Re: Verizon Wireless settles N.Y. probe into marketing

Steve Sobol <sjsobol@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
news:slrnfi1rig.n7a.sjsobol@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx:

But they did finally spell out what is ok and what isn't. MY
point was
that as long as you know their parameters, it would be stupid
(and
intellectually dishonest) to sign up and then complain about
nebulosity. (Is "nebulosity" even a word???!)

You are absolutely right, the terms of service should have been
straightforward from the start, not weasel-worded with half-
truths
sprinkled liberally into the document.

But as long as they're not being deceptive, they DO have a
right to
decide what types of usage are ok or not ok on their network.




In a moment of fairness, I'd like to point out that VZW DID spell
out what you could or could not do on their data user agreement
before the lawsuit. Notice on what I posted it says "unlimited"
all over it. But, that information was posted about 8 layers
deep in the webpage and had only one pointer from the data
service sales pitches to find it before the lawsuit. THAT was
not nice. During the time it was buried, I stopped by my local
VZW company headshed and was playing with the locked-up laptop on
an aircard. The commissioned sales clone started telling me all
the wonderful things I could do with their aircard and
"unlimited" service. I asked him for a printed copy of the data
user agreement....in the big, brand new, Verizon company store
for the whole area, keep in mind. He retreated to inner sanctum
and was gone over 10 minutes. When he returned, I was told they
did NOT HAVE a copy of the data user agreement!! They couldn't
even show it to me. I asked if we could find it on their website
I was looking at, and turned over the aircarded laptop to him.
He could not find the data user agreement anywhere over the next
15 minutes, when he kept telling me I could do just anything I
wanted if I paid VZW $60/month for internet service.

After he could not find what I was asking for, I showed him how
to find its BURIED LOCATION in the BUSINESS section of the
webpage. There was no pointer for individual users, just
business services.

HE balked and blanched when I asked him the IP of his networked
printer so we could print it out on the big HP at the counter, so
I waded down through the webpage and asked him, POINTEDLY, about
what it said plainly that it was ONLY for webpage browsing and
email and company intranet (if you have one). As others had done
to me, he poopoo'd what it specified and said that didn't mean
anything, the service was "unlimited". After asking him about
FTP file transfers and streaming radio, which he said would work
great if I'd just sign this contract, I pointed out to him the
exact wording which forbid it.

The actions I have repeatedly seen spewing out of the company's
own representatives is what caused me to post that section
showing the forbidden uses over and over when the question reared
its ugly, confusing head....just as I did in the store to many of
VZW's own employees.

The 13,000+ who got dumped must have believed what they were
being told during the sales gobbldegook promos.

Larry
--
You can tell there's extremely
intelligent life in the universe
because they have never called Earth.
.