[Billed for very high data usage]

[Bob2000]

Hi. I have the same issue. After being overcharged R20 000 for my December bill, I get the following on my January bill

December 17 11:55 86400
December 18 11:55 86400
December 19 11:55 86400

Ive given up asking for help, as every time I get the same response back "If you want more information you need to subpoena Vodacom"

- Data monitor provided is not accurate
- Reports on Vodacom website is inaccurate (If you can access the website)
- SMS's to alert you for data usage is not guaranteed, and does not work (haven't received any this month)
- Softblock is not guaranteed and does not work.

How are we suppose to control data usage?

Last resort is ICASA, not sure if that will help, but I have sent them a detailed description and details of the incident. I encourage other people with the same issue to do the same. Maybe if there are enough complaints, a audit will be done on the Vodacom billing system, or is this just wishful thinking?

 

[Bob2000]

Carefull Traffic monitoring

Trying to monitor my traffic usage as per Vodacom instructons on the Vodacom website so I don't get another R20 000 bill.

The Vodacom4Me application was unable to render the service you requested. Please try again if this problem persist contact Vodacom Customer Care regarding this problem.

Oh and just after that I got an sms from Vodacom that there has been a problem in their billing system and I will get charged an extra R183 that they missed in December, so they admit they have problems with their billing systems. They can have billing problems under billing us, but not problems over billing us???????

I think my disgust for Vodacom has surpassed Telkom.

 

[Bob2000]

Ha, what a bunch of bull****, I got billed for periods that I know for a fact that I was in an area WITHOUT Vodacom reception, not difficult to find...

"You are just a pathetic little customer, don't waste our time with things like accurate data billing, and if you want to challenge us, you are going to spend a whole lot more on lawyers, so be a nice little muppet and run along now."

But it seems like Vodacom is not finished with me yet. All of a sudden I am getting the mysterious 11:55 86400 on my cellphone bill as well. How the hell do I download 250MB to a cellphone with a 32MB data card????? I think they reckon if they squeeze hard enough, they can squeeze a diamond out of my ass too. qDOT, maybe I can borrow your KY Jelly....

I also heard a little rumour that VC upgraded their billing systems in December, and that is what is causing all this incorrect billing, overbilling and theft.

IS this true Vodacom3G, was there an upgrade to some of the VC systems?????

Never wished a contract away this much....

 

[Bob2000]

Vodacom3G

So what other info were you looking for in the PM I sent you. You have my cell number, the data number in question, date of the problem, the problem itself (You type my number in your brand new upgraded billing system, and I am sure you will see that my monthly bill is between R400 and R3000, and all of a sudden in December its over R20 000) like with so many other people. Never received a response from you either, like it happened with the numerous calls to Vodacom, the numerous postings on Hellopeter which Cindy Price was suppose to help with. Oh, the excuse for the last lack of response was that your email services was also down. Thats apparently why Cindy Price didn't respond to me.

My last question was : Did Vodacom upgrade their billing systems????????

Seems like Vodacom finds it difficult to even answer a simple question like this with a yes or no.

I would like to point out the attitude you have shown with people on this forum, which is the biggest issue with Vodacom. "IF we don't precisely do things the way Vodacom wants us to you cannot help us", even though the mistake is on the side of VC. Don't you think all of these people have gone through the proper channels, and received some rude help desk operator on the other side, then asked to speak to supervisors, and managers, tried the polite way, lost our tempers, shouted, begged, and thats after waiting for extended periods of time on the phone just trying to get through to a person, explaining the problems 10 times over, etc. etc. etc. And you still have the nerve to tell us to follow the proper channels??????? No Vodacom, its time you start jumping through hoops, I have followed your proper channels for weeks without a response. Its time you take a 5 minutes, type my cell number in your billing system, have a look at the issues in my December bill, and give me a satisfactory response.

I think most people have given up asking for help, this is just a desperate way for people like me to do the only thing that is still possible, try to warn other customers about the thievery, lies and deception going on at Vodacom.

