A handful of patrons were a little startled when they picked up their morning breakfast at the counter at McDonalds and proceeded to flip open their laptops to check their e-mail.
Instead of encountering that familiar map of the Unites States - with McDonalds WiFi locations blinking about it onscreen - a rude log-on page popped up demanding money for access!
Over the past few months, depending on the franchise, WiFi was either offered with a direct access capability for free or offered up to customers on a coupon basis (which required a purchase with no minimum required).
Then, in January, McDonalds announced that WiFi would be free Nationwide (no coupon required).
In spite of this turn of events - and a boost in business at the fast-food take-out - the McDonalds outlet on Las Vegas Boulevard (next to Circus Circus and across from the Sahara Hotel) surprised regulars and tourists alike when they programmed their WiFi service this past week to drum up a log-in page (referred to as Guest Access) that required a flat fee of $9.95 a day to browse on the Internet.
In this scenario - tourists, business men on-the-go, and locals - would end up paying an astronomical sum for WiFi access each month whenever they chose to use the service sporadically.
When you consider that AT&T has a monthly fee of $19.95 for unlimited access, the McDonalds fee structure is outrageous.
Talk about greed!
I predict there will be a big drop-off in business - at that location for sure - because consumers are mad as hell (and they're not going to take it anymore).
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