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I don't want a Smart phone

I am sure I am not the only person who is fed up with being made to feel like a second ( or lower ) class citizen because I don't have or want a smart phone or similar device?


I get texts from companies and institutions such as the NHS telling me to click on the attached link but as I don't have a smart phone I cannot do it. The phone numbers are frequently hidden so you cannot reply. As these companies do not want to answer time consuming telephone calls their phone numbers are frequently not displayed on their websites or letter headings. If you get through on the phone you are kept waiting for a long time to speak to someone.


We are being encouraged to change to electric cars. The only public charging points I have seen you cannot use if you do not have a smart phone. I admit part of me is being obstinate. When I see the excessive profits made by Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook etc I think 'They are not having my hard-earned pension' I'd better not mention my views on the BBC. I


think they would be in favour of euthanasia for all people over 70.


Created By on 16/07/2022

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cris1117
4th Dec 2022 10:31:56
2
Thanks for voting!
Things move on, we used to cook over open fires now we have microwave ovens that take minutes instead of hours to cook food.
I can order my weeks groceries online and have them delivered to my door, why on earth would I want to drag around a supermarket and carry heavy bags of shopping?
I personally think smart phones are amazing, I remember as a youngster a time before smart phones when everything took hours or even days to do and now I can do the same things in seconds. Travel anywhere in the world and never get lost google maps is my favourite no need for paper maps any more.
Send a text or an email to the other side of the world in seconds, snail mail would take days.

In another 50 years smart phones will be old tech youngsters are now wearing them like wristwatches how long before your smartphone will communicate directly to your brain or be implanted into your body it will happen its progress.
Thoughtseagull
3rd Dec 2022 19:14:41
1
Thanks for voting!
It’s a love/hate thing because my smartphone make my life much easier, I travel a lot and whether flying, hotel, finding my way around etc. And more importantly it keeps me instantly in touch with my family, A morning Text from the kids just makes my day better. On my grumpy days I can see it as a necessary evil
SarahS2
27th Jul 2022 21:18:18
1
Thanks for voting!
Andrew I can agree with much off what you have said, particularly when it comes to trying to contact or respond to the NHS. I am not keen on mobile phones full stop but did have a basic non-smart phone for many years. I always kept it switched off and only used it when I had to make a call,

Unfortunately I developed RA (rheumatoid arthritis) in 2013 and very quickly found that the tiny buttons on my mobile were impossible to use, due to my fingers sometimes locking, swelling and or being painfully sensitive. A 'smart' phone was gifted to me because they thought using a flat screen would be easier. It is actually and that is the only reason I use it. I have also developed hearing difficulties lately and communicating by text has been extremely useful for me. Smart phones are really hand held computers but I still prefer to use my laptop - the buttons and screen are bigger!
NikkiWi
27th Jul 2022 13:28:46 (Last activity: 27th Jul 2022 15:14:17)
1
Thanks for voting!
I haven't had a smartphone for over 10 years and don't plan on getting one again - much to my children's dismay 🙂 it's me being obstinate I suppose. I'm very happy with my 'dumbphone'.
Response from Sally - Silversurfer's Editor made on 27th Jul 2022 15:14:17
Hi NikkiWi,

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JE
17th Jul 2022 18:32:35
0
Thanks for voting!
I wholeheartedly agree with you.
There should also be the option to use other methods like telephone contact, and those details should also be clearly shown on any correspondence and the phone lines should be properly manned.
I have wondered whether the time taken for organisations to answer the telephone has anything to do with the volume of people who prefer that means of contact?
Or is it because of limited staffing or the number of staff working from home? Whatever, a lot of organisations seem to have completely forgotten about customer service!
I do have a smart phone and use it for some contacts but like you, find it frustrating that its use is becoming the only way to get anything done.
There are times when you need to speak to somebody rather than all the to-ing and fro-ing of messaging through a load of irrelevant nonsense before you get to the crux of the matter, then to be informed that you need to speak a higher authority anyway. Strangely, that is often then by telephone contact!
I also hate it when these organisations then phone you back at the most inconvenient times and expect you to discuss personal or confidential information there and then, in a place full of other people.
KennaLynn
17th Jul 2022 17:53:25
0
Thanks for voting!
Andrew,

No one should be treated as a second class citizen due to their personal choices. I live in the US - where we are supposed to be a free society and have freedom of speech, but I get treated as a second class citizen due to my choices related to Covid vaccines. I have chosen for personal reasons not to take it. It's my choice. And I didn't complain about it when I got Covid - that was the chance I took by not taking the vaccine. We all make personal choices and accept the risks that come with those choices.

Be obstinate if you wish - it's a good thing sometimes - we have the right to choose on many things and I understand your desire to have the whole computer in your phone. Perhaps you could begin blocking the numbers that spam your phone. I personally love my smart phone - it has a setting that won't let any calls through that are not on my contact list.

To each his own!

Peace and Love !
georgesmum
17th Jul 2022 11:43:15
1
Thanks for voting!
So glad I’m not the only one who dislikes smartphones! Since retiring a few years ago I seem to have retreated from the world of “tech” , they do say use it or lose it....well I’ve lost it!
My trusty old Nokia is used for texting and emergencies only so if it ever rings I go into a tail spin and wonder what the devil it is......by the time I’ve found the blessed thing the call has gone...phew!

However, all is not lost on me as I love my iPad and couldn’t be without it.......but stick an iPhone in front of me and I’m out of here!

Cheers
PerfectNumber
17th Jul 2022 10:05:35
0
Thanks for voting!
Me neither - I'm too fond of losing phones. I'll have to get a paper confirmation of my Covid booster status if I want to travel abroad but otherwise, why? I don't want to answer cold calls anyway. Before I reitred, I was a techer & tutor, & didn't want calls whilst i was working antway.

Now, what work I do is from home - either way, I give my landline except for eg my bank or Paypal when they call my (mobile but so not smart) phone for a confirmation number - and I think there's ways round that.

Freinds text me occasionally, on my trusty old basic Nokia, and I do the same back. That's it..

And think of the money we're saving!

PS I don't have a tablet either.
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