Terms and Conditions Apply

Every product from every manufacturer has terms and conditions for its usage. Both Hardware, Software and Firmware products have terms and conditions, but in this part of the world, nah, we dont have time for that. Ask yourself before we proceed further, have I ever COMPLETELY read the terms and conditions of a product BEFORE using the product? Little wonder, we have been cheated severally and we do not know it. Virtually all modern day youth crave for the use of sophisticated gadgets like iPads, iPhones, Blackberries, and the crave is so intense that upon purchase of the utility, we start using it immediately without even going through it's terms and conditions of use. Well, maybe some people do actually read these terms and conditions of hardware products, just maybe. I can say that 99% of software and firmware users do not read through the terms and conditions of these utilities before installation and usage, especially considering the fact that if you do not agree to it, the software cannot proceed to full installation.

Truth be told, some of these terms and conditions are always too lengthy and may take hours to completely go through them, but isn't it worth the time? If I'm so desperate to use a software, shouldn't I be patient enough to go through the rules and regulations of it's use?

I saw an inscription on a platform that reads “...if you think you are bored, just remember that someone somewhere is sitting at a desk, typing the Terms and Conditions of a utility...”. Really, this is an intriguing inscription that got me thinking that in this part of the world, we see Terms and Conditions as useless as the last four letters of the word Queue. If not for anything but to appreciate the efforts of the person that typed the write-up, please let's always go through the Terms and Conditions of products before installation.

In a bid to force people to read through them, manufacturers have placed the “I Agree” or “Disagree” button at the base of the write-up, but we all know how we circumvent that, we just scroll to the base of the write-up and click our desired choice.

Enough said already in generalization, let's come home and to our very own country, Nigeria; let's start with the telecommunications industry, how many of us read through the terms and conditions of the particular telecommunication service provider before we started using their SIM? Was it in the Terms and Conditions that they will keep sending us irrelevant text broadcast messages or even calling us with promos, etc? How many of us read through the terms and conditions for Blackberry Internet Service of our telecoms service provider before subscribing? Chances are 0%.

Truth is, in this part of the world, we suffer in silence not primarily due to ignorance, but due to foolhardiness. We take a lot of important things for granted and expend so much energy on irrelevant matters. In a situation whereby you didnt even go through the terms and conditions of service, how do you even know your right from wrong? Do you know for every service you paid for, you deserve your money's worth? You do BIS subscription for 30days and you were only able to use it for 20days, the remaining days of the subscription went to network failure from service providers, and then you come on Facebook, Twitter, 2go, etc and start cursing the network providers, swearing under your breathe. My dear, nothing evil will happen to them, infact you will be surprised they'll keep making net-breaking profits while you sit there complaining and languishing in agony.

Truth is you need to wake up and learn your rights. You're going to bed in the night with an account balance of N100.25 and then you wake up and find a balance of N100.00 (a ghost has made midnight call abi?) and then you laugh it off cursing them and their company...**yimu**...nothing will happen to them, absolutely nothing. Until you wake up and stand for your right, they'll keep exploiting us and we just die in silence cursing them imaginarily.

Enough said about telecommunications company, let's take a look at banks and insurance companies. Infact, those ones ehn, their mode of operation/Terms and Conditions are not even open to the public. They just tell you the little you need to know and then you register with them...and the exploitation begins. Oftentimes, I receive alert from my bank of a CR of N52.75 and a few days later, a DR of N73.82. I ask myself how these calculations are done an what facilitated such CR and DRs. But guess what? Anytime I visit the bank, it's either I forget to ask or I'm too timid to ask. The Pension Fund companies is another story entirely. They only tip you on the little you need to know and convince you to register. Of recent, I was told that the pension fund company I signed up with wont eventually give you your money outrightly, even at the specified age limit. Only a fraction will be paid and worst of all, in installments again, I felt like crying.

Friend, before you take that next step in signing up and registering with a company, thoroughly go through the Terms and Conditions and be sure you are okay with it, else dont sign up with them.

If we dont start doing this, then I guess it's Aluta Continua!