All is Almost Well

 Hello Everyone,  

All is almost well here with us and I do thank you for your prayers. Thank you all for being so good and kind to me and for being my friend on this blog all this time. I may have a few years left in me to blog and video.

I had a weird experience with the cell phone situation and I want to post it here without getting in any kind of trouble with a particular company, so I'll let you come to your own conclusions.

I wanted to see if, for once in my life, I could get through some stressful event, with ease. I wish I had learned this decades ago, but all of my "events" are like the end of the world, and I'm sure yours are too. 

 A smooth functioning phone is a matter of security in my situation, for I cannot lose connection with my husband. He has to be able to contact me any time, anywhere. We are both doing well in health but it is good to have that phone in working order in case anyone needs help. 

For years and years it seems I've been able to easily access my needs on the phone--pay bills, order things, check my bank account, visit friends over convenient communication programs, make videos and post to my blog.

Three or four days ago, this big company  claimed I needed to update and would not automatically update, but requested I submit my phone number, email, passwords and other codes, and then rejecting them all, and making me re-apply and get new codes. They claimed my phone number was not valid--a number I've had for as long as cell phones have existed, and that my email, also one I have had from the beginning of email, was also invalid. 

The company claimed that a phone gets locked when the wrong password is entered too often, because it is assumed the phone is stolen.  However this is not what happened in my case. 

They then guided me to "forgot your password" and refused the new ones. Afterwards the phone said it was locked and to try back in 3 hours, 2 hours, 4 hours, and on and on for about 4 days.  I found several sites where people were relating the same experiences.

When I went to our phone store I was told that the company I was using did all this strange stuff  because they "are all about security."

This company has alienated some of its customers, as I found several message boards describing this same problem. It had ruined the income of several people whose livelihood depended on easy access to things on their phones. They could not get into their accounts of various types and could not sell their products or purchase things they needed without the torturous entering of personal information which was then rejected. 

I am thinking this phone business can be a threat to freedom of speech, religion and business online, as it continually sends a message of being "locked".  That's not very customer friendly or convenient.  Any product that gets locked up loses its appeal for the customer. 

I'm sure you have read all their reasons for locking people out of their phones and it sounds like security and safety, but it is a severe hardship for some people.

I could say much more about it but I think now I better be quiet. "Fret not because of evil-doers in the way. It only causes harm." 

My phone is now working well enough to phone out and text, but it isn't doing a good job on internet access.  It will not allow me to post my photos on my blog here. It  won't  access my blog yet.  It may straighten itself out .  I know many of you have probably experienced the same things. 

Lydia Ruth