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You know it's going to be more expensive than using a dial-up or DSL connection to download the same file - but Telecom's blurb says that you're only charged for the data you've downloaded so you figure you know exactly how much you're up for.

Then something goes wrong during the download and it fails.

Checking, you see that only 10% of the file has actually arrived and you figure that if there's a problem with the server at the other end, requiring multiple retries, it might be a good idea to abandon the attempt because it could end up costing a lot more than you'd thought.

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You're also not too worried because you've only managed to download 10% of the total file so (based on Telecom's assurances) you figure that you're only going to be charged for the data you actually received -- a mere 10% of the file you were downloading.

So what do you do when the bill arrives and you find that you've been billed for the entire file -- some ten times what you expected?

Well this story on the Stuff website might give you some clue.

It seems that Telecom's assurances about what you pay for are not worth the paper they're written on -- because the company reserves the right to redefine key words such as "download".

According to the article, the user attempted to download a 1.5MB file from the Nokia website, an attempt that ultimately failed, probably due to a lack of memory in the cellphone being used.

Although the user seemingly only spent a couple of minutes (11.35pm through 11.36pm) trying to download this file, they got hit with a charge of $308, which works out to some $154 per minute!

Something else doesn't make sense here either...

The file was just 1.5MB, and four attempts were made to download it -- which, it's pretty safe to assume, would have produced no more than 6-7MB of traffic.

This adds up to some $50 per MB for traffic that wasn't actually delivered in full across its mobile network!

Either the customer is confused or Telecom is way off-beam with its charges.

I also find it amazing that Telecom can suggest that the customer becomes liable for the data that is downloaded onto Telecom's servers rather than the amount that's actually transferred to the cellphone.

The cost of actually retrieving that data across the Net to their servers will be the same whether it's being delivered to the customer via dial-up, DSL or cellular technology so how can they justify charging so much more just because it was *going* to be delivered via the mobile network?

Is this just a case of rampant profiteering, or are their some genuine points in Telecom's favour. You tell me.

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