| Freaking Bezeq (Israeli phone company monopoly) |
[Mar. 5th, 2008|10:45 am] |
I think I may have whined about the fact that the ONLY source of internet allowed in the Student Village (fancy name for fancy student dorms) is Bezeq -the phone company monopoly. And, naturally enough, if you don't have any competition, you can charge the students a much higher prize than you would any private customer. If I haven't ranted on the subject here, I've certainly ranted enough IRL. I hate monopolies, and I detest lack of choice. Also, the last dorms I was in also had a "perfered internet provider" - but at least they were CHEAP. And with all my "higher purpose" "economic ideals" "freedom of choice" speak, it's all about Bezeq being such greedy freaking bastards.
But anyways. Seeing how I'm posting this from the student village, I've obviously gritted my teeth and paid the price. And all was essentially well...
Except... my parents told me that the overall rent for the dorms (and yes, my parents pay most of tuition/living expenses. I'm a spoiled bastard, and anyone who works for a living while studying has the right to tell me to stfu. Which I will. The moment I finish ranting) suddenly jumped by a 100$.
I investigate... and it turns out that in addition to the winter electric/water consumption increase, the bezeq fees also go into the overall "rent" bill. Including "phone line installation". I don't know about you, but when I see an installation fee, I imagine a technician arriving on the spot and doing some drilling/wiring. If all the wires etc are already in place, and all the line needs to be activated is some guy flipping a switch, and installation fee seems... out of place. Though, once again, it's not like I have a choice, so they can freely charge as much as they like.
The interesting part? When I signed my internet providing contract, I provided my credit card and all that, instead of sending the fees to the parents account. So, further investigation pending, there seems to be a chance I'm getting double billed. If that turns out to be true... well, I'd like to claim there'd be hell to pay, but... there probably won't.
Overall, this weekend is proving to be full of annoyances and problems. Grr. |
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