 

[ic]

Vodacom3G

So what other info were you looking for in the PM I sent you. You have my cell number, the data number in question, date of the problem, the problem itself (You type my number in your brand new upgraded billing system, and I am sure you will see that my monthly bill is between R400 and R3000, and all of a sudden in December its over R20 000) like with so many other people. Never received a response from you either, like it happened with the numerous calls to Vodacom, the numerous postings on Hellopeter which Cindy Price was suppose to help with. Oh, the excuse for the last lack of response was that your email services was also down. Thats apparently why Cindy Price didn't respond to me.

My last question was : Did Vodacom upgrade their billing systems????????

Seems like Vodacom finds it difficult to even answer a simple question like this with a yes or no.

I would like to point out the attitude you have shown with people on this forum, which is the biggest issue with Vodacom. "IF we don't precisely do things the way Vodacom wants us to you cannot help us", even though the mistake is on the side of VC. Don't you think all of these people have gone through the proper channels, and received some rude help desk operator on the other side, then asked to speak to supervisors, and managers, tried the polite way, lost our tempers, shouted, begged, and thats after waiting for extended periods of time on the phone just trying to get through to a person, explaining the problems 10 times over, etc. etc. etc. And you still have the nerve to tell us to follow the proper channels??????? No Vodacom, its time you start jumping through hoops, I have followed your proper channels for weeks without a response. Its time you take a 5 minutes, type my cell number in your billing system, have a look at the issues in my December bill, and give me a satisfactory response.

I think most people have given up asking for help, this is just a desperate way for people like me to do the only thing that is still possible, try to warn other customers about the thievery, lies and deception going on at Vodacom.

Bob2000, despite what you appear to be thinking, v3g is not here to act as your personal punching bag, and you are also not the only forumite to send private messages to v3g - he receives a lot of private messages, and helps those who provide sufficiently detailed info about a problem as well as their contact info. If you have provided such info, as outlined in v3g's forum signature, then v3g will have contacted the relevant department(s) within Vodacom and asked them to resolve the problem. Also, v3g does not work for the Billing department, and cannot personally credit your account - it has to go through the Billing department, and I'm sure there must be a lot of customer's accounts that have the problem - it will take some time.

Also, v3g did explain how the problem happened, that data usage records were delayed which had a knock-on effect, and was not as you are assuming 'some upgrade to the billing systems'.

 

[Bob2000]

We complain on public forums like these, because we do not get satisfactory answers from Vodacom through their own channels. And then Vadocom employees find it TIRING chasing info, and because my area info is missing, they ignore my complaint for a 10th time.

You have to see the humor in that

I do understand your point, and my comments wasn't directed at him personally, and I apologize if it came across like that.

But why do we have to resort to public forums and complaint websites before Vodacom and its employees take us seriously. Isn't the issues that we have, suppose to be handled by VC Customer Care. I value my privacy and the last thing I want to do is complain publicly, but they don't give us a choice. By the time people resort to complaining on websites, the last thing they want to hear is for a company representative to tell them he is tired of chasing after customers complaints.

I would like to congratulate Vodacom though, on the record number of complaints they manage to collect on the various websites. It speaks for itself......

 

[vodacom3g]

Bob, a few points:

- myADSL is not an official Vodacom support structure and thus do not have IT support systems tied to it like call-desk and trouble-ticket back-ends.

Vodacom's participation here is as a spokesperson on issues broadband. I tried to explain it in my sig below. The original agreement with myADSL was to pop in once a day and answer some questions on the forum. At this point in time I spend about 18 hours per day on the forum (7 days a week) and get a cr@pload of PM's to boot.

So the 'formal' answer is that we should avoid using myADSL for Vodacom support as much as possible and use the structures put in place.

But I don't mind getting involved when I can see a forumite is not getting any joy. If so, I now need to collect all the gory details and thus my passionate plea to give me all the details. Forumites seem to protect their privacy to the Nth degree and it's like pulling teeth, asking and re-asking for info.

