Daylight robbery

I think Multichoice runs the biggest scam ever. First they advertise all these specials. And you think, Aggh! whats R199 a month. You summon the strength to call them and voila you are connected. But you see, even though the retailer of your dish will give a voucher to the installer, it will be for one plug point only.

Then you ask the guy for another point in your bedroom - where you should not have the television in the first place - and you part with your first R250. Then he says what about the kiddies bedroom and before you know it, R500 is gone. Or you get these ads for pvr - private video recorder - and you think! it will be cool to be able to stop, rewind, pause ...

You shell out R2500 minimum. Now that you have an installer, he comes around, gets the voucher from the retailer. Suddenly he tells you about splits for this and that so that you are able to watch three channels at the same time - in different rooms hopefully. Yeah, why not you say with that disdainful voice. In reality you are saying: What is an extra R250. Bloody snob. And then there is this and that. You pay.

Then they advertise high definition on your normal screen and what you see is so clear. You go out, buy a flat screen that the salesperson says is HD compatible. You go home and think you can watch HD. No, the Multichoice people inform you. You need an HD decoder.

Can I trade in my PVR? You ask. NO NO NO! That thing. its obsolete, they are short of saying.

Off you go, get the HD decoder come home. The installer comes. He links it up through the multiswitch and voila you can now play channel 170 and watch tv become lifelike.

Three months later Multichoice tells you about the Xtraview. You think what the hell, another expense. You ignore. They follow up with messages that come on your decoder. You read and ignore. Two months later your statement reflects double billing, On enquiry you are told that because you did not choose Xtraview you are being billed separately for the two decoders. But if you take Xtraview and a few rands more... The installer comes, and says you need a heartbeat connection... R700 later you are sorted.
I await the next scheme with bated breath.