More "Bill Shock" in store for Smartphone Users?

When I bought my HTC Desire recently I had this in mind.

http://www.theage.com.au/digital-lif...0509-ulqm.html

I have a $20/500 meg data pack. But even with moderate usage the widget that
measures data usage is telling me that at current rate I'll exceed my allowance.

As more and more of these gadgets are introduced to the market, do you think
that there's an onus on the telcos to make them more affordable to use in this
manner?

The usage alert from Telstra is set up to alert me when data usage as reached
80%. However, any time that I have exceeded it the SMS alert arrives later. The
last two SMSes said that I'd exceeded it by 134% and later, 237%.

This has been sorted out with Telstra (wrong code applied to my account).

Recently I mentioned this when I was using my Motorola as a modem on my laptop
when I had a 5 meg pack on it. Each time that I exceeded the 5 megs I got the
alert AFTER I'd exceeded it.

So, despite my account being configured for early alerts, in my case it's not
working.

So, Telstra, at least, has to make it easier or simpler for smartphone users
(and now the iPad0 to quickly check their data usage. They can install widgets
to monitor data traffic but this isn't what Telstra uses to charge you for
excess data usage.

Mine has a link to "My Account". All it is is a shortcut to the "My Account"
page on Telstra's website. You need to configure and set it up first. What would
be nice is if the telcos make a widget that directly accesses the data, much
like the Firefox widget "Net Usage Item" that I use. That way you'd be able to
get an instant update of your usage.

Farts farted again

> When I bought my HTC Desire recently I had this in mind.

> http://www.theage.com.au/digital-lif...0509-ulqm.html

Not a shred of evidence that you actually have a mind.

> I have a $20/500 meg data pack. But even with moderate
> usage the widget that measures data usage is telling me
> that at current rate I'll exceed my allowance.

You could always hang yourself...

> As more and more of these gadgets are introduced to the
> market, do you think that there's an onus on the telcos to
> make them more affordable to use in this manner?

Nope.

> The usage alert from Telstra is set up to alert me when
> data usage as reached 80%. However, any time that I
> have exceeded it the SMS alert arrives later. The last two
> SMSes said that I'd exceeded it by 134% and later, 237%.

You could always hang yourself...

> This has been sorted out with Telstra (wrong code applied to my account).

> Recently I mentioned this when I was using my Motorola as a
> modem on my laptop when I had a 5 meg pack on it. Each time
> that I exceeded the 5 megs I got the alert AFTER I'd exceeded it.

You could always hang yourself...

> So, despite my account being configured for early alerts, in my case it's not working.

You could always hang yourself...

> So, Telstra, at least, has to make it easier or simpler for smartphone
> users (and now the iPad0 to quickly check their data usage.

Or fools like you could get a clue and keep track of what you use yourself.

> They can install widgets to monitor data traffic

But are too stupid to check if what they install gets that right.

> but this isn't what Telstra uses to charge you for excess data usage.

You quite sure you aint one of those rocket scientist union bludgers ?

> Mine has a link to "My Account". All it is is a shortcut to the "My Account"
> page on Telstra's website. You need to configure and set it up first.

Why does everything you touch turn to dog **** ?

> What would be nice is if the telcos make a widget that directly accesses
> the data, much like the Firefox widget "Net Usage Item" that I use. That
> way you'd be able to get an instant update of your usage.

Then how did you go so grossly over your quota ?

Ear to ear dog ****, thats how.

Farts farted just the puerile **** any 2 year old could leave for dead.

On Mon, 10 May 2010 04:00:18 +0200, Marts <marts@ymail.com> wrote:

> When I bought my HTC Desire recently I had this in mind.
>
> http://www.theage.com.au/digital-lif...0509-ulqm.html
>
> I have a $20/500 meg data pack. But even with moderate usage the widget
> that
> measures data usage is telling me that at current rate I'll exceed my
> allowance.
>
> As more and more of these gadgets are introduced to the market, do you
> think
> that there's an onus on the telcos to make them more affordable to use
> in this
> manner?
>
> The usage alert from Telstra is set up to alert me when data usage as
> reached
> 80%. However, any time that I have exceeded it the SMS alert arrives
> later. The
> last two SMSes said that I'd exceeded it by 134% and later, 237%.
>
> This has been sorted out with Telstra (wrong code applied to my account).
>
> Recently I mentioned this when I was using my Motorola as a modem on my
> laptop
> when I had a 5 meg pack on it. Each time that I exceeded the 5 megs I
> got the
> alert AFTER I'd exceeded it.
>
> So, despite my account being configured for early alerts, in my case
> it's not
> working.
>
> So, Telstra, at least, has to make it easier or simpler for smartphone
> users
> (and now the iPad0 to quickly check their data usage. They can install
> widgets
> to monitor data traffic but this isn't what Telstra uses to charge you
> for
> excess data usage.
>
> Mine has a link to "My Account". All it is is a shortcut to the "My
> Account"
> page on Telstra's website. You need to configure and set it up first.
> What would
> be nice is if the telcos make a widget that directly accesses the data,
> much
> like the Firefox widget "Net Usage Item" that I use. That way you'd be
> able to
> get an instant update of your usage.
>

I'm not following you completely, but why can't you install an app that
warns you when you've used 80% of your included data? There are some in
the Market Place.
That problem with the provider not warning in time is way common. In
Sweden we are not charged for excess data but the speed we can reach is
dramatically reduced (to 1/50, 0.2% of the original speed with most
carriers). But warnings (and the speed reduction) comes sometimes hours
after one has reached or even passed the limit.

--
Using Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/mail/

andnewman wrote...

> > Mine has a link to "My Account". All it is is a shortcut to the "My
> > Account"
> > page on Telstra's website. You need to configure and set it up first.
> > What would
> > be nice is if the telcos make a widget that directly accesses the data,
> > much
> > like the Firefox widget "Net Usage Item" that I use. That way you'd be
> > able to
> > get an instant update of your usage.
> >
>
> I'm not following you completely, but why can't you install an app that
> warns you when you've used 80% of your included data? There are some in
> the Market Place.

I'm using "3G Watchdog", which seems to be fairly accurate. If anything, it is
overestimating usage (compared to the official data usage meter) which is good,
as it means an early warning if you approach your limit.

> That problem with the provider not warning in time is way common. In
> Sweden we are not charged for excess data but the speed we can reach is
> dramatically reduced

That's a much better system, but it means that the telcos can't gouge you in
excess fees. Our landline based ISPs do, however, have shaped plans, from DSL2+
speeds down to dialup.

> carriers). But warnings (and the speed reduction) comes sometimes hours
> after one has reached or even passed the limit.

When my new account was set up there were a few problems with it. On the first
day that I had the phone I received an SMS saying that I'd exceeded my limit by
200 something percent. I got this AFTER it, obviously. The website says that
when you reach 80% a warning will be issued.

The data pack allowance problems have since been fixed. Somehow whoever
configured my account failed to apply the correct codes for the data pack to it,
so the help desk fellow told me after my 4th or 5th call to Telstra to sort it
out.

I was still on my old 5 meg a month plan when I was s'posed to be on a new 500
meg plan. Hence the excess data warnings.

It's now 4th June, 2 days after the new billing month has started. As of 10
mins. ago my bill for the last month hasn't been generated. Telstra account
holders can log in to check upcoming bills, but mine is still showing April
info. So I don't know if I've been billed for the excess data that was showing
at the start of May when I got the new phone. It won't be much, probably a few
dollars, but I should never have had this.

I was "reassured" that I won't get a bill for the excess data, but until I get
the bill I won't know.