It Seems Like Forever ...

[kittytech]

Sometime in January of 2004 I received my brand new PAC Mate from Freedom Scientific. In the five years that I've had it, I've literally called it my life. It has my appointments, my contacts, and all kinds of notes to myself. While I was working it had all my client notes. Over the years, it's been sent in occasionally for repairs, and in March of this year it got the upgrade to the latest version, the Omni. In all this time though, I've never gotten an exchange unit.

Today though, I made the call that's changing everything. My unit apparently has a short somewhere that's causing random hard resets, and, as I discovered just this morning, although the battery is new, it won't charge beyond 99 percent. As long as I keep it plugged in there's no problem with the resets. So, I chose to have an exchange unit sent to me because my service agreements are current and that's something they can do. The sad thing though of course, is that this unit that I've had for so many years will soon not be mine anymore. Yes, I'm getting a replacement, but this particular one has been with me for so long. It probably sounds crazy, because it's only a piece of technology, and the replacement will be identical other than the serial number, but it's still different. I could have sent this unit back, had it repaired, and then had it sent back, but then I'd be without the unit, and I need it in order to run my ScanTalker program that helps me identify all my identical cans in my kitchen and other things. When the flood happened, and the scanner got soaked and wasn't working, that was bad enough, but when it had dried and started working again I was thrilled. Yeah, I'm dependent on my technology, and I freely admit it.

But anyway, I know it probably sounds crazy to most of you, but it's kind of sad to send my unit away for the last time. Call me whatever you like, but that's the way it is. The replacement will work, it'll do exactly what I need it to do, but it's still different. Don't ask. SMILE!!!

Comments

[masterofmusings.livejournal.com]

No, Caroline, I completely and utterly understand that feeling. It doesn't matter a pair of fetid dingo's kidneys that the unit will look and act identically to your existing unit (except that it will work). You still know it's a different unit, I completely understand this.

Some time ago, I had to submit my bank note reader to get upgraded because Canada changed its bills. Well, a bunch of other people submitted theirs at the same time. The unit I got back was not mine. I could tell because it was more worn and the case was a bit more beat up. I have not been able to bring myself to using the thing, becasue someone else's grubby paws have been all over it and it's not my unit. I use the word grubby in the figurative sense, because it was perfectly clean, just more worn. But it still wasn't mine, and somehow that meant, and still means, something to me. I wish I could figure out a way to justify getting a new one.

[lyssas-song.livejournal.com]

How strange. Something buggy is going on with Pac Mates lately. I recently exchanged mine due to the same battery issue. Plus, the battery would drain to around 18% and completely die. I had already sent it in before, and whatever FS did (they supposedly replaced a perfectly good battery) messed things up, so it appears that they have a bad batch of batteries going around. Thankfully, the exchange unit is working fine. I was like you though. I did not want to send it in!