Expiring mobile data bundles prejudice consumers: ICASA

Simple. Make all data bundles nonexpiring, until they're used up.

Which means I'll be able to buy 500Mb, and use it up bit by bit until it all is used up, over a period of 3 months or more.

Nowadays you have to use all your data up before the end of the month, or you'll lose it all.


But they won't do it since it means they'll not be able to shift expensive data quicker...
 
Vodacom's data last in first out policy also needs to go.
 
I have had endless debates with Vodacom on this very matter.

The package I am on offers a so-called carry over for one month, which means unused data in September should be available in October to augment the October data. The "carry over" then expires at the end of the next month.

However one hardly ever benefits from this carry over, because it only becomes active AFTER the current month's data is used up. Effectively it means most of the time for me, I never get to use that data.

They should be using the FIFO principal but are not, where last months data is first worked off before this months data starts being used up. Vodacom have not once replied to any of my e-mails on the matter not in 5 years have they.

The next gripe I have is Vodacom offers a Night Owl allowance that kicks in at midnight. BUT to access that data one has to remember to log off at midnight (on my tablet, that means powering down the device), before data usage will now count down in the so -called "night owl" allocation. Again Vodacom has never replied to an e-mail on the matter, nor have they been able to explain it when demonstrating these issues to Vodacom personnel.

So, One of the very first steps in all of this debate about lowering the cost of data, is to STOP expiring data at all, and sort out the systems so that the count down of data works according to the FIFO principal, as well as gets the systems to "switch" from normal data to the night owl allowances without requiring customers to log off or worse power down their devices.
 
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I Actually lodged a complaint with the NCC about expiring data back in 2011. The Consumer Commission's reply was a screenshot of Cell C's data prices and confirmation that they do actually zero your data after 30 days...things that I already knew, and something that was the basis of the complaint.

I eventually gave up after trying to contact the NCC several times and all emails ignored. So much for "Protection" against unscrupulous consumer exploitation.
 
You pay X for 100MB of data, you should get 100MB of data irrespective of time frame.
 
If I fill up my car with petrol, the fuel does not expire at the end of the month.
If I purchase prepaid electricity, the electricity does not expire at the end of the month.
If I purchase prepaid voice air time, the air-time does not expire at the end of the month.

So why should data expire?

I get to use all the fuel/electricity/voice I paid for.

Where's ICASA and NCC/Consumer Protection Act when you need them?
 
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To add to the gripe ... because yes all of the above ... AND prepaid should be cheaper. Across the board no matter what you are purchasing. If only because there is no risk to the supplier of more being consumed than can be paid for. No bad debt, no outstanding amounts, no delay in cash flow between sale/consumption and payment, and all the reasons I'm sure exist but can't think of.

I have never understood why prepaid in SA is more expensive, and this applies from electricity to Telkom to mobiles.
 
Simple reason.

Instant Gratification. Every gimmick that comes along, everyone wants it NOW! This opens the door for being ripped off and they do rip everyone off.

Resisting the marketing hype is the way to go, wait for the hype to die down and social pressure to build up and then go for it after some rationality start prevailing.
 
daniellgr said:
Simple reason.

Instant Gratification. Every gimmick that comes along, everyone wants it NOW! This opens the door for being ripped off and they do rip everyone off.

Resisting the marketing hype is the way to go, wait for the hype to die down and social pressure to build up and then go for it after some rationality start prevailing.
Click to expand...


I don't understand your point. Buying the latest, brightest, sharpest device has nothing whatsoever to do with buying prepaid data / airtime / data / electricity / water.

i.e. the cost of nice shiny new toy does not have any impact whatsoever on the cost of prepaid data / airtime / data / electricity / water.
 
Prepaid in the mobile world was invented in Africa. The process started with all the good intentions as you have mentioned which should have meant lower prices, but it did not.

The argument was, "we are offering the user more, therefore we are entitled to charge a premium over and above a cost plus reasonable profit margin".

It has taken a very long time for resistance to build up unfortunately.

Why is it nec to have all these middle men in between the supplier and the user? Everyone wants his cut and everyone wants to be able to milk the system.

In our area, when Tshwane came along unannounced to roll out smart electric meters there was a riot. The contractor was simply not allowed to get into our gated community. We demanded to be consulted, and shown the figures. When we saw how much the contracting company was creaming off the top we ended up getting a court interdict to stop the deployment of the smart meters, not because it was not a good idea but because we refused to have a cut skimmed off the top for the fat cat contracting company.

In the end the whole project was abandoned and is now the subject of s special investigation. If the Council had deployed the meters and the Council controlled the sale of coupons it might have been a completely different story.

With prepaid data expiring, out of desperation I needed remote data capability. And this is the only reason why I have a mobile data package today. If it was not for that requirement I would still be sitting on the side lines waiting for non-expiring packages to show up.

And I have the smallest of packages that I could get at the time.
 
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The only thing ICASA is capable of doing is striking. Otherwise they as most other ANC departments are fkng useless.
 
The_Librarian said:
Simple. Make all data bundles nonexpiring, until they're used up.

Which means I'll be able to buy 500Mb, and use it up bit by bit until it all is used up, over a period of 3 months or more.

Nowadays you have to use all your data up before the end of the month, or you'll lose it all.

But they won't do it since it means they'll not be able to shift expensive data quicker...
Click to expand...

I agree, you are paying for the data (I am on a 10gig+10gig 3G contact with Telkom Mobile) and the

data should be carried over until you use it up ,it should not expire.

Another thing that should change is the daytime and after midnight data story,it should be

changed to anytime(day or night) data because let us not fool ourselves that so

called "free data" you get to use after midnight you are paying for in reality and if you don't use it up

it expires.
 
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All good ideas below but ICASA are just a voice and silence will follow shortly with no resolution which is satisfactory to the end user.

Not holding my breath on this one either, hopefully I am wrong...
 
Hemi300c said:
All good ideas below but ICASA are just a voice and silence will follow shortly with no resolution which is satisfactory to the end user.

Not holding my breath on this one either, hopefully I am wrong...
Click to expand...
I think you will be surprised. During last few months government is doing everything to upset business. It looks like row of provocations on the front of political underground war. So I think it is a real action.
 
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