It started out around post Christmas holiday season, when I chanced upon an ad in the newspaper while waiting inside a bank. It was the Smart Bro prepaid unlimited surfing for 5 days for only Php 200! I read it twice over for the catch because I could not believe the promo. When I got back to my PC, I tried searching Smart's website and other posts but I could not find any. I even bought weekend newspapers to catch the ad again. When I chance upon one post about it, I bought some load and tried it. Since then I've been using it and been satisfied with the value.
Aside from my Smart Bro, I have a Sun USB Wireless pre-paid broadband which I almost haven't used since this promo started. I figured, to cover a month of unlisurfing, that'll be around Php 1,200 or 6 unlisurf registration.
Discussions on forums when this started pointed out that it cost, P40/day but compared to what? their P33/day for post paid on the average of Php 999/mo? It seems a small price to pay. Add the initial cash outs for post paid systems, this prepaid just starts at P995. Plus if there's no broadband signal, I can quit anytime I want to without being tied to a post paid contract. I've read and heard to many stories of interrupted post paid services that equals to customer support frustrations wherein customers always demand for some payback for cut service (do they get any?). Pre-paid is a nice way of getting around it, No service? Then don't reload! No waiting for your contract to expire or be penalized for early termination.
When on a budget, I just buy the Php300 card every payday, enough to cover for 5 days and leftover load for any important internet needs. I used to buy, the Smart Bro 300 and 2 Sun 50 1-day unlimited to cover the gap days before the next payday purchase. It turned out a bad idea since my Sun prepaid is still so slow and no torrent connection (and as always posted, we're a stones throw away from a Sun cell site). My wife disliked the Sun since she always plays farmville, it takes forever to load and now we're back to full Smart Bro prepaid unlisurf
In fairness to Sun, it is usable if your going to check web emails, and simple websites as well as good for Instant Messaging. I usually have problems using YM and Meebo on Smart Bro prepaid (they say it's because of the constantly changing IP), as well as accessing my company webmail. That's where Sun comes in. But it's rare I work on company email at home, it works via Thunderbird for reading and I usually reply via gmail or yahoo since my Smart Bro is connected all the time.
Finally, downloading contents! Whether torrents or from websites, SmartBro delivers for me.
With its promo nearing the end, I've always felt lucky reading that ad and has been using this for a long time considering I don't buy broadsheet newspapers anymore, since a lot of people STILL have not heard about this UNLISURF promo. Tracing back, it seemed the people I told and they told are NOW just benefiting and enjoying this promo and it appears that it is only recently that Smart is fully promoting this. I still don't see this in their main website though but they updated this on Twitter. Speaking of Twitter, Smart has a customer care page and is quite responsive too.
Oh yes, the best part of this is I can use it on ANY COMPUTER, ANYWHERE!. I know people who has succesfully networked their Smart bro PP via their PC or Laptop to their PS3, Xbox and other PCs. Depending on your location and possible users on that location, yes, it can.
