I love Sun Cellular, back in the days, they always offer a more lower price than the other 2 large cellular network companies, the only drawback of Sun is network coverage. But things change after it was bought by another competing network company Smart. Its prices offers the same as Smart network minus the not so good network coverage, it no longer has that cheaper alternative advantage.
The Philippine Competition Act was just recently passed lately July2015, i guess it was late to save Sun Cellular. Talk about the TV cable monopoly, but that is a different story.
I really wanted to write about the Smart acquisition of Sun for a long time, but lazy enough to do it, until recently it hit me, the effects of the said corporate acquisition. The Sun Cellular 699(3g only) is attractive, aside from it gives you free usage of internet browsing and social apps for a month, it also has 2.5gb for data downloading and video, if you exceed the 2.5gb mark, you are charged with .50 every MB now and then for the month period, and you got a free pocket wifi device. But you are locked for 12 months.
Until it happens, It was not enough after all for the household. from 699 the bill went to 1,300 and that's only for half a month, its no longer usable unless you pay the bill immediately. Back in the day, there is this Anti Shock bill feature of Sun where if your bill overboard of example 699, it will be locked to 999 and its unlimited internet for a month. That feature is removed. And so the story goes, I went to the customer service, ask if I can change the contract to 999pesos unlimited internet every month, of course they're policy is NO, how about cutting the contract? they said NO, you have to pay the remaining months of the contract including the device, Ok that's pretty bad, that is like 10,000 pesos for nothing, who would want to do that? Im stupid enough to fell for the contract and would be multiplied by x2 stupidity cancelling and paying it like a highway robbery, the contract is very strict, its final and absolute, wow, its like I'm renting a condominium or something, yeah I know my fault, but back in the pre-Smart Sun Cellular days, you could cut the contract and just pay a termination fee or you can change the plan to another easily. Well what happened? Yeah I know I signed the contract but, picture this, Why would anyone get the Plan699 without restriction it will blow out to 1,300 in 3 weeks, if you can just get the same pocket wifi around at 1,350 not locked to one network and register to promo i999 where you pay 999pesos per month and you get unlimited internet rather than the limited 2.5gb data. So for those thinking of getting onto this mess, hope you read this first.
I have an old pocket wifi, probably put a Sun prepaid on it and register the i999 for the household. Probably I will just use the Plan 699 for personal use, its too much though, I only consume about 200pesos for data every month and to think I would be bringing that pocket wifi along instead of just using mobile internet of my personal phone is inconvenient enough for 12 months. I thought getting a line with free device would make it cheaper and convenient but I got into these mess, its like a trap I couldn't get out to, I use the Sun mobile for internet in my family in the province, there is no internet line there, only Sun mobile is the only feasible to use because a cell site is near the area, other network failed to give decent 3g internet signal. Such excess waste of 500pesos per month there for 12 months, would be better to just have purchased that with the new Starmobile Up Vision with digital TV instalment and give it to my mother.
And I think i felt cheated though. And writing about my experience is the only way to blow off the steam.
Update: Sun is replacing its i-load promo with isurf, instead of i50 i100 you need to use the isurf50 promo code which is no longer unlimited a day but 800mb per day, wow, so no more unlimited internet, limited to 800mb with the same money you pay, while other network still offers unlimited data they may follow too, seems like internet in the Philippines aside from being the most expensive/Mb in south east asia is still getting more expensive instead of getting more cheaper like in other countries, or Sun is just being designed to fail after the corporate acquisition by a competing telecom company, these kind of tactic is not new, a lot of company was filed by anti trust cases abroad, they acquire competing smaller company then let it die so they get a monopoly, good thing the Competition Act was just passed and hopefully we can see something about it . Calling the attention of DTI, DOTC etc.
