Data bundle expiry illegal

[Bar0n]

It's a commodity like electricity or water, there has to be limits on forward buying.

Except it's not like that. It's abstract, not physical. We live in an age where data is basically free, or at least much, much cheaper than what mobile providers sell it for. The world, including SA, has the network backbone to sell data for next to nothing, and in most countries this is the case. Even our fixed-line internet services are relatively cheap nowadays. However, by creating/faking this limited supply, the laws of economics drive up the price to ensure ripoff profits for mobile providers.

 

[Arthur]

Just because the cartel of service providers all force expiry dates, we should just accept it? We have no alternative other than ridiculous OOB rates as you state yourself. Maximum power to the consumer, I say.

Thankfully we live in a country where the consumer is (generally speaking) placed above corporations, and I have a feeling that laws will change in our favour, as they already have.

I prefer a system of equality before the law. Where no-one is preferred above another. Where justice is the criterion and also the aspiration. Where contracts freely entered into are upheld. Where people honour their freely-given word.

Reducing these issues to categories and classes in contention, where different rules apply to different classes, undermines the very basis of civilised living.

To propose a system where some have more rights than others is to set us on the path to tyranny.

I dissent from your consumerist paradise. For me, as a consumer, it would be lamentable.

 

[CAPS LOCK]

Just because the cartel of service providers all force expiry dates, we should just accept it? We have no alternative other than ridiculous OOB rates as you state yourself. Maximum power to the consumer, I say.

Thankfully we live in a country where the consumer is (generally speaking) placed above corporations, and I have a feeling that laws will change in our favour, as they already have.

You have a cornucopia of options in the telcoms market of which force is certainly not one of them.
There are sufficient laws to make many lawyers rich, there's no need to enforce law for frivolous reasons to enrich them even more just because we can't manage our simple data bundles effectively. If 'expiry' data bundles yields cheaper rates I'm all for it. Seems the Lonmin syndrome is contagious - power to the consumer to his own detriment.

 

[Bar0n]

I prefer a system of equality before the law. Where no-one is preferred above another. Where justice is the criterion and also the aspiration. Where contract freely entered into are upheld. Where people honour their r freely-given word.

Reducing these issues to categories and classes, where different rules apply to different classes, undermines the very basis of civilised living.

To propose a system where some have more rights than others is to set its on the path to tyranny.

In a capitalist system, the protection of the consumer is necessary. Corporations are greedy. Consumer protection is essential.

 

[Arthur]

In a capitalist system, the protection of the consumer is necessary. Corporations are greedy. Consumer protection is essential.

Only people can be greedy. Not corporations. And what protects business owners from greedy or irrational consumers?

Forget capitalism. In a free market, liberty and choice are the fundament of protection. Your propose laws that reduce both liberty and choice. You are no friend of capitalism.

 

[supersunbird]

Except it's not like that. It's abstract, not physical. We live in an age where data is basically free, or at least much, much cheaper than what mobile providers sell it for. The world, including SA, has the network backbone to sell data for next to nothing, and in most countries this is the case. Even our fixed-line internet services are relatively cheap nowadays. However, by creating/faking this limited supply, the laws of economics drive up the price to ensure ripoff profits for mobile providers.

Blame government (aka ICASA) for not releasing available spectrum so that there is more capacity. There are actually physical limits or do you think everyone imagined it when the networked suffered so badly when they gave the free 1GB for their 20th birthday?

 

[Bar0n]

You have a cornucopia of options in the telcoms market of which force is certainly not one of them.

Not in the mobile telecoms market, we certainly don't. For some people, this is the only means to an internet connection. In this day and age it has become as essential to our lives as water and electricity. It's very nearly a basic human need and the capability is there to provide it to the people of the country at affordable rates.

 

[Fudzy]

Except it's not like that. It's abstract, not physical. We live in an age where data is basically free, or at least much, much cheaper than what mobile providers sell it for. The world, including SA, has the network backbone to sell data for next to nothing, and in most countries this is the case. Even our fixed-line internet services are relatively cheap nowadays. However, by creating/faking this limited supply, the laws of economics drive up the price to ensure ripoff profits for mobile providers.

Agreed, but if you were in the shoes of the service provider, you wouldn't want to run at a loss if other service providers wanted to run at a profit.

 

[supersunbird]

In a capitalist system, the protection of the consumer is necessary. Corporations are greedy. Consumer protection is essential.

In a capitalist system you can buy shares in Vodacom and Sasol and then also get a share in their profits, if people are too lazy or don't educate themselves about it, its not the companies fault.

