Bell takes down data usage calculator after ‘overstating’ customers’ bandwidth usage

Bell Canada has taken down its online software that allows customers to calculate how much data they will consume based on their internet usage.

The bandwidth usage calculator has disappeared in the wake of the CRTC’s usage-based billing drama, and while the timing is suspicious, Bell insists it is due to internal glitches in the software. But Bell is also swapping around words, according to a Globe and Mail article, which is seldom a good sign:

The original notification on Bell’s website informed customers the tool had been disabled because of “an issue that may cause internet usage shown on this site to be overstated in some cases.” However, by Tuesday night, Bell changed the message slightly, replacing the word “overstated” with “incorrect.”

The calculator served as a useful tool for Bell customers, who could determine their approximate data usage each month, and stay within the restrictions of their plans in hopes of avoiding insane overage fees of up to $2.50 per gigabyte (a markup of between 10,000 and 20,000 percent). 

Bell still has data calculators up for potential customers looking to see how much data they may use in theory.