New Zealand Travel Diary, Entry #4
Anxiety can change your perception and experience more than you think they do. I was trying to get my phone unlocked through T-mobile since I want to use it in New Zealand. Most telecom carriers lock phones purchased through their contract so that it can only be used through their networks. (It's so unfair, I know).
To get it unlocked, I called T-mobile customer service and was assured a code in my email within 24 hours. Surprisingly, the email contained a blank where a code was supposed to be. From New Zealand, I called T-mobile customer service to tell them about the error they had made. It turned out that since my name was not on the primary user account, the primary user had to call them and have them add my name. Only then could they issue me an unlock code. Such a bummer. Who can beat their bureaucracy?
After doing all they said had to be done, T-mobile sent me a code finally. I tried it in my phone but it didn't work. Arrggh!! They just don't want us to have the code or use their phone outside their coverage area. Why don't they just say that instead of wasting all of our time? I called them several times again but i could not connect and the message was always that customer representatives were busy or that it was not their hour of operation. This frustration totally spoiled my day. It rained almost all day yesterday and I didn't have an umbrella. (My fault, totally). Instead of having a waterproof jacket (which almost everyone does because it rains a lot here), I was wearing a semi-dry jacket since my clothes had not dried from the other day. (Read about laundry nightmare in Entry #3).
Good news. I was able to call T-mobile customer service today and made it clear how frustrated I was and that it was my 10th time I was calling. The person on the other line was very understanding and he successfully assisted me in getting the phone unlocked. Within a few hours, I bought a Vodafone SIM card and now I have a working NZ phone. Yay!! All my friends were like, "Puru, you are being ridiculous! Just get a phone, man!" I knew I eventually would but didn't want to pay extra for another phone. And after I go to Nepal in a few months, I would have to buy another phone.
After getting through this problem, I also went ahead and completed my application for HANZ 18+ card which is an identification for youths above age of 18. The only other acceptable form of identification is our passport. And I don't want to be carrying my passport in every bar, pub or wherever. This success made my day today.
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