Now imagine you have to do this for 20 people per day and you can understand the dilemma. And then the PM say something like "16th Avenue, the Greens". I now need to dig out my detective hat and pipe and start putting this puzzle together, doing google searches on the forum to try and figure out what the specific forumite is on about.....you get the picture.

So, I'm not being hard@ssed about this issue of not passing on calls without the relevant information.

- Because this is not a formal support structure, any 'support' interaction I have into Vodacom is breaking some pre-defined process, so I try and make it as simple for people to respond to forum queries. Again, giving detailed info helps.

The worst is when someone kicks up a fuss on the forum and then refuse to be helped. Believe me it happens.

A few months ago a forumite threw his toys about coverage at his house. I got his address, got the radio support people all fired up and when they arrived at his home, he refused to let them into his house. You can think what that did for the reputation of myADSL with this particular region....

Best of all, he's still on the forum complaining....

So, we have to be sensitive on how we buck the system.

- To get back to your specific query:

- You PM'd me on the 21st of January and I forwarded your query (even though you did not give all the details! ) the same day.
- I saw a few mails flying around and on the 23rd saw a final mail saying they came to some kind of conclusion. 3 different people worked on your query and it turned at executive level. So there was a fair amount of activity on it.

At this point in time I would have expected that someone would get back to you but you seem to indicate this did not happen? I've asked for the records of all conversations with you so we can check.

So give me a day or so to get the records of who did (or did not) speak to you.

 

[ic]

While I haven't been on the receiving end of this particular delayed contract data billing from December [I wouldn't have, considering I primarily use pre-paid data bundles nowadays], I don't understand why it is that some people seem to struggle with Vodacom's official support channels for billing and other issues - I understand the frustration which oozes out the posts here like toxic waste, but I have to wonder if that's why some people struggle - that maybe they tear a strip off of the person that receives their complaint call, and from there it all spirals downward and out of control...

My advice to anyone trying to sort out a billing issue, send a detailed email to [email protected], attach screenshots if necessary, embed additional relevant info, but whatever you do, just make sure you are civil and polite - some people do not know how to be polite, but at least try to be polite. The email method will provide you with a written record, and who the problem was assigned to, i.e. self-documenting. If you receive a followup call from someone at Vodacom, document that call in a reply email. At worst you have a written record which you can forward to v3g via email if necessary, at best your frustration levels are dramatically reduced and you don't end up spending ages on the phone to different people at Vodacom, and your problem is likely to be solved...

 

[Bob2000]

My last reply to this issue

First off
Thank you V3G for taking 5 seconds to forward my complaint.

Worst experience I ever had with a company, I actually gave up on the PM I sent you. A simple reply acknowledging that you received it,and forwarded it would have been nice. And as a customer I would have known that it is being worked on. (it was 14 days ago). I am not demanding, it was just a comment...... (Being nice to Vodacom)

The rest of the posts were not asking for your help, but illustrating what a customer have to go through in dealing with Vodacom. I am hoping that someone will read this, and rather look at other alternatives. And in fact I enjoyed all the responses, as it illustrates very clearly the way Vodacom handles customer complaints.

"We are not being hard@ssed but..."
"Forumites kicks up a fuss ...."
"Spending 18 hours a day getting a cr@pload of complaint..." If your company provided a service this would not happen, would it???

In response to this " I've asked for the records of all conversations with you so we can check. So give me a day or so to get the records of who did (or did not) speak to you. " someone did contact me after my last post, he understands my query, and will come back to me....

