Seems I didn’t have to wait that long. It has finally arrived and it is now in my possession.
It took less than 2 weeks and a half for it to arrive. Sadly, I had to go over to maxis to check…they didn’t call me to inform as promised. So, I don’t know how long it had been sitting at the maxis Centre since arrival. Well, not like I was going to let that ruined the whole experience.
For those of you who placed an order since early September and have not received news of your units arriving, I suggest you head on over to the centre and check. You’re likely to get the good news as I did yesterday morning.
Yesterday started out with me taking a last minute detour to TTDI on the way to work. The driver behind me I reckon, didn’t appreciate my sudden lane change to get into TTDI. Thanks to most people still celebrating Hari Raya, finding a car park in that otherwise congested region of Kuala Lumpur would have been like ***censored***. I checked with Lawrence, and with a smiling face, he told me yes, it was ready for collection. “Do you want to collect it now?” He told me it would take about 15 to 20 minutes.
I went outside to make a phone call to my wife to convey the good news, and to work out a way to pay for it. I need to make certain arrangements with the bank and some credit cards in order to pay for this. I told Lawrence I was going to come back in the afternoon or evening to settle it.
I headed to office right after, a drive which was as surreal as it could get. As I reverse-parked my car, I scraped the rear bumper against the rough wall surface outside my office. Nope, face was still beaming. Wasn’t going to let that ruined the day for me. Went down to check the damage…ah heck! I was getting the 3G S today. Damage Schlamage.
To cut a long story short, I went into office at 11 am, finished some bugging KPI-related report for the month, applied for the afternoon off, left office at 2 pm, and headed home to pick the wife. We went to some banks to settle some outstandings, and by the time we got to maxis, it was already 4 pm. Both the wife and me skipped lunch…despite our stomachs growling to the max. Oh, did i mention we didn’t have breakfast that morning as well?
Our wait at maxis started at 4 pm, and we were only called to the counter at 4.35 pm, thanks to 2 lady-customers who couldn’t decide what contract plan to be on. I even spoke to them about their iPhones, and suggested what plan to take, hoping that would expedite the queue line, but they have their own theories and calculations to remain in contemplation. They must have been there for a long time, as when they left, the maxis customer service officer looked up and gave a sigh of relief. Though my wife had begun to grow edgy with the wait, I maintained my cool because…yes, you got that right – I was collecting my 3G S. She didn’t blame maxis for the slow service. It was the customers. Why couldn’t they decide that at home, since the contract plans and related information were readily available? If it’s the confidence in having a person explain the details to them over the counter, I don’t blame them…but do spare a thought for those in line. With 3 iPhones already in their possession, I’m sure the 2 ladies would understand by then not to keep people from getting their iPhones!
When it got to my turn, I was given the chance to officiate the opening of the box. The nice Malay lady at the counter slit open the wrapping over at one edge, and passed me the box to do the opening. She mentioned that she understood how people felt about being the first one to open the box. She was really nice and understanding! With the attentiveness and care of a maternity surgeon, I unboxed and delivered my iPhone to the world…!
I activated the iPhone on the spot, after much thinking of whether to do it at home or there and then. Figuring that I didn’t have much time at home later, I decided to go with the latter. After the quick activation, she requested for me to check the condition of the iPhone, for any scratches, dings, dents or imperfections. I didn’t think it was necessary, but I gave it a once-over anyhow. True enough, I found a hairline scratch on the silver surface of the silent button. Being an indigo child (or so I’d like to believe!), I have excellent eyesight which is above the average of the common mortals. My wife couldn’t see it, neither could the maxis CS officer. She confirmed that the unit has not been handled before, and said that I would have to wait another day if I wanted to change it.
I decided not to change. It was a minor scratch line not really visible unless you look very very closely. My wife eventually saw it in the reflection of daylight, after much turning and flipping the phone. We were done and out of maxis Centre by 5.10 pm. I don’t think I could stomach another day of wait. If I had to, I would have to go back and kick the wall that scraped my bumper, flicked the bird to the driver who wasn’t pleased with my car manoeuvre, give maxis a spanking for not informing me of stock arrival, and get even with the ladies who made me wait for over half an hour. All with an empty stomach! No thank you.
Devon Eleven 