Incommunicado

I had a very quiet night last night—but not exactly by choice. I did plan on staying in—making dinner to use some of my bounty of produce from Haymarket, and then reading—but I didn’t plan on being incommunicado.

At about 5 o’clock, as I prepared to prepare to make dinner (yeah, it’s a process), I took my phone out of my purse, thinking it was a bit strange that I hadn’t received any phone calls, or perhaps I hadn’t heard them. I tried to send a quick text, and the mission failed. I got an error message that my text could be saved and sent when digital became available. ??? I tried to make a call, and then I saw Searching SVC on my screen.

I shut off my phone and turned it back on. Searching SVC.

I took my battery out of my phone, and put it back in and turned it back on. Searching SVC.

I went on line for Verizon technical support. They told me to do the things I did that didn’t work. I tried them again anyway. Searching SVC.

Eventually I found an 800 number and thought, well that would suck if I were one of those people who had given up a landline. I wasn't much better off, however, as I am one of those people who rarely uses a landline and therefore leaves the handset off the cradle for days.

I charged my handset for a half hour, and called. About a half hour and two people (one woman, one man)later, my phone was still Searching SVC. After having me go to menus I’ve never seen (and could probably never find again) and selecting acronyms that made no sense to me, they said it sounded like it might be a tower issue, and those take high priority. I’d get an email in fifteen minutes with a ticket number (I did) and then eventually a call on my landline (I didn’t). Again, imagine not having one.

I went to bed around 10. My phone was still Searching SVC.

Although I am grateful that I didn’t get woken in the middle of the night, I am disappointed that I never got a phone call. But at least this morning I had service. While I plan on asking for a $2 credit for the phone service I paid for but didn’t have yesterday, and fixing a wagon about not getting a call, I must say it was nice in a way to have no interruptions last night.

 I may have to make it a point to lose my signal more often. Without Searching SVC.