Update & Fiddy Followers= Huzzah!!

Hey Dolls!

Ooh, I reached 50 followers! Woo to the Hoo… You know what that means? Giveaway time! Yay!

I have been accumulating gifts for ages. Yay! I will gather it all together and host the giveaway very soon!

iPhone Update

Well, last Thursday, I got all dolled up in the hope of scoring myself a nice geek genius that I could seduce charm to fix my phone for free. Imagine my surprise when I was introduced to my female genius. Craps. My plan was foiled. Damn you Apple.

Just prior to my genius appointment, I tried to back up to iCloud again, and it just wasn’t working… Someone on a forum said I should delete some videos, as they use up a lot of space… I did what was advised because at this stage my most important stuff was backed up on my computer, I just wanted a quick fix in the meantime… delete, delete, delete. Yes, I did have some minor heart palpitations, but I hushed myself because it was all on my computer. I was then able to back up to iCloud in all of 5 minutes (versus hours upon hours, only for the backup to eventually fail anyway). Things were finally looking up, I thought.

My Lady-Genius was very sympathetic  and I got a lot of understanding ‘aww’s and even a ‘how annoying’ at how close to being under warranty I was, but needless to say, no free fix for me. I was told I would have to pay $179 for a refurbished phone… and also lose a majority of my stuff due to my phone being unable to be properly backed up. Thanks iCloud, thanks broken computer… Thanks BFF who asked ‘did you back up?’ OBVIOUSLY NOT. And I kind of thought having my iPhone backed up onto my computer and then technically vice versa (computer back up on phone) was enough. What were the chances of them both failing on me at the same time? Grrrr.

I told the Lady-Genius I didn’t want to go ahead with the $179 refurbished phone yet as I might as well try backing up my phone properly, instead of losing it all- Well, mainly my music which couldn’t be backed up on iCloud or my deleted videos- Especially considering the $179 price doesn’t change the further out of warranty I become, so no rush…  The Lady-Genius somehow magically put this circle thing on my screen (pic below) that I can move around to where it suits me, and when I click it up comes a shortcut to lock my phone, so I wouldn’t have to worry about pocket dialling anyone. At least my trip to Chaddy wasn’t in vain.

See the circle thing in the top right corner? Magic. 

But then I decided the top corner wasn't so handy, as it interfered with some buttons.. So I moved it a little lower. 

This are the optios that come up when you click on this magical dot.

And when you select "devices" VOILA you can lock the screen. 

I have no idea how to get rid of the Magical little Dot, nor do I know what any of the other things do, but that's okay. I like it.

Next up, in the Great Tech Failure of May 2012, we jump to to me calling the unbelievably incompetent computer techs who I have engaged to give me a quote for insurance purposes on my pretty little laptop, who told me my hard drive was damaged. &%%#$! Nooooooo!! That was my back up!!!

Turns out they may (hopefully) have been trying to sucker me in for a data recovery job ($99 charge)… which I am NOT falling for. I have told them at least 15 times that this quote is for insurance purposes… As in to prove that the cost of repair is more than the cost to replace, which is massive derrr factor, really, in this throw away society we live in. That’s all I want. A report.

I have been getting the run-around from them.

Firstly, my laptop has been with them for a week. How long does it take to give me a quote?! I finally I spoke to a half decent tech, who divulged to me that they were short staffed and as a result had double the workload at the moment… Okay, but how about you just tell the customer that?! I was getting worried over nothing. Then he told me someone would call me the next morning. Nothing.

So I call them at 1pm to get told someone was ‘just about to’ call me. My Aunt Fanny they were! He gives me a verbal quote and takes my email address to send me a PDF of the report (“right away”) and I ask when I get pick up my laptop… “Oh you want that back? I’ll have to put it back together then… It’s in pieces’ Urgh, of course I want it back, it has my hard drive- aka my personal info! Grrr. He said he would call when it was ready.

