Get connected...

How often do we not get caught in the advertising lures (some say traps) that the myriad of telecom service providers have dangling out there. Even with the good old Consumer Protection Act that came into being on 1 April 2011 that was supposed to protect consumers from the over-zealous and lascivious marketing ploys of said organisations, there is still very little to stop those who can prove affordability from succumbing to the latest 'best deal'.  You know the one, 'for the unbelievably low price of Rx we give you...and that's not all...if you take up this exclusive offer by x date we'll throw in x..." Sound familiar? And they'll 'give you'.  Come on, seriously?! Yet we buy into it. The instant gratification and consumerism mentality that has befelled society is fertile fodder to these 'devils who wear Prada'. I, for one, recently signed up for a 3G service through a supposedly reputable giant in the industry for the princely sum of R150 per month that gives me 1.5GB free data with, yep you guessed, an extra 1.5GB 'night owl' thrown in for good measure. And the best part - that extra 1.5GB is yours for free but only if used between 12am and 5am.  A brilliant deal, right? If you don't sleep between those hours, yes! After all that is when most people are at their most productive (said tongue-in-cheek). I consider myself to be an intelligent consumer so how in the love of David did I willing allow myself to be led to the alter like this.  And it does get better...I lose connectivity with such regularity that my 'way cool bargain' has seen me clocking up more couch time at my psyche guru than my medical aid can keep up with. So next time you're tempted to sign on the dotted line when that 'too good to be true' offer presents itself, keep one thing in mind - IT IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!