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Absurd Internet Charges on Globe Postpaid
Friday, January 08, 2010 Captain's Log Stardate -313019.4
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There have been a lot of fuss lately about Globe's questionable internet charges on postpaid subscribers using the Apple iPhone. I've been receiving a lot of complaints about this, as much as I would like to help, I can't. I will either tell them to completely remove Globe's APN on their phone or redirect them to Globe's official Get Satisfaction page.
If the problem requires immediate attention, I'll endorse it immediately to Globe's CS dept. It's their job anyway. Believe me, I receive dozens of complaints everyday.
Last December, my Aunt complained about her P9000+ internet bill. Not to the Globe CSR, but directly to my face (As if I can do anything about it). Her postpaid account has been charged P9,314.03 in a span of 10 days because of "excessive internet usage". She's using an old Treo 650 without any Globe APN and installed apps that use the internet. This isn't the first time she complained about Globe's absurd billing. Last October 2008, one of her lines reached P11,000+. Funny thing is, both those lines have a P5,000 credit limit.
You may ask, why blog if you can directly tell Globe about this. Well for one, I'm a subscriber myself and I know the feeling my Aunt is going through. Second, this is the second time Globe charged us way beyond our credit limits. They should have fixed this problem last year when we complained but they didn't. Third, my Aunt is one of the first 50 Globe subscribers... well it's of no importance though, she's just using it repeatedly when she rants.
Anyway, let's assume that my aunt did use her phone 24 hours a day for 10 days on the internet. That's P20/hour on the default TIME-base charging of Globe (P5 per 15 minutes). So it's P480 per day or P4800 within 10 days! So why P9314.03?
Well, you see the problem? Her account is still on KB-based charging scheme despite the fact that Globe has sent an SMS blast to all prepaid and postpaid subscribers about their shift of default charging from KB-based to TIME-based.
Remember Jessica Zafra's "Piece of Crap" post? You'll get the idea why they shifted to TIME-based. Apparently, they haven't shifted all subscribers.
This may explain my aunt's huge bill... well, if her phone has internet/APN settings! I removed them myself. I even uninstalled Palm applications that access the internet. But wait, there's more! Both her postpaid lines have a P5,000 credit limit.
If the system can detect your usage, then why send a warning like this if the account already has surpassed the allotted credit limit? The system should have had suspended her account already since P9,000 is way past the P5,000 limit. Credit limits are there for a reason right?
I don't believe that it's Apple and it's iPhone's fault as per Rom's article at the Manila Bulletin. Remember, my Aunt uses a Palm Treo 650 not an iPhone.
So it's either my aunt and the rest of these folks are lying and have been abusing Globe's 3G (trust me it's fast, just wait for our review on GameOPS) for porn and Globe has been screwing them all along or there is a serious problem in Globe's billing system.
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Disclosure: Blog owner is a forum administrator of myGlobe, a website of Globe Telecom.
*Computer end log* Labels: internet, mobile
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An Interesting Article About Noynoy
Thursday, January 07, 2010 Captain's Log Stardate -313018.22
I found this article about the leading presidential candidate, Noynoy Aquino on Facebook. I think it's worth sharing so check out the complete article after the jump.
Beyond the Amber Ribbons: A NO for Noynoy in 2010 Elections
By: Mark Gamboa
It has been a while before I wrote this article, and quite a while before I got this posted. I have done so intentionally so as to prevent the Cory fever from making rabid dogs out of otherwise perceptive people. I used simple reasoning in advancing my proposition: that Noynoy doesn’t deserve the level of trust many Filipinos deliberately or unwittingly gave him.
It’s Not Noynoy vs. GMA
This argument is thrown around every time by everyone from Mar Roxas to my local barbero. The common shut-up question would be: “Why? Do you want to elect a GMA?” Let me point this out to you. I believe that the current administration has wrought enough misery and deceit that the country will feel for years to come. I believe members of her administration lied in our faces and robbed our coffers in broad daylight. I believe her administration tossed many of us into poverty and killed many Filipinos as a safety measure. As Mar said, ramdam ko kayo. But this election it’s not about Noynoy versus GMA. It’s about our choice.
