The Voice

I finally had to replaced my defective cell phone.
Dropped calls and missing words had increased to the point where they'd become the norm, and a "No Service" message was now being displayed on my screen.
The technician at Verizon said he couldn't fix my phone, and told me it would cost $50 to replace it.

I was incredulous.

I had been waiting in line for about 20 minutes and the room was crowded with customers.

This poor, unwitting man was going to force me to pull out my secret weapon...The Teacher Voice.

With a smile on my lips, and a glare in my eyes, I stared at the man wearing the polo shirt with the company logo.
First,I assumed the attitude: Very calm.
Then,The Voice: Rather loud. Very firm.

"Let me understand this.
I am paying for your company's service.
This phone, which came with my service plan, through no fault of my own, stops working.
I am losing business calls, which I am still paying for through your service.
Now you want to charge me fifty dollars to replace my phone because you can't fix it."

I smiled sweetly, turned around and looked back at the room full of customers, waiting for service. They had fallen silent. All eyes were upon us. I turned to face the technician. My sweet smile broadened into a grin.

"Sir, I think I'm getting screwed."

Coughs and snickers replaced the silence in the room behind me.

"Excuse me." The man mumbled.
He immediately went into the back room and came out with a new phone...no charge.

Sometimes it's just so good to be me.