You say it fixed your Sundays, but did it really? Sounds more like you just wanted to read a book and finally did. People blame their phones for everything these days, but a $60 flip phone is not some magic fix. In my experience, the phone is not the problem, it is the person holding it. If you can swap a SIM every Friday, you could just as easy put the smart phone in a drawer. Your mileage may vary, but I call it willpower with extra steps.

Was your pan cast iron or carbon steel? That matters a lot here. On cast iron the potato trick can work because the surface is thick and forgiving, but on carbon steel or a thin skillet you can scrub right through the seasoning if you push too hard. Also curious how you dried it, because if there was any moisture left in those rough patches before you oiled it, the rust will come right back in a week or two.

Four months and three calls seems pretty normal for city response times.