The Four-eyed Journal

The new school year will officially start for us Lasallians in Cavite next week so I’m starting to prepare myself for a productive school year or the first semester to say the least.

My class schedule this 1st semester is one of my lightest ever! With my classes ending a few hours before lunch time leaving me with over 6 hours of free time at school. However, that free time would easily be eaten up by my extra-curricular and off-campus work, engagements and advocacies. Managing all these would be done with my new Four-eyed notebook.

And for me to really get things done, I need a mobile internet connection to do my research, keep in touch with contacts and of course blog like I’ve never blogged before.

Even before I actually bought my new notebook, I was already contemplating on which mobile internet connection service I would use: my 3G enabled Sony Ericsson K800i (either with Smart or Globe), SmartBro Prepaid or Globe Visibility. The paid Wi-Fi services that DLSU-D offers wasn’t included in my list because even though it would the most convenient way, it came at the price of having limited internet access because of the university’s firewall and content filtering system. The weird case in which my Gmail-powered domain-based email was blocked was more than enough to make sure of this.

Using my K800i as a modem is out of the question because I don’t want my surfing sessions to be interrupted by calls and I use it to keep some notes, take photos on the go and record meetings. Plus, grime, dust and fungi(?) have begun to grow on my phone’s port making it

Now I’m left with two options: SmartBro Prepaid or Globe Visibility?

SmartBro Prepaid is my strongest contender since around here in Dasmarinas (where I go to school hence spend 80% of my waking time) and my hometown of Silang, Cavite, SmartBro has been getting good reviews from my neighbors and friends who use the service. Well most of them. Plus the fact that it is a prepaid service means I only pay whenever I access the net which will help keep my expenses more manageable. Hopefully.

Here are the rates and time allocations for Smart Bro Prepaid:

On the other hand, I still consider signing up for Globe Visibility since I am already a Globe Broadband subscriber and that it will entitle me to some discounts for Globe Visibility plus the convenience of having a single bill to horrify me every month.

Sir Abe has a breakdown of the new rates and hour allocations of each Globe Visibility Plan:

GV Plan 799
Php 799 per month (MSF)
Php1,000 one-time setup fee
40 hours free surfing time (effective rate Php20/hour)
Php0.50 per minute excess hours (effective Php30/hour)
2 hours/month Free WiFi on all WiZ hotspots

GV Plan 999
Php 999 per month (MSF)
Php1,000 one-time setup fee
60 hours free surfing time (effective rate Php16.65/hour)
Php0.50 per minute excess hours (effective Php30/hour)
3 hours/month Free WiFi on all WiZ hotspots

GV Plan 1,499
Php 1,499 per month (MSF)
Php1,000 one-time setup fee
100 hours free surfing time (effective rate Php20/hour)
Php0.50 per minute excess hours (effective Php15/hour)

So which one should I go for? Any advice on this one would be hot.

ShareThis

You must have already heard by now that Globe Telecom will be the official mobile carrier to offer the iPhone here in the Philippines.

Got wind of this news via Yuga and already most of the bloggers in my reading list have also blogged about it. It all started when this official statement from Globe Telecom’s corporate site was published:

Globe, SingTel, Bharti Airtel and Optus to bring iPhone to the region

Manila, 12 May 2008 – Globe, SingTel, Bharti Airtel and Optus today announced that they have signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to the Philippines, Singapore, India, and Australia later this year.

More information will be released at a later date.

This has already been met with mixed reactions. Those wishing for an iPhone and get it the ‘legitimate’ way were happy that finally a local mobile carrier has been chosen by Apple to offer its iPhone in the country. However, the excitement was dampened a bit by some who expressed their reservations about Globe Telecom bagging the deal and not Smart Communications.

Kastor commented on Yuga’s blog:

at bakit kaya Globe ang nakakuha sa deal? dahil sa singtel? sayang! mas maganda sana kung smart. lalo na sa 3G services. globe sucks big time pagdating sa 3G. i bet na yung 3G iphone ang ilalako sa pilipinas.

