Terms and Conditions

How many of us go through the hustle of reading that very verbose document detailing conditions for a service before clicking accept?
Well, I know I don't bother. All I want to do is download and use an application or subscribe to a service and I'm expected to read some 100 page (no kidding, those documents are so lengthy) document about the conditions for use of an application or service?

I've always known I should bother, but I never got round to bothering. Now, I know I should really definitely bother.

Last week, I decided to subscribe to an internet bundle on my cellular phone. I enter the short code, and I see there are unlimited bundles. These bundles are valid only at night (middle of the night). So I'm thinking, why not subscribe to the unlimited bundles, use my cellular phone as a hotspot and download all the stuff I want to download on my laptop. All I have to do is not sleep. Great idea, or so I thought. I knew something was wrong when I was asked to confirm, and the message read, "confirm purchase... terms and conditions apply". Warning bells should have been ringing because none of the bundles ever added that clause, "terms and conditions apply". The daily bundles didn't have it, neither did the weekly or monthly bundles. Only the unlimited bundles had that clause.

I subscribe, and I start downloading. Somewhere inside me though, I felt it was too good to be true. I kept checking my account balance, only to realise I wasn't being charged from the internet bundle I had subscribed to, but was being charged from my main account.
I am angry. I disconnect and decide to call customer service in the morning. But then I remember the clause (terms and conditions apply), so I reconnect and go online to read the terms and conditions.

What did the t's and c's say? Well, the unlimited bundle is worth 3GB (how 3GB can be described as unlimited beats me) and it was designed for those living in remote areas with limited (2G mostly) cellular network coverage. To use the unlimited bundle in the city, the network mode selected on the cellular phone should be 2G (Edge). I had been browsing with high speed (3G) all that time. I went back to sleep, and did not bother calling customer service when I woke up (what's the point).

Now, I have resolved to bother to read all terms and conditions before I accept. If it's too lengthy and I feel I can't read, I won't accept or subscribe.

Fender Bender - Seatbelt to the Rescue!

Sounds dramatic enough? Good. I'll make a swell Gh journalist :D

I never thought the day would come where I'd be promoting the use of seatbelts. Yep, that day is today. I'm not much of a seatbelt wearer but lately I wear mine religiously, why? (ummmm... why am I asking a question I'm gon answer myself?) Cos I got tired of parting with my money anytime a cop stopped me cos I dint have it on. Plus I'm pretty tired of hiding and trying to avoid cops (as though I were a criminal). It's worked well thus far. My money's being saved up for more Kwaku Doe interogations and I'm not into hide and seek no more. Basically, I feel free.

Now, I have another story to tell. Wearing my seatbelt saved my life (well, that is kinda exaggerated, but it sort of did). I'm driving home from work one day and I have a passenger (one of my work colleagues). I of course have my seatbelt on but she doesn't. I'm not particularly bothered cos I know the cops are not going to hustle me if my passenger doesn't have their seatbelt on (pretty selfish huh?). I have sat in cars where the driver insisted I put on my seatbelt, but like I said earlier, I'm not much of a seatbelt person and I know seatbelts weren't invented for the reasons why I even put mine on.

Ok, so we are headed home and then we get to this roundabout. Like I was taught in driving school, I give way to traffic on my left, but most of the cars on my left were just going straight (i.e. to my right) and the cars there were kinda backed up. I on the other hand was going round the roundabout and the cars weren't backed up there. Of course, being Gh, the cars to my left wouldn't stop so those of us going round could move. It was more like "if I can't go, then you won't go too. besides, I have the right of way". Finally, there was an opening, so I made for it as fast as I could before the car on my left moved to block me. The car to my right moved forward fast and in my haste, I dint see he had come to an abrupt stop. Alas I drove right into him. I hit his bumper real hard (I think). I say I think because I honestly don't think it was that hard and neither did the driver of the car I hit (I'll get to him in a bit) but my passenger thought otherwise.

"Oh Jesus, oh Jesus, Dentaa, oh Jesus, Dentaa, Oh my God" - this was coming from my passenger. And I'm thinking, why is this woman over reacting? I turn to tell her to stop being so melodramatic only to find half her body on the floor of the car and the other half sprawled on the dashboard (seriously, I am not being melodramtic). That was when I understood all the drama coming from her. Me, I was where I was supposed to be, in my seat supported by my seatbelt. Since I was the culprit, I found a spot, parked and waited dreading how much I was going to spend fixing the guy's car. Actually, it wasn't damaged. No dent, just a bit of his paint job came off. I'm parked thinking the other car's going to park so we can decide on what to do but no, the guy just drives off. And guess what? He was talking on his cell phone the whole time, (no headset. he had the phone to his ear) but at least he too had his seatbelt on.

