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Technology & Us

By
Real Estate Agent with Florida Future Realty, Inc. BK3071625

Being an e-PRO I consider myself fairly tech-savvy. Ok, way before that I thought the same. I started building webpages in high school for goodness sakes. That being said....

Don't you just want to go crazy when you have a technological malfunction?

I DO!

2 days ago I made an appointment with a prospective buyer. As I was typing the appointment into my "oh so fancy" TREO the thing reset itself. Ok, I go back to the calender to start again. But oh $%!%$!, everything is gone. No, not just what I was working on at the moment, but ALL of my appointments, all of my contacts - yes EVERYTHING.

Being the smart one that I am I 'sync' with my computer. But guess what? That was over a month ago. So all my appointments & contacts entered since are GONE. So I was going to go ahead & sync again to at least catch up as best I can when the phone turns itself off.

Yep, it's ALIVE I guess & needed a nap...lol

But it won't turn back on! I try the reset, the on/off several times & then I call tech support. They tell me to go Ft. Myers Verizon for help. Guess what? No one there knows ANYTHING about the TREO. Seriously, the guy is trying to take off the back (doesn't come off) to get to the battery to reset the thing. As I watch him fumble around I become slightly irritated. I admit it. While I remain calm on the surface I'm definitely becoming annoyed.

So he tells me to call tech support from one of their phones.

OK. I try that again.

They tell me to go to the new Verizon office in Cape Coral. First I call there to make sure they think they can help me. I'm assured "yes, we can". I get there. No one knows. They tell me I can get another (yes this has happened before) TREO in 2 days to replace this one for $53. "NO". I need a phone. I can't be "unconnected" for 2 WHOLE DAYS (This is sarcastic folks - I know it's not the end of the world here).

The folks at the Cape Coral store are very sweet & actually appear to want to help. But they can't.

I am of course wearing my nametag & meet a nice lady there who is looking to buy a house - GREAT PLUS!

But I'm still without a phone. I have been with Verizon for a long time & my monthly phone bills have ranged from $300-400/month for several months now. They don't seem to want to keep a loyal customer.

So I drive around to check out other cell phone services. Honestly, none compare to Verizon. At least not for what I am looking for.

So I logged onto the computer to order a new phone & decided on the Motorola Q (anyone have good/bad things to say about it?). I'm not trying another TREO - too much bad blood here (LOL).

It will be here by Monday I think.

But what to do until then? I dig out an old phone I had out of my son's toybox, activate it & "whoila" interim phone.

You know how much I miss my keyboard? Touch screen? Calendar? YES, a LOT. Boy does technology really spoil us.

I can't even imagine doing business before cell phones, faxes, internet, etc.

My parents used to get MLS books in the mail. Then they could hook up to some kind of computer/fax thing to download updates. Finally they got a very basic intranet type MLS system about the time when you could have a 5 lb cell phone. Ha, times they do change.

What will agents say in 20 years? Will there still be agents? Just kidding, I'm confident we'll still be needed.

Hope you enjoyed!

Yours in Success,

Susan :)

 

 

Carol Spengel
Prudential Rubloff - Wheaton, IL
Wheaton IL

Ever since my Palm crashed to the floor Kevin and I joke that “analog” is the way to go - nothing beats paper and pencil in a pinch.  I do love my Treo, I just wish it was thinner.

Jan 26, 2007 08:06 AM
David Spencer
Keller Williams Northland - Kansas City, MO
Show Me real estate in Kansas City
I still use my Palm OS PDA, it works and talks to my computer, but you are disconnected from the internet when not in front of your computer (withdrawal symptoms do occur). It broke, but ebay saved the day.
Jan 26, 2007 08:39 AM
joanne Douglas
Terrie O'Connor Realtors - Ridgewood, NJ

Have a Treo and know what you mean... use it very infrequently now.  The phone side I replaced with a Motorola Razr.  Love the phone but...  Cannot wait until the Apple iPhone is ready.  I will wait for Version 2 but I'm sure it will be way better than the Treo. 

Have fun with your new toy.  Motorola is the way to go...

 

 

Jan 26, 2007 10:05 AM
Monika McGillicuddy
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Verani Realty - Hampstead, NH
Southern NH & the Seacoast Area
I love my Treo. I must be older than dirt..I remember my MLS book and life before fax machines and when you had a virus you were sick not your computer. The good old days!
Jan 26, 2007 10:21 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude
Ah, yes, we have all had that experience. .It's amazing what you have to go through to find someone in customer service or tech support who can and will help. It seems to get worse all the time.
Jan 26, 2007 10:32 AM
Chris Tesch
RE/MAX Bryan-College Station - College Station, TX
College Station, Texas Real Estate
My TREO 700 has had a few glitches, but once we had the issue and figured out how to resolve it (and prevent it) we are on speaking terms again.  I love the TREO since I can do just about everything I need to do on it.
Jan 26, 2007 11:11 AM
Geri Sonkin
Douglas Elliman Real Estate 516-457-7103 - Merrick, NY
Long Island Real Estate & Staging Expert

When I had one of many problems with my Verizon XV6700 (I think that's the model) I brought it into the store.  The third store.  Nobody who works there has a clue about the "smart" phones.  I wish they'd hire some smart people.  After telling me there was nothing they could do I was about to leave . . . again.  On my way out of the store I was bitching about not being able to get another phone (too soon in the contract plan).  The guy who had people sign in to wait for the next available person asked, "can I help you?"  "If you know anything about this phone you certainly can," I said. 

