When customers lie, it’s a violation of a company’s ToS. The flipside? That’s A-OK…
I was reading a couple of stories over the weekend — mainly on Consumerist and TechDirt — and came to the realization that as consumers, we’re destined to be screwed by big companies. This fact was perfectly highlighted by one Consumerist commenter, obits3.
In reply to T-Mobile’s new “Unlimited” plan that’s soft capped at 5GB and killing of tethering — You should never have to pay twice to use your data! — obits3 stated the following:
You forget that it is only wrong when customers lie to companies (tethering).
Companies lying to customers (saying unlimited and then limiting data/speeds) is just good marketing.
And you know what? Obits3 is right. How many times do we see individual consumers lambasted either by the company they’re “violating” or general power trip internet users who feel it’s their duty to “protect”? At the same time, how often do we actually see the same companies getting their fair share of consumer outrage? Outside of a few tech blogs and website comment systems — none.
Those same companies will lobby government for stronger anti-consumer policies and sue end users who violate such things until their heart’s content. And yet if a consumer(s) tries that approach, they usually end up loosing, a paltry settlement, or worst of all, the company doesn’t get so much as a slap on the wrist.
Happy Monday.
Normally a ToS update wouldn’t immediately lead us to start speculating on an OS update. But with the recent update rumors flying around with “December 11th” mentioned and this new ToS update with a deadline scheduled for that very same day, well…it sure does make me wonder. A fresh Android 2.0 update will be seen by some as making up for failures from the beginning. I see it as extremely quick turn around on bugs. More or less the same outlook but mine is a touch more positive. The updated ToS is rather lengthy but if you’re up to the task or your boss hasn’t arrived yet to snoop over your shoulder yet, step on in and give it a look. 
