Veterans Day 2022 Belated

On Thursday, a trip to Ala Moana Center in the afternoon was made to meet up with Lori. Dinner was courtesy Lahaina Chicken Company, with prime rib being the chosen fare. There have been similar meet-ups every few months, but not mentioned specifically in Notes. The stuff originally slated for donation to charity (Spri® exercise bands, Starbucks® coffee mug) was given to her, which is good.

By the way, Chick-fil-A® opened recently in the Makai Market food court. The waiting line has apparently been extremely long since the opening date, which has been specifically cordoned off for those hungry customers. Yet, why would people wait that long for a deep-fried chicken sandwich?

Veterans Day was uneventful until a casual perusal of the Apple® Store site during the cooldown at the gym. Three iPhone 14 Pro devices were available at Ala Moana Center, with different colors, sizes, and storage options. Only one met personal specifications, although it had more storage than desired. However, the option to wait until supplies return to normal most likely would run into the month of February next year.

iPhone 14 Pro Space Black

An attempt was made to order the chosen device on-line, but the credit card charge was rejected. So, a quick trip was made by bus to Ala Moana Center. The desired device was still available, so it was purchased along with an “official” case. The damage amounted to $1,200 and some change. The credit card was rejected on the first attempt, which then provided a clue that the card was going through the fraud protection protocol. An appointment was made to return at 6:30pm and perform the Visible device transfer to e-SIM.

A return trip to town was made to procure dinner at the favorite Subway®. A quick trip was made back to Waikiki to finally drop off the gym bag in the mausoleum at the “old folks home.” Then, back on the bus to Ala Moana Center.

At the Apple® Store, the preparation of the new device was made prior to the Visible SIM transfer process in the “app.” The process went smoothly and was completed fairly quickly. The iPhone 12 was then submitted for trade-in. After the usual diagnostics, the device was accepted and the trade-in value of $300 was credited.

On the way back to Waikiki, the discovery was made that there was no data connectivity on the new device. During the usual stopover at the International Marketplace, a chat was initiated with Visible “customer support.” The queue was over an hour. When contact was finally established, absolutely nothing was accomplished. A service ticket was allegedly sent up-line. Incidentally, everything that transpired, including the SIM transfer process, was rehearsed and anticipated prior, thanks to the Visible Reddit forum. The latter forum also insured that there was no surprise when Visible chat support proved to be completely useless.

Nevertheless, the need to procure a big-ass can of Corona® cerveza at the overpriced ABC Store was imperative to soothe the frazzled nerves. Once back in the mausoleum, the completion of the setup of the new device was accomplished sans a Net connection.

This morning, the gym was entered earlier than usual, specifically to use the free wireless network. The e-SIM on the iPhone was deleted, and the same transfer process was initiated without the old device. Technically, the procedure should have failed. The new e-SIM was installed successfully. Again, no data connectivity. After toggling airplane mode and the e-SIM switch, data suddenly was operational. The engineering background really has come in handy more often than not.

The new iPhone 14 Pro is an impressive device, but there’s not much of a difference from the iPhone 12 insofar as an old codger is concerned. “Dynamic Island” is simply ignored. Nearly all of the “features” have been turned off. Any system “app” featuring advertisements has been mummified. No third-party “apps” have been installed. So, the new device is a mirror image of the old device.

Addendum: Visible “customer support” did not respond as promised by e-mail within 24 hours about the status of the service ticket. Many users on the Reddit forum waited for days. Some never received any word at all. At that point, the only option is to finagle a solution.