Mark Tesch shares the same views on Max Limpag’s blog:

Surprising that Globe was chosen over Smart seeing as Globe has some of the worst coverage and most outrageous plans in the Philippines:p Guess Apple has to start somewhere and then learn from their mistakes, I guess:p

On the other hand, BigBird takes the opposite side on his comment back on Yuga’s post:

As experienced with both 3G lines and similar phone models. I say that Globe 3G is much faster compared to my SMART 3G thats for sure! I Test it side by side in almost any location I can be. SMART shows strong in the Forth Area in Taguig. Rather the less I say Globe 3G is much faster than SMART 3G prang WAP. I even swap sims. But unfortunately Globe billing suchs! SMART improved its billing lately as I haved noticed but have system downtime in the early 4-7 am everyday. nagtitipid!!!!! Di mo sya magagamit at this times promise… Always online lang kasi ako!

I never tried Globe’s 3G services before so I really can’t say anything about it. Is Smart’s 3G services much better than Globe’s? Nonetheless, it seems that the iPhone hype would not be revived here in the Philippines or in the region as well thanks to these mixed reactions and to the so-called ‘grey’ iPhone users. Still more questions arise, will Smart also land an iPhone deal? Will Globe have a huge success with the iPhone?

What do you guys think? Was it really a good move for Apple to link up with Globe or it should have picked Smart instead?

ShareThis

This blog has been consistently showing up hits for the question/search term: “How to globe share load.” Since I don’t have a post that answers this query I’m going to do it right here.

To all Globe subscribers here’s you can share your load/credits using Globe’s Share-a-Load service:

1) Text-in amount. (from Php1.00 to Php150.00)

2) Send the text to “2″ plus your friend’s 10-digit phone number (P1.00 per send).

Example: 2917xxxxxxx

3) You and your friend will receive a message confirming the successful reload.

4) After the first load, you will receive a text message prompting for a 4-digit PIN. Use it to protect your phone against unauthorized loading.

5) Starting with your next load, text in amount and 4-digit PIN.

Example: 5 1234

Update: You can now use Share-a-Laod without using your 4-digit PIN. Do this by texting:

OFF to 2916

This is useful if you have trouble in remembering your PIN or in emergency cases wherein someone else has to do the transaction for you using your mobile phone.

Each transaction will cost you Php1.00 + the amount of load you shared. You could always text HELP to 2916 for assistance or more information.

*no, this is not a paid post if that’s what you’re thinking.

ShareThis

We all know of Globe Telecom’s new 3G/GPRS/HSDPA rates and how it received warm welcomes from users. It’s now similar to what rival Smart is offering but their version is slightly different. I immediately switched over to their new time-based charging scheme last Monday, April 10 by texting “time” to 1111. Below is the exact SMS confirmation message I received soon after:

U have successfully shifted to TIME Browsing w/ the ff Terms & Conditions:
1. U will be charged P5 for every 15mins of mobile internet cnection regardless of the no./type of sites visitd (ex. myGlobe/Yahoo..)
2. Succeeding connections will be chargd P5 for 15mins;
3. No refund will be made if disconcted before the 15 mins are up
4. This is only applicable to browsing w/in the Phil.

A bit greedy and harsh if I may say but it’s way better than their greedier per KB charging. However, problems soon appeared and are still causing me frustration and disappointment with Globe Telecom.

Ever since I switched over to their new time-based charging scheme, I can no longer send and receive MMS messages. Even browsing on wap sites using my SE K800i became very slow and often times intermittent.

Immediately, last Tuesday, I called up Globe’ infamous Customer Help hotline and reported my problem. A report was made by the agent that took my call and I was told to wait for their customary 24-hour turn-around period and God-willing, I would be able to send and receive MMS messages again.

Unfortunately, I was still not able to. So again I called up Customer Service to follow up on my case. The agent told me that the system deactivated my MMS service because my balance once reached below Php50, which is required to send and receive MMS messsages. Okay…

I told them that at that time, my balance was somewhere above Php400 and that even though my balance went down below Php50, I never had this kind of problem. Perhaps it’s because I switched to the new time-based charging rates and that this is a bug in their network.

