I wonder if there is anyone who is completely thrilled with their cell phone company.  We seem to have a love/hate relationship with them.  It doesn’t really matter which company; they all irritate us to some degree.

It’s either that monthly mystery fee, or the plans they offer that are never exactly what we want.  But the biggest problem with cell phone companies is communication.

That’s right! – these communication companies are horrible at communication, the very business they’re in.  I have two family members who are ready to tear their hair out over the ineptitude of two different cell phone companies.

If I owned a communication company, I would want to communicate to my prospective customers in the simplest, clearest way possible to instill enough confidence in them to try my company … NOT in our country, though!

Cell phone websites are some of the most frustrating, complicated and deceiving places you can spend your time on the internet.  The plans offered can’t be taken at face value; you have to investigate what they really mean by things like “local minutes”.

Do local minutes refer to calls I make from local area or calls to local numbers?  Finding yourself on hold for long periods of time with your cell phone company normal.  They sell phones!  They should have a few sitting around for people to answer!

If you have a problem with your phone or with ordering a phone, they don’t blame you necessarily, but they certainly don’t take the blame for their mistakes or incompetence.  You hang up or walk away from the store feeling unsure the issue will ever be resolved.

My daughter has been waiting since September for a phone!  They actually charged her credit card in October.  At last count, there was a problem in the warehouse.  Here’s a solution:  someone go to the warehouse, grab a phone and courier it to her today.  Three weeks later she still doesn’t have the phone.  I wonder what that warehouse problem was?  Did it burn down?!

My wife’s battle to get a phone has been much shorter.  She’s been dealing with the business department of a cell phone company.  I wonder if they really want to sell their phones to businesses.  Hours have been spent on the phone (lots of “on hold” time).  Hours have been spent in stores waiting.  Interestingly, when the store has to call their own company, they get put on hold like everyone else!  In the end, it’s still a mystery how a simple authorization for a phone could get so messed up.

Heres my solution:  Cell phone companies, take that $6.99 access fee millions of us send you and hire someone to create a simple, straightforward website.  Then, hire someone to train your staff in customer relations.  And finally, hire more people to man the phones in Canada.  Oh, and if you run short using that $6.99 fee, fire a top executive and use his salary!

Here’s the thing:  Sometimes we feel like I just described when requesting something from God.  We don’t get an answer or we don’t like the answer we get.  We might be confused and unsure whether the seeming answer is from God or we just made it up.  However, keep in mind that with God, He has the resources, He has the solution, He has your best interest in mind, His timing is perfect.  So stop, cool down, and don’t slam down the phone.  And, by the way, He does hear you, you can ALWAYS get through.

Until Next Time!

Pastor Paul

Question:  What gives you perspective when a request to God seems to take forever?