$1000 Target Gift Card . . . yes, it's another scam

Last night, I recieved a text message that I won a $1000 Target Gift Card.

Yeah!  Christmas gifts for all!

But wait . . . it told me I had to click on the Target Winner.com link and enter a five-digit code within the next 24 hours in order to claim it.

I thought, I have to . . . what?

Now, I fill out a lot of store surveys and I could've easily done one for Target.  But I don't recall ever entering my cell number.  Next step, Google!  Guess what I found?

IT WAS A SCAM!

Bottom line: if you get this kind of text message, delete it immediately.

Verizon Droid X2 - problems in initial programming and activation

Recently, I upgraded up LG flip-phone for a Droid X2.  However, I ran into a problem right away with the activation.  Whenever it would try to activate, it sounded like someone was pressing the "1" key over and over and over and over again.  It was quite annoying, which resulted in my not being able to activate it.

When I went online, I found many people had similar problems.  Here's one such video I found:

I even tried pressing the dialer and pressing *228.  No such luck.

The solution: call Verizon at 1-800-922-0204.  I found the lady at the call center over-the-top helpful and she got my phone activated without problems.  Oh, by the way, you'll have to call from another phone into of your new Droid.  She'll more than likely ask you to power it down and then back up--and I'm not really sure how you can do that while talking to her.  So, bottom line, call from a land line or another cell phone.

What does pre-certified mean?

I was recently in the process of upgrading my old Verizon LG flip phone to something newer--and that's a story for another day--when I came across "pre-certified" phones.

Then, I got to thinking: what in the world is pre-certified?

Pre-certified is a fancy term for . . . used.

But used doesn't necessarily mean it's bad.  The phones are supposed to go through a rigorous inspection, and functionally they work.  Instead, there may be a cosmetic defect, like a small scratch.  It's up to you on whether or not to go with pre-certified or new.

Then again, when it comes to cars, used is typically what most people go with.  Why would cell phones be any different?

My semi-beloved flip-phone

I have a flip-phone.

I've had it for a number of years now, and the cell phone provider keeps bugging me to upgrade.

Here's the kicker: depending on the model I get, I may have to increase the data charges to accomodate the new phone.  This also depends on whether or not I get a smartphone.  I wouldn't mind having a Droid (on my definite wishlist) but I'll have to research it a bit more.

Don't blindly upgrade your cell phone just because you can get the latest and greatest gizmo.  Chances are the cell phone provider is going to stick you with another two-year committment.  Personally, I'm happy with my provider, for the most part.

But I still have to read the fine print.