Guess what never came? The report. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and restrained myself from calling until 4:45pm (3+ hours later)… Only to be told by another tech that the first tech had gotten the email wrong. Not the hard bit, like my name, which has double O’s, a set of double T’s and even double U’s (as in “w” haha) … but the yahoo.com.au part. WTF?! That’s incompetence, if you ask me! A computer tech that has never heard of yahoo.com.au or at least yahoo.com?! Hmm.

Anyway… I get the report about 5 mins after I corrected the email. The repairs come to $1,151.04… As if anyone would be getting the laptop repaired when you can buy one for less. Ha. The tech that sent that report knew that it was for insurance purposes, even though I had already told the person I had originally given it to and every other tech I had spoken to since then.

Fast forward to another email I received this morning, containing yet another report, but this time for $1,332.46. Huh? Whatever. I didn’t bother emailing to say I had already received a quote that would just confuse them more; I just asked if my laptop was ready to be collected. His response? “So, I take it you’re not going ahead with the repair then?”… Ummm, who in their right mind would?? And for the hundredth time it is a quote for insurance purposes!!!!!!! Even if there was no insurance involved I wouldn't be spending that much on repairs when I could get 2.5 laptops for the same price… Only newer. Eugh!

Anyway, I finally got an email just now saying she has been Humpty Dumpty’d- aka- put back together again- and I can collect her. Why do I want to collect a broken laptop so badly? Well, as I said it has my stuff on it. I want my stuff. It may also still contain my iPhone back up and all my music, my photos and my videos. My BF can take my hard drive out and put it in this nifty enclosure I got off eBay and I can use it in the future as an external hard drive- cos you can believe I will triple backing everything up in the future.

A massive $8!

In short, this computer repair place has a case of the old ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ syndrome… That must be why I couldn’t get a straight answer out of anyone and also why I received 2 different quotes and also why I had to repeat everything 8,000 times. Short staffed or not, if there is no communication between techs y’all are going to end up doubling up, that’s why there’s twice the workload, not due to lack of staff. I spoke to 4 different techs… and got about 10 different answers.  *raises eyebrow*

Anyway, wish me luck that the insurance company pays me some serious moolah so I can get a new lappy. I have never wanted/needed to use a computer at home so badly. Haha.

Oh yeh and re: my iPhone. Adios $179 refurbished offer. I went in search of one of those predominately Asian run kiosk repair things in the city last Friday after workies… First place said they wouldn’t do it, because they give out warranties on their repairs and the iPhone 4 is notorious for having the power/sleep button go bust again and again. Great, I thought. I’m doomed!

So, I go to another one and was quoted $99 and I would have to wait 2 hours… Hmm $99 is kind of steep and considering the other place told me it would properly happen again, I was little unsure. My BF suggested I get one more quote so off I went. I had already exhausted the 2 places I actually knew of, but I figured I’d find somewhere in China Town to do it. I finally did and was told it could be fixed for $65 and within the hour. Done, my friend, done.

 It was so weird leaving my phone with a complete stranger in the city… Like I literally handed him the phone, got nothing in return (no receipt or whatever) and he told me I had to be back before he closed at 7pm. It was 6:15 at the time. Eeek, pressure. It wasn’t until I walked away that I realised how nakie I felt and that I didn’t have a watch and no way to tell the time. I was really worried I was going to miss my deadline. I kept asking strangers what time it was to keep abreast of my situation. Haha. Anyway, I handed over the $65 and was told he did [insert tech mumbo jumbo] and that it wouldn’t break again. Yay. I saved myself $114. I wish I hadn’t deleted all of my videos and whatnot, as there was really no need in the end. Thank you, random kiosk man! I had kind of given up hope on Apple and was really dismayed that I was going to lose my music, that iCloud only backs up *some* stuff and that I didn’t get my phone fixed a mere 20 days out of warranty. I even had a look a the new HTC one x (hate the name)

Truth be told, I am still kind of interested in it. You have so much more control over non-apple phones… But I have nearly 300 apps on my iPhone, what would happen to them? I can’t just abandon them *sad face*

♡Missy