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I stopped using a smartphone 2 months ago, switching to a flipphone with wi-fi calling. When I made the switch, the employees in the mobile store acted as if th

I stopped using a smartphone 2 months ago, switching to a flipphone with wi-fi calling. When I made the switch, the employees in the mobile store acted as if they had lost one of their own and outwardly displayed the 7 stages of grief for my old phone as I returned it for something without a touch screen... 1. Shock & Denial - ...I was asked if I was 'sure about this' more than 10 times during the transfer and repeatedly dissuaded from making the "down"grade. 2. Pain & Guilt- ...I was told that no one had done this before, that it was not recommended for any customer, and skeptically prodded as if in attempts to uncover that I lacked the qualities and smartphone use cases that make one human. 3. Anger & Bargaining- ...As one of the employees started setting up the phone for me, another came over, asked what model it was, and snickered loudly before saying how sh&@$#y the outdated messaging system was on the phone. I begrudgingly sat through spiels on several other models that didn't fit my requirement of 'just no apps'. 4. "Depression", Reflection, Loneliness- ...The 4 employees started talking amongst themselves in a ring about the old days, before any of them had a smartphone. There were noticeable pauses and head tilts throughout the conversation. I had been here an hour at this point. 5. The Upward Turn- ...They handed me the phone and one even said he envied me and wished me good luck. 6. Reconstruction & Working Through- ...I signed the contract and they showed me how to do wi-fi calling, cellular, and send messages, the only features I had wanted in the first place. 7. Acceptance & Hope- ...The employee who originally helped me said I "just had" to email him back to tell him what it was like on the "outside". It was the most surreal experience, a basic exchange of products and services that from the perspective of everyone around me was akin to renouncing my citizenship.

catnaroek 9y ago
They were actually grieving their company's (marginal) lost profits from your decision not to use a smartphone, so it was not as irrational as you think.
- dannyw 9y ago
  Retail employees don’t care about marginal lost profits of the corporate on individual interactions.
  - kerryfalk 9y ago
    They do if they're paid spiffs on them.
Rudism 9y ago
What device did you switch to? I tried making the same switch a couple years ago but couldn't stick to it, mainly due to missing GPS/maps (and secondly due to dumbphones making lousy mp3 players, and not being able to serve as wifi hotspots for mobile data on the rare occasions that I do want to do internet stuff on the go).
- floren 9y ago
  The Kyocera DuraXV (https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraxv/ https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraxv/) has navigation and I believe can act as a wifi hotspot, but goddamn, they want $260 for it which feels like a hell of a lot for a basic phone. Also I'm on AT&T and I think the DuraXV is Verizon only.
floren 9y ago
What phone did you get? I've been considering exactly that switch myself, but finding a flip-phone which can do wifi/4G calls (some older designs are at risk of having their compatible cell towers shut off soon) and navigation (that's one convenience that's mighty hard to give up) has been a challenge. I've only found one or two suitable phones and they've all been over $300 which seems ludicrous for something that simple.
- SamPutnam 9y ago
  lg Exalt
d23 9y ago
I would really like to do that, but honestly, I don't think I could get by without google maps and either uber or lyft. Looking through my smart phone, those are seriously the only applications I need. The other 60+ apps I could do without.
- nxc18 9y ago
  Why don’t you prove it and delete the 60 unnecessary apps. Goodness knows every single one is tracking you in some way or another or waiting to trick you with some dark pattern. This isn’t meant to be sassy or to criticize you. I have similarly trimmed back all of the apps I don’t regularly use or rely on.
  - EADGBE 9y ago
    No. Throw the baby out with the bathwater; they said. I've deleted and re-installed Facebook countless times. It doesn't make me any holier, but having the choice of it there and choosing to go without seems like a stronger fight.
    - ckosidows 9y ago
      I've told this to a lot of people around me... unfollow everyone on Facebook. This does two things: 1. No more facebook feed 2. No more facebook ads You still get to keep messenger as an extended contact book, people can still tag you in stupid things and pictures, you don't have to have that awkward conversation telling people you're no longer on facebook. I guarantee you'll never feel like you miss your feed. Nobody even has to know you've unfollowed them. I've quit facebook twice and they didn't last. But I've had no feed for months now and I don't see myself going back.
      - EADGBE 9y ago
        Interesting idea. Funny that it removes ads, too. > I guarantee you'll never feel like you miss your feed. Nobody even has to know you've unfollowed them. I just have messenger on my phone, right now. It's a nice solution to most of these problems for me. But most of my facebook tags happen directly in Messenger vs. someone's post that I have to go look at.
vlunkr 9y ago
So how has your experience been so far?
justherefortart 9y ago
I bought a burner phone for my startup. Barely use it and it runs me $3/mo. When I do use it, it's phone calls only (and text but I don't use that). I use wifi when I'm at home or at work. (old SGS V) It's really lead me to wonder why I have my two normal phones that run me ~$80/mo just to have access without wifi. (SGS VII and iPhone 8)
zatkin 9y ago
I did the same thing, but instead over the phone. The customer support rep didn't hesitate to switch over my service.