While you collect all the evidence to discredit me and make me out as a raging lunatic, I want you to specifically listen to my conversations with your accounts department, and then you will understand all the frustration. I inquired about a payment plan, they turned around and demanded payment immediately (20 days BEFORE the account due date) otherwise they will block all my accounts and stop me from making a living, and that does not go down very well.
(Imagine you phone your bank about your car repayments and all of a sudden your bank demands you to pay 8 monthly installments in the next 24 hours otherwise they will repossess your car)

IC, as part of your tips on how to deal with Vodacom, please add that if you are not already in trouble with Vodacom, avoid their accounts department at all costs, once you caught their attention, this slow unresponsive sloth of a company, turns into a vicious man eating beast, and it will destroy you.

Anyway

In summary
1. Be nice to Vodacom otherwise they don't help, doesn't matter how many times they did NOT help anyway
2. Don't phone the helpdesk, because you will get frustrated, lose your temper and you won't be nice. Thus they won't help you.
3. Send them an email, otherwise you don't have any documented complaint to fall back on, because they will deny that they ever spoke to you. Maybe, just maybe when their email systems are working, you will get a reply.
4. Whatever you do, never phone Vodacom accounts. Its the core of this black hole.
5. The Golden rule to remember : You are just a customer. You are not worthy of a response. If you do get any kind of a response, rejoice and be thankful, the great beast looked down, and took pity on you.

The great beast took pity on me yesterday, and said it will contact me today again, It seems like V3G can speak the language of the beast, and it responds.

Hail V3G!!!!!!!!!

 

[Iam3G]

My last reply to this issue

First off
Thank you V3G for taking 5 seconds to forward my complaint.

Worst experience I ever had with a company, I actually gave up on the PM I sent you. A simple reply acknowledging that you received it and forwarded it would have been nice to be informed and avoid frustration on my side. (it was 14 days ago). I am not demanding, it was just a comment...... (Being nice to Vodacom)

The rest of the posts were not asking for your help, but illustrating what a customer have to go through in dealing with Vodacom. I am hoping that someone will read this, and rather look at other alternatives. And in fact I enjoyed all the responses, as it illustrates very clearly the way Vodacom handles customer complaints.

"We are not being hard@ssed but..."
"Forumites kicks up a fuss ...."
"Spending 18 hours a day getting a cr@pload of complaint..."

" I've asked for the records of all conversations with you so we can check. So give me a day or so to get the records of who did (or did not) speak to you. "

BTW, someone did contact me after my last post...

While you collect all the evidence to discredit me and make me out as a raging lunatic, I want you to specifically listen to my conversations with your accounts department, and then you will understand all the verbal abuse hurled in your direction. I inquired about a payment plan, they demanded payment immediately (20 days BEFORE the account due date) otherwise they will block all my accounts and stop me from making a living, does not go down very well, and I would be more than happy to apologize to you and direct my insults to the accounts person in question, if you can provide me with her details.

IC, as part of your tips on how to deal with Vodacom, please add that if you are not already in trouble with Vodacom, avoid their accounts department at all costs, once you caught their attention, this slow unresponsive sloth of a company, turns into a vicious man eating beast, and it will destroy you.

Anyway

In summary my advice to any VC customers
1. Be nice to Vodacom otherwise they don't help,
2. Don't phone the helpdesk, because you will get frustrated, lose your temper and you won't be nice. Thus they won't help you.
3. Send them an email, otherwise you don't have any documented complaint to fall back on, because they will deny that they ever spoke to you. Maybe, just maybe when their email systems are working, you will get a reply.
4. Whatever you do, never phone Vodacom accounts. Its the core of this black hole.
5. The Golden rule to remember : You are just a customer. You are not worthy of a response. If you do get any kind of a response, rejoice and be thankful, the great beast looked down, and took pity on you.

The great beast took pity on me yesterday, and said it will contact me today again, It seems like V3G can speak the language of the beast, and it responds.

Hail V3G!!!!!!!!!

All i can say is, respect goes both ways.

You have a problem, and yes its understandbale that your're frustrated about it, but go about solving it in a respectable and civilized manner.

If someone comes to me with a problem, and come craps on my head about it, and the problem isnt even my fault, and that person shows me zero respect, i would be reluctant to help.

