The joy of cancelling the mobile contract

Thank you to those readers who have left comments and sent emails regarding yesterday’s post.  The decision to end our life afloat has been taken with many regrets and a heavy heart.  But you have to look forward.  In my experience those who look backwards walk into lamp posts!  However that doesn’t mean you forget where you have been and the many interesting people you’ve met on the way.  We are going to treasure our canal memories.

I phoned our mobile provider today to give the required 30 days notice to cancel the contract.  After listening to all the options and subsequently pressing the required keys to finally reach Mumbai I stumbled at the password.  It was so simple to take out this contract in 2011.  How was I (an OAP) supposed to remember the unique password from 6 years ago which you must not commit to paper.  Well I finally got lucky and was able to move to the next stage.  Maybe ”lucky” isn’t the right word.  My poor hearing and her accent weren’t a good combination.  Eventually we were able to agree the SIM would be deactivated on 4 June (30 days).  Then the up-sale pitch occurred.  No I didn’t want to keep the number or use the phone overseas.  They cover the world and I can use the phone anywhere.  A stumbled silence when I mentioned I was off to Antarctica for 12 months and not planning a return to the UK.

We were then advised notification of termination will be sent to our UK address on 15 Jun and the final automatic debit taken on 26 June.  I had to explain I wasn’t going to be in the UK after 4 June and what I wanted was a reference number confirming our conversation that the contract was to be cancelled on 4 June.  She told me they don’t provide reference numbers but confirmation would be in the letter sent on15 June.  I repeated that we were leaving before 4 June and asked if I could have a confirmatory email.  She then informed me she would send a confirmatory text message to the phone.  We’ve now received the following text.

We have resolved your query. For more help go to [mobile provider address]/help from your handset or pc.  Thanks

This message is about as useful as a chocolate teapot.  My gut feeling is billing will continue and we’re going to have a battle on our hands.

Meanwhile,other activity on the boat today has been concentrated on sorting though our possessions and dividing them into four categories;  leave on the boat, rubbish, ship home and take on the aircraft.   You wouldn’t believe how much “stuff” we have managed to squeeze into this 6ft diameter steel tube over the last five years.  It took several trips to the nearby orange CRT Biffa bins to dispose all the unwanted “stuff”.  By the last trip the Biffa bin was screaming it was suffering from a serious bout of indigestion!  Moreover, looking at the shipping pile I think we will need to buy some additional tea chests.

I also have to start work on writing my ’bucket list’.  As you probably already know a ‘bucket list’ is all the things you want to do before you ‘kick the bucket’.  My list is getting longer, despite the end date getting closer.  I might have to seek an extension if I’m to get through the list.  Money might also be an issue.

I remember my father telling me “Son,the idea is to die with a zero bank balance.  It’s getting the timing right that’s the difficult part!”  He was an accountant.  I replied.  “I think your wrong Dad.  You can’t take your money with you.  But you can leave your debts behind!”