A 500 quid Blackberry Bold and it can't actually make phone calls

I am seriously, seriously thinking about going back to the stone-age.

I am really annoyed that I can’t make phone calls on my Blackberry Bold.

Or my other Blackberry Curve.

Let’s be clear: The handset connects to the internet brilliantly. The handset makes and receives calls.

Just… the person on the other end can hardly ever hear me.

Roughly every second call I make or receive, the person on the other end says ‘oh, er, this… you’re… you’re breaking up.. this is a bad line..’

I’m in different locations routinely.

I’m using Vodafone, traditionally one of the best and highest quality networks.

WORSE: I routinely have 80-100% signal when this is going on.

What the flock am I meant to do?

I simply cannot function correctly when the other person can’t hear me.

What the hell are the merits of a sodding Blackberry when it can’t do the basics correctly?

I’m reasonably confident it’s not the network screwing up. I don’t know.

I *think* it’s the phone. But you know what? I can’t be bothered to figure out the problem.

I can’t be arsed to sit and take sim cards out and screw about with different handsets and call customer services and so on an so on.

I think it’s a good 300 quid a month I blow.

I simply can’t be BOTHERED. I’m paying that much and the thought of having to ‘audit’ my telecommunications SO that I can consistently make reliable mobile voice calls… I can’t handle that. I’m outraged that it’s all this shit.

I’m going to try swapping to a Nokia on my primary handset, I think.

It’s not just me who’s getting a shit service from the mobile industry as a whole though — on the basics.

Consider this comment from one influential industry insider that I got an hour ago:

“I lose Vodafone signal in Victoria Station. To the point that I now know what paths to take when i’m on a call so i don’t get cut off… Pathetic!”

It truly is ridiculous.