Planned obsolescence or more technology woes

Remember the new phones we got last month? What I didn't post was that Mr. Fix-it's phone crapped out the same day we brought it home. Which meant another trip to the phone store. And I discovered that all the notes I had attached to people's numbers didn't get transferred over to my new phone.

Then more joy this week--my battery wouldn't hold a charge. So today it was back to the phone store where they gave us a new battery, no questions asked. I had to ask the manager if we were unlucky or if these were crappy phones and batteries. Oh no, he said, these are good phones and batteries. But he did warn us that in three, four, five, months, the battery life would be less. I was charging my new phone once a week (very little use, obviously), but was told in a few months, I'd have to charge my phone every three days or so. What a waste of time and electricity!

I didn't have to worry about this with my old phone. That battery lasted almost five years (actually, it still works; it is the phone that died). Does this mean that five years later, technology is worse than it was or is this a planned obsolescence plot? And the memo feature? Only available on smart phones. I can't get a smart phone connected without signing up for a data plan. Which I don't want. But I'm willing to pay FULL PRICE for a smart phone because it has features I want. So what if I'd only be using a small percent of its capabilities. That's my choice, just not a choice available to me. Grrr, before I really go off on how change is bad and technology is driving me crazy, I'll just end here, lol.