Dear Abby: "Reluctant User Decries Society's Tech Pressure"

[Lenona]

DEAR ABBY: Can people in this society please stop assuming that everyone has a smartphone? Not everyone is willing -- or able -- to spend $1,000-plus for one. Some of us carry older, less-expensive phones that receive calls and text messages and that's it.

I just got off a really annoying phone call with the secretary at my elderly mother's doctor's office, who said she was "sending a link" for a video conference on her phone. I nearly choked. I said, "Stop, OK? Look, not everyone has an expensive phone!" So then she chirps, "OK, I'll send the link to your phone, and she can use yours!" I then had to explain that I don't have an expensive phone either.

Our society forces people to spend big bucks on these toys. You go to a bank and ask a customer service representative for assistance, "Oh, it's easy. You can set it up yourself with your phone!" You call a business for an update on an order and, three hours later, when a live person finally picks up, you are told, "You can just track your order with your phone!" It makes me want to scream into my $30 flip phone. -- LOVE MY CHEAP PHONE

DEAR LOVE: Thank you for letting me help you to vent. I understand your frustration because your problem is one I have heard about from other seniors, too. Although technology moves quickly, not everyone is on the cutting edge. Because this is going to happen more and more frequently, for your own sake as well as your mother's, it's time you start seriously considering upgrading one or more of your devices.
____________________________________________

There are 1,127 comments.

Some suspected that the LW knows there are much cheaper Smartphones but that she's really a technophobe.

[Lenona]

Oops - forgot:

https://www.uexpress.com/life/dearabby/2023/08/28

[The Real Bev]

On 8/29/23 5:05 PM, Lenona wrote:
> Oops - forgot:
>
> https://www.uexpress.com/life/dearabby/2023/08/28

I've been able to do everything I needed to do (docs, brokers, shopping)
with my computer or landline (VOIP) phone, with one major exception:
what REALLY gripes me is having to receive a code by text message when
they could send a SOUND message to the landline phone if I were somehow
able to let them know that that was what I REALLY wanted..

People who spend $thousands on a phone because they just NEED a phone
need frugalista help. Used smartphones are under $150, probably under
$100 if you don't really care for anything but minimal usage. I love my
Pixel2 with 128GB of memory which was $130 when it was 3 years old but
unused. I spent $60 to have a new battery put in. The phone is now
something like $75 and would need the battery. It's really a camera
with phone/internet capability, and I expect I'll be happy with it for a
long time.

--
Cheers, Bev
It's true that Smokey Bear deserves praise for his
campaign against forest fires, but nobody ever mentions
the park rangers he kills for their hats.

[Nyssa]

The Real Bev wrote:

> On 8/29/23 5:05 PM, Lenona wrote:
>> Oops - forgot:
>>
>> https://www.uexpress.com/life/dearabby/2023/08/28
>
> I've been able to do everything I needed to do (docs,
> brokers, shopping) with my computer or landline (VOIP)
> phone, with one major exception: what REALLY gripes me is
> having to receive a code by text message when they could
> send a SOUND message to the landline phone if I were
> somehow able to let them know that that was what I REALLY
> wanted..
>
> People who spend $thousands on a phone because they just
> NEED a phone
> need frugalista help. Used smartphones are under $150,
> probably under
> $100 if you don't really care for anything but minimal
> usage. I love my Pixel2 with 128GB of memory which was
> $130 when it was 3 years old but
> unused. I spent $60 to have a new battery put in. The
> phone is now
> something like $75 and would need the battery. It's
> really a camera with phone/internet capability, and I
> expect I'll be happy with it for a long time.
>

But it's not just the device and its cost, it's also the
data plan that has to go with it to work. And that's an
on-going expense past paying for even a cheap smartphone.

I don't have a smartphone, flip phone, web cam, or broadband.
The costs are simply not worth it to me.

I'm no technophobe. I'm a retired computer scientist, but
see no personal need for the expensive toys and additional
on-going expenses to my budget.

Nyssa, who doesn't do social media either (except Usenet,
of course)

[The Real Bev]

My $10/year phone-only plan isn't available any more, unfortunately. We
have two of them. My usage can't even justify a $10/month plan if such
a thing existed. I use my home wifi connection to transfer photos and
do whatever other (MINIMAL!) stuff I have to use the phone for. I just
bought a $30 SIM which gives me 3GB of date and allows me to use my
google phone number. I haven't had occasion to use it beyond testing,
but the data lasts forever as long as I add $3 worth once a year. Seems
legit. If not, I'm out $30 and back where I started.

> I don't have a smartphone, flip phone, web cam, or broadband.
> The costs are simply not worth it to me.

Minimal cost. If you can transfer your photos to your computer by wifi
you don't need a plan of any kind.

> I'm no technophobe. I'm a retired computer scientist, but
> see no personal need for the expensive toys and additional
> on-going expenses to my budget.

Spectrum internet at $40/month for 550/22 Mb internet seems reasonable.
When our 2-year introductory plan is up we'll switch to AT&T's
introductory plan. Good to finally have competition. Add in $7.50 for
Ooma VOIP and it's still plenty cheap. When we canceled AT&T a number
of years ago they wanted $30/month for local-only landline plus a
minimum of $3/month for LD capability. No.