But if you come to me, expressing your frustration in a friendly civilized manner, i would make an effort to help you out.

 

[ic]

IC, as part of your tips on how to deal with Vodacom, please add that if you are not already in trouble with Vodacom, avoid their accounts department at all costs,

The only advice I will add is that one really should take a chill pill just before contacting any company that deducts money off of one's bank account, in an attempt to resolve a problem - especially billing-related.

once you caught their attention, this slow unresponsive sloth of a company, turns into a vicious man eating beast, and it will destroy you.

I assume you're not a Telkodemonopolies customer? - believe me when I say that Telkodemonopolies' Accounts department has to be the absolute worst to deal with.

 

[vodacom3g]

"We are not being hard@ssed but..."
"Forumites kicks up a fuss ...."
"Spending 18 hours a day getting a cr@pload of complaint..."

Bob, common courtesy implies that when you 'quote' someone, you don't actually twist their words to give it a false meaning. Not one of the above quotes are from my post.....

" I've asked for the records of all conversations with you so we can check. So give me a day or so to get the records of who did (or did not) speak to you. "

BTW, someone did contact me after my last post...

While you collect all the evidence to discredit me and make me out as a raging lunatic,......

Wow, a bit of a persecution complex showing through, don't you think?

My first thought was that the Call-Desk might have stuffed up and I suspected that you might not have received enough or timeous feedback. There were 3 different people working on your query and it could have been that they all though one of the others got back to you.

A stuff up, if the case, and this is what I wanted to establish so we can put processes in place to avoid it in the future.

 

[Bob2000]

I do appreciate your insight into my personality, and I am truly fascinated with your comments on my mental health, but I am still waiting for Vodacom to respond to my initial query.

 

[vodacom3g]

I do appreciate your insight into my personality, and I am truly fascinated with your comments on my mental health, but I am still waiting for Vodacom to respond to my initial query.

Are you saying no-one got back yo you?

 

[Bob2000]

Not with an answer to my query

Well if we count the number of times someone said he will come back to me, Vodacom responded many times, but nothing yet with any worthwhile info....

 

[Bob2000]

Are you saying no-one got back yo you?

Are you surprised? Its thirst is quenched with my hard earned money now, The beast is asleep. We should not wake it, another Vodacom customer might just feel the wrath of this animal if we do. Or maybe I am just not friendly and polite enough, I mean I am not the most of helpful when it comes to being a customer. How very unthoughtful of me expecting THE BEAST to keep its word. Shame on me!!!!

 

[Bob2000]

Day 2 of broken promises and Day 30 since first contact. The beast still sleeps......

Maybe we can create a new thread : "A year in the life of a Vodacom Customer", then I can document all the problems and responses an average Vodacom customer experience. I have an exciting time ahead, in June my voice contract expires, and I can document the problems I will have with that, or maybe go into detail about the mysterious changes in my personal details, all kinds of entertaining things, that I would not even attempt to complain about directly to Vodacom anymore

 

[ic]

Day 2 of broken promises and Day 30 since first contact. The beast still sleeps......

Maybe we can create a new thread : "A year in the life of a Vodacom Customer", then I can document all the problems and responses an average Vodacom customer experience. I have an exciting time ahead, in June my voice contract expires, and I can document the problems I will have with that, or maybe go into detail about the mysterious changes in my personal details, all kinds of entertaining things, that I would not even attempt to complain about directly to Vodacom anymore

Nope, that is what blogs are for.

 

[Bob2000]

Ahh thanx, good idea!!!, but I think there are allready thousands out there

 

[vodacom3g]

Bob, my understanding is that the guys spoke to you Monday and you sent them back with a request that needed to go to exec level. The call desk agents can't make those kind of high value decisions.

At this level (i.e. lots of money involved) it might require a few meetings and typically you'll get an answer a few days later.

I would expect the guys to get back to you this week still.

For general forum feedback; bob2000's problem is not actually to do with the 'December' issue as per this thread but rather just very high data usage.