catnaroek 9y ago

They were actually grieving their company's (marginal) lost profits from your decision not to use a smartphone, so it was not as irrational as you think.

dannyw 9y ago
Retail employees don’t care about marginal lost profits of the corporate on individual interactions.
- kerryfalk 9y ago
  They do if they're paid spiffs on them.

Rudism 9y ago

What device did you switch to? I tried making the same switch a couple years ago but couldn't stick to it, mainly due to missing GPS/maps (and secondly due to dumbphones making lousy mp3 players, and not being able to serve as wifi hotspots for mobile data on the rare occasions that I do want to do internet stuff on the go).

floren 9y ago
The Kyocera DuraXV (https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraxv/ https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraxv/) has navigation and I believe can act as a wifi hotspot, but goddamn, they want $260 for it which feels like a hell of a lot for a basic phone. Also I'm on AT&T and I think the DuraXV is Verizon only.

floren 9y ago

What phone did you get? I've been considering exactly that switch myself, but finding a flip-phone which can do wifi/4G calls (some older designs are at risk of having their compatible cell towers shut off soon) and navigation (that's one convenience that's mighty hard to give up) has been a challenge. I've only found one or two suitable phones and they've all been over $300 which seems ludicrous for something that simple.

SamPutnam 9y ago
lg Exalt

d23 9y ago

I would really like to do that, but honestly, I don't think I could get by without google maps and either uber or lyft. Looking through my smart phone, those are seriously the only applications I need. The other 60+ apps I could do without.

nxc18 9y ago
Why don’t you prove it and delete the 60 unnecessary apps. Goodness knows every single one is tracking you in some way or another or waiting to trick you with some dark pattern. This isn’t meant to be sassy or to criticize you. I have similarly trimmed back all of the apps I don’t regularly use or rely on.
- EADGBE 9y ago
  No. Throw the baby out with the bathwater; they said. I've deleted and re-installed Facebook countless times. It doesn't make me any holier, but having the choice of it there and choosing to go without seems like a stronger fight.
  - ckosidows 9y ago
    I've told this to a lot of people around me... unfollow everyone on Facebook. This does two things: 1. No more facebook feed 2. No more facebook ads You still get to keep messenger as an extended contact book, people can still tag you in stupid things and pictures, you don't have to have that awkward conversation telling people you're no longer on facebook. I guarantee you'll never feel like you miss your feed. Nobody even has to know you've unfollowed them. I've quit facebook twice and they didn't last. But I've had no feed for months now and I don't see myself going back.
    - EADGBE 9y ago
      Interesting idea. Funny that it removes ads, too. > I guarantee you'll never feel like you miss your feed. Nobody even has to know you've unfollowed them. I just have messenger on my phone, right now. It's a nice solution to most of these problems for me. But most of my facebook tags happen directly in Messenger vs. someone's post that I have to go look at.

vlunkr 9y ago

So how has your experience been so far?

justherefortart 9y ago

I bought a burner phone for my startup. Barely use it and it runs me $3/mo. When I do use it, it's phone calls only (and text but I don't use that). I use wifi when I'm at home or at work. (old SGS V) It's really lead me to wonder why I have my two normal phones that run me ~$80/mo just to have access without wifi. (SGS VII and iPhone 8)

zatkin 9y ago

I did the same thing, but instead over the phone. The customer support rep didn't hesitate to switch over my service.