I refer to the Malaysiakini report Internet speeds: We're No 81!

That we are Number 81 in the world with our Internet speed is no surprise at all. If at all there is a Fourth World mentality, then that is where TM Net is well-entrenched.

I live in USJ 12, Selangor and this is my experience for this past two months; or many more earlier for that matter.

Having subscribed to a Streamyx package that costs RM44 per month, I expected access to information as and when. But my experience is at best described as horrendous.

More often than not, I have to switch on my Streamyx connection before 7.30 am for uninterrupted access the entire day. Try 9 am and good luck! Or it has to be After 9 pm at night. Try in between and good luck again.

So as if playing hide-and-seek was not enough, the last two months was the pits.

The signal strength declares ‘Excellent' but nothing comes through. The past two months I have had no access at all.

Believe it or not, I had to park myself at Coffee Bean to send/receive/reply e-mails and surf the Net.

Try calling TM's Help-line and you get the usual yarn about how important customers are but that their staff are busy.

After a few minutes we are summarily told to send our complaint to some e-mail and then there it ends. The line goes dead. Too many complaints and the customer service system is unable to cope in person.

I have been paying a sluggish corporate behemoth that doesn't care two hoots about its customers. No signal at all and I still have to settle the bill.

TM is clearly ripping us customers off. Even if the bigwigs at TM read this letter, I do not believe that they will do anything; nor will they care for that matter.

After all, its has all the cards in its hands. They are No 1 in Malaysia (but No 81 in the world).

What do we have next? Axiata? Some consultant made it good with a rebranding exercise; albeit one that is cosmetic with, I bet, no change in the value systems in practice.

However ridiculous and conspiratorial it seems, I have at times and out of sheer anger harboured the impression that the service by TM Net is simply deliberate to get us to switch to Celcom for their mobile broadband service.

Yes, it is an emotional response, but no signal at all for two months and we still have to pay the bill?

Who wouldn't be pushed to the threshold of temporary insanity?