With news that McDonalds are now offering "Free WiFi" the kids and I headed out to dine at Ronald's place armed with our array of Apple devices.
After lining up and ordering our McMeals we placed our plastic trays aside on the damp Formica table and settled into our plastic chairs to activate the WiFi. At first we couldn't get on. How frustrating! The reason I went to McDonalds was because of the Free WiFi...I felt ripped-off. I could have been sitting in a nice cafe, enjoying good coffee without having to endure being surrounded with ... well ... the type of folk that go to McDonalds. Our anguish ended when we moved tables for a third time and found a stronger signal - at last the kids and I could connect...
What was immediately evident to me was that if a business offers something (even if it is FREE) then they should deliver with an expected quality, otherwise they will p*ss people off.
Another thing that struck me was that when I asked two separate staff members about our non-connectivity, we were greeted with blank gormless stares. So if you offer a service (even if it is FREE) McDonalds probably need to train their staff to at least be able to direct "technical" inquiries to someone who is knowledgeable.
With all of its 145 restaurants nationwide to offer free WiFi by the end of the year, McDonalds will be the largest free internet provider in New Zealand and become the standard that other businesses will need to follow.
It is interesting that McDonalds will be using software to censor "offensive" content of some websites. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on what McDonalds finds offensive!
We note that the McDonalds "Free WiFi" offer is a simple proposition that should suit most people where there is no time-limit, however here is a data limit of 50MB per customer.
We wonder if this is legitimately a "Free WiFi" service if there is a data cap of 50MB? However, we note that the 50MB limit is qualified as "fair use" and once the data limit is reached, there is no opportunity to purchase more.
Will a 50MB capped guest internet service allow motels and hotels to legitimately advertise "FREE WiFi" and will this become the new expected standard for New Zealand accommodation?
After lining up and ordering our McMeals we placed our plastic trays aside on the damp Formica table and settled into our plastic chairs to activate the WiFi. At first we couldn't get on. How frustrating! The reason I went to McDonalds was because of the Free WiFi...I felt ripped-off. I could have been sitting in a nice cafe, enjoying good coffee without having to endure being surrounded with ... well ... the type of folk that go to McDonalds. Our anguish ended when we moved tables for a third time and found a stronger signal - at last the kids and I could connect...
What was immediately evident to me was that if a business offers something (even if it is FREE) then they should deliver with an expected quality, otherwise they will p*ss people off.
Another thing that struck me was that when I asked two separate staff members about our non-connectivity, we were greeted with blank gormless stares. So if you offer a service (even if it is FREE) McDonalds probably need to train their staff to at least be able to direct "technical" inquiries to someone who is knowledgeable.
With all of its 145 restaurants nationwide to offer free WiFi by the end of the year, McDonalds will be the largest free internet provider in New Zealand and become the standard that other businesses will need to follow.
It is interesting that McDonalds will be using software to censor "offensive" content of some websites. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on what McDonalds finds offensive!
We note that the McDonalds "Free WiFi" offer is a simple proposition that should suit most people where there is no time-limit, however here is a data limit of 50MB per customer.
We wonder if this is legitimately a "Free WiFi" service if there is a data cap of 50MB? However, we note that the 50MB limit is qualified as "fair use" and once the data limit is reached, there is no opportunity to purchase more.
Will a 50MB capped guest internet service allow motels and hotels to legitimately advertise "FREE WiFi" and will this become the new expected standard for New Zealand accommodation?
