Hostage...

Joan was in need of a new phone.  I like my phone - a lot.  I have an iPhone 8.  Joan's iPhone is old enough that it has a crank on the side of it and you talk into a little iMegaphone.  (Yes, that is a joke.)

I take photos regularly with my phone (although I prefer a real camera, but I always have my phone with me).  The cameras on the iPhone 11s are a significant upgrade.  Joan suggested I upgrade my phone and she would take mine.  A premise worth considering.

We stopped at the Apple Store when we went to a movie on Tuesday; gathered information and tried out some phone options so we could make an intelligent decision.  Today, we went to the same store to get me an iPhone 11 Pro and move Joan's info over to the 8 we currently have.  The young lady we spoke with on Tuesday said, "It'll take maybe a half hour and should be easy."

Not quite the way it paid out.  The first to help us was an even younger lady who looked to be about 12 or 13.  She went in search of someone who could help us.  (If you can't help me, you shouldn't say, "Can I help you?"... maybe: "I probably won't be able to help you," would be more appropriate.

After waiting for several minutes, another young lady asked if she could help us... in an accent that made me concerned that English wasn't her first language.  She asked us all the same questions as the first young lady.  Really, that gets a bit tiresome.  When she determined that she could help us (we want to buy a phone and would like some guidance with loading our current stuff off iCloud and wiping the old phones), she went to get a new phone and then we spent the next hour or so with her being unable to connect with our cellular carrier.  More than tiresome.

At this point, the young lady we spoke with on Tuesday wandered by.  We snagged her.  She knew how to make it all work, but it certainly took more than "the half hour" and it wasn't all that easy.  Before we managed to break free, we had about 3 hours in... and not much of our info from iCloud downloaded.  No one mentioned that we'd have to re-enter every password to every app, browser, e-mail accounts, and various other phone functions.  And I had specifically asked last Tuesday if that would be the case.  "As long as you have everything backed up to the cloud, it will all be there."

Nope.  I was getting hangry, so it was, indeed, time for us to go.

On the bright side, we had Oregano's (pizza) for a very late lunch - closer to the time we often have supper.  The pizza was great, the service was fast.  I left my phone out during our meal, waiting for my photos to download.  Haven't seen any sign of them, yet.  "Updating."

We did some other shopping (that we thought we'd have time for way before lunch), briefly, before heading for home.

So, as with every other new phone I've bought, there will likely be days of loading passwords as the need for apps comes up.  I haven't had a chance to try out the camera(s) on this new phone... but, considering the time investment, I'm hoping all will be good.

On the other bright side, Joan called me with her phone... seems the phones are working as they should.

I like my Apple stuff.  I have no doubt the new phone and Joan's upgrade to my former phone will be good for both of us.  It just shouldn't have to take this kind of rigamarole to get it done.