The awful, awful story of the cell phone case(s)

I love my cell phone. I really do. It has been my faithful companion for about two years now, and we really get along quite well. Unfortunately, in cell phone years, it is now somewhere around 78. Which is pretty old, for a cell phone and all. Functionally, it is great- all the buttons work, it still holds the 1000+ pictures I've taken of my niece and it keeps up with my habit of sending over 10,000 texts a month (sorry, dad!). However, Verizon has decided that it is no longer a viable option for cell-phone purchasers and since it isn't available for sale, Verizon also does not sell all the fun little accessories for it either. So, when my cell's cute little pink rubber case started looking like it had been ripped apart by the rabid zombies at Kroger, drastic steps had to be taken.

I turned to Ebay. Retrospectively, this was mistake number 1. After shopping around, I chose two cute cases that I really liked- one with little pink hearts all over, and one zebra print. However, in the hustle and bustle of life, I closed my browser without making a purchase... or SO I THOUGHT.

The next day, I began receiving emails from two different "sellers" instructing me to pay for my purchases. After much confusion on my part, I realized my fatal mistake. I had not realized that by clicking the "Buy it Now" button, I had actually bought it then. Being an Amazon girl, I had assumed that I was placing said items into my little e-shopping cart, where I would then receive at least 3 prompts allowing me to confront issues such as budget, need, materialism, the value of counter-cyclical spending (shopping isn't a hobby, it's a philosophy) before actually committing to a purchase. So, I emailed the sellers, explaining to them that although their items were really quite lovely, I hadn't actually wanted to buy them, I simply misunderstood the meaning of the button I was pressing. Needless to say, I was unsuccessful. So, this week, I received in the mail two new cell phone covers and a car charger (I actually needed that- it came with the zebra case).


Now, I know what you're thinking. "Come on, Meleah. That's not so bad. I mean, sure, you didn't need two cell phone cases, but now you have a back-up!" Well, well, well (I say to you), we are just getting started in my tale of woe. When the first phone case arrived (with the cute little hearts) I immediately put it on my cell phone and showed it off excitedly to all my friends. However, after a few days, I was ready for a change, and so today I decided to shake things up a bit and put on the zebra case. Simple, right? You are mistaken. After putting on the zebra case, I realized that it would not allow me to actually use my phone. That's right- my phone now looked adorable, but was little better than an animal-printed paper weight. "But Meleah! It's so simple! Just remove the case!" But you don't understand, friends in my mind! This case somehow managed to anatomically weld itself to my phone. I pried, I squeezed, I prayed and I pleaded, but this case was not coming off. And to top it all off, I couldn't even call a friend to come help me, because the case would not allow me to use the phone. Finally, one of my freshmen (and good friends) responded to my promised reward of a candy bar and was able to remove the case, although several pieces snapped off of it in the process. What an ordeal!

So, to review the lessons learned
1. "Buy it now" actually does mean "buy it now"
2. It is possible to enter into contractual agreements on the internet, even though you can't actually sign anything (yeah, I tried this argument with a "seller." I was shot down.)
3. My father should have listened all those year that I've requested a flame thrower for Christmas (I would have gotten that case off so much more quickly)
4. When in doubt, offer a candy bar as a reward.