nap.

I got something different the 7 days chocolate croissant. It doesn't really look like one but it's generous with the filling and it's a better standard of chocolate from the bland supermarkets.

I'm not sure I would get it again. If they had the almond croissant one, most certainly I would. I generally prefer croissants with cheese as a savoury snack, maybe that's what it is.

I feel horribly bloated and sicky. I'm surprised I haven't started the monthly yet.

I got that mini cheese and onion flatbread pizza again. I missed that, lush.

Hmm that's a bit weird. I just checked my phone, it was on silent and there was a text and missed call..

From whom? Supposedly EE, but it wasn't from the sister company, it was from the local store.

I don't think I have ever encountered that before in my life. They claim to have an offer, tailor made for me.

You would think they would co-ordinate, knowing that I'm due to be called next month anyway for an upgrade offer.

I wonder if it's legitimate and I wonder if the deal is any better. I'm curious but hesitant to call back, in case it's a scam..

I guess everyone is being cutthroat and trying to make their quota..

I can't respond to the text, so the number is probably only incoming also..

Yep it is, I checked the official notice board and it is genuine. Maybe they will call back at some point.

I feel a bit guilty listening to other offers but if I can save money and get a good deal, then it's worth it.

Ooh I wonder if the local stores would have the OnePlus phones...

I wonder if they would charge for delivery? Or offer any extras. I did previously used to upgrade in person and sometimes do the trade ins..

But then, they stopped being helpful and only gave rubbish deals, plus pushed the insurance, so you felt obligated to get it.

Maybe times have changed? They could be back to being generous again??

Oh I did see another top to buy, this one looks more looser and flowy.

It says the shade is black but it looks more reddy purply. It was £15 on Amazon but the delivery is long, not until 2 weeks time.

At least the postage was free though. I don't even know if it will fit.

#BlogLife730 - New accessible moi

Song of the day - Ghost Town DJ's - My Boo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4kx_Gqbg5Y&list=WL&index=62

My hair grew out again, so I just cut it short. I hated that it was heating up my neck during this horrid heatwave.

I feel more put together now. No contact from my Optician so still struggling with my eyesight, ugh.

I just washed my hair and keep forgetting to use the hair oil at Mama's but at least I look neater again.

I knew I was due to upgrade from EE at the end of the year but I wasn't sure exactly when so thought while I'm up early I would call up.

She was really helpful, the representative, at first I thought they had scrapped the customer service as it was texting, but then there was a link and maybe within 10 minutes they answered.

Anyway she said my broadband was out of contract and wanted me to switch over to EE as it's still officially with BT even though they claim to have merged.

Pfft but apparently my broadband isn't fast enough for them ha.

I don't care as long as it works, it's fine for me, except during stormy weather when it breaks up a lot.

She renewed it and gave me a discount which I typically get at this time.

It's not much but I'm happy to be saving a fiver, each month. As for the mobile, at the moment it's just under £19.

Hmm didn't realise it was that much but I guess it's alright. I just am not prepared to pay anything higher.

She said officially my upgrade is October but I could do it early with no cost.

But the lowest quote she gave was £44 and I thought, there is no way I am paying double the amount, nopity nope.

She recommended two phones, the Samsung A15 and the AO5s.

I have to say she was pretty thorough and patient with the questions I had.

I forgot to ask her what colours they came in, typically it's boring black.

Pity they didn't seem to have the OnePlus phones, like last time.

Anyway after deliberating she said the A15 was more suitable for me.

And I typically never have a phone in mine. I would rather not pay towards a new handset.

In the end she said, I should wait until the 24th September where I would have more options and flexibility and she could help me more.

So that's what is supposed to happen, a callback. I don't have much luck with those but I'll give her a chance.

I don't actually need a new phone but free is free and I will take full advantage, where possible.

I should sell the old phones but I can't be bothered.

#BlogLife414 - Mademoiselle speaker over to you...

Today wasn't as hectic maybe because I was up earlier and got a jump start, no naps sadly but maybe it's just as well, that it is helping me to tire out earlier.

I had time so I just finished charging the new speaker in flashy red.

It's called the Braven mini and it supposedly had 1900mah battery life, equal to 12 hours of playback and Bluetooth version 5.0 but it's not confirmed, it isn't stated anywhere that I could see.

First I had fun trying to locate where to put the usb c wire inside to charge it, you peel back a tab and it's hidden there at the base.

A red light came on but I wasn't sure if that mean't it was dead or charged but a few hours later, the light came off.

Hmm that was a slow charge!! I do love the reddy/plum colour though.

Alright just paired it with the laptop, the pairing name is BRV Mini and it was all set.

It has this funnily lil musical number when it's switched on and connecting, makes me laugh.

It is loud!! Whoa!! I'm satisfied, I got it as my laptop speakers are too low when playing movies with others around, talking, background noises etc.

When it's me by myself they are adequate. It's designed to be used outdoors, that's why it has a long battery life and is quite sturdily built.

I personally just like electronics that last for ages on a single charge. I'll pair it with the phone, just to see if it's just as easy.

Initially there are no problems. I will test it properly when I am away from home and see if it stays on or just randomly switches off, as some bluetooth products like to do grr.

Yikes I had a crazy morning. I wrote this yesterday so it's all a bit, over the place.

Firstly dictator calls when I'm eating breakfast. Finally but I didn't see/hear it because I forgot to put the volume up.

I normally mute it late in the evenings as I don't generally want to be disturbed and especially if I forget to take it off and someone rings while I'm asleep, that irritates me to no end.

I'm not going to call him back, for some reason he never answers when I do anyway so screw that.

It's like he gets offended when I use his personal number, but he's allowed to use mine. Pffft!!!

He has email,text, so when he tries again, I'll be mysteriously available but until then I'll be busy ha..

I'm still not over that.... Being dismissed over being four minutes late bit!!

As I was checking my emails I noticed that EE had said my bill is here and it's been paid.

I always frequently check my bank balance to see if it's normal, as sometimes there are scams or unusual amounts paid out.

If you recall I recently switched from BT to EE and she said my new bill would be £15.30 each month with the complimentary A13 phone.

That was on the 24th October and I got my first proper bill today which had me outraged.

As EE gouged me on delivery costs £7 and then early contract costs, oops actually no, thank goodness I didn't have to pay that.

Which is good as that would have been the first time and EE and BT are supposed to be the same merged company in any case.

What was strange is the doubled amount billing, it was £30.60!!

I immediately thought Oh no, I've been scammed and will be paying twice as much, locked into a contract for 2 years.

Again if I attempted to close my account, they would charge me 2 years worth of payments.

I queued up and waited 5/10 minutes, (always best to call in the mornings) and spoke to a nice operator who explained that the reason it was doubled was it contained 2 months worth of payments.

But from January onwards it would be relegated back to £15.30 which is the strangest thing I've ever heard.

Although she did add, every April it increases by a few pounds. Grr, the cheek!

I joined at the end of October (24th), they should have charged 1 month and a half or just 1 month lol.

But I'm relieved that's just a one off cost and not for the length of the contract, that had me soo worried.

My broadband and landline phone is £30, so altogether it's £45 which isn't that bad.

I was paying £50 and upwards before, which means I'm saving more than I thought.

A nice extra fiver. Oooh I'm excited my Bodycare order with hermes is out for delivery from 3.30pm - 5.30pm.

I can't wait to test, test, test and write reviews next week.