Smart Bro Post Paid Plan 299 KUNSIMISYON – February 2014

I am a Smart Bro Post Paid Plan 299 SIM Card user, I subscribed to their Post Paid SIM Card only because it only had a 3-month lock in period if you only get the SIM card. My location is here in Bacoor, Cavite, and I use a Huawei B933 3G/Wifi Router. You would think that being a Post-Paid user, I would get more respect from these high-paid Smart morons, but apparently not.

‘Intermittent Signal’
My kunsimisyon and calvary is with its signal, which seems to have a mind of its own. It disconnects and connects INTERMITTENTLY, at random times of the day. The episodes lasts for about a minute or so, and I know so when because everytime it happens, my computer would start to hang as my software applications related to the internet starts struggling at the same time to find and reconnect with the signal.

It usually happens when a plane passes by overhead, but there are times when even if no planes are passing by, it just decides to start acting like an asshole. I find it incredibly irritating as there are times when I am working on my blogs and need internet connection, and when my internet connection starts acting like an ass, I end up losing valuable train of thought, and disrupts the effectiveness and flow of my writing.

‘Weak Signal’
I also have problems with having a WEAK signal. The first couple of months when I got the SIM card I could put the 3G/Wifi Router inside my room on the 2nd floor. Lately, however, when the intermittent signal got more and more frequent, I decided to put the unit OUTSIDE on the verandah. The intermittent signal is still present, but to a lesser degree, and the reconnection time is faster. But again, there is still intermittent signal and it does interrupt with my surfing the web.

‘Throttling?’
I am beginning to suspect that Smart is somehow THROTTLING use of their internet service to try to keep up with the demand, but unlike Wi-Tribe which is throttling internet usage based on applications, Smart seems to be simply limiting the AVAILABILITY of their internet connection.

I am a heavy user, even though I am using Plan 299 only, I frequently go beyond my limit every month and has to pay the maximum P999 of Smart’s Anti-Shock Plan. Based on my monthly bill summary, I often end up using up to P3,500 – P 4,000 per month which is just scaled down by the Anti-Shock Plan.

Another sort of evidence I have for this is because my internet usage for the first couple of weeks were relatively trouble free, as in very reliable, no issues at all. But then after some time, my internet usage started to fail in terms of reliability for no reason at all.

‘Parting Shot’
That’s one main frustration of living here in the Philippines, you have to deal with unscrupulous OLIGOPOLIES and their OVERPAID and INCOMPETENT employees. And it seems there is nowhere you can turn to: Wi-Tribe is shitty, Smart is shitty, and Globe is shitty. Ordinary consumers like me here just outside of Manila literally have no choice but just to grin and bear this crap from these mediocre telecom companies.