the not-so-free wi-fi offer

for gizmonauts like myself, nothing helps to while away the time any better than the offer of gratis wireless internet access while on the move. unfortunately, it sure is irritating to see places boldly claiming that they have it for free, when they actually mean to say, "free with _______ (insert your condition, usually involving an exchange of cash)!"

while i'm still setting up my gear for the reviews i'll be doing (still setting up a small macro shot studio) and in between posts i'll be talking about some other things i'll encounter over the course of my journey.

so without further ado:

- not-so-free wi-fi hotspot #1 -
Gloria Jean's Coffees store, SM Megamall, 2nd level, Building A

entrance fee: P200 store purchase

i don't have a picture right now, but they have a sign outside that clearly states free wi-fi. i even went up close to check if they have any extra clauses like the one the Ohana Hawaiian BBQ store across the store has. i'll put it up as soon as i can get a good shot of it.
as you can clearly see now after i managed to get a picture, their sign outside states, ABSOLUTELY FREE WIFI.

anyway, having been a tiring day of walking around and waiting, i went in and got a drink, fully intending to take a peek online while i was there. i even asked the young man on the other side of the counter if the signal reaches the seats farthest from the store. after paying, i went to my seat. when the nice lady came by to give me my drink, i wondered how i could connect onto the network. it was only then when i was told that there was a P200 "entrance fee" to connectivity. ouch.

in hindsight, i think they may have stipulated the clause at the very, very bottom of their sign, but that doesn't really chang anything, does it.

lesson learned: don't forget to ask about the things that really matter.