A Moment in My Life – Friday, January 22, 2021
“About time.” That’s all I can say once I finally got off the dime to take action. I know that most people wouldn’t have put up with as much as I did, but my motto has always been I won’t replace it unless I have to. That especially goes for my iPhone 6, which I’ve owned for just over five years. I would never have spent the kind of money that I did on this baby. Since I did, I’m not replacing her! I don’t have a contract with some phone vendor to earn me a free phone with their hefty monthly service fees. I paid for my iPhone outright, which means I won’t follow everybody else when they graduate to the next incremental upgrade.
I remember probably two years into my ownership, and the battery began slipping. During my third year, my cousin, Lena, told me she had her iPhone 6 battery replaced. I attempted to do the same, but my battery was holding >80% charge at that time. To replace the battery, I needed <80%. I wasn’t happy about it, but I made do. What choice did I have?
My battery finally slipped below 80%, but it wasn’t an essential task in the pandemic, so I held off. Somewhere along the way, it dropped down to 72%, where it no longer held a charge longer than half an hour. My phone spent most of the time plugged in charging, escalating this into high priority.
On Sunday afternoon, I drove to Best Buy in Colma and got into the not-too-long line to enter. Ten minutes later, I stood in the customer service line behind one customer at the window and another in line. Ten minutes later, a rep opened a new window and advanced the line. Five long minutes later, with no movement ahead, the rep stocking beverages next to where I stood in line stopped what he was doing, stood up, turned to me for some reason, and asked, “Can I help you with something?” I told him I needed a phone battery replacement, and he said, “Oh, you need Geek Squad,” and pointed to the department next door.
I thanked him and joyfully moved over to the Geek Squad Department. I repeated what I needed to the rep standing up. She asked if I had an appointment. I said, “No, I don’t. Do I need one?” and she answered yes. I stared at her before glancing at the two reps seated nearby behind the plexiglass doing nothing. I glanced behind me—nobody in line. There hadn’t been any activity in this department the whole time I stood in the customer service line. Whatever. I accepted the first available appointment for Wednesday at 2 pm.
I arrived at Best Buy at 1:57 for my 2 pm appointment on Wednesday. No line anywhere today. As soon as I arrived at Geek Squad, a rep approached me and began filling in my battery replacement paperwork. It took her 25 minutes. She had me pay and sign the paperwork and said my phone should be ready in four hours. Four hours? It takes that long to replace the battery? Good thing I didn’t buy a do-it-yourself-kit now.
About four hours later, she called my landline with the ready-to-pick-up notice. I raced right over. I had my phone in hand within five minutes of arrival. On my way out the exit, a rep pulled down the gate to the entrance. Good thing I didn’t dawdle. I was lost without my cell all afternoon. The old battery lasted over five years. Hopefully, the new battery will last as long. It’s so cool. It feels like a brand-new phone since mine is now as good as new.
