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0 pointsugh14y ago0 comments

I’m not really sure why you are angry at the carriers. Knowing about the limits and how much you need is kinda your job. I know that I need at least half a terabyte per month when I’m using my laptop and I know to always check how much bandwidth I can get from the carriers.

Your responsibility.

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brudgers14y ago

I think anger is justified to the degree the plan is structured to cost significantly more than a reasonable person would expect - i.e. caveat emptor should not be the approach of reputable companies.

While it is perhaps somewhat legitimate to criticize an HN'er for failing to calculate the rate at which a data plan will be consumed at a given bandwidth, it is of questionable appropriateness in regard to the general public.

veyron14y ago

What are your thoughts about AT&T crippling unlimited data customers going over a specified limit (iirc 3GB)?

ughOP14y ago

Depends. I don’t care about it if it’s clearly stated just how much bandwidth you get. I’m not in the US but in Germany carriers will often tell you they have unlimited flatrate plans but also state that if you go above a certain bandwidth use you will be throttled to GPRS speeds. I have no problem with that. It depends on how clearly it’s communicated.

I can see how others may be misled by that marketing, though, so it’s no super great. No reason to get angry, just reason for concern. Some German carriers are much more upfront about that (they might say “1GB of data, throttled to GPRS speeds above that”) and I obviously prefer that kind of marketing. It’s less confusing and more honest.

TillE14y ago

Data is much, much cheaper in Germany. I can get 5GB on e-plus for €15/month (~$20).

I'm pretty sure no carrier in the US offers a better deal than $10/GB.

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samstave14y ago

@UGH

My problem isn't about "you know what you're getting, it's clearly communicated"

My anger is because THERE IS NO FUCKING UNLIMITED PLAN AT ALL

We are on HN, I have been on the internet DAILY for 15 years now. EVERY SINGLE DAY for many hours.

As a travelling consultant, I rely heavily on mobile access to the internet.

The fact that I had an unlimited account in the past - but now that speeds are getting acceptable, they are crippling them by cost.

It is corporate greed and it is bullshit.

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