Of course the argument is all about change, but with three or four presidentiables offering the same banana, wouldn’t it be more apt if we compare the presidentiables instead of contrasting Noynoy and GMA? The problem with this comparison is the fact that GMA has been a president for ten years, and Noynoy has been a relatively ignored politician until now. Of course we can count more atrocities from GMA side than from the Aquino side. Of course Noynoy would smell like a baby compared to GMA. Of course Noynoy would look more saintly than GMA. The comparison maybe good for Noynoy’s campaign, but not so for the welfare and future of Filipinos.
And the camp of Noynoy knows it, but nevertheless puts it to good use. The problem is that they seem to forget everything else. During one press conference, Noynoy was asked about the difference between him and her cousin-presidentiable Gibo Teodoro. Caught off guard, Noynoy simply reduced the question into dust, saying he would not honor the question. Then the presidentiable-turned-attack dog Roxas answered the question for Noynoy. Quoted, he said that Noynoy is for the fight against corruption, and Gibo will only continue the mulcting and stealing the Arroyo administration is doing. If Roxas is insinuating that GMA is doing nothing but spending time with the coffers illegally then it would be unfair; if he is saying Gibo will only perpetuate thievery is unfair and dirty. I would like to remind them and their supporters that the Aquino-Roxas tandem haven’t done so well in the corruption battlefield either.
True, the current administration may be stealing everything out of us, but as long as our 1987 Charter stands, the fight is not between Noynoy and GMA. The comparison should not be with GMA because it’s moot, academic and non-sequitur, and for those who wanted an informed electorate this can never be overemphasized. Noynoy is a presidentiable, just like Gibo, Chiz, Manny, etc. To make a better decision on who should be in the halls of Malacanang by June 2010, the comparison should be with each other. GMA is too skewed and too screwed to be used as a benchmark. Right now, the last thing we need is a crooked yardstick.
Why Should I Trust Noynoy More than Others?
Another argument that has been thrown in to answer the question “Why Noynoy?” zeroes in on trust. Noynoy, they argued, hasn’t been involved in any corruption-laden controversy or any controversy for that matter. He has a ‘clean’ record so to speak and ergo, we should trust him. I should point out that Noynoy has a sanitized record, not a clean one. A quick look into his record in Congress would tell you how “great” your Noynoy hero is. In fact, a quick look into the Hacienda Luisita debacle will disprove all claims he has no bad record to speak of.
History has always told us that you should test something first before you put your money or, in this case, our future on it. Car companies, for example, spend serious money to ensure that their car is safe to drive before it goes out to the showroom. Why should we elect a president on the basis of trusting a deceased former president? Even in jungle survival, you are advised not to eat an unknown, wild berry even if you’re starving and you haven’t seen this berry in don’t-eat-me part of your biology book. The same goes with presidency. Why should I trust my future with a shiny but untested berry like Noynoy when there’s absolutely no guarantee that I will not poison myself should I do so?
Another question that begs to be answered is this: “What makes Noynoy ANY DIFFERENT from other presidentiables to merit the trust being given to him, unwittingly or not?” Gibo has played relatively similar stunts during their days in the Congress, albeit he is more amiable to the administration compared to many presidentiables today. Nevertheless, you can’t point one case of corruption against the Defense exec, then and now. Chiz also played his cards well in the Congress, and until now no corruption-based questions are being raised against him. So what anointed Noynoy to make the mediocre politician in him metastasize into the bastion against the ills of government he is being touted now?
Ah, that’s where the Cory factor comes in. Cory took care of Noynoy from childhood, raising him into an ‘upright statesman’. This ‘Cory Factor’ changes everything in the equation. But I would like to ask some questions: What if I happened to be a son of Former President Aquino? Should mere affiliation to the deceased president automatically make me “trustworthy”? If the deceased president took care of me during my formative years, would that make me instantly upright, ergo presidentiable? If this is the case, should we look forward to Josh’s presidency? The truth is no, Noynoy is not Cory and the Cory factor can only do so much in building a Noynoy. He may seem to be constantly tugging at the hem of his mother’s skirt, he may have to rely on her in buying his pants even if he is waaaaaaaaaay out of puberty age, but he can make his own decision and his own analysis far beyond what Cory could teach him. There’s some Cory factor in rearing a Noynoy, but he is not entirely dependent on it.
