OT: Somthing ODD

[capnq]

The year-long contract doesn't bother me; it's not being able to find out what the current "standard" rate is so that I'll have some idea what it's going to jump to after the first year. The only place I've been able to find numbers for that are in blogs from people complaining about poor customer service incidents.

[Fyron]

At least with the SBC deal I used to have, the standard rate was 29.99. But by that point you can always cancel it and get something else. The salesman on the line will tell you what the rate will become after the special ends.

[Atrocities]

What I hate about Qwest DSL is that they sell me my service $49.99 for 1.5d and 786up and a few months later drop the price to $24.99 for life for new subscribers with a free modem rental for a year.

[Randallw]

My provider never tells me when they update their plans. I sometimes check and find that they have instituted new plans that are faster and have a higher limit than mine for the same price and they don't tell me. They do occasionally send me newsletters that perhaps do introduce it but then who cares about reading newsletters

[Fyron]

If you call to customer support and complain, you can probably get your dsl bill dropped to the new low rate... bring up considering dropping the service and going with the local competitor.

[Randallw]

Nah, I just change my plan online.

Last time I checked they had, for the same price, 20% higher limit and 3/2 time the speed. The plan I was on wasn't even offered anymore, but oh no they don't tell me they just keep me on it till I find out and change it.

It actually surprises me how quickly things speed up. It had only been 3 months before that that I reset my plan. Keep in mind it's been about the same price every time. I was slightly annoyed once when I found out the same plan was basically being offerred for $10 less.

[Randallw]

On a related issue. Cheap internet provider ads.

Now keep in mind I think like this. Ads are supposed to trick you into buying their product by dazzling you with the wonderfulness of their presentation. Like the ad, buy the product. So In all fairness I take the position that if I hate their ad I don't care how great their product is I won't buy it. Seems fair, try to persuade me and stuff it up, they lose.

There is a ISP here in Australia that offers cheap broadband. I have been happy with my ISP despite what I was just saying. It's not a big issue, i've learnt to check occasionally. They have an ad where their annoying mascot chats away with the eye candy flogging their stuff. Till recently it's just been some aspiring model/actress. Nothing worth my attention. Now they decided to spice it up by giving the impression they're great because they can get a celebrity to sell their service. What celebrity do they jet in for the week to throw the ad together. Tara Reid!. They're so cheap they don't even splurge on PH (of course her rep has gone down lately, but this was clearly filmed months ago) they use the cheap 2nd rate knockoff, who clearly thinks she's important enough to be considered. She jets down here, says some lines a guy off camera is whispering and then asks for her money. I mean you know the mascot is just some animated effect but her eyes could at least be made to look in the right direction, rather than just hideously made up.

I find it slightly hilarious, appalling and capable of destroying any interest I might have had in their service

[Fyron]

AT&T launches $10 DSL it hopes no one signs up for