Caveat emptor

So, while at my conference, I try to get some wireless internet access--so that I don't have to deal with 500 e-mails when I return to town after a week. However, the hotel I'm staying at doesn't offer it; being a budget hotel in downtown San Francisco, I apparently should be thankful that the walls have paint. The main conference hotel does offer wireless access--however, it costs about $6 per day. So, seeing that the Starbucks next door to the conference site offers T-mobile wireless access, I figured it would be worth a try. Firing up my browser, I see an option to "try" wireless access for 10 cents per minute. So far, so good.

Proceeding to the account registration page, I quickly fill everything out, check the "opt-out" boxes, and do a quick scan of the terms of service. It's then that I notice the fine print that T-Mobile hopes nobody sees: the 10 cents per minute is valid only after 60 minutes of time, for which you're charged $6, whether or not you actually use the full 60 minutes. So, not only is there no rollover, you're being charged every time you login. I don't care what reality you choose to live in (although one can probably make a convincing argument that living in San Francisco is not, in fact, living in reality), $6 per e-mail check-in is absolutely ludicrous. I think what I'll probably end up doing is getting internet access on Tuesday and on Thursday (the two days I'll spend most of the day at the conference), and hoping for the best in the interim.