How to Make It in Life

I'm currently on hold with AT&T Wireless, trying to upgrade my 3-year-old cell phone, which, among other obsolete things about it, has digital PocketNet "service" -- the wireless Internet service AT&T offered when I first purchased the phone, and the very same service they suddenly stopped providing about, oh, a year into my contract -- a cost-cutting measure I found out about while lost and trying to get directions out of San Diego.

So I'm not too thrilled with their customer service.

Still, I want to keep AT&T because I have a relatively cheap $29.99 plan, while all the new plans worth anything nowadays are like 40 bucks or more.

But as I've been on hold for a good half hour, I've been starting to reconsider. The elevator music-backed ads AT&T plays to their customers are pretty repetitive and annoying. But what's even more annoying is when the music suddenly stops, and you think, "Right on, a real person will talk to me now," but instead it's an automated voice coming on to say, "We know how difficult it is to be on hold, please stay on the line, we apologize for the inconvenience, etc."

And I just want to say, "Look fool, I know I'm on hold, so you don't need to keep reminding me of that by having the same woman repeat the same automated apology every five minutes. And another thing--" But then I realize the machines wouldn't be able to hear me, nor would they care if they did, and that's somehow depressing.

So if anyone knows of a cell phone service that works well in the L.A. area, besides AT&T, let me know. Thanks!