Res Ipsa Loquitur

First, they didn't have a long enough phone wire to connect the phone to the jack so it could set on the chest of drawers, only one that was about 3" long. And we couldn't hang the phone on the wall because the phone jack was behind the chest of drawers. Stupidly not thinking of that, we didn't bring a phone wire with us. So last weekend, we finally remembered to bring one with us when we went to pick up WildChild.

Plugged the phone in to the jack and guess what? The speakerphone worked, but the handset was dead. Why? Because my dad had unplugged it after we'd left the first time. Because you know, no sense wasting electricity.

*sigh* We told them to leave the handset on the charger for 24 hrs. to see if the battery would recharge. I get a phone call the next day from my mom saying the handset still wasn't working. Did they leave on the charger like we said? Oh, hell no. Because my dad noticed the base of the phone was warm so he took the handset off the charger. Why? Well, my crazy grandmother once left a rechargeable flashlight plugged in for God knows how long & it exploded. So he was afraid the phone was going to do the same.

*another sigh*

Leave. It. On. The. Charger. For. 24. Hours. I said. If it doesn't recharge by then, take the battery out of the handset and get a new one.

Yesterday another phone call. The battery never charged so they got a new one. They left the handset with the new battery on the charger overnight, just like the boy at the store told them, but the handset still wasn't working. It just displayed an "Out of Range" message when it was turned on.

*big sigh*

That means, I explained, that the battery isn't fully charged and you need to put it back on the base so it can finish charging. But the boy said it would charge overnight, my mother said, and it's been charging since late yesterday evening. I don't CARE what 'the boy' said, Put It Back On The Charger, I said firmly. Then she insisted that I call them back around 6 pm so they could tell if the phone was working.........even though I explained repeatedly that if there was a dialtone when they turned the handset on, it was working.

*rolls eyes*

So I did. My dad answered the phone. The other phone, not the new one. So I had to wait until he put that one down & picked up on the new one........even though he said he'd called his sister earlier on the new one & it worked just fine. Because he wanted to make sure he could get incoming calls on the new phone, not just outgoing ones. I'm not kidding. So he finally picks up on the new phone and immediately starts complaining that he can't hear me very well.

"Dad," I said semi-patiently. "You have to hang up the other phone first."

"Oh yeah," he laughed. "I guess that would help."

Freaking duh.

I remind him again to leave the handset on the base when they're not using it, resisting the urge to sarcastically ask him if they unhooked the battery from the Jeep every time they turned the key off. Mostly because I was afraid of his answer.

I swear, if Mike ever mentions again that maybe we should re-furb an old computer & get those two hooked up to the internet, I may have to smack him upside the head. On second thought, maybe I should let him go ahead and HE could handle all the phone calls that would generate.

Nah, a smack upside the head would be less painful.