 

[Bar0n]

And what protects business owners from greedy or irrational consumers?

The majority of customers are not greedy or irrational. People are willing to pay reasonable prices for goods. People who previously pirated movies/games are now more than willing to pay for it, using Netflix and Steam.

Businesses are Goliaths. It's the Davids we need to worry about.

 

[CAPS LOCK]

Not in the mobile telecoms market, we certainly don't. For some people, this is the only means to an internet connection. In this day and age it has become as essential to our lives as water and electricity. It's very nearly a basic human need and the capability is there to provide it to the people of the country at affordable rates.

I'm all for driving the price downwards, but, with removing expiry dates it may have an adverse effect.

 

[Bar0n]

Blame government (aka ICASA) for not releasing available spectrum so that there is more capacity. There are actually physical limits or do you think everyone imagined it when the networked suffered so badly when they gave the free 1GB for their 20th birthday?

Of course the capacity can and should be expanded. But government is not the focus of this discussion.

 

[Bar0n]

In a capitalist system you can buy shares in Vodacom and Sasol and then also get a share in their profits, if people are too lazy or don't educate themselves about it, its not the companies fault.

The poor can probably not afford one SASOL share. But their children can receive a proper education with cheap internet. Wikipedia and Youtube classes will be open to them. Schools can stream decent material in their classrooms. There might be cases of abuse here and there, but we cannot deny this to the future of this country. Proper education is our only way forward and cheap internet can enable this.

 

[Bar0n]

You are no friend of capitalism.

I am not.

 

[Captain-Justice]

You mean expire after up to 60 days (lowering as you approach the end of the month, with 31 days usage if you buy at the end of the month). If you want to complain get you facts right...

I'm buying prepaid data by dialing *111# and it's valid for 30 days, irrespective of the day bought. If I buy it on the 25th, it expires on the 24th of the following month.

 

[HideInLight]

There's a reason why it's called airtime. They allocate a specific time for you to use your network and put a limit on how much you can congest it. It could also be seen as a type of currency, which I doubt qualify with CPA

Also the physical vouchers don't expire to my knowledge.

That's why competition is important, competition forces change in favor of the customer.

 

[supersunbird]

I'm buying prepaid data by dialing *111# and it's valid for 30 days, irrespective of the day bought. If I buy it on the 25th, it expires on the 24th of the following month.

See, that's not in your OP, I haven't used *111# in ages but I just checked and you are right, the old standard data bundles is gone, I buy through the Vodacom website or internet banking and get the old standard product that rolls over to the next month. I concur that a 30 day product sucks.

 

[Lizzardd]

You must be a little baby, requiring the law to mollycoddle you and your inability to manage your little data bundles. Grow a ****ing pair of balls - idiot.

I don't need to be mollycoddled, I know how much data I will probably use in a given month and I know how to manage my data bundle. It seems vodacom does not and for them I need to tell them each month how much I will use,
If it were up to me, to manange my data I would simply buy 1GB of data that I'd expect to use over the course of a year, instead I now have to buy 100mb every 30days, what a glorious waste of time and effort.

Your DSTV example is also stupid, as you are buying access to their service, not 100hours of access.

I cannot think of any other product, where I buy a limited quantity of it, that I have to use it within 30days.
Imagine if they did this for fuel, and at the end of every week you have to pour out what ever fuel was left in your tank.

You are probably correct in saying that if data does not expire, it will be more expensive, thats fine, give us the choice.
Is it so hard to allow you to buy data every 30days and a cheaper price and me to buy 1GB that never expires at higher price?
Even CellC's offer of 3GB over 12months is not good enough, why should it expire, I bought 3GB, aslong as there is still some data left I should be allowed to use all 3GB even if it takes me 2years, and they will probably benifit for having sold me data at a much higher prices 2years ago that I'm still using today.

No matter how you try jusify it, you can't. If you take away something that I have bought, its theft, plain and simple

 

[Bona Botse]

I find it funny how some people are saying that data would be more expensive if it didn't expire so we should just buy what we need to avoid expired data. Why do you think data is cheaper when it has expiry dates? It's because the networks are overselling, so if everyone were diligent and only bought exactly the data that they needed then the effect would be the same as non-expiring data - higher data prices.

 

[richjdavies]

Don't worry airtime ends sooner than it should too... data bundles aren't the only thing.
I just tried asking how long airtime would last and was told 3 different answers by 3 different vodacom shops in Canal walk.... so go figure!
If the info was clear, then I'd agree == e.g. on Cell-C it's very clear that your bundle lasts 30 days (unless you buy one of the 365 day ones...)