A bug that persisted

It was day two of my ordeal and after waiting for another 24 hours for their technical team to do their blunder magic, I was still unable to send and receive MMS messages.

Wednesday was the 3rd day and so I made another phone call, again was given the same old routine of waiting for another 24 hours for the remedy to work because as far as they are concerned, their technicians have “manually” activated my MMS service and everything was OK.

Right, as what I’ve told the CSR, “Would I be calling customer service if the problem has been already fixed?” This controlled outburst was returned with their customary apologies for the inconvenience as a result of their crappy system, network and employees.

A female CSR lied to me

Earlier this afternoon, Thursday, at around 5:30pm I made my 4th call because I’m still having the same problem. The same script was played out to me; “Sir, as of today OK na po ang inyong MMS sa aming system.”

My response: “Tatawag ba ako sa inyo kung may problema pa ako? This is the 4th day I’m having this problem and this is the 4th call and still, nothing positive has happened. I still could not send nor receive MMS messages.”

I expected the customary apologies from her but what she told me next really struck a nerve. She asked me for my location, “Silang, Cavite” I told her. She put me on hold for 2 minutes while she “checked” something in their system. When she returned, she told me that since their system is saying that my MMS service is “activated” everything is OK. My problem may be caused by an “ongoing system enhancement in Tagaytay City” and I should wait for another 24 hours for this to be totally resolved.

“System enhancement” my ass!

After that conversation with that female Globe CSR, I re-dialed the customer service number and when a new CSR picked up my call, a male agent this time around, I asked if there was an “ongoing system enhancement in Tagaytay City” at that very moment.

He told me that there was none. Being puzzled, he asked me why I asked. I told him, “that’s what your fellow agent told me a while ago when I followed up my MMS problems.” After re-telling my story for the 5th time and after the guy seeing the record of my account, he once more offered his apologies for this inconvenience, he would file another report to their technical support team and the whole cycle just repeated itself, adding much more to my frustrations and aggravations.

To everyone at Globe, and I mean everyone, I understand that these things happen. But for the love of God and the welfare of your PAYING customers, do your jobs right and with decency.

It’s understandable that it could get difficult if you CSR agents run out of things to say when your protocols or scripts do not cover every query or response from us customers, but to lie to us?! Nakakahiya, La Salle alumni pa naman ang presidente ng kumpanya nyo.

ShareThis

Globe’s not only spamming, they’re stealing my aunt’s money

Spam via mobile phones are among the ugliest things the SMS-addicted Pinoy faces on a daily basis. I am a victim, my friends are victims, but my aunt is really suffering because of it.

It all started days ago right before Christmas, my aunt, a fellow Globe subscriber approached me in her moment of despair and anger, all because Globe has not only been spamming her with alerts and useless wallpapers via MMS, they’re stealing her credits (ergo her money) each and every time!

Knowing that trying to deactivate that cursed subscription via keyword-based sms actions would be fruitless, I decided to call up Globe’s Customer Service and havSpam via mobile phones are among the ugliest things the SMS-addicted Pinoy faces on a daily basis. I am a victim, my friends are victims, but my aunt is really suffering because of it.

It all started days ago right before Christmas, my aunt, a fellow Globe subscriber approached me in her moment of despair and anger, all because Globe has not only been spamming her with alerts and useless wallpapers via MMS, they’re stealing her credits (ergo her money) each and every time!

Knowing that trying to deactivate them deactivate it from their end since it’s their fault anyways.

My goal was simple and I clearly stated it to the agent who picked up my call. The following though is not an exact account of the conversation, but I will be fair…honest!

Me: “I need to deactivate a subscription that sends wallpapers via MMS to my aunt’s Globe handyphone.”

Globe CSR: “Okay sir, ano po yung service number o saang service number nanggaling yung mga MMS?”

Me: “Mula sa 2346. Wallpapers daw via MMS. Paano ko i-dedeactivate ang subscription?”

