Sometimes, the universe has our back. Maybe it’s a bit of karma dished out your way, maybe you’ve been practicing mantras or visualisation – or perhaps, you are just one of those people that are perpetually lucky. However, sometimes the universe likes to serve us a flat old slice of humble pie and show us who’s boss.
Also, SOMETIMES – it might just be that you are experiencing one of the following –
• You are terrible at charging your phone.
• You use your phone way too much and the battery doesn’t last.
• You need a new phone because the battery life is beyond questionable.
Whichever reason you want to put it down to – there are times when you could REALLY do with using your phone, and it’s out of action (refer to the above options). We took to the wonderful world of Twitter to uncover the biggest #epicfail when it comes to being caught without a battery.
Debbie Schogger – @debbieschogger
“I had been on a press trip to Germany and was going to be staying at my new boyfriend’s house (now my husband). The journey was complicated as I had to get overground (totally new to me), and as it was so dark I could not see the signs to see which stop we were at. It was moments too late when I spotted we were at my destination. The carriage doors closed and I was heading to the next unknown town! I got off at the next stop thinking ‘no problem, I will just cross the platform and get the next train’. The next train was a 45-minute wait in the dark and freezing cold. I exited the station to look for a taxi rank or shops, and there was just one big field and a country lane! My battery is dead on my phone. I panic.
This lady could see I was distressed and I asked her where I could get a taxi from. She did not know! Instead, she kindly told me that she would ask her husband who was collecting her if he could drop me back in the previous town. With no battery on my phone, it was a complete gamble as to whether I would make it home alive by taking a car with strangers. To my absolute amazement, they ended up dropping me at my boyfriend’s. I was so so overwhelmed that I gave them the chocolate I had bought in Germany as a thank you!
The moral of the story.. never run out of battery when you are taking the overground in the dark!”
Stephanie Barnes – @Honeysblood
“So, my friend was Whatsapping me when she was away in Italy – she said she was drunk on whiskey and a man kept buying her more drinks. At first, I was like ‘lol’ then she called me and was saying that this man wouldn’t leave her alone and that she felt scared but put it down to how the men are over there (stereotyping but basically, Italian stallion charmers!) I kept her on the phone whilst she was in the toilet then she said she had to leave the toilet because someone else needed it, I heard someone saying something in Italian and it cut out…
I charged as fast as I could and I had a message from her saying her mate was now there and it was okay I asked her to call me and she said sorry she was just really drunk and couldn’t understand the men but her mate turned up. It was actually quite bad lol because I was in Eastbourne and couldn’t do anything…”
Kirsten Rees – @MakeMeASuccess
“I was doing volunteer work in Romania for a few months and took some time to go traveling and see the sights. One weekend I was on a very long train journey and there was no plug to recharge. Worst was I didn’t remember the name of the station to get off and had to guess based on the arrival time, thankfully got off at the right place – especially as it was -30 degrees and standing in a train station would have been a serious risk!”
Aleesha Badkhar – @Aleesha Badkhar
“I’m a postgrad student on the MA Magazine Journalism course at City Uni in London. Last term we had to go around an area of London each Thursday looking for news stories to submit. I hadn’t purchased a dictaphone yet so used to just use my phone to record any little interviews or vox pops that I did for the stories and to take photos and videos for the stories.
One week I was working on my final story and I was interviewing a woman who I wasn’t planning to interview, as I had just popped down there to take some photos and video with the proper camera that I had. But I bumped into this woman who actually knew a lot about what I was writing about, so I was recording a quick interview with her when my phone suddenly went from 30% to 0% and just died! It was so annoying as it was a really interesting interview! Luckily I managed to get some good info before it died but it would have been good to have a longer interview with her. So, unfortunately, I had to cut my interview short and then make the long journey home back to Buckinghamshire (as I commute every day) with a dead phone! Was not the best day!”
Keith White – @TheWhiteGent
“I was on a flight home from London to Edinburgh, with a little over 40% battery left. The flight took off as normal, and we settled into the flight. I was being picked up by my parents at the other end. The flight is normally 1hr 10 max, usually less than that. As I was watching a film on my phone, I must have drifted off to sleep. When I woke I realised that we should have already landed, and when I checked my phone, which was on the red numbers of battery, I saw we had been up in the air for over 2 and a half hours. There had been no announcements up to this point, but people were getting a little tetchy. Eventually, after 3 and a half hours, there was an announcement that there was a serious issue with the landing gear, and they couldn’t get the wheels down. I was sitting by the wing, and as I looked out I could see them trying to get it down – accompanied by a grinding noise. I’d say the wheel was 2ft below the wing, well beneath where it was supposed to be.
Around 40 minutes later, I looked out the window again to see the lights of Edinburgh being split in half by the Forth of Firth river (a huge wide river by the sea) and I then saw, the fuel cap is opened and the fuel being drained into the river below, as we flew up and down the river. I was on about 2% battery at this stage.
Then they made the final announcement, they were going to attempt an emergency landing, and were cutting off the lights, and power from the rest of the plane, and that we were being sent to the most outward runway at the airport to attempt to land…. Followed by “God bless”.
Everyone was screaming and crying, and I text my friends and family, saying I hoped this wasn’t it, but it may well be, and I love them. Then my battery died.
As we came in to land the screeching noise from the landing gear was awful, as was the sight of a sea of blue flashing lights from fire engines and emergency services down the entire runway.
We managed a very, very bumpy white-knuckle landing, and arrived in one piece.
The problem was I had forgotten about the last text I sent, and now my phone was off, so everyone had assumed the worst. I was oblivious to all of this as I strolled up to my Dad in the arrivals lounge, who looked like he’d seen a ghost.
I make sure my phone is fully charged before boarding any flight now, and try not to use it in any way on board, obviously in flight mode.”
We are sure that you have all experienced the feeling of dread when we see our battery turn red and 20%, knowing it’s vital we have some talk or text time left. But fear not – we have the item that will alleviate your worries – Power Banks! These handy power banks will mean that you can undertake any journey or activity safe in the knowledge that you will be able to charge your phone and remain worry free!
