I’m not prepared to call them “the good old days,” but I can remember when I did things myself and didn’t rely so much on technology and convenience.
Alan Whitt
Smart phones, iPads, GPS, hotspots … they even have cars that park themselves.
I used to memorize all important phone numbers. But since my smart phone allows me to speak a name and have it dial a number, I can barely remember my own.
On Thursday I drove to Nashville International Airport with a cashier’s check, a deposit for 23 women on a group flight next fall. Guess what? … I still have the check.
My first mistake was actually going to the airport. I should have known that plastic is the only way to pay for things these days, by either phone or online. Checks … and even more so, cash … are passé.
My second mistake was assuming that I could show up with a confirmation number and anyone at a United Airlines ticket counter could pull up the group reservation in the computer, take the payment and I would be on my way.
Think again. No one there knew what the heck I was talking about, so the check for $1,150 went right back into my pocket.
After a United employee patiently waited on hold for 40 minutes (on a cordless phone, of course) with the Help Desk and the groups department, I was handed the phone and finally found out how to pay the deposit.
Seems the old fashioned way – an envelope and a stamp – is still relevant in the Internet age.
