Feeding Chromie Unlmited Data Edition

This is about data, as in data plans, as well as other flavors of data RantWoman sometimes would so NOT mind not collecting.


If it were up to RantWoman, she would buy a data plan from a socially responsible company that

--supports #netneutrality and does not try to fudge definitions.

--provides good quality high-speed service in RantWoman’s neighborhood and the places RantWoman visits regularly

--does not rip off either the low-end customers who are elderly and or disabled on fixed incomes, just as likely to qualify for Lifeline service next year as this year or the staff at various local nonprofits who help such customers when the telecomm companies customer service about the plans in question is, not to mince words, crap.

--has technically competent call center staff who do not deviate too stunningly from fully idiomatic English

--treats its workers well

--maybe even would make it easy for RantWoman and RantMom to share plans even though we do not, shhh, thank heaven, at least for now, share a household.


RantWoman has 3 basic choices:

Beloved TeleComm Company whose billing and sales practices are behind several of RantWoman’s requirements above

Beloved Cable Company, offending RantWoman with a different subset of issues reflected in the above list and barraging RantWoman with at least weekly ads RantWoman does not entirely trust for packages RantWoman does not want.

Beloved Wireless Company, the star of today’s ultimately successful effort to take the plunge into unlimited data, all the better to feed Chromie the Chromebook, not to mention that Kindle Fire thing on the go.


Blame Twitter. Blame the Tweeter in Chief. Blame slight addiction to comedic distillations of “WTF is it today?” Blame RantWoman’s capacity to mouth off in 140 character increments. Blame RantWoman’s interest in videos. However things get sliced, RantWoman received notice that she was close to her monthly data limit with about a quarter of the cycle remaining.


RantWoman awhile ago had upgraded her data limit and had seen an offer to increase her data limit further for $5 / GB / Month. RantWoman received one text message informing her of an unlimited option but when RantWoman logged on to her account from Windows, RantWoman was initially offered only the option to double her data limit basically for the same rate / GB along with some kind of offer to buy only an additional 1 GB for a whopping $15 / month.


RantWoman hit the Chat button. Conversation involved the same $15 / GB / month as the charge for overage. RantWoman had specifically to ask about the unlimited plan but she is VERY happy to sign up for the umlimited plan. This will increase her flexibility with Chromie—As soon as RantWoman finishes the set things up to tether Chromie steps.


One more tech support nugget: RantWoman had set a data limit on her phone. A few hours after RantWoman made changes on her account and was informed that the new data limit would take effect immediately, RantWoman received notice while tweeting on her phone that she had hit her data limit. Um, no, RantWoman had a text message and email confirming the new data limit. RantWoman also needed to go into Settings on her phone and remove the phone’s data limit.  WAYYY too much techno-fun for one day.