Globe CSR: “Sir, first you need to know what particular service it is. Para po malaman nyo, mag-text kayo ng ‘CHECK’ sa 2346. Magrereply po iyon ng mga pangalan ng services na naka-subscribe ang tita nyo. Tapos, kung ano man po yung keyword for that service, i-text nyo lang, tapos space kasunod ang ‘OFF’ at i-send nyo sa 2346. Maghintay po kayo ng confirmation message.”

Me: “Ah, ok. So paano kapag na-deactivate ko na, pero may dadating pa rin na MMS alert? Kasi ginawa na namin ito before, that time polyphonic ring tones naman ang pinapadala ng Globe. Pero hindi naman nag subscribe ang tita ko, at worse, binabawasan ang kanyang load.”

Globe CSR: “Sir kung ganoon po uli ang mangyayari, tumawag po uli kayo sa Customer service at gagawan po namin ng report para aksyunan ng aming Technical Department. Sila po mismo, mula sa aming system ang magdedeactivate ng subscription.”

Me: “Kung mangyari nga iyon, ibabalik nyo ba yung kinaltas na load ng tita ko? Kasi hindi naman siya nagsubscribe to begin with, pero pinapadalhan pa rin siya.”

Globe CSR: “With regards to that sir, kailangan itawag nyo uli para magawan ng separate ng report at ma-forward uli sa Technical Department.” Maghihintay po kayo ng up to 5 working days para ma-process ito.”

Me: “Bakit ko pa kailangang tumawag uli para sa kinaltas na load eh, related at epekto lang naman ito ng main problem ng tita ko? Dagdag dun, kung sa Tech department nyo rin pupunta, bakit hiwalay na report pa?”

Globe CSR: “Ah, sige po sir. Isasama ko na rin po sa report na gagawin ngayon. Then hintay po kayo ng up to 5 working days for processing.”

Me: “Mas okay kung ganoon. Kung sakali man na even before mag 5 working days at makatanggap uli ng MMS ang tita ko at bawasan ang load nya, tatawag agad ako sa Customer Service.”

Globe CSR: “Yes sir. Tumawag na lang po uli kayo kung may concerns para ma-follow-up yung inyong report. Uhm, is there anything else I could help you with sir?”

Me: “Wala na sa ngayon.”

Globe CSR: “Thank you for calling Globe. Good bye sir.”

After that conversation, I followed her instructions by texting the keyword CHECK to 2346 and immediately I received a message that says that my aunt was subscribed to wallpapers. I then replied the keyword OFFkeyword of the service to 2346 and received a confirmation message that the subscription has been indeed turned off.

Peace at last for my aunt? Yeah right!

That was before New Year’s eve celebrations. Just this morning, January 2, 2008 my aunt approached me again with the very same problem! Globe is sending her more wallpaper images via SMS. However, this time around it’s not from 2346, but from another service number 2910.

Remember, my aunt never subscribed to such service so imagine her dismay, frustration and anger when this spam and credit-stealing MMS from Globe hit her mobile phone.

Recalling the same process given by Globe’s CSR a few days ago, I repeated the same process of deactivating the unsolicited subscription.

1) Text CHECK to 2910

3) I was suppose to text OFFURMARKETPLACEWALLPAPER to 2910 but something was wrong. The service had three keywords! I knew it was not going to work but none the less I sent it to 2910 and prayed for the best.

Surprise, surprise, it did now work. So with another problem, I resorted to calling up Globe’s Customer Service once more.

Basically the same conversation took place, except for one disturbing and frustrating thing; the CSR agent told me that the service with the keywords “UR MARKETPLACE WALLPAPER” is not among their services! What the f*ck?! Then whose service is it? Touch Mobile’s?! Sun Cellular’s?!

Of course I did not yelled out those words to the CSR, I congratulated myself for being able to restrain myself. Instead, I calmly said, “So anong gagawin namin ngayon?” The agent told me that she will file a report (again) to the Technical Department and yes, we will have to wait for up to 5 working days, excluding weekends, for it to be processed. Ang lakas talaga nila mang-perwisyo no?

So now, today was Day 1, on to Day 2 tomorrow. But once my aunt receives another MMS from any other service number of Globe, they’ll definitely get an earful and a possibly a formal complaint through the NTC.

