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Dec
26
2005
No, this isn't a Windows error. It’s Sprint PCS. All we wanted to do was to connect to Sprint PCS (the web) to download some ringers onto Marian’s phone. I went to the proper place on her phone and pushed the proper buttons. It tried to connect, but came back with “Error 1012” which told me it could not connect and to try again later (it did not work no matter how much later I tried) or call customer service.
So, I dialed customer service from Marian’s mobile phone. I got that recorded lady who asks you what the problem is. Three times I said: “PCS connection” or just “PCS.” Each time she asked me what about my bill I wanted to talk about. So, I said: “Customer service” and was put in queue for the next available agent. (When in doubt, always say “customer service.”) When connected, I told the agent what my problem was. She said the Marian’s phone did not have a PCS service pack. I knew this, but also know that if you’re not paying for connection by the month, you can still get on the web and pay for it by actual usage. I told her I did not want to pay monthly for PCS (web) service, just wanted to download a couple of ringers. She had me hang up on Marian’s phone and she called me back on mine. I went through the same rigmarole on Marian’s phone and got the same error. “Ah, Error 1012,” she said. “I have to connect you with a PCS specialist to solve that problem.”
Ten minutes pass while I am on hold. A nice young woman comes on. I tell her I keep getting Error 1012. She then leads me through the programming of Marian’s phone for PCS. Somehow, you would think this was part of the phone when it was activated. This takes about 20 minutes including the times when the phone locked up, I had to remove the battery from the back, let it sit for a while, then start again from scratch or from some intermediate place.
Finally, after over a half hour on the phone, it’s all done (so to speak). She tells me to go to Settings, blah blah blah, and push Update Profile. Guess what? I get Error 1012. She fiddles on her computer for another five minutes, has me remove the battery again, and try the update again. Error 1012.
She tells me that the computer is just not recognizing Marian’s phone. Now, this is all to just download a couple of freaking ringers (for which we will have to pay $2.50 each). We don't use the Internet on our telephone. We use it as a telephone! I am then informed that the next step by a higher techie guru (who will call within 24 hours) is to do a lobotomy on the phone (erase all its memories…..”Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do”). This means that all the phone numbers Marian has programmed and all the pictures she has taken of the grandchildren. will be released into etherspace. I tell the nice lady that we don’t want to do that. I tell her I will take it to our local Sprint store to have them do a Vulcan mind meld. She tells me the techie will call us within 24 hours regardless. Ah, well.
So, 45 minutes have passed at this point. The only thing I have accomplished is to deplete the battery on both Marian’s and my phone. And we still don’t have any new ringers for Marian. Unfortunately, I am known by name and face at the local Sprint store, but that’s another story.
P.S. I took the phone into the local Sprint store. Even they could not get it to connect to the Internet. So, they gave us a new phone. And I learned a new term. I was told that we should not go onto the Internet for three hours since they had to "reprovision" the phone.
So, I dialed customer service from Marian’s mobile phone. I got that recorded lady who asks you what the problem is. Three times I said: “PCS connection” or just “PCS.” Each time she asked me what about my bill I wanted to talk about. So, I said: “Customer service” and was put in queue for the next available agent. (When in doubt, always say “customer service.”) When connected, I told the agent what my problem was. She said the Marian’s phone did not have a PCS service pack. I knew this, but also know that if you’re not paying for connection by the month, you can still get on the web and pay for it by actual usage. I told her I did not want to pay monthly for PCS (web) service, just wanted to download a couple of ringers. She had me hang up on Marian’s phone and she called me back on mine. I went through the same rigmarole on Marian’s phone and got the same error. “Ah, Error 1012,” she said. “I have to connect you with a PCS specialist to solve that problem.”
Ten minutes pass while I am on hold. A nice young woman comes on. I tell her I keep getting Error 1012. She then leads me through the programming of Marian’s phone for PCS. Somehow, you would think this was part of the phone when it was activated. This takes about 20 minutes including the times when the phone locked up, I had to remove the battery from the back, let it sit for a while, then start again from scratch or from some intermediate place.
Finally, after over a half hour on the phone, it’s all done (so to speak). She tells me to go to Settings, blah blah blah, and push Update Profile. Guess what? I get Error 1012. She fiddles on her computer for another five minutes, has me remove the battery again, and try the update again. Error 1012.
She tells me that the computer is just not recognizing Marian’s phone. Now, this is all to just download a couple of freaking ringers (for which we will have to pay $2.50 each). We don't use the Internet on our telephone. We use it as a telephone! I am then informed that the next step by a higher techie guru (who will call within 24 hours) is to do a lobotomy on the phone (erase all its memories…..”Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do”). This means that all the phone numbers Marian has programmed and all the pictures she has taken of the grandchildren. will be released into etherspace. I tell the nice lady that we don’t want to do that. I tell her I will take it to our local Sprint store to have them do a Vulcan mind meld. She tells me the techie will call us within 24 hours regardless. Ah, well.
So, 45 minutes have passed at this point. The only thing I have accomplished is to deplete the battery on both Marian’s and my phone. And we still don’t have any new ringers for Marian. Unfortunately, I am known by name and face at the local Sprint store, but that’s another story.
P.S. I took the phone into the local Sprint store. Even they could not get it to connect to the Internet. So, they gave us a new phone. And I learned a new term. I was told that we should not go onto the Internet for three hours since they had to "reprovision" the phone.
