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jemck at 12:13pm on 26/01/2008
jemck at 12:13pm on 26/01/2008Younger son came home on Thursday very despondent. Somewhere between last lesson and getting home, he'd lost his new-for-Christmas-very-first mobile phone. Ah well, given the chances of loss or accident we hadn't bought a very expensive one. But still...
I bite down on a degree of parental exasperation and begin the unpicking of exactly what he'd done, and when, where the phone had been etc etc. Chances of it being nicked - minimal. Chances of it falling out of his pocket as he cycled - high. So he's despatched to walk the route home looking for it. No joy. Well, frankly, that was just going through the motions. As was telling him to check the school office next day in case it had been handed in, given the remotest chance a teacher might have found it.
Oh and I rang it, to find it switched off, so left a sternly menacing message warning whoever that we are in the process of following up the phone's loss with Orange. But overall, I was mentally chalking up the price of a new handset and the lost pay as you go credit to one of those hard life lessons for a twelve year old.
Well, goodness. Someone had handed it in at school - not before swiping the sim card, mind you. We live in a nice area - but not that nice. (Dunno if that phone message had put the fear of unspecified retribution in them but hey, who cares!)
So we trotted off to the local Orange shop after school - to discover that all the thief had done so far was send a couple of texts, so nearly all son's credit was still there. So we got a new sim card free for the price of a £5 top up, if you follow me, and did the necessary so the thief would find the purloined sim card now longer works and the remaining original credit was safely secured for younger son. The lass in the shop and Orange customer service over the phone (nb an Indian call centre) were courteous and efficient - as has invariably been our experience with them.
So he has his original handset back with all his contacts and photos etc on it and over all, he's only down the price of two texts.
On my instructions, he's spent a chunk of his pocket money on a lanyard for tying the thing to himself in future!
I bite down on a degree of parental exasperation and begin the unpicking of exactly what he'd done, and when, where the phone had been etc etc. Chances of it being nicked - minimal. Chances of it falling out of his pocket as he cycled - high. So he's despatched to walk the route home looking for it. No joy. Well, frankly, that was just going through the motions. As was telling him to check the school office next day in case it had been handed in, given the remotest chance a teacher might have found it.
Oh and I rang it, to find it switched off, so left a sternly menacing message warning whoever that we are in the process of following up the phone's loss with Orange. But overall, I was mentally chalking up the price of a new handset and the lost pay as you go credit to one of those hard life lessons for a twelve year old.
Well, goodness. Someone had handed it in at school - not before swiping the sim card, mind you. We live in a nice area - but not that nice. (Dunno if that phone message had put the fear of unspecified retribution in them but hey, who cares!)
So we trotted off to the local Orange shop after school - to discover that all the thief had done so far was send a couple of texts, so nearly all son's credit was still there. So we got a new sim card free for the price of a £5 top up, if you follow me, and did the necessary so the thief would find the purloined sim card now longer works and the remaining original credit was safely secured for younger son. The lass in the shop and Orange customer service over the phone (nb an Indian call centre) were courteous and efficient - as has invariably been our experience with them.
So he has his original handset back with all his contacts and photos etc on it and over all, he's only down the price of two texts.
On my instructions, he's spent a chunk of his pocket money on a lanyard for tying the thing to himself in future!
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