After going through all those "tech" folks, this guy fixed my phone.  Only temporarily as it turned out, but it was a gift at that moment.  I hate the phone and I hate Verizon.

Jan 26, 2007 11:19 AM
Gary Nelson
RE\MAX Components - Abingdon, MD
REALTOR , CRS, CDPE, e-Pro, GRI

I have the Treo 700, and have had very few problems, the one time I had a problem was due to putting 3rd party software on it.  Couldn't live without it now..

Sorry you had so much problems, guess it is the luck of the draw when it comes to these phones...

BTW, Verizon is all I use also, the other carriers have too many dead spots.

Gary

Jan 26, 2007 11:37 AM
Shannon Moore
Green Lion Realty - North Port, FL
Realtor, Sarasota & Charlotte

I have the TREO as well and have had no problems with it...yet. I just got it for Christmas so I'm hoping it at least lasts longer than a month.

I've never been with Verizon, so I can't comment on their service. I have AllTel and like it. They have that My Circle thing so anyone you call frequently (up to 10 people) you include them in that and then there is no charge for calls with them. My bill is only $100 a month due to the My Circle. With other companies I've been with it's been several hundred a month. The reception is good as well and I don't get very many dropped calls.

Jan 26, 2007 11:43 AM
Dan Bales
Dan Bales, Broker - San Jose, CA
Broker/Owner GRI RECS e-PRO

Susan,

I just got the brand new Treo 750 from my present carrier Cingular. I was thinking of going with the Verizon Motorola Q, but then read some bad postings about it and the fellows who handle cell phone sales at Costco said they had a lot of them returned.  All three said Treo was the best. Also, the Motorola is not a touch screen so it is much harder to use than the Treo.

The Cingular Treo 750 is an improved version of the Verizon/Sprint Treo 700 with Windows PC 5.0 OS which allows direct sync to Windows PC's. Since I have been with Cingular a number of years, they matched Verizon's Treo 700w net price so I got the phone for half price ($250). 

What really sold me is their just introduced Unity calling plan which allows unlimited calls between all AT&T wireless and wired (landline) phones anywhere in the contiguous United States. Most home and business phones here in the San Francisco Bay Area are AT&T (the old PacBell network) so now almost none of my cell calls will count against my minutes. In addition, I have 900 minutes/month available for non-AT&T calls such as cell calls to/from Verizon wireless, etc. before incurring additional minutes charges! A minor downside is that they no longer roll over to the next month.

Hope this helps.

Dan 

Jan 26, 2007 01:08 PM
John Novak
Keller Williams Realty The Marketplace - Las Vegas, NV
Henderson, Las Vegas and Summerlin Real Estate
Hope that your phone problems are behind you. I've never used a smart phone -- just a plain old cell phone and a legal pad work great for me, and never any issues. Good luck with your buyer!
Jan 26, 2007 01:40 PM
Dena Stevens
Rocky Mountain Realty - Canon City, CO
Putting The Real Into Realtor Since 2004
Susan - you make me feel so old. Making web pages since high school, of course, me too, yeah! But I've had the same problem with my Treo, nobody at the Cingular had a clue. Lost in tech world.
Jan 26, 2007 02:51 PM
Laurie Manny
Long Beach CA Real Estate - Long Beach, CA

Susan,

I have 2 Treo's.  That being said I think I returned my 1st Treo to Sprint for exchange over 15 times for a myriad of problems the most important is that it didn't work any longer.  I have had more than my share of problems with the dang thingy BUT I love it.  I have 2 so if one goes kablooey I forward my calls to the other through the system so my business rocks on.  I also have a 3rd phone which I keep for an emergency.  I use this to give to agents doing an open house or an assistant, if their phone has gone haywire, I need to be in touch!

Cell phones!  How did we live without them?

Jan 27, 2007 05:47 AM
Dan Bales
Dan Bales, Broker - San Jose, CA
Broker/Owner GRI RECS e-PRO

Laurie,

Do you pay for additional cell phone lines or just switch the SIM between them?

Dan

Jan 28, 2007 12:20 AM
Laurie Manny
Long Beach CA Real Estate - Long Beach, CA

Dan,

I got one of those 2 for 1 husband/wife deals.  It is a package.  The 3rd (emergency) phone I think is about $25 a month extra.  The thing with your phone plan is that the companies are constantly offering great new deals to new customers but not to existing customers and the new deals are usually cheaper.  I call Sprint about once a year to go over my bill, they tell me what plans they have and then I ask what else they have that is not "on the program".  I figured this one out a while back.  It seems that they have plans, very good ones usually, that they don't tell you about until you push a little.  They always require re-upping your contract for 2 years, but that is Ok, next year they will get a call from me again.

Jan 28, 2007 05:28 AM
Dan Bales
Dan Bales, Broker - San Jose, CA
Broker/Owner GRI RECS e-PRO

Laurie,

Thanks for that clarification.

Dan 

Jan 28, 2007 06:28 AM