We also switched to Bell using a mobile device (stick). We had a sign up bonus usage for a couple months so we thought all was well. Our habits are always the same. We went over the cap as soon as that period was over. The bill was twice what we previously paid. We tried to get out of the contract to be told we were locked in. We bumped up to the next level of usage. It works for text only. So, we were ok... then my wife watched a cuple hours of tv she missed. We stayed under. Yippee! Not so fast, a month later comes the bill it is on, they are way behind....it cost  about $100 to watch 2 hours. We are locked into the contract for now, but as soon as we are not... I would rather have dial-up and that is just sad

We have a package with shaw which includes TV, phone and internet. My partner gets sent the bill electronically. I will ask him to keep his eyes open for unusual charges. I am quite sure he'd notice right away! We have had many service interruptions with shaw. I'd like request some money back actually. The internet goes down more frequently than it should and you can never get through to customer service when something goes wrong. I had to wait on the phone for an hour and a half listening to elevator music and commercials  once just to have them take about 30 seconds to remotely reset something with our TV signal.

These new usage charges are bound to hurt their @home business. People will just get used to using less at home. Businesses will soon get pretty grumpy too once the bills start rolling in. Many people work from home...and companies would likely have to foot the bill for that. I don't think it will last. Especially if it hurts commerce (the complaints of @home customers won't matter as much to them, but commerce, look out--I feel class action suits coming on!) I think will be challenged until it's changed back. Maybe one could say to them, "well, since I can't afford to use your services very often, I wasn't able to access the last bill you sent me." ;) In any event, this will cause an uproar once more people start getting billed higher and higher charges. Maybe it will force us to go back to not relying on internet unless it really counts (it wasn't all that long ago)...or using less of it at least.

I can check the usage for my past 6 months.  Off the top of my head, I wasn't sure what I had, but it's 250GB.  I reached half that once in the last 6 months.  I think when my husband was around it was about half that more consistantly, because he watches stuff online and games online way more than I do.

Oh, and I just thought...once it affects online banking, like if people stop using online banking services (many accounts and products are accessible online mostly..some exclusively), and they have to hire more tellers, I think it will be game over for the big internet providers with this thing! The banks trump them! ...oh, and if it slows down iphone business..apple will get testy too. Sad irony..but it might come true. Everyone large and small will fight them on this. Dog will eat dog (and the dogs will all lose), something will need to give, and ironically,  the average consumer might end up better off for it in the end. That's my prediction. I am not going to worry about it too much.

Hey chemgal: I was just implying that this will slow down all internet business from average consumers. Eventually all the big businesses (and small ones) will be agitated about it. Seeing as everyone uses the internet,  maybe this will be an instance of fair capitalism where the big businesses can't rip off the consumer because they will hurt their own business by doing that, and their relationships with other big businesses...it will come back on themselves, and will drive the prices down.

Oh, and I don't know much about the stock market...but my guess is it will affect that negatively too...so they might regret this decision of theirs because they stand to loose a lot of money.

Well it could, people like Waterfall's son, people who work from home.. and people who work remotely/ telecommute for big employers... it will hurt big businesses too because they rely most heavily on it...and heaven forbid anyone should charge them more!

I realize...I am just being idealistic. It helps me. :)

As with all things these days, the internet is no different. I think a lot of things will get tougher and tougher, financially and otherwise, and we will be up against more and more injustice..but people will self correct (with Divine intervention if you believe that)...and then things will start to get better. That is my hope. Hang on!

Sorry, I went off track. They probably can't afford to upfront if they are subcontractors..but I don't know how it all works.

It is similar to my cell phone then, I think.  I had a 5 year old sony erikson phone, with internet capability (but not wifi ).The  cell phone company (Rogers) would bill for every bit of info downloaded through them, which is expensive, so I  rarely used it, but I was just given a hand me down iphone ( I was in no hurry to get one but it was given to me  from someone who got the new version for Christmas)...so now, I will (still) be able to connect to wifi which is (for now) cheaper...but not for long... if they start billing for bandwith used, it will be expensive for whoever is providing the wifi signal from ther place of business...is that sort of it? For example, if that is the case, I imagine coffee shops will stop providing it free to customers as well..and more people will default to going through the cell phone provider instead of connecting to a wifi signal because will be expensive for the cell phone user either way.  Hmm. that won't be good.. More Rogers (or any big telecom company) users with ipones, for example, will connect to internet through Rogers also, rather than free wifi, thereby bringing them more business...which I guess they must have lost some of with the invention of samrt phones that pick up wifi...I am not sure, but could that be part of it? There are a lot of people using their smart phones at coffee shops, and all over, Vancouver--every second person at least, who will not be happy.