jackmadrox Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 So, okay. If you asked me yesterday about data allowances and usage caps for internet/cable providers, I would of had no idea what you were talking about. A few days ago, I registered with PlayStation Now, an awesome service with hundreds of games for 20 bucks a month. It streams the games straight to your PS4. Little did I know, as I was binge playing Borderlands for hours and hours, I was using up this "data cap", that is associated my internet/cable provider, and a few others. I just got a message saying that 84% of my "data allowance" has been used up already for February. I was like, "What the fuck? I didn't even know that was a thing." But apparently it is. And if you use up this data allowance, all of it, and keep using it past the data cap, guess what? YOU GET CHARGED MORE $$$$$$$. I mean, maybe everyone else already knew about this, I don't know. But this is the first I'm hearing of it. Since when has there been a limit to your usage of streaming and internet? If I pay my fucking bill on time every month with no issues, shouldn't I be able to use the internet all I want? I mean come on, this is ridiculous. These big fucking companies, they're always finding new ways to cornhole you for more money. This data allowance is stupid. It's like saying yes you want cereal in the morning, but you're only allowed 1/4 of the milk it takes to fill the bowl. It's bullshit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrickenBiged Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Internet isn't free, just like you pay your gas bills, etc, according to your usage. Transferring data costs money in infrastructure costs, server upkeep, electricity bills, staffing, etc. It's reasonable that the companies would want to charge heavy users more. If you used more gas, you'd expect to pay more than the guy who didn't use as much. Check with your ISP if you're going to be using PSNow a lot - there may be a tariff they can move you to which gives you unlimited or un-capped data allowances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackmadrox Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Internet isn't free, just like you pay your gas bills, etc, according to your usage. Transferring data costs money in infrastructure costs, server upkeep, electricity bills, staffing, etc. It's reasonable that the companies would want to charge heavy users more. If you used more gas, you'd expect to pay more than the guy who didn't use as much. Check with your ISP if you're going to be using PSNow a lot - there may be a tariff they can move you to which gives you unlimited or un-capped data allowances. The internet is not a limited commodity like gasoline or oil. With all respect, that isn't a valid comparison. Like we'll run out of internet one day... pfffffft. Please. These fucking companies are finding ways to jack up the income. I see what this is. I hate this fucking greedy world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAFoxAnymore Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 (edited) Only real workaround is to find a different provider. You can get unlimited internet but a lot of contracts have data caps. And Stricken was never saying we would run out of internet, he was saying it costs them money to maintain it. Though what pisses me off is that the internet never seems to be reliable even after getting all this money. Edited February 3, 2016 by Akira Fox 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Do you live in a rural area? Generally those who live in rural areas and rely on satellite internet have data caps for whatever reason, possibly because they don't have nearly as much business as they would in a city and as such they have to charge for the data used. I've never heard of any cable of fiber optic companies that have data caps but I could be wrong. If you can take a look at the competition and see what they can offer you. Parker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackmadrox Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 All these Data Caps are going to do is dissuade one from paying for internet. I'm not going to pretend like I don't enjoy the internet, because I do. But if I can't use it all I want after being a timely, paying customer, then what's the point? So not only do I have a cable/internet bill to pay, but now I'm gonna get charged for using something I've already paid for? So it's like, a bill within a bill? Christ almighty. Am I the only one who sees something wrong with this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willstown Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 All the details would have been in the agreement you signed up to. Yes it may feel like an arbitrary cap, which sucks but that is what different tariffs and competing ISPs are for right? Only thing you can really do is investigate your options and try and find a better tariff or provider and check the contract out properly when you sign up. You've paid for the agreement you've signed up for which would stipulate a data cap and further charges should you breach it. Is it right? can't say, There are certainly a lot of shady business practices out there, gotta be on your guard as a consumer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StrickenBiged Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 The internet is not a limited commodity like gasoline or oil. With all respect, that isn't a valid comparison. Like we'll run out of internet one day... pfffffft. Please. These fucking companies are finding ways to jack up the income. I see what this is. I hate this fucking greedy world. Yeah, we could. If we ran out of the resources required to maintain the networks that make up the internet, it could all get shut down. And those resources cost money. And part of that money comes out of your bills. With more and more people downloading and uploading more and more data all the time, the ISPs are constantly adding new capacity to their networks and maintaining the old network. That costs $. Maybe it would help to consider the alternative. Let's say that your ISP gave all its customers unlimited and uncapped data at the fastest speeds available, and charged a flat rate. Let's also say that you barely used the Internet - you're a little old lady who just used Hotmail to keep in touch with the grandkids in this scenario, or something like that. In that case, wouldn't you be pissed off that you're paying through the nose to support the super-users who stream gigs and gigs of data when you just use a few MB's per month? As the bills for this imaginary ISP would be higher, it's likely that some people would be priced out of having the Internet altogether. Price and service variation opens the Internet up to more people. Wouldn't a system like the one that we have, that charges more to those who want to use more and/or want it faster be preferable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feral Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Should try and find a deal that won't charge you if you go over the usage cap. Makes things easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackmadrox Posted February 3, 2016 Author Share Posted February 3, 2016 Well, I'm just going to have to cancel my PlayStation Now subscription. The streaming and use of data/bandwidth is gonna cost me too much. And I don't feel like switching providers, just another headache to fend off. So long PlayStation Now! It was fun for the 3 days I had it. Can't even finish the 7 day free trial- because I apparently now have to worry about my "cap". This may get annoying fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEMON Posted February 3, 2016 Share Posted February 3, 2016 Why don't you find an ISP that allows you more data usage or even unlimited? You can get internet for cheap, but it doesn't mean it's going to be any good. Even ask your current if they have a better deal for you. The internet I am on is unlimited so there is no cap and not pricey either, was actually on a limited cap (something like 50GB) when started with them, they seen I was regularly over-going the cap and suggested paying £10 more each month for unlimited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackmadrox Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) All the details would have been in the agreement you signed up to. Yeah but who actually reads all that? http://giphy.com/gifs/bWM2eWYfN3r20/html5 Edited February 4, 2016 by jackmadrox Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMDE Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) Is this for like 3G/4G or broadband? I find it ridiculous when they do that shit for broadband. Don't offer up to x speed if they can't have you actually do that for more than a short period of time. I personally have a much bigger problem... on the other side of the street, they got like 100-150Mbps, while I get 4-8Mbps.... and they won't give me!!! You should just change to a deal without any cap. I see you live in USA, so you should have some decent options. Australia is another story. Oh, and why they might be doing it in USA is to combat Netflix and the like, because most of the ISPs owns the cable TV network too. They're losing money on that. Edited February 4, 2016 by MMDE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackmadrox Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 Oh, and why they might be doing it in USA is to combat Netflix and the like, because most of the ISPs owns the cable TV network too. They're losing money on that. Combat Netflix? Why? Cuz folks are watching Netflix/Hulu instead of actual television programming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalez1658 Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Just chiming in to say that even in the USA uncapped internet is not necessarily always available. I live in an area that has no landline internet (dial-up, anyone?) which means I get to pay 90 bucks a month for a 12GB wireless plan with a $15/GB overage charge if I exceed my limit. Unlimited mobile wireless data plans simply do not exist here. And no, when wireless carries advertise "unlimited data", they are not actually "unlimited". I would recommend these two articles if you wish to learn more about data caps and why they are pretty much bullshit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackmadrox Posted February 4, 2016 Author Share Posted February 4, 2016 This page is pretty much spot on with what I'm saying. Capping data is bullshit, and unless you have unlimited data, PlayStation Now will get quite expensive. http://community.eu.playstation.com/t5/PS4/Playstation-NOW-and-Internet-Providers-data-caps/td-p/20571319 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MMDE Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Combat Netflix? Why? Cuz folks are watching Netflix/Hulu instead of actual television programming? Yes. They've been pushing for laws to cap the speed of specific sites too. Their reasoning being, Netflix are whom earns money on their network being used so much more than it else would have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegirlruka Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 (edited) So, okay. If you asked me yesterday about data allowances and usage caps for internet/cable providers, I would of had no idea what you were talking about. A few days ago, I registered with PlayStation Now, an awesome service with hundreds of games for 20 bucks a month. It streams the games straight to your PS4. Little did I know, as I was binge playing Borderlands for hours and hours, I was using up this "data cap", that is associated my internet/cable provider, and a few others. I just got a message saying that 84% of my "data allowance" has been used up already for February. I was like, "What the fuck? I didn't even know that was a thing." But apparently it is. And if you use up this data allowance, all of it, and keep using it past the data cap, guess what? YOU GET CHARGED MORE $$$$$$$. I mean, maybe everyone else already knew about this, I don't know. But this is the first I'm hearing of it. Since when has there been a limit to your usage of streaming and internet? If I pay my fucking bill on time every month with no issues, shouldn't I be able to use the internet all I want? I mean come on, this is ridiculous. These big fucking companies, they're always finding new ways to cornhole you for more money. This data allowance is stupid. It's like saying yes you want cereal in the morning, but you're only allowed 1/4 of the milk it takes to fill the bowl. It's bullshit. The best advice I can give you is to look into getting a different ISP. I had an ok experience with Comcast and a great experience so far with Verizon. Comcast has started to set 300GB hard caps in some areas though so that could mean trouble in the future. Do you live in a rural area? Generally those who live in rural areas and rely on satellite internet have data caps for whatever reason, possibly because they don't have nearly as much business as they would in a city and as such they have to charge for the data used. I've never heard of any cable of fiber optic companies that have data caps but I could be wrong. If you can take a look at the competition and see what they can offer you. Parker I remember reading this on ars a few months back. While they are limitless, there is a limit to them. According to the page, it's about 4TB a month on a residential Verizon FiOS plan. Edited February 4, 2016 by kuuhaku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEMON Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 Yeah but who actually reads all that? http://giphy.com/gifs/bWM2eWYfN3r20/html5 Actually people who want to be making sure they are getting what they pay for do and to make sure they know their rights. It's your problem if you can't read about something that you are putting your money towards. I always read agreements to things that are paid services. The best advice I can give you is to look into getting a different ISP. I had an ok experience with Comcast and a great experience so far with Verizon. Comcast has started to set 300GB hard caps in some areas though so that could mean trouble in the future. I remember reading this on ars a few months back. While they are limitless, there is a limit to them. According to the page, it's about 4TB a month on a residential Verizon FiOS plan. That's true. But there is very few people out there who would reach that amount in a single month so it is technically unlimited to most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegirlruka Posted February 4, 2016 Share Posted February 4, 2016 That's true. But there is very few people out there who would reach that amount in a single month so it is technically unlimited to most. That's also true. The most I've ever used in a single month was around 700GB. It's usually closer to 200-300 GB but I replaced my harddrive that month so I had to redownload tons of games. That's just me alone though. Adding the rest of the family would probably bring it closer to 1.5TB that month. That's still not even close to the 4TB limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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