Reading the title, I know it sounds really bad. However, I promise it was not my fault. (I did not break or lose the phones). Let me explain.

Last October, it was time for a phone upgrade. My dad took me to the Verizon store and we got me an LG G4. It worked like any brand new phone should. I took care of it, keeping a screen protector and a case on it. I only dropped it occasionally (I’m a bit of a klutz) and did not let it get wet. I was extra careful in Florida when we were near the ocean or riding roller coasters. (At least one of my friends went into the ocean with his phone on him).

One day at the end of June, my phone just shut off out of the blue. I connected it to a charger even though that was not the issue (I still had most of the charge left). The phone would not even recognize that it was charging. There was no way to reset it and it would not respond to anything I was doing. So we went to the Verizon store, and they tried everything I had done, with the same results: a black screen and no recognition of anything (I think we even tried putting in a different battery). The workers at Verizon told me they would replace my phone since it was only nine months old. However, as they looked on their computer for a replacement LG G4, they discovered that it was no longer in stock. They then gave me a few substitute options. I could get an iPhone (a fairly recent one I am sure, but I do not believe it was the most up-to-date one), a Samsung Galaxy S4, or a Motorola Droid Turbo 2. I am too clumsy for an iPhone, and the s4 did not appeal to me. So I went with the Droid Turbo 2. For some reason, they gave me a “temporary phone” that they usually reserve for people who need their phones on them for jobs– like police, paramedics, firefighters, or other emergency personnel. They said they had a shipment going out anyway and it was not a big deal. Ironically enough, the temporary phone they gave me was a Samsung Galaxy S4.

(Side story: we were at the Verizon store for like three hours that day. It got late enough that they pulled down the blinds on the windows and we were some of the last customers to leave. About half an hour before they were supposed to close, a phone rings. It was one of the display phones [apparently it had a number attached to it, which I never knew was a possibility]. Anyway, the lady helping us got really excited and goes, “Hang on, I gotta answer this.” She practically runs to the phone and answers it by saying, “Jesus ministries, how can I help you?” The person on the end of the line realized it was a wring number and the phone call ended. She then came back to help us and explained, “We get that same call usually every day around the same time.” [My dad reasoned it was probably an employee’s significant other or someone else indirectly affiliated with the store to tell them that it was almost closing time. Either way, my sister and I found it hysterical.)

The next day, my new phone came. I transferred everything from the S4 and deposited the temporary phone at the UPS store to return. About three days later, my new phone started shutting off like the LG had. It would do it at random times, usually when I opened any app. However, this time, I could at least plug it in and it would turn back on. This was like a Friday or Saturday evening and I do not think that Verizon is open on Sundays (or we got too busy). We could not go Monday because that was July 4, and that was the day my family, my boyfriend, and I went to the Cubs game. In an attempt to remedy the problem, I kept my phone plugged into a portable charger and brought my camera to take pictures.

We returned to the Verizon store the next day. By now, I could recognize most of the employees and they probably knew us. A different guy looked at my phone and gave me a reparable diagnosis: my memory card was not compatible. However, that was not the only issue since it would still shut off once the memory card was removed. (My best guess was a malfunction in the battery, yet I could not be sure because the battery is built in.) They sent me another Droid Turbo 2. I put the new memory card in it and held my breath as I used it off the charger. To my astonishment, it worked! My phone issues had been solved at last!

See, it really was not that bad. I was just a victim of what should have been an easy fix that went horribly wrong. I like my Droid Turbo 2 a lot more than I thought I would have. So I guess I am grateful that my LG G4 only lasted nine months and decided not to work anymore.