> Nyssa, who doesn't do social media either (except Usenet,
> of course)

Usenet ain't what it used to be. Did we grow out of it? Was the lure
of cat videos on demand too tempting to refuse? Did RSpeed and his ilk
kill it? Did people not know how to create killfiles or ignore loons?
Crying shame.

I've made Facebook as close to usenet as I can, but it's not even a
halfway-close second.

--
Cheers, Bev
"Do not try to solve all life's problems at once -- learn to
dread each day as it comes." -- Donald Kaul

[Beaver Fever]

A lot of concert tickets are mobile only. I remember one of the first big post lockdown concerts and a new venue that was smart phone only where I took too luddites, scanned them and turned them loose. And I had trouble logging into my Ticketmaster account and had to go to the box office where they refused to print me paper tickets and refused to answer my question what happens if a patron doesn't have a smartphone. This was an act who caters to an older audience.

At Madison Square Garden last year I bought a ticket right out of the box office and they would only text it to me, got the text and clicked the link and walked to the gate, but the ticket wouldn't load. Went back to the box office and they finally printed me a paper ticket. What a hassle.

According to Ticketnews.com, smart phone adoption is still about 75% with older users less likely to have them.

I use an old Samsung A3 ($50ish?) and the $20 unlimited talk and text from Tracfone. It was what I signed up for at first and I kept it and helped when business and personal concerns required multiple phones.

[Beaver Fever]

There's Reddit but the flip side is TOO MANY users to the point where you can't develop a sense of community like we had here.

[Lenona]

Here's the follow-up.

There are almost 800 comments - but I recommend re-listing them from oldest to newest, since the most popular comment started a tangent that wasn't about owning or not owning a cell phone.

https://www.uexpress.com/life/dearabby/2023/11/28

DEAR ABBY: This is in response to "Love My Cheap Phone" (Aug. 28). As a millennial who has worked in retail my whole adult life, I'm tired of the excuse that the older generation can't or won't use smartphones.

Personal computers have been out for decades, and smartphones have been around more than 16 years. Like the automatic transmission, these things are designed to make our lives easier and should be embraced rather than shunned. I've had people cuss me out over not being able to access discounts due to not having a smartphone -- going so far as to claim discrimination.

The only person holding them back is themself, and most of the time smartphones are more intuitive than previously thought. They also all don't cost $1,000; many basic use smartphones can be bought for under $200, not to mention certain phone companies offer big discounts on people's first smartphone with a new account. I don't feel bad for "Love." I suggest they get with the times, because these devices aren't going away. -- MILLENNIAL IN OREGON

DEAR MILLENNIAL: Thank you for writing. After that letter appeared, I was inundated with comments from readers. Some of them agreed with you. Other readers understood "Love's" point and offered suggestions for transitioning more easily to a modern communication device. Read on:

DEAR ABBY: I'm a senior with mobility issues, and I couldn't live without my smartphone. It is not a "toy." I use it to fill my prescriptions, schedule medical appointments, check test results and communicate with my doctors. I do most of my shopping, conduct all of my banking online, call up ride-sharing, make travel arrangements and keep in touch with friends and family. I encourage "Love" to open their mind a bit. -- ONLINE SENIOR IN CALIFORNIA

DEAR ABBY: There is a government program, Lifeline (go to fcc.gov), that provides a free smartphone and phone service to low-income people. If someone chooses not to have a smartphone for other reasons, that's their choice -- but no one should go without one because they cannot afford it. -- MARY IN MASSACHUSETTS

DEAR ABBY: Some states offer the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) which provides free phone service with smartphones and tablets to low-income individuals or those receiving Social Security. A tablet might be the better option to use for the kind of interactions the writer described. -- HOPEFULLY HELPING OUT WEST

DEAR ABBY: I'm guessing "Love" has family and friends who have older phones in the junk drawers of their homes. (We do.) Perhaps someone would be willing to part with one. Also, AARP offers classes to learn how to use a smartphone, which I suspect is behind your writer's reluctance to modernize. -- KRISTIN IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

DEAR ABBY: As a retired librarian who has helped many seniors with their technology, the idea of a $1,000 smartphone is akin to thinking that all cars are Rolls Royces. Many phones can be had for under $200, and some for less than $100. A number of cellphone and service providers cater to seniors trying to transition from their beloved flip phones. I urge "Love" to visit their local library and see what advice they can get there. -- MR. G. IN SYRACUSE, N.Y.

[Lenona]

The comments here are pretty good too.

https://nypost.com/2023/11/28/lifestyle/dear-abby-im-tired-of-excusing-the-older-generation-for-not-learning-how-to-use-smartphones/

[The Real Bev]

On 12/3/23 10:31 AM, Lenona wrote:
> The comments here are pretty good too.
>
> https://nypost.com/2023/11/28/lifestyle/dear-abby-im-tired-of-excusing-the-older-generation-for-not-learning-how-to-use-smartphones/

Our generation taught our children to use computers. Where do they get
off treating us like idiots? And which members of our generation
actually ARE idiots?

--
Cheers, Bev
"Sure, everyone's in favor of saving Hitler's brain, but when
you put it into the body of a great white shark, suddenly
you're a madman." --Futurama