Always wear your seatbelt (where it's available) whether you are drving the car or just a passenger. Drivers, insist your passengers put on their seatbelts (for thier own sakes). Gh cops, hustle drivers when their passengers don't have their seatbelts on. Don't talk and drive especially on a cell phone (even if you have a headset on. It can be distracting).

I checked the front of my car and it was fine. No dent, no nothing. Just a bit of the other car's paint job stuck on my car. And now I'm praying he doesn't read my blog and find out I'm the lady that run into him (just in case he got home and decided I should pay for his bumper to be sprayed).

I Feel Cut Off :(

My BIS (blackberry internet service) expired at the end of April. I would have renewed it right away like I always do but I was actually enjoying the peace and quiet of not receiving pings on my BBM, having to reply them and explain why it took me so long to reply (some people just don't get that I got a job and I'm making a concious effort not to ping and drive) and of course I got to save my money too :D

Thing is, aside BBM, I got email, facebook and twitter on the go on my phone, not forgetting whatsapp. Of course I could always check my email, facebook (I hardly go there anymore, really don't know why) on a computer as well as twitter. It just seems like so much more work. Accessing all that on my phone made life so much easier. Right now, when you see me with my cell phone, it's cos I'm making or receiving a phone call, sending or reading a text message (wasn't that what cell phones were originally made for anyways?) or playing a game (seriously). Talk about going back to the basics!

Bottom line is, I FEEL CUT OFF! (and bored of course). I wouldn't mind reading some totally annoying BC right about now on my BBM. Regardless, I don't feel addicted to my phone (which addict ever admitted ever feeling addicted to whatever?).

I remember this study I once read about where students in a college in the States were made to go a day without media (cell phone, computer, television, ipod etc.) and blog about their eperience at the end of the day. Most reported going through withdrawal symptoms (seriously) and not only were they unwilling to live without media, they were functionally unable to. Makes me wonder what my grandma (matter of fact, my mom) used to do growing up. At least I still got my cell phone eventhough I don't have internet access on it.

Despite feeling cut off, I am kinda getting used to the silence (aka peace of mind). I just don't want it to be permanent. Does Kwaku Doe have a cell phone? And if he does, what functions does it have? (I just had to go there).

Glo Cards

I have seen a couple of shops that sell phone cards include the Glo logo indicating they selling Glo recharge cards. I'm guessing it's cos they don't want to have new sign boards made when Glo actually starts operating (that's just my guess otherwise I really wonder what they selling).

Maybe next time, I should walk into one such shop and tell them I want to buy a Glo card and see what they say. Well, if they look at me like I'm crazy, I'm going to look at them like they crazy cos they're the ones advertising the sale of cards that don't even exist.

Mobile Number Portability

My mind in overdrive led me to write this post. How does Mobile Number Portability work anyways? Yeah, I know. You get to port your mobile phone number to another network while maintaining your original number including the original code i.e. 024/054, 027/057, 026 or 020. Great! Wonderful! But what happens to all the intra-network promotions?

E.g. MTN has its MTN Zone and most of the other networks have reduced call rates to phone numbers within their network at certain times of the day. Airtel for instance charges a whole lot less after 10pm to calls placed to other Airtel numbers plus there's also 8 free text messages to all other Airtel numbers everyday. My thought process might not make much sense right now to everyone but let me break it down.

Imagine I have Kwaku Doe's MTN number on my phone. Kwaku Doe ports to Airtel and doesn't inform me. I see on my phone that I get to enjoy 1pesewa per minute on MTN Zone to all MTN numbers. So, I call Kwaku Doe who has now ported from MTN to Airtel but then I don't know about him porting. Do I still get to enjoy MTN Zone with Kwaku Doe? Or do I get charged like I was calling an Airtel number? Does the wonderful lady who always comes on to remind you your credit is almost done, come on to tell me the number has been ported to a different network? Do I get notifications informing me when any of my contacts ports their phone number to another network? Or is it up to the other person to let me know they have ported? Some people will genuinely forget or for "mafioso" reasons they won't tell you.

On Airtel. I get 8 free text messages to other Airtel numbers. I decide to text Kwaku Doe's Airtel number. Unknowing to me, Kwaku Doe has ported his Airtel number to Tigo. Is the text message still free or do I pay like I'm texting to a Tigo number? Do I get to find this out after I've made the call or sent the text and realised how much I got charged (that wouldn't be fair though)? Some of us only make certain calls or send certain texts when we know the call/text is virtually free.

I understand this whole Mobile Number Portability thing and I believe its a good thing. At least it will introduce some level of competition to the mobile telephony industry. But there are some issues which I believe the industry should address. Imagine me calling up someone at night thinking the call is virtually free and falling asleep on the phone. I'd wake up with all my call credit done!

I'm not particularly picking on MTN and Airtel as it may seem but those are the two networks I use so I am very aware of most of their promotions.