Data bundles: MTN's twisted business logic

[Terencek]

What sort of commercial logic dictates that MTN actively DISCOURAGES customers from buying new data bundles? Unlike Voda where you can buy another when your original bundle is exhausted, by some perverse reasoning MTN slaps your wrist (and your money) away from the cookie jar and says 'Uh-uh, you've had your bundle for this month -- wait until the end of the 30-day period and then we may deign to let you have another one.'

At which stage, of course, those of us inured to such nonsense switch to Virgin or Voda to get through the rest of the month, giving them our money instead. (Or we slap in another MTN SIM, though I don't see why I should).

Hey, I didn't go to Harvard so perhaps I'm missing the business sense in not allowing customers to spend their good money on as many consecutive data bundles as they like, without any silly 30-day exclusion period? Or am I missing something here?

 

[redarrow]

They are hoping that their customers are ignorant and will just continue to use data at the "out of bundle" rate.. thereby making more money at R2.00 per MB..
And when it comes to that I think they're quite correct.. it's astonishing how many people I've heard of who actually use the OOB rate and do not even buy bundles in the first place..

It's the same business approach used by the banks - lots of banking fee's that can quite easily be avoided but aren't - simply because most of their customers are too ignorant to know any better..

 

[AirWolf]

Also deficient in the MTN offering is that top up amounts can't purchase PPDBs

 

[Wolfling]

Hmm...

Well...

I was debating whether to use MTN or Vodacom for my Internet Connection Portable/Backup Solution.

Reading this thread kind of solves my conundrum as it is obvious that the 100mb data-bundle is then not such a good idea as you pretty much screwed if you run out of megs towards the end of the month.

Suppose then ill trash my 99c sim...

 

[redarrow]

Reading this thread kind of solves my conundrum as it is obvious that the 100mb data-bundle is then not such a good idea as you pretty much screwed if you run out of megs towards the end of the month.

Not if you leave your connection active...

 

[AirWolf]

Yep, MTNs data connection doesn't go belly up when your funds/bundle runs out A little difficult to have your pc on for 30 days though.

 

[diabolus]

Yep, MTNs data connection doesn't go belly up when your funds/bundle runs out A little difficult to have your pc on for 30 days though.

My Pc can do that easily, however keeping a MTN or Vodacom connection alive for that long is quite a feat.

Anyhow, this is the exact reason why i'm now using Vodacom Prepaid even while MTN's connection is more stable in my area. The convenience to [on prepaid]:

1. buy your bundle ONLINE
2. buy a new one the moment your old one runs out
3. view your usage ONLINE -and- via SMS [not funny AT modem commands via datacard crap] .
4. No multiple simcard swopping

basically takes the cake.

Can't do any of that on MTN prepaid.

 

[AirWolf]

Good points diabolus MTN may have been the first to offer PPDBs but they seem to be stuck in a rut thereafter

 

[Wolfling]

umm, this is a little of topic, but I dont want to start a new thread just for this.

Is 141 option 1, 4 working (for MTN) It just flatly ignores me if I use it (the menu starts over again). If I use the option 1, 1 it does not give me a Data Bundle remaining either,

Is this maybe cause my bundle is used up and there is no money on the prepaid account either?