7 Things to do before dialing 611

Something is going up with our bill, a function of our phone, the speed of the internet is not fast enough, the teenager in the house drowned the phone in a body of water, or any liquid form, or we lost our device. We all have been there.

So the next step is to call for help to our friends from our Wireless Service Provider.

Typically, the call goes like this:

Customer Service Rep: “Thank you for calling Tickle Me Wireless. My name is John, how can I be of assistance today?”

You: (Sigh) “Hi John, I just got the bill and it’s insane. I am about to have a heart attack. How is it possible that I am overage in data? We are always, always in Wi-Fi?

John: “I am sorry that you are having issues with you bill. I would also be annoyed if the amount would be so high. [This is the part when the tone of the conversation turns a little patronizing and sarcastic] May I have the wireless number so I can start helping you.

Most people hate calling customer service because of the whole protocol one needs to go through in order to validate the account. We live in an era where we want it all and we want it now, (Wish Freddy Mercury was alive.)

So how do we avoid calling for customer service and handling the problems on our own.

1. Power Cycle your device — A smartphone, a quick phone, or a tablet with 3G/LTE capabilities, the number one reason why people call is because their device is not working correctly. Drop calls, overheating, slow, non-responsive, issues with the applications, gets stuck.Sometimes all you have to do is turn it off. Hold down the power button and slide to turn off or restart.This improves the signal of the one because it will connect with the nearest antenna and forget about all the previous one it was connected before and is still trying to connect to.Another benefit is it clears your cache and ram, meaning the phone will run fast and smoother than before.
2. Overages in Data — Check in your settings in the area of Data Usage where all the Gigs are being spent.
    Here is a video for Android https://youtu.be/etFroj89LCY and for iPhone https://youtu.be/EDxR9ijsHSg?t=20sYoutube, Netflix, Vine, Periscope, Social Media, Facebook Videos auto playing, this are the main reasons why you’re data plan is running wild.Also the fact that the phone IS in WiFi area but it is not plugged in to be charge, means that the moment it goes to sleep, the WiFi antenna turns off and everything goes through your Wireless Carrier hitting your data plan.
3. Check your memory — All those 16MP photos, they take a toll on your 
   memory. Before calling and complaining that the phone is worthless, backup your pictures to your computer or a cloud service. This is maintenance 101.
4. Uninstall Unused Apps — Even I am to blame about this. I download an app out of curiosity. Then I never use it. When I want to uninstall it I remember the purpose of it and rediscovered it, and I don’t uninstall the app.But it is there, and it is taking up space in your phone, and probably eating up your data if it uses push notifications.
5. Ask yourself: Is this a manufacturer, an application, a user or a service provider issue? — Problems login in to your email? Wireless Service provider can go as far as simple guidance. The other part such as recovery email, password reset, advanced configuration for a Entreprise Email or Exchange server, that would be IT.Facebook is down? (Yes, it happens) Don’t call your service provider asking for a credit because your loosing clients. It just won’t fly.Phone is heating up pretty bad? — Might be the battery. Verify the options of replacement through warranty, if you still have.
6. Back up Your Phone — As I mentioned earlier, connect your phone to your computer and back it up or setup the iCloud. For androids there are a whole lot of ways to do this.
7. Be Open to Suggestions — This one is tricky and I am not trying to get anyone offended.First let me say that all companies want to win money and keep winning even when you think you beat them.Second, remember that you are purchasing and investing in a phone. The phone is yours and you ARE responsible for what happens and how you manage it. If you bought the phone either in a two year agreement or paying for it monthly installments, and the phone breaks, is lost, stolen. gets wet, you are responsible for it. The service provider will continue billing you as you are in contract or in an agreement than can be stopped, it just so happens you need to pay a couple of unexpected hundreds.Finally, the third thing to keep in mind, the customer service reps are not the decision makers nor the ones that can bend the rules really. But they are your advocates to the company. Treat them nice and be honest, trust me they will want to help you. If you are not satisfied with their service you can ask for a manager very politely.

But always take in consideration being open to suggestions and negotiating with them. After all they are human beings like yourself. If all else fails and you receive a text message about their rating, give a “1” and trust me it will have quite a bite.