telenet – n3wjack's blog

the belgian limitless internet charade continues

So Belgacom announced to be the first to start offering a limitless, flat rate internet account. Yay! Turns out it’s also the most expensive format they have. Yay? Telenet of course soon had to follow with it’s own limitless formula, which also turns out to be the most expensive on they have as well. Euhm. Ok, at least they are also boosting the cheaper formats which means that everyone will be enjoying a more luxurious bandwidth soon.

Well, at least it’s getting a bit better now and perhaps next year we’ll be seeing the cheaper accounts being sold at flat rates as well and the two duopolists will start competing each other on prices. Just maybe.

Funny they both came out with the same idea so close together. With fully prepared add campaigns and all. I wonder how long they had those lying on the shelves already.

Picture by Rob Sheridan, cc-licensed.

telenet tip: avoid overcharging for extra download volume

Since we are still stuck with those pescy download limitations, we end up going over our limits now and then. Holiday periods are typical for that kind of stuff, since you spend a lot more time on the interwebs. It sucks having to pay for a few extra megabytes, but still, as things are now in Belgium, it’s the only option. Oh, yeah. Smallband isn’t really an option imo. Going back to the modem days isn’t something that still works once you’ve grown used to racing in the internet fastlane, unless you hit your limit on the very last day before it gets reset. Like a few hours before it gets reset. Then I can cope with it, and sit it out.
The thing is that if you upgrade your monthly limit you have to turn those extra blocks off again before you hit your next reset, or they will be automatically charged for another month.

The trick to avoid this, is to adjust your extra volume back to the original settings directly after you received the email your extra volume has been confirmed. Any extra blocks you order are going to available (and charged) for the period you selected them in anyway. By turning them off shortly after adding them, you make sure you won’t forget to turn them back off before your period ends, and give Telenet yet another euro they don’t deserve.