'Data contracts are broken': Industry Expert

Actually I top up my Vodacom prepaid 3G sim card through my FNB online banking account. It couldn't be easier! With one click I can buy a 2Gig data bundle and have it added directly to my account.
 
I buy airtime through Standard Bank Internet Banking. I use Vodacom4me.co.za to buy data bundles and check remaining data. Works fine. But in general the current system is bollocks.
 
This title is very misleading.

In legal terms, if you "break" a contract, you have contravened it's terms, or covenant, and can be legally sued ... and knowing the genial generosity of our big 3 in the cellular industry, I'm dead sure they would sue if they could ... if only to make an example to future contractees.

As far as I know, when you cancel a contract, then as long as whatever penalties are stipulated within the contract are paid, then nothing is broken and you are 100% within your rights. But once again ... the cell-phone companies, with their usual cheerful charity, impose a penalty which is way out of proportion to the real value of the contract.

The system will only become fair once buying a cell-phone is totally divorced from the actual package, and there is NO lock-down into any specific package.
 
I buy my 2Gig bundle at Pep. R368 for 2Gigs for 2 months. Very happy to pay my R184 per gig per month.

Noticed on a plane yesterday in the in flight magazine that some Namibian ISP has a special for R699 you receive 1G of 3G data and unlimited data fixed at your home/work. What could be the reason for this good price. They have more cables, nearer to internet hubs? Wonder why...
 
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I am not sure why the author has chosen to make it seen like buying a prepaid data bundle is such a mission. All one has to do is buy airtime through the normal channels and then allocate the airtime to a data bundle. It does not even take a few minutes, quite often I run out of data airtime, a warning SMS comes through to say that I have 4MB left and within a few minutes through internet banking and Vodacom4me I will have recharged.
 
If you have ever tried to regularly use pre-paid 3G you’d know that even the tech-literate finds this process complicated. In short, it involves buying a SIM card, doing RICA registration, and activating the SIM. Then one has to pop it into a normal phone, buy airtime and transfer it onto the SIM. The airtime then needs to be manually converted into a data bundle using a sequence of menu items, before being placed into the 3G modem. This needs to be repeated every time a bundle runs out. It’s just not practical.
Click to expand...

Clearly Hein Koen at Flickswitch has no idea how pre-paid works. Given the options of buying airtime online and activating bundles over the web or USSD there is no need to ever remove your SIM from the modem. Besides acquiring a SIM and getting RICA are both required on contract as well. :rolleyes:
 
I use Vodacom 3G(reluctantly these days)... and buying the data bundles is simple and fast... the issue that the author, Hein, is missing is the ridiculous data bundle costs vs the data bundle sizes! A 1GB data bundle sets you back R289.00... thats pathetic... while all the other access options are becoming more and more affordable... Vodacom's percieved attitude is 'if you don't like it... bugger off!'...
 
I'm with Hein on this one, I would be, I'm a joint founder at Flickswitch. ;)

All good criticism.

Internet banking is an option if you have another means of getting onto the Net.
Using USSD from software is also pretty tricky for Joe Average.

Sure 3G data is expensive, but what other choice has one got?

The point is that 3G data contracts are inflexible and admin-intensive, prepaid is better but this comes with even more admin.
For a lone tech-savvy individual this isn't a problem, but for many out there it's painful.
 
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