Any one else being spammed and robbed of their credits by Globe?

ShareThis

September last year, I blogged about Globe’s G-Live services which was launched at that time. I was worried that this new service would be used to spam consumers. After blogging about it, I moved on and did not even bothered to give it a try as to save my self from the potential spam. As the months have passed, users asking search engines on how to stop the G-live messages from appearing on one’s mobile phone were brought to that post. But since I did not actually experience using G-Live and eventually being annoyed by it, that post seemed to have lacked something what readers needed.

So in this post, I’ll go the extra mile of actually trying to know more about G-live, attempt to use it, and quickly unsubscribe from it because judging from Mia’s experience which she shared in the comments thread; G-live could be really annoying.

Although Marvin was quick to share how to stop G-live, I believe it would still be a fun and blog-worthy experiment of trying out G-live.

First, what is G-live?

According to the Globe Telecom’s website:

Globe G-Live is a SIM feature that allows you to receive unlimited news and public service announcements. Information simply appears in an unobtrusive manner on the phone screen and doesn’t even go to the inbox.

How to download using a symbian phone:

1. Go to myGlobe wap site

2. For 2G phones, go to What’s Hot! Click on G-Live to download the feature for FREE.

3. For 3G phones, make sure your phone is on GSM mode. Click on myGlobe2G and follow the 2G phone instructions.

4. To turn on the feature, go to phone Menu or My Own folder. Click on G-Live then select Activate.

Symbian phones compatible are: Nokia 3230, 3650/3600, 3660/3620, 6600, 6630, 6670, 6680, 7610, 7650, N70 and N90.

From my understanding, it’s like Google Alerts but instead of recieving e-mail alerts containing the relevant information, you get a “unobtrosuive” message that displays on the screen of your mobile phone. Also from the information above, I had a hunch that my handset, the Sony Ericsson K800i, is not compatible with the G-live service because it needs an application that works on a symbian-based phone.

To prove this, I followed the above instructions and navigated my mobile browser to Globe’s wap site. Sure enough, I found the link to G-live via the Mobile Tools link. However, things came to a stand still when after I opened the link to G-live, the following message was displayed:

The G-Live application allows you to recieve non-intrusive messages on your favorite topics. The messages appear on your handset screen when the handset is idle.

Sorry. No content compatible with your phone for this category.

So there, the G-live application works only on Symbian phones, meaning just Nokia handsets. But is this the end of it all? Does this mean that thanks to my K800i, I’m immune from G-live and it’s annoying, spammy service?

Being the persistent techie, I called Globe’s Customer Service and asked the following questions: 1)Can I use the G-live service using the SE K800i? 2) How can I do use G-live? and the most important, 3) How can I stop recieving G-live alerts?

After putting me on hold for almost two minutes to check on my query, the friendly-sounding CSR agent told me that I can use the K800i with the G-live service. I don’t need to visit the Globe wap site but instead, I must simply use the Globe Services menu in my sim to activate the G-live service. Surprising really.

To activate the G-live service she told me to do the following:

Navigate to Globe Svcs+ (services) >>> G-live and then click Activate.

So I tried, in the K800i, the Globe Svcs+ menu can be found in the Entertainment submenu. Clicked on it and surprise and surprise once more! I can’t find the G-live option!

I browsed through each and every option under the Globe Svcs+ menu even patiently waiting for the additional options to be accessed by the SIM and still, the G-live option was no where to be found.

The explanation? My Globe sim is not G-live capable as I compared the sim’s casing with that of my other Globe sim card. The photo below explains says it all.

So by accident, I am immune to G-live spam. LOL

Wrapping things up, you can stop Globe’s G-live service via the step below:

You can deactivate G-live by simply repeating the same process you used to activate it:
Globe Svcs+ >>> G-Live >>> Deactivate

Of course you need to have a G-Live capable Globe sim card.

Lastly, let’s be careful before subscribing to any service, read and understand what the service is and make sure there’s a way to unsubscribe from it.

ShareThis