Terry wanted to keep her phone connected to the internet while we traveled in Australia. This would allow us to use the GPS on her iPhone to keep from getting lost. To avoid roaming charges she had to purchase a Sim Card in Sydney so that her phone could be hooked up to the local network. The Optus store was maybe a quarter mile walk from our hotel in downtown Sydney. The store is under staffed and while she was getting her phone set up, several people walked in and then left in a huff because they weren’t getting helped. Perhaps an hour later, we left and she was hooked up.
The next day, we decided to return to replace the Sim in my phone. We figured it helps to be able to text or call each other especially since I’m often doing a sketch. On this day Brad decided he needed to see my passport. No one had asked Terry for her passport. It seems like the sales clerks invent loop holes on the fly. Apparently Terry shouldn’t have been sold her Sim without a passport. I wasn’t about to walk back to the hotel just to satisfy this sales clerk. I suspect he gets pleasure from infuriating costumers. He’s been at this dead end job for years and his only power comes from infuriating people who need help. As it turned out Terry still had a plethora of question and she kept Brad occupied long enough to do this quick sketch. When people specifically go out of their way to waist my time, I can get my anger and frustrations to channel their way into a sketch. I took all of Brad’s business cards and distributed them at tourist destinations all over Sydney with “Don’t use Optus” scribbled on the back. It was my one public service while I was there. My advice, if you travel to Australia, don’t use Optus. Terry told me that the phone bill was astronomical as well, so the fight to get a Sim didn’t result in savings. I kept my phone on airplane mode for the month and just checked a few e-mails using hotel internet connections at night. Being free of the hive can be a blessing. Perhaps Brad did me a favor.
