Hearing the Telus radio ad promoting getting Telus high speed internet and a laptop computer reminded me of a friend who had taken advantage of (or is that had been taken advantage of by) a previous Telus high speed internet plus computer “special” offer.

Signed up for 3 years of high speed internet and received a free computer, but downloading took forever. Enquiry revealed that the computer lacked the RAM to take advantage of high speed internet.

Being willing to be a self-advocate and being persistent eventually got Telus to pay for a RAM upgrade which a friend installed. Now the high speed internet being paid for is useable.

Whether corporate greed, a lack of concern about customer care, a Dilbert-esque triumph of marketing over engineering realities or some combination thereof – it is a cautionary tale.

So if you are thinking of signing up for this latest “special” offer, be sure to check out the technical specifications first. You also might want to a little price, model and features research.

And if “took advantage of” the earlier computer offer applies to you and your internet is anything but high speed … you might want to check your RAM.