It May Be Free* To Get Broadband, But It Sure Ain't Free To Leave
from the gotchas dept
Over in the UK, we've covered the rise of free* broadband (we put the * next to it, because it's not really free: you only get it if you subscribe to other services that cost money). Recently, there was a report that customer satisfaction with those free* broadband offerings was exceptionally low. So, it probably wouldn't surprise you to find out that some of those subscribers would like to switch to other providers. Not so fast, apparently. Orange, one of the big providers of free* broadband is now adding a GBP12 charge to customers who want to switch to a new broadband provider. Sounds like they're really winning over the customers' loyalty there: offering up not-really-free-but-advertised-as-free broadband with quality problems, and then charging you to leave.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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US version
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Re: US version
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Re: US version
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STFU and pretend that Britain still matters in today's world.
*Spits on a picture of the queen*
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Nope, sorry. Idiocy and arrogance are an unfortunately inseparable part of the internet experience. I do admit, however, that some of us Americans take it a bit too far *glares at "MadAmerican"*
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For the record, I am an American and found the story to be interesting anyway. I read lots of stories about lots of things that don't directly affect me. So far this has not caused me any harm at all.
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Re: Re: US version
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If it sounds too good to be true......
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Orange
Orange (a cellphone company) decided that they would like to compete with this, so they went out and found a broadband provider that was having problems (Wannadoo) and bought them out. Wannadoo had been incapable of servicing the broadband subscribers they already had without a significant investment in further infrastructure; Orange bought them out and started giving away broadband accounts without any such investment. The outcome was easy to predict. :-(
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ill fix this
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Re: ill fix this
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Re: Re: ill fix this
I think you mean fair weather friends
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1. Nothing is free except a kick in the head
2. Companies have always had strings to attach to deals, this is nothing new
3. Just because it doesn't effect you directly doesn't mean it effect you. What happens to the relative "There" can happen to the relative "here."
4. I like even numbers
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Wake up my fellow Americans, if we're number one still its only by a hair. Stop taking credit for actions you didn't make.
Easiest example is WW2. At least the most common one arrogant Americans bring up. That was a different generation. You didn't do jack. Also they, for the most part, didn't hate their enemy. They recognised they were people just like them with a job to do, and they were gonna do their job better. They were'nt trying to make everyone like them. Thats what they were FIGHTING AGAINST.
And as for who cares about broadband in europe, you should. Especially if anything hosted over there you'd like to access. The Internet is not an American only infrastructure. It is global. So it affects EVERYONE that uses the Internet, even if it is just minutley.
Oh and Americans, stop giving us a bad name. I think this country is the best in the world, but at least I don't reduce myself to a common troll to say so. And since many of you are christian/catholic, learn some fucking tolerance. That IS what the Bible, both old and new tries to teach you at times. So take a lesson from the police force, and Lead by Example. Tired of the hipocracy.
(PS even numbers suck :P)
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As far as the American vs everyoneelseintheworld debate, I'll point out that as long as everyone else feels free to comment on American politics, and my president, as if it were their own and sometimes as if they had a vote, I'll feel free to comment on random business situations. At least we don't try to tall you who to vote for for Prime Minister. Jeebus.
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Re:
We need to blast someone out of existence in order to convince everyone remaining to back the fuck off. Not this pussyfooting crap in Afghanistan and Iraq mind you - I'm talking Hiroshima-level obliteration.
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WW2
Perhaps if there were blogs and news sites like this back in the day then America would have gotten involved sooner.
(I hope this counts as invoking godwins law)
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Orange
For the benefit of our American readers - they are the equivilent of AOL
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Re: Orange
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If you don't want to know about the rest of the world, then dont bothereveryone else bysaying so, just read the next article, they arre not so long that it is a great burden on you to decide you don't want to read one, now, is it?
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It can happen there.
Then they'd be screaming "Why didn't somebody warn us?"
*ponders the outcry after 9/11*
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