True, it’s not all about competence, but...
They argue that a presidential candidate should not only be competent, but should also be trusted. In agree in this 100%. A quick look at GMA administration would give any one a good picture of what will happen if the president cannot govern with the trust (or mandate) of the people.
Some supporters, however, went too far to claim that we do not need a CEO in Malacanang; we need a janitor to clean up the mess the previous administrator left there. Come on! One more step backward gives us a staggering example of what will happen when we choose our candidates simply on the basis of trust. Erap (who, with the level of education he finished, would certainly be a janitor had he been born in the wrong family) won with an overwhelming mandate of the electorate. After that, in less than two years, he made us regret the decision with all the anomalies he has been into. Let us not forget those 12 years in our presidency when we placed the wrong person at the wrong time in the halls of Malacañang. I don’t think we need an Erap or a GMA when we are sliding down to political, socioeconomic and moral bankruptcy. We don’t need someone who will push us further downhill.
There is this dichotomy between trust and competence that should never be ignored when looking for someone to support when the May elections are held. A president can’t make intelligent decisions if he only has empty space inside his skull; nevertheless, a president cannot govern sanely with people doubting everything he does. You need to scrutinize Noynoy’s competence the same way we have assessed his “trustworthiness” and “goodness”. And up to now, his intellect remains to be tested.
Noynoy Does NOT Have the Monopoly of Goodness
I would also like to emphasize that 2010 election is not just a battle of good vs. evil. It is a battle of platforms, it is a battle of message and it is a battle to determine who can bring this country back from oblivion. Election is not about who is en route to sainthood. Beatify Noynoy if you want, but don’t mix his “goodness” with the “good” in good governance.
This quasi-exclusivity of political goodness has been used over and over by Noynoy and his cohorts. They have flaunted the idea that it’s the yellow ribbon or the deep, dark pit in 2010 elections. But I beg to differ. Nobody has a monopoly of goodness or nationalism. No Noynoy can claim such monopoly. Anybody who has a moral, upright and reasonable mind can bring goodness to the country. Any man courageous enough to seek social redress can bring about positive change. A person who can only forge a scenario where he will come out as a reluctant victor without a real battle is.. well, I really don’t want to spoon-feed.
Why Not Noynoy?
The 2010 election is a crucial one not because there are many debts to settle from the past administration. It is so because only a stable, competent, and trustworthy government can curb the pattern of socioeconomic and political decay plaguing our country today. Only an able and reliable government can invert the curve and uplift lives of the marginalized, the poor and the hungry. And I think a government under the helm of a Noynoy Aquino would not do so; rather, it can start another cycle of changelessness, disparagement, stagnation and distrust on our economy, our government, our lives and our future. We don’t need another schism; we don’t need another round of blaming; we don’t need another family-cum-mafia-based politicking. We need not put a symbol of all of these (and more) in the seat of power.
Greatness and heroism is not inherited nor it is given. Little in his past reflects a future of distinction. His past reflects no merit but dependence on the coattail of his mom and his seeming indulgence in the changelessness of this society. However, I’m in awe how his strategists were able to make his mediocre acts resound prominence. Let’s turn the pages to see how he and his family became instruments to perpetuate a culture of poverty among hacienda farmers. Let’s turn the pages to see how he performed his duty. From what I see, he has done things too little and too late for our country. I don’t think we can afford another Aquino presidency.
(Via Hostingphil)
*Computer end log* Labels: anything-goes
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Oh Hello There 2010
Friday, January 01, 2010 Captain's Log Stardate -313000
Happy New Year everyone!
*Computer end log* Labels: site-updates
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